The Board of Directors for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra is truly a working board — there are no paid administrative staff within the MPO. Our Board works diligently year-round to develop and execute on a strategy for growth, and fulfillment of the organizational mission. The board meets monthly as a full group. Key committees will have additional meetings as needed to address specific needs of the organization or special events.
Join the board! If you are interested in becoming a board member or working on a committee, please email secretary@mnphil.org. New board members are elected annually at the orchestra’s general meeting, held in June.
Meet the Board & Artistic Staff
Brian Edward Dowdy is Artistic Director of the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra and Music Director of Journey North Opera Company. His prior conducting positions include the St. CloudSymphony Orchestra, Mississippi Valley Orchestra and the University of Minnesota Campus Orchestra program. Brian’s programming centers music by living composers and composers from underrepresented and marginalized populations, along with […]
Catherine Himmerich, concertmaster, joined the Minnesota Philharmonic in 2012 and was the featured soloist on Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane in 2016 and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Violin Concerto in 2019. She has performed with artists ranging from the Eagles and Hanson to Andrea Bocelli and Sigur Rós. She has also been concertmaster for various opera companies and choral/orchestral […]
Daniel Meyers
PresidentBass
Derek Waller
Vice PresidentViolin
Derek has played violin in the orchestra since 2017 and joined the board in 2019. He has worked as a project manager for the healthcare software maker, Epic, and as an organizer for the Minnesotans United for All Families campaign in 2012. He is excited to use these experiences to serve the MPO. As an […]
Kenneth Kusiak
TreasurerPercussion
Isabel Arenivar
Director of OperationsViolin
Raymond Cannon
At-large Board MemberTrombone
Rebecca Eilers
At-large Board MemberViolin
Grace Flinsch
At-large Board MemberViolin
Brian Hadley
Music LibrarianPrincipal Bassoon
Brian serves as the Music Librarian where he serves on the MPO’s Programming Committee, communicates with music publishers to rent or purchase performance pieces, manages the music library, distributes and collects the music to and from the musicians, and communicates issues relating to the Music Library with the Music Director and Board of Directors. Brian […]
Joe Dolson
WebmasterViolin, Associate Concertmaster
Joe is the former concertmaster of the MPO, and has been playing with the orchestra since the fall of 2000. In addition to the MPO, Joe plays in a duo with stand partner Catherine Himmerich and plays baroque violin in the baroque ensemble, “Sospiri.” Professionally, Joe helps organizations make their websites usable by people with […]
Standing Committees
- Executive Committee: comprised of the four executive officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary), this committee is responsible for the overall functioning and management of the MPO, similar to the executive leadership team of an organization; manages all paid and unpaid staff, board members, committee members, and volunteers.
- Development Committee: designs, develops, and implements fundraising strategies and plans; organizes fundraising events; handles all donor development and relations, as well as coordinates grant submissions/applications.
- Finance Committee: assists the Treasurer with all general accounting and bookkeeping; and, handles all financial matters for the organization including financial planning and budgeting, tax, regulatory filings, and insurance.
- Governance Committee: responsible for board relations, development, recruiting, and overall management; assists the Secretary with oversight, development, and adherence to policies, and organizational bylaws.
- Marketing Committee: develops marketing plans and manages general external communications and marketing activities, including online response/social media, print, and web.
- Operations Committee: plans for, and executes all concert/event production activities including volunteer coordination, box office, venue, ticketing, program development/printing, and general logistics.
- Programming Committee: in collaboration with the Music Director, develops engaging programs including selection and approval of repertoire, concert series/cycle theme, and overall tone/messaging of programs.