Robert Birman, Executive Director of Philharmonia Baroque from 2001 to 2008, has resigned as CEO of the Louisville Orchestra after leading the orchestra through bankruptcy, and a "bruising labor battle ... with attempts to hire non-union replacements via Craigslist," reports The Louisville Courier-Journal.
Birman and the orchestra announced Saturday that he would step down Feb. 1. An interim CEO will be named soon while the orchestra launches a search.Birman, 45, became the face of orchestra management as the organization sank into bankruptcy in 2010 and weathered a protracted labor dispute with its musicians that silenced the 2011-2012 season and angered many longtime subscribers.
The current 30-week schedule under the orchestra’s $5.3 million budget compares with a nearly $6 million budget during the 2010-11 season and a 37-week schedule.