New York Youth Symphony Appoints New Executive Director

John Kilkenny will step into the role in March 2024

The New York Youth Symphony (NYYS) recently announced that John Kilkenny will be its next Executive Director. Kilkenny succeeds Shauna Quill — who served the organization for the past twelve years.

Kilkenny comes to the role from a position as Executive Director of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, during which time he also served in a similar position at the Sewanee Music Festival. In Chattanooga, he led the orchestra's music director search in fifteen years — as well as creating the “Classics De-Classified” concert series, which takes CSO musicians into the community and highlights the works of underrepresented composers.

He also has significant experience working with young musicians, having been a clinician at the Eastman School of Music, the Shepherd School at Rice University, University of Michigan, Juilliard Pre-College, and Interlochen School for the Arts.

"We are thrilled to have John at the helm of our organization," said Bill Kapell, President of NYYS Board of Trustees. "John’s experience and impressive knowledge of music education will surely help to propel NYYS to the next level. We are excited to see what John can do as he helps to shape our future and make our mark on young musicians even stronger and more impactful."

"NYYS is an incredible organization and a fantastic match for my passion and skillset — I cannot wait to get started and write the next chapter!" Kilkenny said. "They are one of the premier arts education programs in the nation — leading the way in the training of young musicians. This is a dream opportunity for me!"