Noteworthy

A look into the new year finds both sun and clouds

by Michael Caruso
Posted 1/1/25

As local classical music lovers look into their crystal balls for an inkling of what the new year will bring, two pivotal changes serve as harbingers of the year to come. Settlement Music School’s Germantown Branch will be renamed in honor of Peter Benoliel and the Philadelphia Orchestra is in search of a new president and CEO in the wake of Matias Tarnopolsky’s departure for a similar post with the New York Philharmonic.

A new name

In an announcement earlier this year, Settlement Music School CEO Helen Eaton said, “I am delighted to share some wonderful news about a …

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Noteworthy

A look into the new year finds both sun and clouds

Posted

As local classical music lovers look into their crystal balls for an inkling of what the new year will bring, two pivotal changes serve as harbingers of the year to come. Settlement Music School’s Germantown Branch will be renamed in honor of Peter Benoliel and the Philadelphia Orchestra is in search of a new president and CEO in the wake of Matias Tarnopolsky’s departure for a similar post with the New York Philharmonic.

A new name

In an announcement earlier this year, Settlement Music School CEO Helen Eaton said, “I am delighted to share some wonderful news about a remarkable member of the Settlement family, whose dedication has shaped our school for 76 years – Peter Benoliel.”

Eaton went on to explain that since joining Settlement’s board in 1957, “Peter has been an integral part of Settlement’s journey. His collaboration with the late Executive Director Sol Schoenbach charted the course for the School’s growth over three decades. While Sol provided visionary leadership, Peter recognized the need for a structured approach and authored Settlement’s first strategic plan – laying the foundation for the success we enjoy today.”

Eaton continued, “Peter’s connection to the Germantown Branch is particularly meaningful. As its first president, he witnessed and guided the expansion over the years, helping it to become an iconic cultural hub in the community and throughout Northwest Philadelphia.” The Germantown Branch was Settlement’s first expansion beyond the Mary Louise Curtis Branch in Queen Village.

During the 1960s, Benoliel chaired Settlement’s Central Board. Even after his tenure was completed, he remained deeply involved in the Branch’s activities as chairman emeritus. 

Eaton added, “His unwavering commitment – through his time, leadership, philanthropy, and network of civic and cultural leaders – has been invaluable to Settlement and beyond.”

Benoliel has been a cultural and corporate leader for organizations including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Curtis Institute of Music, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania, the Free Library Foundation, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Eaton concluded, “To honor his lifetime of service, we are proud to announce that the Germantown Branch will be named after Peter. His name has been mounted on the front of the building: ‘Peter A. Benoliel Germantown Branch.’ We anticipate having a formal dedication at a time that works best for Peter and his family.”

CEO’s departure for New York

In its Dec. 13 issue, the New York Times reported that Matias Tarnopolsky had accepted the position of president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, the nation’s oldest symphony orchestra. He starts this month. Tarnopolsky’s appointment comes as the Philharmonic looks forward to the arrival of its new music director, Gustavo Dudamel, who is leaving the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

 Ralph Muller, the chair of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association’s board of directors, said, “We are incredibly grateful to Matias for his transformative leadership over the last six and a half years. Under his thoughtful and strategic guidance, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts shine as a leader in providing vibrant, comprehensive programs that serve all. 

 “We are dedicated to continuing the energetic and audience-focused work of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts. We will embark soon on a search to identify a successor. I have the utmost confidence in our team, and in the exceptional leadership of Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin and interim CEO Ryan Fleur.”

 Nezet-Seguin added that his seven-year partnership with Tarnopolsky had been a fruitful one. “I enjoyed the work we achieved together,” Nezet-Seguin said. “The Philadelphia Orchestra is in an unparalleled position right now, and I am grateful to Matias for the part he played in that.”

One of Tarnopolsky’s most seminal achievements was the merging of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts into one organization. The newly re-named Miller Theater (originally the Shubert, then the Merriam) is also now a part of the Kimmel Center campus. The mergers provide the city with four theaters of varied sizes: the Academy of Music with 2,900 seats; Marian Anderson Hall (also recently renamed from “Verizon Hall”) with 2,400 seats, the Miller with 1,800 seats, and the Perelman Theater with 600.

In an interesting testimony to the smallness of the classical music world, Nezet-Seguin will be working just across the Lincoln Center Plaza in New York as music director of the Metropolitan Opera while Tarnopolsky oversees the Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall, formerly known as Philharmonic Hall, then Avery Fisher Hall.

You can contact NOTEWORTHY at Michael-caruso@comcast.net.