SoNA Announces New Executive Director

Symphony of Northwest Arkansas board names D. Riley Nicholson to top leadership post

FAYETTEVILLE, ARK., (August 10, 2020) — The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) is delighted to announce that arts administrator, composer, and musician D. Riley Nicholson has been named the new Executive Director of SoNA, effective August 18, 2020.

Originally from Hot Springs, Ark., and most recently residing in San Francisco, Nicholson’s professional experience has taken him across the country and includes a demonstrated record of growing arts organizations through strategic efforts, thoughtful leadership, and, above all, a commitment to artistic excellence and innovation.

An accomplished composer, musician, and producer, Nicholson holds an M.M. in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a B.M. in Percussion Performance, and a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Memphis.

“It’s wonderful to return to my home state to accept this position,” Nicholson said. “I’m profoundly honored for this chance to lead SoNA into its next chapter. Given Northwest Arkansas’ remarkable engagement with the arts, the visionary artistic leadership of SoNA Music Director Paul Haas, the talent of the musicians, and a fiercely loyal and ever-growing SoNA fan base, we are in a unique position to have an increasingly extraordinary artistic impact.”

“My vision for SoNA, and really for the industry at large, is to continue honoring the beautiful classical repertoire we’ve inherited while actively working to build diverse communities and showcase contemporary voices,” Nicholson added. “By nurturing existing relationships and engaging new stakeholders, we can better serve our audiences, better support artists, make better art, and truly serve our entire community.”

Prior to SoNA, Nicholson fostered growth and connectedness as Project Manager for the Center for New Music in San Francisco, Calif., Marketing Consultant for Dance Film SF (San Francisco Dance Film Festival), and as a member of the Board of Directors at the Berkeley Ballet Theater and Post:Ballet.

“Riley is an impressive person who has achieved incredible things at an early age,” SoNA Music Director Paul Haas said. “The fact that he’s forward-thinking, and that we share similar ideas about how to bring classical orchestral music into the 21st century, makes me think we’re looking at a new golden age for SoNA, as well as for the arts in Northwest Arkansas.”

Nicholson, a pianist, has composed and performed for a wide range of ensembles and venues. Committed to working with artists outside of music as well as within, his collaborations include original music for Dance Film SF, Post:Ballet, Switchboard Music, Amaranth Quartet, Hot Air Music Festival, David Herrera Performance Company, Ballet Memphis' Cecily Khuner, and many other talented artists and organizations.

Nicholson received a Horizons Foundation grant for his work One for large string orchestra, which headlined Hot Air Music Festival in 2016. He received another Horizons grant for his full-length production Shimmer, which toured nationally in 2018. Later that year, Nicholson was honored as the CAPMT Distinguished Composer of the Year. Recently, he finished a new commission for pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers.

Nicholson was chosen as SoNA’s Executive Director after a national search conducted by Aspen Leadership Group and overseen by the SoNA Board of Directors.

“On behalf of the SoNA board, I’m so pleased to welcome Riley as Executive Director and look forward to building upon the impressive momentum SoNA has continued these past few years,” SoNA Board Chair Julianne Brown said. “His energy, passion for the arts, and broad experience early in his career impressed the selection committee. SoNA has grown in strength over the past five years and it’s important to all of us that our next Executive Director be able to maintain our trajectory, serve our musicians, collaborate with artistic staff, and connect to our donors and audience. We feel confident that Riley’s skillset and background add unique experience to the organization, which will be particularly valuable as we enter a season at a time when arts organizations across the nation are navigating many unknowns.”

Nicholson replaces former Executive Director Matthew Herren, who left in June to serve as Executive Director of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra in Pennsylvania. Under Herren’s leadership spanning six years, SoNA exhibited significant growth and extended its reach to larger audiences with performances and educational programs throughout Northwest Arkansas.

About SoNA
The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA) is the region’s leading professional orchestra. Under the musical direction of Maestro Paul Haas, SoNA presents dynamic and diverse symphonic performances to an audience of more than 20,000 people annually. Now in its 66th season, the non-profit has led artistic and educational programming throughout Northwest Arkansas since 1954. SoNA is a resident company of Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. Through its partnerships across the region, SoNA also frequently appears at the Walmart AMP, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, John Brown University, the University of Arkansas, the Bentonville Film Festival, the Fayetteville Roots Festival, and a number of area schools and libraries. For more information, visit sonamusic.org.

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