Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Appoints Jimmy Berg and Michael Hansen to its Board of Directors

Baltimore, Md. (October 5, 2011) - The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) announced at its annual meeting in September 2011 two new appointments to its board of directors: Mr. James ("Jimmy") Berg, CEO of LocateIT LLC and owner of Sunrise Toyota in New York, and Michael ("Mike") Hansen, an avid supporter of the BSO at Strathmore and highly sought after consultant in organizational leadership development. Their term of service began September 2011 and is effective for three fiscal years. Both Mr. Hansen and Mr. Berg bring to the board diverse areas of experience and fresh business strategies that promise to continue BSO's legacy as one of Maryland's leading arts organizations.

Jimmy Berg
Jimmy Berg has been in the Retail Automotive Business for over 25 years.  He most recently was the Vice-President and a Principal with Len Stoler Automotive and is currently the owner of Sunrise Toyota in Oakdale, NY.  He is also the CEO of LocateIT LLC, the master agent for Ituran and its GPS location products in the Eastern U.S. as well as a partner in PANGO USA, a licensee of PANGO, the leading Park by Cell provider in Israel and Europe.  In addition, he has served on many non-profit boards such as The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore (Immediate Past-Chair), The Ronald McDonald House of Maryland, Boys' Latin School, Lifebridge Health, Sinai Hospital, Northwest Hospital, Jewish Federations of North America, Baltimore Jewish Council and Beth El Synagogue.  He received his B.S. in Economics with a minor in Finance from the University of Maryland in College Park.  He is married to Harriet and is the proud father of Jennifer, Aaron and Ryan.

Michael Hansen
Michael Hansen is a consultant in the field of strategic change management, executive and executive team coaching and development and high-potential leadership development.  His clients include large, international corporations and represent a wide variety of industries.  He was Senior Vice President, Organizational Capability, and a member of the Veridian Corporation executive committee when they sold it to General Dynamics.  He has a long-standing interest in classical music and has been a BSO subscriber since its launch at the Strathmore center in 2005.  He has also provided pro bono service to the Strathmore organization to help facilitate collaboration with the original founding partners.  He has proven expertise in management/musician relations and formulating new models for symphony structure and growth. 

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Grammy Award-winning Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world's most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its enduring pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives.

The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra's 12th music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. With her highly praised artistic vision, her dynamic musicianship and her commitment to accessibility in classical music, Maestra Alsop's leadership has ushered in a new era for the BSO and its audiences.

Under Music Director Marin Alsop's leadership, the BSO has rapidly added several critically acclaimed albums to its already impressive discography. The BSO recently released Dvorák's Symphonies Nos. 6, 7 and 8, the final two discs in its three-disc Dvorák cycle. In August 2009, the BSO and Marin Alsop released Bernstein's Mass featuring baritone Jubilant Sykes, the Morgan State University Choir and the Peabody Children's Chorus. The album rose to number six on the Classical Billboard Charts and received a 2009 Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album. The Orchestra made its foray into online distribution in April 2007 with the release of a live-concert recording of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring on iTunes, which quickly become the site's number one classical music download.