Handel and Haydn Society President and CEO Announces Retirement

David Snead will step down at the end of the 2024/25 season after nearly ten years at the helm

The Handel and Haydn Society (H+H) recently announced that its President and CEO, David Snead, will retire from the organization. He has spent nearly a decade running the ensemble, during which time it has gained national prominence through high-profile performances.

Snead will retire in May, at the end of the 2024/25 season, with long-serving board member and previous president Robert H. Scott serving as Acting President and COO Lilee Dethchan-Beltran serving as Acting CEO until a successor is appointed.

Snead's retirement follows a prolific, 46-year career in the arts. He has previously held leadership positions at the Pittsburgh Symphony, Guthrie Theater, Minnesota Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, and Hartford Symphony. In addition, he has given lectures at Yale, New York University, Juilliard, Drexel, the Manhattan School of Music, Carnegie Mellon University, and St. Olaf College.

He has also written extensively on arts management, and these writings have appeared in Symphony magazine, Arts Reach, and American Theater. In 2021 Snead was named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year.

"We have been very fortunate to have David’s leadership and have benefited from his passion for H+H’s mission and vision," said Robert N. Shapiro, Chair of the Board. "He successfully led the search for our new Artistic Director, Jonathan Cohen, a choice that has been widely celebrated. David has also engaged existing supporters while leading efforts that have attracted new audiences to H+H and the world of Classical and Baroque music. We look forward to celebrating David and his achievements in the near future."

"It has been one of the highest honors of my life, personally and professionally, to serve as CEO of H+H," Snead said. "I extend my heartfelt thanks to the musicians, the staff, the Board, our generous donors and the wonderful H+H audience. I also applaud the superb artistic directors with whom I have been privileged to work, Harry Christophers and now Jonathan Cohen. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have served the Handel and Haydn Society. I look forward to seeing what happens next at this remarkable institution."