New York's Albany Symphony Appoints New Executive Director

Orchestra manager Emily Fritz-Endres will begin her new role in August 2024

As Albany Symphony’s upcoming executive director, Emily Fritz-Endres will continue the work that David Hyslop, Albany Symphony’s interim executive director, began in January 2024. 

She will succeed Anna Kuwabara in the role, who stepped down in January 2024 following a nearly seven-year tenure, Times Union reported.

Fritz-Endres has worked with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Boston Symphony Orchestra and will be bringing over a decade of orchestra management experience to the Albany Symphony.

With the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, she focused on financial and facilities planning — aligning the organization with the diverse Atlanta community, artistic ambition, venue solutions, audience development, and an endowment campaign. 

At the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Fritz-Endres served as director of board administration, building relationships with the orchestra’s 250 trustees and advisors. She also organized projects such as the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning at Tanglewood; two fundraising campaigns; and a governance restructure.

Fritz-Endres earned her MBA from New York’s Columbia Business School and her BA from Carleton College in Minnesota. Her other interests also include studying the clarinet, being in nature, and mentoring queer youth.

“I am honored to lead the Albany Symphony, an adventurous, future-looking orchestra devoted to championing the music of our time,” Fritz-Endres said in the press release. “I am grateful to my predecessor, Anna Kuwabara, a leader I admire for her talents in building enduring community partnerships and her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As the organization nears its centennial, I am thrilled to work with the wildly creative David Alan Miller, and the talented orchestra, board, and staff as we expand how our music celebrates, educates, and transforms the people of the Capital Region and beyond.”

“We are thrilled that after a national search led by vice-chair of the board Daniel Kredentser and a dedicated search committee, Emily Fritz-Endres has been chosen as our new executive director,” added Faith Ann Takes, Albany Symphony’s board chair. “We were impressed by her proven leadership successes in financial management and strategic planning, and are excited to welcome her. Emily will be an excellent leader for the Symphony and together, we will ensure that the Albany Symphony will flourish even more throughout our region.”

“Emily’s creative and enterprising mind and her positive and collaborative approach to addressing challenges and opportunities stood out to our search committee. She has an engaging personality that energizes those around her; we knew she would be a great fit for the Albany Symphony,” said Kredentser. “She has proven leadership successes and we are excited to watch the organization grow toward our centennial year with Emily as our dynamic leader.”

“Emily is a rising star in the orchestral world, and we are very lucky to have her join us. Her great intelligence and broad experience will benefit our orchestra in countless ways in the years to come,” continued Music Director David Alan Miller. “She is such a dynamic, creative thinker, and an extraordinarily kind, thoughtful individual. I know that our brilliant Albany Symphony musicians and I will have a wonderful time working with her to chart the future of our great organization, especially as we head toward our 100th anniversary in 2030. It is a great tribute to our community, board of directors and musicians that we are able to attract an executive director of Emily's quality.”

“We are thrilled and excited to welcome Emily Fritz-Endres to the Albany Symphony family and look forward to working with her to further our mission of artistic excellence, new music, diversity initiatives, and educational outreach and to reinforce our stature as a cultural gem of the Capital Region. We are confident that, through her leadership, the Albany Symphony will remain at the forefront of the national artistic landscape to enrich our cherished arts community in New York State and beyond,” commented Paula Oakes, a violinist and chair of the orchestra committee.

Founded in 1930 in New York’s Capital Region, the Albany Symphony is a two-time GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble renowned for featuring classic orchestral favorites, lesser-heard masterworks, and new music from the voices of today. The Symphony has received more ASCAP Awards than any other orchestra in America, as well as several GRAMMY nominations.