Gary Ginstling
American music executive
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gary Ginstling is an American music executive and a former President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic.[2][3] On February 3, 2025, he became CEO of the Houston Symphony. [4]
Musician
Gary Ginstling | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | |
| Occupations | Music executive, Musician |
| Known for | Leadership of the National Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic |
Education
Ginstling started plaing the clarinet in fourth grade.[5] In high school, Ginstling studied with Peter Simenauer.[5]
Ginstling majored in music at Yale University,[5] and holds a master's degree from the Juilliard School[5] and the Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles.[6]
Commenting on his time at Juilliard to the New York Times, Ginstling said: “I was singularly focused on getting a job in a great orchestra. I don’t think there was an awareness that a career in the arts was something worth considering.”[7]
Career
Ginstling spent 12 years performing as a clarinet player with the New World Symphony before moving into academia.[1]
Ginstling remarked. "Being able to work with Michael Tilson Thomas had a huge impact; he instilled in me a fierce commitment to tirelessly seek out what a composer is trying to say in every phrase of every piece of music. MTT was a very important mentor to me, not only when I was a player but also later, when I worked at the San Francisco Symphony as director of communications and external affairs."[5]
In 1998, Ginstling was on the faculty of the University of California at Irvine's Department of Music as a lecturer in music.[8]
After completing his MBA at Anderson, Ginstling had a three-year role in the technology industry working as a product marketing manager for the Java platform at Sun Microsystems.[1][9]
In 2004 he left tech for a role as executive director of the Berkeley Symphony where he grew attendance by more than 25%.[10]
Leaving Berkeley, Ginstling worked as director of communications and external affairs for the San Francisco Symphony.[9]
Ginstling then became the chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra for five years where he settled a musician's strike upon arrival and increased revenue 44%[1] and general manager of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2008 to 2013.[9]
Ginstling was executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) in Washington, D.C. beginning in August 2017.[6] While at the NSO, Ginstling developed new ways of reaching audiences, driving up ticket sales, subscriptions and donations.[6]
On July 11, 2024, Ginstling resigned as CEO of the New York Philharmonic amidst controversy from its performers related to labor disputes.[11]
On January 10, 2025, Houston Symphony Board President Barbara J. Burger announced that Ginstling was appointed to the position of Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of the Houston Symphony where he will would hold the Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, to begin on February 3, 2025.[12]
Other activities
Ginstling serves on boards of the League of American Orchestras and the Electronic Media Association.[13]