Symphony picks Thomas Philion as new director

The Seattle Symphony has a new executive director: Thomas Philion, the 54-year-old president and CEO of the Eastern Music Festival in North Carolina, who will begin the transition into his new job as early as April 2.

Philion, whose appointment was confirmed by the symphony board of directors late Tuesday, will succeed acting executive director Mary Ann Champion. She has led the symphony administration on an interim basis since the departure last summer of former director Paul Meecham.

"All the right building blocks are here in Seattle," Philion said Tuesday, "including a fabulous orchestra, a great concert hall, a community with corporate and individual wealth, and one of the largest subscriber bases for an orchestra of this kind in the country."

And in music director Gerard Schwarz and the board of directors, he'll have committed partners, Philion said. "I have a great opportunity to come in and build bridges, to deal with the deficit and to secure the orchestra's long-term future."

Philion has a 30-year history with nonprofit arts groups around the country, including marketing/PR posts with the Cleveland Orchestra and National (Washington, D.C.) Symphony. At the Eastern Music Festival, he presided over seven years that saw concert revenues more than triple.

He'll have his hands full in Seattle, where the symphony ran up a hefty deficit last season: $2.15 million, pushing the accumulated deficit to $3.2 million on a budget of $21.3 million. All current indications point to another shortfall for the current fiscal year.

There was public discontent among some of the players after the five-year renewal last spring of Schwarz's contract (through 2011), and a lengthy search for a new concertmaster is now in its third year.

Schwarz, who is principal conductor of the Eastern Music Festival, recommended Philion to the Seattle search committee. "Our relationship is relatively recent," Philion said, "but Jerry respects my opinion and the vision we've created" at the Eastern Music Festival. "We have a great working relationship."

Philion called his meeting with the musicians' Orchestra Committee "very positive," and commended the players for "caring so much about the orchestra moving forward and about its financial realities."

His experience shows he can handle financial challenges, Philion said. "I wouldn't take this job if I didn't see a great opportunity here."

Acting board chair Susan Hutchison called Philion "an unflappable guy who has been exposed to every problem, every crisis possible in an orchestra. I feel he will be embraced by the players, donors, audience members and all the symphony stakeholders. He's trustworthy, hardworking and solid."

Melinda Bargreen: mbargreen@seattletimes.com