CSO's Newcomb to retire at end of season
Less than a week after the Charleston Symphony Orchestra announced the departure of its resident conductor, Executive Director Jan Newcomb sent an e-mail to musicians and staff informing them of her retirement.
Newcomb will see the organization through the remaining weeks of its season, then likely remain engaged as a consultant, according to board president Ted Legasey, who said the arrangement was made amicably.
Newcomb, who is married to Wallace "Moe" Newcomb, a Vietnam veteran who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war, will stay in Charleston.
Her knowledge of the nonprofit arts world and network of resources make her a valuable asset, Legasey said. "It's good for the Charleston arts community to have her here."
Newcomb joined the Charleston Symphony in October 2007 and quickly was engulfed by financial and management concerns, which only got worse during the 2008-09 season.
"This is a crisis-management job now," Legasey said. "This is not a normal nonprofit manager position." And the demands were excessive for the Newcombs, Legasey said. "They need to smell the roses here for a while."
In her Thursday afternoon e-mail, Newcomb wrote that retirement after 30 years managing arts organizations in New York and South Carolina is "a personal decision," and a transition plan will be devised in the coming weeks.
"For the past 18 months, I've resided in a lovely city that I have not been able to get to know, due to the amount of time it takes to run an orchestra," she wrote. "The time has come for me to reduce my workload and retire to the audience."
In a telephone interview, Newcomb said she looks forward to trying some of Charleston's restaurants and exploring the city's many attractions. She said she always has enjoyed working on special projects and hopes to remain engaged with the symphony and arts community.
"Sometimes you can be as effective not having the full responsibility," she said.
CSO Music Director David Stahl said he understands Newcomb's desire to shift focus from the significant demands of the office to quality time with family.
"I have tremendous respect and admiration for Jan and I look forward to future collaborations, perhaps in a healthier economic climate," he said.
Stahl said the community should not interpret recent departures as a consequence of a sinking ship. In fact, resident conductor Scott Terrell applied for the directorship of the Lexington (Ky.) Symphony two years ago, long before the economic downturn threatened the survival of the CSO.
"It is important for the community to realize that we will be moving forward with our passion for great music," he said.
Tonight, the symphony presents its final Masterworks concert at Gaillard Auditorium, featuring Wagner's lush "Wesendonck Lieder" with mezzo-soprano Susan Platts, Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 ("Italian"), and Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3.
The symphony now will plan its search for a new executive director. It also has plans to hire a full-time development director and beef up its marketing programs.
