Minnesota Orchestra president and CEO Michelle Miller Burns will leave her role on Sept. 13 to take the same position with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra announced Friday.

Burns, who has been with the orchestra since 2018 and previously held multiple positions with the DSO, will work with board chair Nancy Lindahl, musician leadership and senior staff to ensure a smooth transition. The board will begin a search for her successor soon.

Michelle Miller Burns (Photo by Tracy Martin)

“Michelle has come to mean so much to this organization over the last six years,” said Lindahl in a news release. “She has expertly navigated extremely challenging times, exemplifying collaborative leadership and demonstrating what it means to listen to colleagues and build and tend relationships with people. It has been my great pleasure to work alongside her in championing the Minnesota Orchestra and, on behalf of the entire organization, we share big congratulations and send her south to Dallas with our best wishes.”

During her tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra, Burns launched a multi-year revenue growth plan, unveiled a new leadership model and redesigned format for its long-running summer festival and guided the orchestra through the pandemic. She also was pivotal in hiring Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård as the orchestra’s 11th music director and negotiated a new agreement with orchestra musicians that extends until 2026.

The Minnesota Orchestra ended its most recent fiscal year with an operating surplus of $1.1 million on a budget of $42 million. Attendance numbers have approached pre-pandemic levels.

“My husband Gary and I have always considered Dallas a second home, so this new role was a deeply enticing opportunity,” Burns said. “Even as this transition is announced, though, my heart is full of gratitude for the outstanding musicians and music-making of the Minnesota Orchestra and for the many board members, colleagues and friends who have made my six years in the Twin Cities so joyful and meaningful.”

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