Katy Clark named president of Brooklyn Academy of Music

New BAM president will oversee nearly 250 employees

April 9, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Katy Clark, photo courtesy of BAM

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Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) Chairman Alan H. Fishman has announced the appointment of Katy Clark as incoming BAM president. She succeeds President Karen Brooks Hopkins, who will step down at the end of June. Katy Clark comes to BAM from New York’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s, where she has served as president and executive director since 2010.

“The president’s role at BAM is an exhilarating, demanding, wide-ranging job, and Katy Clark has the leadership skills and passion to lead this dynamic institution,” said Fishman. “She joins us during a period of exciting growth for BAM and Brooklyn, and we’re thrilled to have her on board.”

“BAM has always been fearless in the creation and presentation of art, for the borough of Brooklyn, the city of New York, and audiences around the world,” said Clark. “I couldn’t be more excited to join this organization as its new president, and it is a privilege to succeed a great and beloved leader, Karen Hopkins.”

Welcoming Clark to her new post, Hopkins said, “It is with great pride that I acknowledge the unique role BAM plays in the cultural community of New York and the world. It is truly a home for adventurous audiences and ideas, and I know that Katy Clark will embrace its challenges and contribute to its many successes.”

As president, Clark will oversee BAM’s 248 full-time employees and work alongside long-time BAM Executive Producer, Joseph V. Melillo. “I warmly welcome Katy as my colleague in the ongoing artistic and cultural journey unfolding at this singular organization,” said Melillo. “The adventure of BAM is one that has provided me with the greatest professional fulfillment,” he added.

Clark will lead an adventurous organization with a profile that extends far beyond Brooklyn and New York City. BAM engages with more than 700,000 audience members each year, presenting live performances and films from around the world, including the renowned Next Wave Festival. BAM is also highly regarded by the artistic community and audiences for its four live performance spaces, ranging in capacity from 250 to more than 2,000 seats, a vibrant independent cinema program, and far-reaching education and humanities initiatives.

Since October 2010, Katy Clark has served as president and executive director of Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL)—one of America’s foremost and most versatile ensembles. She joined Orchestra of St. Luke’s in 2005 as director of development. During Clark’s tenure, OSL significantly expanded its scope, mission and budget. Major milestones include the opening and ongoing success of the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, the appointment of Pablo Heras-Casado as principal conductor, and the launch of several community-building and education programs such as Youth Orchestra of St. Luke’s, OSL@DMC, and St. Luke’s Subway Series.

Prior to her career in arts management, from 1994 to 1999 Clark was a violinist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. From 2001 to 2004, Clark led the Philadelphia chapter of the American Composers Forum. She is an alumna of the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestral Management Fellowship Program. A graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in history, she also holds a master’s degree in violin performance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Certificate in Arts Management from Birbeck College, University of London. She was born and raised in Wales.

The search for BAM’s new president began approximately a year ago when Hopkins announced her retirement after more than 30 years at BAM. The Board of Trustees conducted an international search and retained the executive recruiting firm Phillips Oppenheim to support its efforts.