Dear members of the NYO Canada community,

Our CEO, Barbara Smith, after twenty years of exceptional leadership, has announced her plans to leave the organization in the fall of 2022. Barbara’s commitment to NYO has been unwavering and she has now decided to take some time to enjoy her family and pursue other interests.

Barbara was instrumental in strengthening our financial position and shepherding our evolution as a pre-eminent training orchestra and generally raising the profile of the organization. We are immensely grateful for her leadership and dedication to NYO for so many years.

The Board has appointed a Search Committee comprised of board members Kevin Latimer (Chair), Clare Gaudet, Sarah Miller-Wright, Todd Buchanan, Sharman King, and James Sommerville. To support a rigorous search process, the Board selected Odgers Berndtson as its search partner, an international leadership advisory firm with an extensive track record of recruiting leaders for arts and culture organizations.

In the coming weeks, the Search Committee, with the support of Odgers Berndtson, will assess the experience and leadership competencies, and personal qualities required to achieve our ambitious strategic goals and growth plans. The Board is committed to finding an inspirational and highly skilled CEO to build on Barbara’s strong legacy.

This is an exciting time for NYO as we build and enhance our role in developing Canada’s best emerging talent through our internationally recognized training program. We wish Barbara all the very best in her next chapter.

Sincerely,

Kevin Latimer

NYO Canada Board Chair