BROOKLYN: Brooklyn Academy of Music chairman Alan H. Fishman has announced the appointment of Katy Clark as the new president of BAM. She succeeds Karen Brooks Hopkins, who will step down at the end of June. Katy Clark comes to BAM from New York’s Orchestra of St. Luke’s, where she has served as president and executive director since 2010.
In statement, Fishman said, “The president’s role at BAM is an exhilarating, demanding, wide-ranging job and Katy Clark has the leadership skills and passion to lead this dynamic institution. She joins us during a period of exciting growth for BAM and Brooklyn and we’re thrilled to have her on board.”
Clark said in statement, “BAM has always been fearless in the creation and presentation of art, for the borough of Brooklyn, the city of New York and audiences around the world. I couldn’t be more excited to join this organization as its new president, and it is a privilege to succeed a great and beloved leader, Karen Hopkins.”
As president, Clark will oversee BAM’s 248 full-time employees and work alongside longtime BAM executive producer Joseph V. Melillo. Clark will lead an arts organization with a profile that extends far beyond Brooklyn and New York City. BAM engages with more than 700,000 audience members each year, presenting live performances and films from around the world, including the renowned Next Wave Festival. BAM is especially renowned for its four live performance spaces, ranging in capacity from 250 to more than 2,000 seats, a vibrant independent cinema program, and far-reaching education and humanities initiatives.
Since October 2010, Katy Clark has served as president and executive director of Orchestra of St. Luke’s (OSL), which she joined in 2005 as director of development. Prior to her career in arts management, from 1994 to 1999 Clark was a violinist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London. From 2001 to 2004, Clark led the Philadelphia chapter of the American Composers Forum. She was born and raised in Wales.
The search for BAM’s new president began approximately a year ago when Karen Hopkins announced her retirement after more than 30 years at BAM.
