Strike up the band!
A violinist with a history in arts management will take over as the new president of the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Katy Clark, who is currently the president of Manhattan chamber group the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, said she is honored to be joining the Fort Greene arts institution and to inherent the role from outgoing president Karen Brooks Hopkins.
“BAM has always been fearless in the creation and presentation of art, for the borough of Brooklyn, the city of New York, and audiences around the world,” said Clark. “I couldn’t be more excited to join this organization as its new president, and it is a privilege to succeed a great and beloved leader.”
Clark has many strings to her bow. She is a classically trained violinist who has previously played with the British Broadcasting Corporation’s Symphony Orchestra in London and led the Philadelphia chapter of the American Composers Forum. She first joined the Orchestra of St. Luke’s as director of development in 2005, before stepping up to president in 2010.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music chose Clark for the gig because she has demonstrated that she has the drive and knowledge to run a multi-faceted arts organization, a spokesman said.
“The president’s role at BAM is an exhilarating, demanding, wide-ranging job, and Katy Clark has the leadership skills and passion to lead this dynamic institution,” said chairman Alan H. Fishman. “She joins us during a period of exciting growth for BAM and Brooklyn and we are thrilled to have her on board.”
Clark will assume her new role when Hopkins, who has served as the head of Brooklyn Academy of Music for more than 30 years, steps down at the end of June.
