The Columbus Symphony Orchestra is enthusiastic to announce the appointment of their new Executive Director, Eric M. Thomas. Thomas will fill the vacancy created by Cameron Bean’s departure in April to join the staff at the Columbus State University. The selection was made after a national search and selection process, during which the CSO’s own Thomas proved to be the top candidate.

Maestro George Del Gobbo comments, “It has been a distinct pleasure working with Eric these past few years. He is a man of intelligence and integrity and he cares deeply about the welfare and development of the orchestra. I am confident that he will be a good steward of our resources and a visionary leader as we make the transition to the next phase of our history.”

Thomas is approaching his fifth year with the CSO. His previous appointment as Operations and Education Director yielded substantial growth for the organization. “I am honored to serve as the new Executive Director for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra,” says Thomas. “During my time with the CSO, we have seen our concert season continue to expand and have launched several new educational programs.” One of his many achievements includes the establishing of the Making Music Matters program, a collaboration with the Empowered Youth of Columbus to provide free after-school group violin instruction to young children within the Muscogee County School District. The program now serves Dawson Elementary and Downtown Elementary Magnet Academy and plans to add 25-40 students with an addition of another school this upcoming year. A former graduate student of the Columbus State University’s Schwob School of Music, Thomas has a passion for the success of our musicians in his sights. “I am thrilled to continue working with Maestro Del Gobbo, our talented musicians, and my wonderful colleagues at the CSO. I look forward to building strong relationships within the community and spreading the joy of symphonic music to the Columbus and surrounding areas through our artistic and educational programming.”

“We are thrilled to have Eric Thomas as our Executive Director,” states Theresa Garcia Robertson, President of the CSO Board of Directors. “After a national search, it is exciting to hire from within the organization. Eric brings fresh ideas and momentum to our Orchestra and has hit the ground running. He knows our community, he knows our orchestra, and he understands why what we do is important. Eric is a perfect fit.”