Jennifer Barlament joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in January 2016 as Executive Director. Together with Music Director Robert Spano, Jennifer will continue to define and execute the strategic vision for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, both artistically and financially, while engaging key audiences to make that vision a reality.
Jennifer has more than 15 years of experience leading orchestras across the country, most recently as General Manager of the Cleveland Orchestra, where she has served since 2013. In Cleveland, she managed the operations of the Orchestra and its two performance venues, Severance Hall and the Blossom Music Center.
A lifelong musician, Jennifer previously served as Executive Director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and General Manager of the Omaha Symphony. In 1998, Jennifer was accepted into the highly competitive Orchestra Management Fellowship Program of the League of American Orchestras. She worked in all aspects of orchestra management during Fellowship assignments with the San Francisco Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony, and the Detroit Symphony. Following the Fellowship, she returned to the Detroit Symphony as Director of Special Projects and was then appointed Concert Manager of the Baltimore Symphony.
Jennifer earned her Bachelor’s degree in music with a minor in physics at Emory University, where she received awards for both music and academic performance. She earned a Master’s degree in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, where she also founded the New Eastman Symphony. In 2013, Jennifer was the recipient of the League of American Orchestras’ prestigious Helen M. Thompson Award, given every two years to an early-career executive director.
Jennifer resides in Atlanta with her husband Kenneth Potsic, a bassoon repair and restoration specialist, and their son David.
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Sneak Peek Into What You’ll Learn…
2:38 – The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra has 55 administrative staff and 88 musicians. Jennifer outlines what her role as Executive Director entails and some of the major strategic projects she’s working on.
5:54 – Jennifer gives us an insider’s view of how orchestras run. She shares that her time in graduate school helped her begin to understand the technical and relational aspects of orchestra management.
10:16 – For Jennifer, a career in engineering or physics seemed certain until she followed her unique road into music. She talks about her journey through graduate school and gives sound advice for anyone interested in exploring a path in orchestra management.
17:44 – Orchestras are often at work during other people’s leisure time. Jennifer explains how she is able to spend quality time with her husband and son while keeping up with the demands of her high impact job.
21:52 – Young people coming into the field need not sacrifice personal goals for their career. Jennifer gets candid about the bold steps that might be necessary to ensure you find fulfillment and balance in life.
25:40 – Exercising, reading, and hiking. Jennifer shares what she does to recharge and encourages women to carve out personal space amidst work and family demands.
28:03 – Brass Tacks: The lightning round of concrete advice and tips
Quotable quotes:
“It’s a people business. All day every day, it’s about making sure that people are moving along in the right direction.”
“My career path and the decision of what I wanted to do with my life was definitely an emerging reality, not a clear reality from the beginning.”
“The idea of being able to help promote music and support musicians without actually having to play the clarinet every day was something that was a real liberating and exciting prospect for me.”
“I really encourage… young people coming into the field to not let their career define what they’re able to achieve as a human being.”
Links to Resources
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