On accepting the position Lord Smith said: 

“I’m really excited to be taking up the role of Chair of the OAE. Partly because they are an exceptionally good orchestra full of really top-notch players. Secondly, because they are player-led and the players take an active role in running the board and running the orchestra. And thirdly, they are doing all sorts of innovative work. The partnership with Acland Burghley School, Breaking Bach, the use of period instruments; this is an orchestra at the top of its game and I’m honoured to be becoming part of it.” 

Crispin Woodhead, our Chief Executive, commented that Lord Smith’s appointment underscores the significance of our work both on and off the concert platform.  

“It is going to be a real rocket boost for us to have Lord Smith leading our board. That we have recruited one of the most game-changing of Culture Secretaries to the role is a vote of confidence in our mission to transform the way that cultural organisations interact with society. Under Lord Smith’s guidance we will be able to elevate our fundamental pledge that every penny spent on the arts is a penny spent on education; from our partnership with Acland Burghley School in Camden, to performances on stage and our long-term residencies in communities around the UK.” 

As Lord Smith notes, the genuinely player-led ethos of the Orchestra—for example, artistic programming is decided by a Players Artistic Committee (PAC) rather than an artistic director or chief conductor—is key to our long-term success. Cecelia Bruggemeyer, a double bassist and current chair of PAC, said that “it’s exciting to have the Chair, which has always been in good hands, pass on to Chris with his fantastic track record of campaigning for the arts, and access to them. To have someone with such revered experience, who loves the music we play, who wants to hear from and meet with players, who wants to support our artistic endeavour, is so important for a player-led orchestra like OAE. We feel very fortunate and look forward to this new stage under his leadership.” 

Welcoming Lord Smith to the OAE, our outgoing chair Imogen Charlton-Edwards said “I am absolutely delighted that Lord Smith will become Chair of the OAE. His long and distinguished career has encompassed a myriad of fields, and he will bring unrivalled experience to the Orchestra. There can be no better endorsement of our artistic standards and the partnership with Acland Burgey School than to have such an eminent cultural leader take the helm. We welcome him wholeheartedly and with great confidence in this, the Orchestra’s fortieth year. I know that under Lord Smith’s leadership the Orchestra achieve new heights of artistic and social expression.”

The selection panel was led by Daniel Alexander KC (Board member/Chair of the Nominations Committee) with Cecelia Bruggemeyer (double bassist, Chair of the Players Artistic Committee and Vice Chair of the Board), Margaret Faultless (violinist and one of the OAE’s leaders), Adrian Frost (board member of both the OAE and the OAE Trust) and Crispin Woodhead (Chief Executive and Board member).  

You can download a media release version of this announcement below.