Stratford Summer Music recruiting new executive director

As it prepares for its 2023 season, the Stratford Summer Music has just announced it’s looking to recruit a new executive director to replace current general manager Kendra Fry after she resigns from her position effective at the end of September.

In a press release, Stratford Summer Music officials said Fry, who has been with the popular music festival for two-and-a-half years, is resigning after the 2023 season to focus full time on her church-repurposing consulting business.

“Kendra’s amazing and we wish her all the very best,” Stratford Summer Music board chair Jean Anne McLeod said. “We knew when we hired her two-and-a-half years ago that she had this kind of side consulting practice on church repurposing, and we knew at some point it would get bigger than her being able to manage both her summer music role and her consulting role. So that has come to fruition, but she’s given us plenty of time to plan and have somebody in place before she leaves.”

Mark Fewer, the festival’s artistic director, praised Kendra’s leadership during the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kendra’s creativity, resilience and flexibility to manage through this challenging time were key to our success and our positive financial position over the past two years,” Fewer in the press release.

The change in title for Fry’s job, a shift from general manager to executive director, is simply to bring the position more in line with similar leadership positions at other organizations and to make it more attractive to prospective candidates, McLeod said.

Those interested in applying for the position, which reports directly to the board of directors as a partner with the artistic director, should have experience with music festivals, production, administration and managing similar organizations. The executive director is generally responsible for the festival’s financial, administrative, office management, volunteer, staff, marketing and promotional affairs.

“A big thing for us is fundraising,” McLeod said. “Not-for-profits start over again every year, and we really want somebody (based locally) who can cultivate and grow our donor list, our corporate sponsorships and that type of thing. … (The executive director) will be working really closely with the artistic director, who develops the music program itself, and then they’d need to be a really amazing executor of that program in the season.”

Applications and nominations for the role are being accepted until June 26. For more information, visit stratfordsummermusic.ca/about-us/careers.

Stratford Summer Music is an annual summer music festival that puts on diverse musical experiences for both regional and wider audiences in an effort to celebrate music and enhance the reputation of the Stratford area as an exceptional home for all the arts. This year’s festival runs from July 20 to Aug. 13. For a full schedule of events, visit stratfordsummermusic.ca.

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