Christian Johansson Elected Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Board Chair

Media Contacts:

Whitney Clemmons Brown
Director of Communications
wbrown@BSOmusic.org
410-783-8072

Allison Burr-Livingstone
SVP & Chief Advancement and Communications Officer
ablivingstone@bsomusic.org
410-783-8034

 

For Immediate Release
November 5, 2025

 

Christian Johansson Elected Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Board Chair
Succeeds Barry Rosen Following Six Years of Historic Transformation and Renewal

Baltimore, MD — The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) today announced the election of Christian Johansson as Chair of its Board of Directors. He succeeds Barry F. Rosen, who concludes a transformative six-year tenure as Chair, the longest anyone can serve in the position. Rosen will continue his service as a member of the Board and will assume the role of Immediate Past Chair for the 2025-26 Season.

Johansson, a respected civic and business leader whose career spans public service, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, currently serves as Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Stella May. Previously, he held a variety of leadership roles at Laureate Education including Head of Strategic Partnerships for Laureate Online and President of Laureate Partners. Prior to Laureate, Johansson was Secretary of the Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development under Governor Martin O’Malley, and CEO of the Economic Alliance of Greater Baltimore. He brings 25 years of demonstrated experience in large public and private companies, government, and not-for-profit organizations.

A member of the BSO Board since 2017, Johansson has been an active leader in governance and long-term strategic planning. He co-represented the BSO Board—alongside Rosen—on the 2019–20 State Workgroup on the BSO, a state-led initiative chaired by former Senator Ed Kasemeyer that helped chart the roadmap for the BSO’s 2020–25 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and ongoing artistic and community growth. Johansson has since served as Chair of the Governance Committee, Board Vice Chair, and a member of the Executive Committees as well as special task forces, including the President & CEO Search Committee, helping to shape the institution’s direction through multiple seasons of renewal. This historic appointment makes him the first African American to lead the BSO Board in the Orchestra’s 109-year history.

“I am deeply honored to follow in Barry’s footsteps and to help guide the BSO into its next era,” said Johansson. “So much in our world divides us, but music unites us, and the Orchestra’s strength lies in its connection to our community. We need that now more than ever. I look forward to working alongside my fellow Board members, Jonathon Heyward, and Mark Hanson to build on great momentum and expand the BSO’s artistic and civic reach.”

Rosen’s tenure as Chair (2019–2025) encompassed one of the most pivotal periods in the Orchestra’s modern history. Under his principled leadership, the BSO navigated the pandemic, advanced two multi-year collective bargaining agreements, and completed successful searches for both Music Director Jonathon Heyward and President and CEO Mark Hanson. A longtime Baltimorean and head of Gordon Feinblatt’s health care practice, Rosen’s more than 50-year relationship with the Orchestra – as patron, volunteer, and donor – has strengthened ties between the BSO and the community. To help honor Rosen’s leadership at the BSO, Gordon Feinblatt is generously establishing an endowed fund in his name, together with his wife Susan, to ensure access for students regardless of means in signature BSO education programs including tuition in the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras and/or summer camp/travel for BSO OrchKids.

“Barry’s leadership was defined by calm, clarity, and conviction,” said Mark C. Hanson, BSO President and CEO. “He led through unprecedented challenges with unwavering commitment to the BSO’s mission and people. We are profoundly grateful for his service and enduring partnership.”

Christian’s leadership experience and dedication to the BSO’s mission make him the ideal successor,” said Barry F. Rosen. “He brings both vision and pragmatism to the role, and I’m confident the Orchestra will continue to thrive under his stewardship.”

This transition reflects the BSO’s ongoing commitment to strong, forward-looking governance. In addition to a leadership transition, the Board of Directors also unanimously approved the appointment of four new Directors, the first class of public elected Honorary Directors in the BSO’s history, as well as a new Endowment Trustee at the BSO’s 2025 Annual Meeting.

Appointments include:

• Directors:
  • Estee Fader
  • Elizabeth Johns
  • Holly Plank
  • Alex Shorb
• Endowment Trustee:
  • Prashant Jeyaganesh
• Honorary Directors:
  • The Honorable Mayor Brandon M. Scott, City of Baltimore
  • The Honorable Katherine Klausmeier, Baltimore County Executive
  • The Honorable Antonio Hayes, Senator, 40th District

Review the BSO’s full leadership listing here: www.bsomusic.org/about/board-of-directors.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall | 1212 Cathedral Street | Baltimore, MD 21201
The Music Center at Strathmore | 5301 Tuckerman Lane | North Bethesda, MD 20852

About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. The orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings, and educational outreach initiatives, including OrchKids.

The BSO performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.

In July 2022, the BSO made history with the announcement that Jonathon Heyward would succeed Music Director Laureate and OrchKids Founder Marin Alsop as the Orchestra’s next Music Director. Maestro Heyward began his inaugural season in September 2023.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a proud member of the League of American Orchestras.

More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.

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