Honens announces Amanda Smith as president and CEO

Honens, the organisation behind Canada’s Honens International Piano Competition, has announced the appointment of Amanda Smith as its new president and CEO. Smith takes the role having previously served as Honens’ director of marketing and communications and interim president and CEO, following the November 2024 departure of John Kieser.

Already a successful arts and non-profit leader, Smith joins Honens as the organisation presents the 11^th edition of the Honens International Piano Competition. She brings to her new experience as board director and secretary of Xenia Concerts Inc., an organisation which facilitates performing arts experiences for neurodiverse and disability communities.

Honens Board chair Heather Marreck said: ‘On behalf of the Board of Directors, we are thrilled to have Amanda in the President and CEO position. Her passion, strategic insight, and dedication to the organization are unmatched. We have the utmost confidence Amanda’s leadership will inspire our team and drive us toward even greater success.’

As an advocate for accessibility in the arts Smith will support Honens’ festival and calendar of community events alongside the competition. Created by Esther Honens in Calgary in 1991, the triennial Honens International Piano Competition supports participants who embody the organisation’s philosophy of the ‘complete artist’ with a three-year artistic development and career accelerator program.

Smith said: ‘I am honoured to be trusted to lead Honens. With its extraordinary team and vibrant community, Honens has a remarkable legacy of transforming lives through music. Honens is more than a competition; it’s a catalyst for deep impact in the communities we serve. I am eager to build on this foundation, championing innovation and collaboration to amplify its impact both here at home and around the world.’