We were lucky to catch up with Kim Noltemy recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kim, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

At the Dallas Symphony, we decided that we would expand our work in the community and for students K-8 because we know this would make a very positive impact on our city. As a result, we created a new education program in after-school programs in a part of our city that had little or no music education. We started in the summer of 2019, and now we have more than 800 students who were provided free instruments and 8 hours or more of lessons per week. They are absolutely inspiring! In addition to this program, we enhanced the breadth and depth of many of our other education programs in Dallas. We also knew we needed to reach younger and more diverse people in the community, and we did that through adding 150 free concerts in locations throughout Dallas including parks, festivals, the zoo, the Arboretum, college campuses, and more. These concerts, which have ensembles of varying sizes from quartets to a full orchestra, have allowed us to perform for a huge number of new listeners each year. We started this because of COVID, and it builds each season.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I have been the CEO of the Dallas Symphony for 6 years, and before that, I was the COO at the Boston Symphony, where I worked for 21 years. I started in the marketing department at the BSO, and interestingly, I had no experience in performing arts or orchestras, but I knew how to get people excited about attending orchestral concerts. I studied East Asian studies and spoke Japanese when I graduated from college, and I had assumed I would be a diplomat. While I work in music, in reality, we are in the relationship business. Our relationships with the musicians, guest artists, supporters, audience and community have the biggest impact on the organization’s success. I am proud that I invested the time to learn about the art form and understand the needs of our various stakeholders so we can connect more people in with what we do. I understand and have witnessed that music can transform people’s lives in many positive ways, and I am thrilled to be overseeing this important work.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

I believe strongly that the U.S. education system must include the arts as a core part of the educational curriculum. The arts helps with creativity, problem solving, brain development, self esteem, collaborative ability and social skills. Nonetheless, it is treated as a “nice to have” rather than a “must” have in our schools. Many students would be better at their academics and feel more fulfilled if arts were integrated into their education. We are working hard to demonstrate the value of a music education, so that children get a chance to study music earlier in life, which can lead to better academic and social outcomes. There are many children, who never learn about their incredible artistic talents because they don’t get the exposure when they are young. If we could ensure a solid arts education for all American students, we will see a better country.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

It was always difficult to be a non-musician in a very specialized field like orchestra management. There are so many technical aspects to the work and so much knowledge that is innate to musicians that I had to work hard to learn. I was motivated because I wanted to be good at my job, and I knew it would be valuable for me both professionally and personally to know a lot more about music and orchestral repertoire. There were times that people made me feel stupid or silly for my lack of knowledge, but it just made me want to overcome that inexperience. It also made realize that a lot of people are intimidated or think they don’t know enough to enjoy classical music. My experience helped me strategize ways that my orchestra could reach more people who did not have a musical background or play instruments, and we need new fans!

Contact Info:

• Website: dallassymphony.org
• Instagram: @dallasSymphony
• Facebook: Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• Linkedin: Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• Twitter: Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• Youtube: @DallasSymphony

Image Credits
Sylvia Elzafon