John Kilkenny will replace Samantha Teter as executive director of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera in March, according to the organization’s president, Don McDowell.
Kilkenny is associate professor and director of percussion at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, according to news release from the arts organization.
He has been at George Mason University since 2008, in both academic and administrative roles. He has been artistic and executive director of the Sewanee Summer Music Festival at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, since 2018, where he is credited with raising the festival’s visibility, expanding program offerings, increasing enrollment and generating significant contributed income.
“We are delighted to welcome John Kilkenny to the CSO as our next executive director,” McDowell said in the release. “John is skilled in all the aspects of management that this position requires. He is an experienced educator and performing musician. And through his work with the Sewanee Festival, he has come to know and love the Chattanooga region of Tennessee.”
Photo courtesy of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera / John Kilkenny will replace Samantha Teter as executive director of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera.Kilkenny said he was “excited and honored” to join the organization.