Simon Woods

President and CEO, League of American Orchestras

Speaking at Opening Session, Making Audience Development Everyone’s Business, and Annual Meeting and Closing Luncheon

Simon Woods brings four decades of experience in the classical music world to his role as President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras. With a deep musical background and a commitment to the vital role of the arts in community life, he is recognized as a trusted mentor and advisor to orchestras. For more than twenty years, he has contributed to the League’s professional development programs, including serving as Director of its flagship leadership program, Essentials of Orchestra Management. A respected thought leader, he writes regularly on orchestra leadership and speaks frequently in the U.S. and abroad.

Before joining the League in 2020, Woods led the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, following senior artistic roles at The Philadelphia Orchestra. Earlier, he spent a decade as a record producer with EMI Classics in London. Born in London, he holds degrees from Cambridge University and the Guildhall School and is an adjunct faculty member at NYU/Steinhardt. He and his wife became U.S. citizens in 2018.

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