Isaac Thompson on what it means to lead an orchestra in the 21st century

The Minnesota Orchestra’s new president and CEO returns home with a vision that blends civic purpose with artistic excellence. The post Isaac Thompson on what it means to lead an orchestra in the 21st century appeared first on MinnPost.

Isaac Thompson, a Minnesota native who grew up in Shoreview and attended Mounds View High School, will take the helm of the Minnesota Orchestra as president and CEO on Oct. 14. Thompson has deep ties to the orchestra dating back to his early musical training in the Twin Cities. He remembers watching the orchestra as a young person, he studied violin with former Minnesota Orchestra concertmaster Jorja Fleezanis in high school, and he participated in the Minnesota Youth Symphonies when it was co-led by longtime Orchestra principal trumpet Manny Laureano. Thompson brings leadership experience from several major U.S. orchestras, including the Oregon Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Following the interim tenure of Brent Assink, Thompson will join music director Thomas Søndergård in shaping the Minnesota Orchestra’s future direction. The orchestra’s announcement of Thompson’s new role comes on the heels of a City Council committee meeting that advanced plans for the Upper Harbor Terminal redevelopment in North Minneapolis. The Business, Housing, and Zoning Committee approved a long-term lease and $12.5 million in state funding for construction of a new riverfront amphitheater, officially known as the Community Performing Arts Center (CPAC). The venue will be operated by Port of Minneapolis, LLC — a joint venture between First Avenue Productions and the Minnesota Orchestra — and is one part of the broader Upper Harbor redevelopment project, a partnership between the city of Minneapolis and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. I recently talked with Thompson about his new role and plans for the future. The conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Sheila Regan: Do you remember your first orchestra concert? Isaac Thompson: Yeah, my parents are longtime subscribers to the Minnesota Orchestra, and I still remember them taking me when I was very young and being struck by the personalities on stage and the whole experience of hearing a live orchestra. Those early experiences solidified my love for the symphonic repertoire and for orchestras, and it spurred my interest in studying violin very seriously. The connection to the orchestra runs deep. SR: Do you happen to remember anything about that first program that you saw? IT: What I distinctly remember was the concertmaster coming out, who, at that time, was Jorja Fleezanis, who had this incredible energy. I remember she had quite a funky hairstyle, and I was immediately drawn to her leadership and her energy on stage. It was amazing several years later having the opportunity to study violin with her in high school, and then she and I kept in touch and remained very close friends in the preceding years. SR: Do you still play? IT: Not really, unfortunately — not a lot of time. I like to say that I’m a recovering violinist, but once in a while I’ll take it out and noodle around, but usually not in public. SR: Do you have a go-to piece that you play when you’re just picking it up? IT: Mostly going back to exercises to keep the muscles going. To relearn the Brahms concerto at this point would be probably too humbling. SR: We talk sometimes about the importance of arts education. How did your arts education impact you? IT: I started violin pretty much directly after that first experience at the Minnesota Orchestra. I was a Suzuki student at the Augsburg Suzuki Talent Education program with Nancy Lokkin. In middle school and high school, I was fortunate to be in the Mounds View public school system, which has a terrific orchestra program. I also was a member of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, and at that time, it was directed by Manny Laureano, who, of course, is the retiring principal trumpet of the Minnesota Orchestra. MYS solidified a social circle of like-minded kids that were serious about music. A group of us would go almost every weekend to the Minnesota Orchestra to hear the pros. The Twin Cities are so fortunate to have such a robust artistic fabric — growing up there was extraordinary. SR: In terms of your career as an arts leader, do you have a signature moment or program that you’re proud of that maybe can inspire your work here in Minnesota? IT: One of the really meaningful periods in my career was working for the New York Philharmonic. I was there for seven years, first as vice president of artistic planning and then as managing director. That was a tumultuous period, because it fell right in the pandemic time. But, through those challenges, I was proud of how the New York Philharmonic found different ways to connect with the community there. We did a whole series of concerts throughout all the boroughs, basically off the back of a pickup truck, which we called the New York Philharmonic bandwagon. We were able to partner with some amazing community organizations. I’m proud of that work, and I know that those relationships continue to this day. SR: You’ve played roles in the past doing diversity, equity and inclusion work in previous positions. What does that look like now with an administration that’s not very open to those kinds of initiatives? IT: When I think about that work, I think about access, and the imperative that everyone should have the ability to come and experience the Minnesota Orchestra, or any