Fred Bronstein
St. Louis Symphony President & CEO
Fred Bronstein assumed the role of president and executive director, now president and CEO, of the St. Louis Symphony in March 2008. Faced upon his arrival with a 23% decline in ticket revenues over five years and a 25% decline in repeatable annual contributed revenues over a similar period resulting in annual structural deficits of nearly $3.5 million, Bronstein took immediate action to launch development of an aggressive new revenue plan with audience development at the core of its actions. Launched in June 2008, Building Our Business takes a proactive, two-pronged approach: build audiences and re-invigorate the STL Symphony brand making the STL Symphony and Powell Hall the place to be; and build the base for enhanced institutional commitment and donations. This is part of a larger strategic planning process led by Bronstein that has resulted in a new core ideology and a 10-year strategic vision focusing on artistic and institutional excellence, doubling the existing audience, and revenue growth across all key operating areas. To meet audience development objectives, the core classical subscription series was restructured to achieve a balance of accessible and innovative programs, as well as a thematic festival component. Bronstein has also taken steps to broaden and diversify the STL Symphony’s programming through new series such as Casual Classics and Live at Powell Hall, an umbrella for popularly-oriented programming that has resulted in 113,000 seats sold since its inception with 50% of attendees new to the STL Symphony. Because of new programming and marketing strategies instituted by Bronstein, over a three-year period ticket revenues have grown 36% or $1.7m to $6.56m in FY11, the highest ticket revenues in a decade; seats sold grew 17%, per-concert average attendance increased 12%, and more than 22,000 new buyers were added to the customer base, reversing five years of decline.
In the fundraising area, actions have been taken to build annual contributed revenues with a growth-oriented approach. Since the time of Bronstein’s arrival, total annual contributed operating revenues (non-endowment) have increased 18% from $7.76m in 2008 to $9.16m in 2011 (a ten-year high), despite harsh economic conditions. Due to substantial progress in the development of operating revenues since the launch of Building Our Business, the structural deficit has declined 18% from $3.4m in FY2007 to $2.8m in FY2011, dipping as low as $2.6m in FY2010.
Recognizing, however, that developing robust new operating revenues takes time, Bronstein sought additional operating funds for key initiatives like audience development and to ensure deficits do not accumulate in future years, with $14 million raised to support operating needs and new audience development initiatives of the STL Symphony. These special funds ensure that structural deficits are funded into 2014. A ten-year financial plan to eliminate structural deficits over time is in place.
In June 2009 the STL Symphony announced a new Collective Bargaining Agreement with its musicians reached under Bronstein’s leadership more than a year in advance of the existing agreement’s expiration. The agreement provided for labor stability through 2013, moving the orchestra forward in a fiscally responsible manner; adding a 43rd week to the season providing opportunities for more performances thus enhancing audience development efforts; and adding new flexibility in executing local media projects to help build the STL Symphony brand. Under Bronstein’s leadership, the STL Symphony has for the first time in a decade taken a major domestic tour to California and released its first recording on a major label, Nonesuch, and for the first time launched live radio broadcasts of its Saturday evening subscription concerts. Most recently, a major European Festivals tour was announced by the orchestra for September 2012, its first international tour in nearly fifteen years.
Prior to the STL Symphony, Bronstein served as president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra from July 2002 through February 2008. Bronstein arrived at the Dallas Symphony during a time of economic challenge and took immediate action to ensure fiscal stability. By implementing expense reductions and disciplining recurring operating expenses to a 10% increase over five years, and through a series of new fund raising initiatives, Bronstein led the DSO to four consecutive years of balanced budgets, from 2004 to 2007. During his more than 5-year tenure, the Dallas Symphony’s annual fund raising for operations increased 30% to its highest level ever and its endowment grew more than 70% to $120 million at the time of his departure. Bronstein oversaw initiation of theme-based programming including a series of successful festivals and specials. Successes in audience development led to the highest level of attendance in years during the final year of his tenure. Also during Bronstein’s tenure, a recording relationship with Hyperion Records was inaugurated as well as a partnership secured with Performance Today for national broadcasts of Dallas Symphony Orchestra performances. Under Bronstein’s leadership, the Dallas Symphony initiated a series of bold new community collaborations with important Dallas cultural organizations including Symphonic Sundays at the Nasher. The Dallas Symphony’s strong commitment to community engagement and diversity as well as the growing world-wide prestige of the DSO under Bronstein’s leadership was recognized in 2006 when the Dallas Symphony received the first-ever Celebration of Diversity award and The Greater Dallas Chamber’s prestigious International Business Achievement Award. Bronstein’s tenure also included negotiation and signing of a five-year collective bargaining agreement with the Dallas Symphony musicians through August 2009, and extending the use agreement for the Meyerson Symphony Center through 2019. Bronstein led the planning of a ten-year strategic vision, A Bold Plan for Greatness, to move the Dallas Symphony to the highest tier of American orchestras as well as the process that selected Jaap van Zweden as the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Bronstein was president and CEO of the Omaha Symphony from November 1998 to May 2002. From 1996 to 1998, he served as Executive Director of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Prior to that, Bronstein was a Management Fellow with the formerly named American Symphony Orchestra League. Bronstein received a bachelor of music from Boston University, master of music from the Manhattan School of Music and a doctor of musical arts degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He subsequently co-founded and performed as pianist in Aequalis, a nationally touring chamber ensemble.
Bronstein has served on numerous panels including those of the National Endowment for the Arts and League of American Orchestras. Bronstein is very active in the orchestra industry and the League where he served on the Collaborative Data Project Task Force, the Public Perception Advisory Council, and has chaired the Selection Committee for the League’s Orchestra Management Fellowship Program. In 2004, Bronstein was one of a select group of national arts executives invited to write for Aspatore Books’ publication of The Performing Arts Business, resulting in Bronstein’s chapter entitled An American Orchestra and he has been a contributor to Aspatore’s ExecBlueprints online articles. In 2005, Bronstein was named recipient of Boston University’s College of Fine Arts Distinguished Alumni Award for Distinguished Service to the Field, and was subsequently elected to the Board of Overseers of Boston University in 2006. In March 2010, Bronstein was appointed by Governor Jay Nixon to serve on the Missouri Workforce Investment Board, representing the first time a cultural leader has been appointed to that post. He serves on the boards of the St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association (RCGA), Grand Center, Inc., and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. Bronstein was the recipient of the St. Louis Cathedral Concerts 2011 Great Music Award, and has been named by the St. Louis Business Journal as one of the Most Influential St. Louisans for four consecutive years in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
