Mark Regensburger and the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra board of directors are wishing the best for Anna Meyer as she steps aside as executive director.
But they surely will miss Meyer.
“Of course, we hate to see Anna go, but the timing is actually good,” Regensburger, the incoming board chair, said in a news release. “Anna is departing at the top of her game. She leaves us with a strong foundation and stable partnerships. I am convinced that we will find the right candidate to help lead your symphony organization to a leading position in the region.”
Parting is such sweet sorrow, we’ve often heard, and Meyer will tell you it is so.
“While this is a wonderful step for our family, the choice to leave the Fayetteville Symphony has not been an easy one,” Meyer, 25, said in the release. “Serving as executive director has been one of the greatest honors of my professional life. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work alongside a talented staff, dedicated board members and extraordinary musicians in service of our dynamic community.”
It was just a year ago when Meyer was telling us about plans for the 2024-25 FSO season featuring different music genres and different sections of the orchestra performing.
She was excited in telling us about the Music of the Knights concert and encouraging audience members to sing along to “smash hits” such as “Hey Jude” and “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” and new music from composers Brittany J. Green and Ahmed Al Abaca at The New World: Reimagined concert.
She just had a way when it came to telling the FSO story, which was founded in 1956.
Meeting the challenge of Covid-19
Meyer worked as the FSO’s community engagement manager in 2021 before assuming her role as executive director in 2022 in the wake of the Covid-19 health pandemic. All of us remember Covid-19, where N95 masks were the order of the day and limiting ourselves to being anywhere near crowds for fear of a coronavirus diagnosis.
Meyer had to rebuild the FSO audience.
Some of Meyer’s key accomplishments include establishing programs on Fort Bragg, cultivating a formal partnership with Fayetteville State University and growing the organization’s audience and individual giving program in financial support for the FSO.
“Many tactics were used, but over my four-year tenure, we expanded our reach from 14,000 to 27,000,” Meyer said Monday. “We developed innovative programming designed to engage our community. One example is our Symphony on Tap program, which brings small ensembles from the orchestra to perform free, casual concerts at local breweries and bars. This program helped us reach new patrons in places where they were already congregating. The Symphony on Tap program allowed us to connect with new patrons and led to increased ticket sales and even drove new donations. We established programming on Fort Bragg to better reach the military community. We performed concerts at the Iron Mike Conference Center and held education activities at Throckmorton Library. We executed successful marketing campaigns and worked to expand the ‘Symphony’ brand in the community by tabling at other events in the community.”
Meyer knew what the FSO needed in a challenging time, and she knew how to meet the challenge.
“Anna has a natural gift for finding common ground and for forging strong bonds,” Regensburger said in the news release. “Our expansion beyond traditional orchestra audiences has brought in audiences from across the region, and her vision for participative programs has seen growth in both our youth orchestra and community band programs.”
‘It’s been a great honor’
You may be wondering why Meyer has decided to leave a job that has brought her such satisfaction. Well, her husband has accepted a management position, the FSO says, that will require the couple to move to Minneapolis. Meyer is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, according to the FSO website, where she studied theatre arts and leadership. She spent several years working as a stage manager in Minneapolis before transitioning into the arts administration field.
The FSO board of directors, according to the release, has formed a search committee to guide the transition and hiring process for a new executive director. The board is composed of Phillip Hedrick, chair; Regensburger, vice chair; Patti Carlin Monroe, treasurer; La Tasha Patterson, secretary; Fred Cutter, Doug Stephens, John Turner, David Guidi, My Linh Nguyen, Amy Steffan, Dwight Smith, Savanna Samuelian, Brittany Dickerhoff, Georgette Miller and Keri Walters. Symphony musician representatives to the board are Sarah Busman, Linda Lane and Clark Spencer. Guidi, according to the FSO, will lead the search committee.
“It’s been a great honor serving as FSO’s executive director,” Meyer said Monday. “I am very appreciative of our amazing staff, board members and musicians, who make it possible for a talented professional orchestra to exist in Fayetteville. I have deeply enjoyed working with community members and getting to know not only symphony patrons, but community leaders and stakeholders. Fayetteville is a vibrant place, and we are so fortunate to have a thriving arts and culture community. I am glad I had the opportunity to contribute to the symphony’s growth and expansion.”
Epilogue
Saturday was her final concert before Meyer’s resignation, effective May 23.
“A triumphant concert featuring Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was the perfect way to conclude my time with the symphony,” Meyer said of the performance at Fayetteville State University’s Seabrook Auditorium, which featured Billy Hunter, principal trumpeter of the New York Metropolitan Opera. “Our symphony community came out in large numbers for this concert, and I am glad that I had a final opportunity to connect with our dedicated supporters and musicians.
“It was emotional closing the concert, but I remain grateful for the four incredible years with the organization.
“I am especially thankful for Stefan Sanders,” Meyer said about the FSO music director. “He has been a tremendous partner and colleague, and I can’t imagine doing this work with anyone else. I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
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