orchestra. I love the quote of Gustavo Dudamel, the newly appointed music director of the New York Philharmonic, who once said that music is a fundamental human right. That rings true today. We need music and art more than ever. For me, the question when it comes to that work is, how do we view our programming expansively? How do we view the community in the most expansive possible way? That there is a point of entry for every single person in our community to experience the beauty of classical music and the beauty of symphonic music. SR: How do you see your work with the orchestra continuing to champion adventurous programming and innovative ideas? IT: An orchestra like the Minnesota Orchestra has a tremendous responsibility of being the purveyors of a great repertoire of the past — all the phenomenal symphonic works that are our favorites, that people want to hear, year in, year out. But it also has a responsibility, and it’s a huge advantage of a symphony orchestra — it’s a living, breathing arts organization. It doesn’t just curate the past, but it also creates the future. And what’s exciting about the Minnesota Orchestra — it has a tremendous history of commissioning new works. Of course, the Composer’s Institute that the Minnesota Orchestra continues, and that’s a huge responsibility to be able to create the repertoire for the future. There’s excitement in that adventure. There’s also risk in that adventure, but it’s critically important that we are contributing to the future of our art form. SR: How do you see the orchestra as deepening its role in the community? IT: One of the things I’ve pondered throughout my career and tried to work towards is finding what I call the intersection between the social and the artistic imperative. Right now, more so than ever, society is facing real challenges — challenges of connection between people, and challenges civically in local communities. The orchestra as a civic institution needs to play a role in those broader conversations. I’m returning to Minneapolis after about 22 years, so I’m looking forward to getting to know the community, trying to understand and listen to what the needs are of the community issues that the Twin Cities face, and to find ways in which the Minnesota Orchestra can be part of the conversation and in terms of where the community is going. It goes beyond performing great symphonic works. It requires partnership, it requires dialogue. That’s the role of an orchestra in the 21st Century. SR: The Minnesota Orchestra is partnering with First Avenue on a new venue at the Upper Harbor site in North Minneapolis. What are your hopes and expectations for this chapter, both in terms of the space and also what it means for community, access, equity and programming? IT: It’s a huge opportunity for the orchestra to double down on its impact. I love this public-private partnership and how we can envision some innovative programming, some innovative new projects, and to see where that leads us, to see what other connections and collaborations open up because of a project like this. It’s early on, and I’m looking forward to diving into that further. SR: Any other goals you might mention that you’re thinking about as you start this work? IT: Something that has stayed with me for many years is the core artistic quality of the orchestra. It is an absolutely remarkable musical organization made up of the top professional musicians in the world. What I’m interested in is certainly preserving that quality, but also finding ways in which the orchestra can deepen its brand impact, not only in the Twin Cities, but also throughout the state of Minnesota. In this day and age, we need music to connect us, to demonstrate our shared humanity. An orchestra like the Minnesota Orchestra is more important now than ever before, so maintaining the qualities that have made the orchestra great over decades, and then envisioning an innovative future is what I’m excited to dive into. SR: Thomas Søndergård talks eloquently about listening as vitally important in his work with the orchestra. What does listening mean to you? IT: A critical part of any performing arts organization is the ability to listen. Listening to the great music, but listening to the people as well. I deeply value the perspectives of all stakeholders, and there are some incredible people associated with the Minnesota Orchestra on all levels — on the staff, on the board, and the musicians — who have valuable perspectives. They have institutional knowledge and history. I’m looking forward to listening to those perspectives, to taking it all in and being part of the dialogue. I am not an overly hierarchical leader — I believe in empowerment of all different stakeholder groups to be part of the conversation and to have ownership of where the organization is going moving forward. SR: Have you had much opportunity to talk with Thomas leading up to this announcement? Or do you know him from in the past at all? IT: I have had several opportunities to talk to Thomas — what a remarkable man and such a warm and genuine human being. I was struck by his humanity and his vision for what he wants to do artistically with the orchestra. I did meet him in a previous role when I was at the New York Philharmonic. I had the honor of being in Minneapolis around one of his inaugural concerts, where he conducted the “Rite of Spring.” He and I connected at that point, and then he guest conducted the New York Philharmonic. I’m looking forward to our partnership together. You can read the Minnesota Orchestra’s announcement of Thompson’s appointment here.