Brisbane Festival has announced the appointment of Ebony Bott as its next Artistic Director, beginning in September 2025. Currently Head of Contemporary Performance at the Sydney Opera House, Bott brings two decades of experience across leading Australian institutions including Adelaide Festival Centre and Arts Centre Melbourne. Her career has been defined by bold programming and spans theatre, cabaret, dance, comedy and cross-disciplinary performance. At the Opera House, she has delivered landmark productions such as Amadeus with Michael Sheen, Sting’s Message in a Bottle, and the Netflix-filmed premiere of Hannah Gadsby’s Body of Work, drawing more than 120,000 attendees annually. Renowned for her collaborative leadership and commitment to First Nations perspectives and emerging voices, Bott’s appointment signals a new chapter for Brisbane Festival as the city builds towards the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) has named Adriaan Fuchs as its new CEO and Artistic Director, succeeding Louis Heyneman who retired in December 2024 after 25 years with the orchestra. Fuchs, currently Director of Festivals and Special Projects at Carnegie Hall, returns to South Africa following an extensive international search. Fuchs has over 20 years’ experience in artistic planning, programming and fundraising and has worked with leading orchestras including the Vienna Philharmonic and Boston Symphony, produced concerts with artists from Patti LuPone to Jeanine De Bique, and held senior roles at Cape Town Opera and the Stellenbosch International Chamber Music Festival.
The Edinburgh International Festival has appointed five new trustees, whose expertise spans international diplomacy, media, technology and financial regulation. Joining the Board are Andrew Gilmour, former senior United Nations official with over 30 years in global diplomacy; Lyn McDonald OBE, former Director of the Scotland Office; Michelle Reglinski, Chief Revenue and Partnerships Officer, Global Syndication at Comcast and Sky; John Taylor, former President of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries with experience at the Bank of England and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; and Chris Yiu, Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe at Meta. Supported by global non-executive search specialists Nurole, these appointments bring a wealth of experience in policy, innovation and international relations, strengthening the festival’s mission as it looks towards its 80th anniversary in 2027.
New Music USA has appointed Vanessa Rose as its next President and CEO, from October 2025. Rose, who succeeds Vanessa Reed after six years at the helm, brings more than two decades of leadership across some of the country’s most influential music organisations. Currently President and CEO of the American Composers Forum, Rose has guided the organisation through significant transformation, expanding its advocacy for living composers, launching groundbreaking partnerships with institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, and acquiring the multimedia platform I CARE IF YOU LISTEN. Her career also includes leadership roles with International Contemporary Ensemble, The Knights, American Composers Orchestra and the Lark Play Development Center.
The Three Choirs Festival has appointed Gavin Higgins as its inaugural Associate Composer, launching a new three-year residency programme ahead of the festival’s 300th edition in 2028. Born in Gloucester, Higgins will premiere his first commission for the role – a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis – at the 2026 Festival in his home city, performed by the combined cathedral choirs of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester and broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Each year a new composer will join the scheme, building to three resident composers whose residencies will culminate in major choral-orchestral premieres, reinforcing the festival’s long tradition of championing new music alongside its historic repertoire.
The Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) has appointed Shannon Kelly as its new President and CEO. Kelly, who has served as the VSO’s Vice President of Development since January 2023, succeeds Dr. Andrea
F. Warren, who retired in June. A lifelong Virginian with more than 20 years in arts leadership and public-private partnerships, Kelly rebuilt the VSO’s philanthropic network after the pandemic, achieving 20 per cent annual growth in donations. She previously served on the senior leadership team of Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, overseeing government relations and doubling public support for education programmes.
