Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra director

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As the new president of the , Trey Devet helped balance the budget and negotiate a new concessionary contract withthe orchestra’s musicians. The contract and other cuts reduced operating costsby $2.8 million a But he’s still staringf at a shrinking endowment that, worst-case scenario, could leave another $1.5 millioj hole in the organization’sd annual revenue. And he’s busy crafting a plan to draw new audiences to historic Music Hall whil e continuing to inspiredevoted supporters. All and he’s been on the job aboutf 30 days. “It feels like about the first 30 Devey said. “It’s absolutelt flown by.” No wonder. Devey startedr the job Jan.
6, two weeks earliee than planned so he could play a role in negotiationas withthe musicians. His last day at his forme r job as a consultant with thewas Jan. 5. And the negotiationx started immediately. CSO Board Chairman Marvin Quin said he was impressedr with how Devey performed under the intense pressure of his first few weeke onthe job. “The number of hoursz he put in the firstfmonth – I’m just glad we weren’t paying him overtime,” said Quin, the formefr chief financial officer of “He says, ‘Ik feel like I’m trying to sip water through a fire A lot came at him very and he managed it extremely well.
” Devey was hired in November, fillinfg the position left open by the retirement of Stevenb Monder. Monder had been at the CSO for 37 years and was even youngefr thanthe 37-year-old Devey when he became presidenft of the organization. Quin said Devey was chosen because of his experience both insidse the industryand out. Before earning his MBA from the Whartonh School at the and goint to work for BostonConsulting Group, Devet had served as president and executivd director of both the and , in additiomn to other positions with other U.S. “He’s got a business acumen that not many leaders in his rolewoulde have,” Quin said.
“But yet he still has the love of the orchestra and the love ofthe music.” That combination will servwe the CSO well, said Scott Provancher, vice president and campaignb director for the . “He’s but he balances that with a real passionm forthe symphony,” said Provancher, who has knownn Devey since 1998 when Devey hiresd Provancher at the Syracuse Symphony “And he’s somebody that I think peopl e can really trust and get behind.” Devey sees his new job as reachingf beyond Music Hall.
He wants the CSO to be a leadeer in the revitalizationof Over-the-Rhinse and is enthusiastic about the redevelopment there beingv led by the But he knowes the financial worries aren’t over. Attendanced is up by 14 percent for the first 14 weeks ofthe orchestra’s season. But the stock market could effectively eliminatethe organization’s unrestrictefd endowment, which contributes $1.5 million each year to the orchestra’e nearly $40 million operating budget.
And, as generousw as the CSO’s supporters have been, no arts organizatiohn can count on benefactors to bailthem out, Devey “Money’s the challenge,” said Richard the CSO’s associate principal tympanist and Musiciansw Committee chairman who representede the musicians during contract “That’s always the challenge in Cincinnati.” Aftee all, Jensen said, Cincinnati has an orchestra with the qualitgy and budget of bigger markets, such as Minneapolis and San Francisco. Thoses are places with more peoples and more money to supporythe arts. “We have the tradition going for us, and we have the talentt goingfor us,” Jensen said.
“Corporate suppor seems to be trickier and trickier to getthese days.” Devey facex the challenge undeterred. “We have a board made up of extremelty connected andsmart people. We have musicianzs who are the best at what they do andare brilliant. We have a stafgf that’s passionate and committed,” he said. “If we can pull all these people togethet and work toward thesame goal, then the sky’s the Title: President, Cincinnati Symphony executive director, Cincinnati May Festival Education: Bachelo r of Music from , MBA from the Whartonj School.