Mark Hanson joined the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as President & CEO in April 2022 following tenures in San Francisco, Houston and Milwaukee that were marked by new music director appointments, restored balanced budgets, improved internal cultures, significant revenue growth, and deepened community access and impact. Over his first two years in Baltimore, Mark has helped the BSO complete a Music Director search process and celebrate the arrival of 30-year-old Jonathon Heyward as the BSO’s 13th Music Director. Heyward’s tenure began in September 2023 with back-to-back Galas at The Music Center at Strathmore and Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in collaboration with Dance Theatre of Harlem, the first time a BSO season has started with celebrations in both of its markets (Baltimore and Montgomery County/DC). During the upcoming 2024-25 season, the BSO welcomes Baltimore-based James Lee III as composer-in-residence.Mark continues to prioritize strategies to expand community partnerships and activate the Meyerhoff in new ways as part of a “Hall for All” initiative and to extend the BSO’s reach throughout Maryland, including a new three-concert residency each season at the University of Maryland, College Park and the continuation of a state-funded Music for Maryland touring program. Under his leadership, the BSO has launched annual GospelFest and Lunar New Year concerts, as well as weekly lobby activations, that feature Maryland’s artistic and culinary talent. Additionally, several hundred young musicians from the BSO’s OrchKids program now perform annually on the Meyerhoff stage, an additional motivating factor for the 1,850 Baltimore City children in grades Pre-K – 12 who are enrolled in this acclaimed social-change-through-music program founded by Music Director Laureate Marin Alsop. Behind the scenes at the Meyerhoff, the BSO is undertaking a multi-phase, multi-million-dollar facility modernization project funded by the State of Maryland and private sources.