Columbus Symphony executive director to step down; leaders say music hall plans not affected

Amid the most ambitious and complex project in its 73-year history, the Columbus Symphony will soon undergo a change in leadership.

Executive Director Denise Rehg, who has been at the forefront of efforts to raise money for a proposed $275-million concert hall for the symphony, has elected to leave her post at the end of August.

“Denise has been a very effective executive director of the symphony for a number of years,” Robert Morrison Jr., symphony board of trustees co-vice chair, said in an interview with The Dispatch on Tuesday.

More: Columbus Symphony Orchestra's $275 million music hall plans - what we know

“She probably will remain as a consultant with us,” Morrison said. “We’re still working out some of those details.”

Rehg, 63, has led the symphony since 2017 and, for four years prior to that, was involved in symphony fundraising as vice president of development at the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA), which has longstanding ties to the symphony.

Why is Rehg leaving the Columbus Symphony?

Speaking with The Dispatch on Tuesday, Rehg cited personal reasons for her decision.

“The truth of the matter is, I’ve dedicated my life to the arts from a fairly early age, and missed so much with my own children that I want to be there differently for my grandchildren,” said Rehg, who has three grandchildren and, about a year ago, purchased a house in Springboro, Ohio, to be closer to her son.

Initially, Rehg selected April 1 as her date of departure, but the symphony asked her to remain in her role through the end of August, to which she agreed.

“We asked her to stay on longer. We have great respect for Denise, she’s done a great job,” Morrison said. “She’s voluntarily leaving. ... She has another segment of her life that she wants to be involved in.”

The symphony’s executive director, its top nonartistic staff member, is responsible for executing the organization’s overall mission, overseeing concert planning, management of the organization’s operation's team and fundraising campaigns, said chief operations officer Daniel Walshaw. Increasingly, Rehg’s focus shifted to fundraising related to the symphony hall project, Walshaw said.

Music Director Rossen Milanov is responsible for the symphony’s programming and artistic decision-making.

CAPA president and CEO Chad Whittington praised Rehg’s contributions to the symphony over the past decade.

“She has had tremendous passion for what the symphony does,” Whittington said. “I’m certainly appreciative of all that she’s done for the symphony during that time period.”

How are the new Columbus Symphony concert hall plans impacted?

The void in the symphony’s top leadership coincides with its recently revealed plans to build a 205,000-square-foot concert hall near the Scioto River. The symphony currently performs its Masterworks concerts in its home of more than five decades, the Ohio Theatre.

Of the $275 million required to build the new venue, about $27 million from private donors has been raised.

More: How will new Columbus Symphony music hall affect the Ohio Theatre, other arts groups?

Morrison expressed confidence that Rehg’s departure would not impact those plans.

“Where we are right now, we feel very good,” Morrison said. “We have a number of folks that are involved. We have a building committee, which is a number of board members as well as some outside individuals that are helping us think this through from a strategy perspective, from a financing perspective.”

Morrison said that the symphony has already engaged with a fundraising firm and an architectural firm.

“We don’t want Denise to leave because we love Denise and she does a great job, but it does not negatively impact our project at all,” Morrison said.

Who will replace the Columbus Symphony outgoing director?

Morrison said the symphony board is considering various options to replace Rehg.

“Whether it’s a new executive director, or a modification of our current staff, ... that’s the deliberation that the executive committee is involved in right now,” Morrison said. “We’re looking at a number of options.”

In mid-2022, longtime symphony official Daniel Walshaw was named chief operating officer and will remain responsible for many day-to-day operations at the symphony, Morrison said.

To lead the effort behind the proposed new concert venue, Morrison said that he and several other board members will have greater visibility, including board chair Stephen E. Markovich and co-vice chair Nelson Yoder.

“We will have someone, in fact, to fulfill that role,” Morrison said, referring to the sort of public face of the project that had been occupied by Rehg.

“Certainly, I think it’s fair to say that Denise has really been the one leading the charge on the concert hall,” Whittington said. “That’s going to take some change in terms of how that’s approached.”

The outgoing executive director is willing to continue to be involved.

“This is our shot,” Rehg said, referring to the symphony building its own hall. “It’s got to happen this time. ... It is a very, very heavy lift, but it will certainly be the most memorable and important thing I have ever done.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Symphony: Executive Director Denise Rehg to step down in 2024