The Minnesota Orchestra has appointed Kevin Smith its new president and chief executive, the chairman of the orchestra’s board, Gordon M. Sprenger, announced Wednesday. Mr. Smith was elected to the position by a unanimous vote of the board, in effect confirming him in the role in which he has been acting in an interim capacity since Sept. 1, when the previous president and chief executive, Michael Henson, stepped down.
Mr. Henson had been a lightning rod during bitter labor negotiations and a 16-month lockout, which ended in January. Mr. Smith, 63, joined the orchestra’s management in July. He was president and chief executive of the Minnesota Opera for 25 years before he retired from that company in 2011.
Osmo Vanska, the orchestra’s music director, said in a statement: “I have been very impressed by Kevin’s ability to listen and to bring people together, qualities which make him the right leader to guide the organization through a period of growth and rebuilding. I believe that he shares my artistic vision for where the Minnesota Orchestra should go, and I believe he will help to bring our artistic aspirations to reality.”