Gary Ginstling surprisingly resigned as chief executive officer of the New York Philharmonic on Thursday after one year on the job. No reason was given for his departure, announced days ahead of , at Vail, Colorado, from July 17-20. Ginstling had been with the orchestra during a that ended July 4.
“It has become clear to me that the institution needs a different type of leadership,” Ginstling said in a statement released by the orchestra. The orchestra is about to start two years without a music director until Gustavo Dudamel starts in the 2026-27 season. Deborah Borda, Ginstling's predecessor, will lead the transition team along with board co-chairs Peter W.
May and Oscar L. Tang. The philharmonic’s contract with local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians expires Sept.
20, Borda was hired as the orchestra's managing director in 1991, announced her departure in September 1999 to become president and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, then returned to the New York orchestra as CEO from 2017 until June 2023. In April, Ginstling said he had directed the orchestra to hire Katya Jestin, co-managing partner of the law firm Jenner & Block, to investigate the philharmonic's culture. That followed a New York Magazine article detailing misconduct allegations against two musicians in 2010.
The two, who denied improper conduct, were fired in 2018, then reinstated following a 2020 decision by arbitrator Richard I. Bloch. The two musicians have not been assigned to any orche.