Michael Remson

About Michael Remson

Dr. Michael Remson serves as President & CEO of San Diego Youth Symphony, where he leads programming, fundraising, collaborations, communications, and operations for one of Southern California’s leading arts education institutions located in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park. Between SDYS’ flagship youth orchestra programming, its community engagement projects, and its early childhood curriculum, the organization serves 2500+ families each year. Dr. Remson previously served as Executive and Artistic Director of AFA, Houston’s largest non-profit provider of music education programming. There, he led efforts to provide hours of programming to 3,500+ K-12 students each year. He also served on the leadership committee of Arts Connect, a collective impact effort impacting thousands of Houston school-children. Dr. Remson is an accomplished composer, librettist and author with works performed across the US including Houston Grand Opera and New York City Opera. He has served on numerous grant panels including Houston Arts Alliance, California Arts Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and chairing the music panel for Texas Commission on the Arts. He has served on the teaching rosters of Houston Ballet Academy, San Diego Civic Youth Ballet, San Diego Summer Music Institute, Houston Community College, and the University of Houston, in addition to dozens of guest lectures and master classes. He is a graduate of New York University, the University of Houston and Carnegie Mellon University. In 2018, he received a milestone award from the National Guild of Community Arts Education for his decades of service to arts education.

Experience

1. President & CEO

   San Diego Youth Symphony

   Jan 2019 — Present · San Diego, US

   Direct all programs, fundraising, marketing, finance, administrative and collaborative activities for one of Southern California’s leading arts education providers and one of the cultural institutions that makes up San Diego’s historic Balboa Park. Serve 2500+ families each season. • Responsible for leading all strategic organizational and artistic planning for the flagship youth orchestra, community engagement, and early childhood divisions• Collaborate with Board of Directors and community stakeholders to redefine KeyNote as a comprehensive education provider and develop new collaborations and partnerships with a diverse array of organizations• Direct individual, corporate, institutional, and special event fundraising efforts. Oversee $2.9M annual budget.• Oversee all branding, public relations and communications strategies• Lead efforts to increase community visibility and awareness as part of Balboa Park and Liberty Station arts communities• Manage all operations, finance, human resources and customer service functions

Education

• NYU Gallatin

  Bachelor of Arts - BA, Music Performance and Composition

  1989

• Carnegie Mellon University

  Master of Music, Composition

  1992

• University of Houston

  Doctor of Arts, Music Theory and Composition

  1997

• American Academy of Dramatic Arts

  None, Theater

• University of Houston

  Master of Music, Musicology

  2001

• Columbia University

  None, Music