Photo by Aaron Conway

(Los Angeles, CA) Thursday, September 28, 2023  –  Los Angeles Master Chorale Board Chair Philip A. Swan today announced the appointment of Scott Altman to the position of President & CEO, effective Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Altman succeeds Jean Davidson, who left the Master Chorale in March 2023 to become Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra. Candidates for the position of President & CEO of the Los Angeles Master Chorale were recruited by m/Oppenheim Executive Search through a process that attracted a diverse pool of individuals from around the country.

“Scott Altman’s leadership will add tremendously to the Los Angeles Master Chorale,” said Swan. “His depth of arts management experience and his early professional career as an opera singer bring an important understanding and perspective to our organization. He will beautifully complement our artistic leadership and help us maintain and grow our excellence.”

"I am absolutely delighted to welcome Scott Altman to the Master Chorale family,” said Grant Gershon, Kiki and David Gindler Artistic Director. “We were fortunate to have many extremely compelling candidates for this position—a terrific testament to the broad admiration that the Chorale enjoys. Scott has helped to build the Cincinnati Ballet into a fantastically dynamic and responsive organization, and his vision for the Chorale is ambitious, bold, and fully aligned with my own. The Master Chorale is ramping up for a major expansion of all our activities, and it’s clear that Scott Altman is the executive leader who will help us to achieve our most far-reaching goals."

Scott Altman joined Cincinnati Ballet as President & CEO in August 2016. Under his visionary leadership, Cincinnati Ballet has reached many noteworthy milestones -- the construction of the $32 million Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance; more than tripling asset growth to $75 million; implementation of record-breaking operating budgets exceeding $13 million; a dynamic new logo and brand identity; record-breaking ticket sales; the launch of a highly-successful annual Family Series; and expanded Academy and community and education programs.

Altman brings with him nearly three decades of experience in nonprofit administration and performing arts. Prior to his roles in administration, Altman enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional opera singer and performed 40 opera roles internationally. He has held leadership positions as General Director at both Arizona Opera and Opera New Jersey and was Executive Director of Ballet West. He is an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music as well as State University College at Purchase and taught for three years at Princeton University. Altman earned a certificate from Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, was a Utah Business 2016 CEO of the Year Honoree, and is a three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence Award.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Los Angeles Master Chorale at this exciting time,” said Altman. “I am especially looking forward to partnering with Artistic Director Grant Gershon to continue elevating the Master Chorale’s legacy, broad community impact and inspired artistry, not just in Los Angeles, but across the nation and around the world. My very beginnings are rooted in choral music as a youngster, so this opportunity feels like a homecoming. I am overjoyed to be a part of the Master Chorale's exciting future.”

About Scott Altman

Scott Altman joined Cincinnati Ballet as President & CEO in August 2016. Under his visionary leadership, Cincinnati Ballet has reached many noteworthy milestones -- the construction of the $32 million Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance; more than tripling asset growth to $75 million; implementation of record-breaking operating budgets exceeding $13 million; a dynamic new logo and brand identity; record-breaking ticket sales; the launch of a highly-successful annual Family Series; and as expanded Academy and community and education programs.

To accommodate this incredible growth, Cincinnati Ballet launched a capital campaign to construct the larger, state-of-the-art ballet center. With the successful completion of the campaign, the 62,000 sq. ft. Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance had its grand opening in September 2021.

During his tenure, Altman was honored for three consecutive years by Cincinnati Magazine in its Cincinnati 300— a compilation of the city’s top 300 executives. He has served as Trustee on the Board of DanceUSA and as its Executive Managers’ Council Chair, Trustee on the Board of Creative Ohio, and member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Altman has been a featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Altman has been a featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Altman brings with him nearly three decades of experience in nonprofit administration and performing arts. Prior to his roles in administration, Altman enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional opera singer and performed 40 opera roles internationally. He has held leadership positions as General Director at both Arizona Opera and Opera New Jersey, and just prior to coming to Cincinnati Ballet he was Executive Director of Ballet West. During his tenure, Ballet West experienced phenomenal expansion, including growth in ticket sales, a vastly expanded touring schedule, robust growth in donor development, and the construction of a new building.

He is an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music as well as State University College at Purchase and taught for three years at Princeton University. Altman earned a certificate from Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, was a Utah Business 2016 CEO of the Year Honoree and is a three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence Award.