Seb Lovell-Huckle appointed CEO of English Symphony Orchestra

The English Symphony Orchestra (ESO) has announced the appointment of Seb Lovell-Huckle to the role of chief executive officer, he joins ESO from Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, where he has been executive director for three years.

Lovell-Huckle will take up the role from 8 August 2022, taking over executive leadership from the ESO’s Board of Trustees who have led the organisation in the absence of a CEO under the guidance of chair Jonathan Godfrey OBE.

Godfrey said: ‘I am delighted that someone of Seb’s proven experience and enthusiasm is joining the orchestra to lead us in meeting the challenges we face as we emerge from the impact of Covid. Under the artistic direction of Kenneth Woods, the orchestra has a national reputation for the quality of its performances, innovative programming, education work and community projects and I am confident Seb will lead us to even greater heights.’

In addition to his new position, Lovell-Huckle is chair of the board for Birmingham Conservation Trust and of Stafford Sinfonia, as well as being a trustee of Constella OperaBallet. His previous experience also includes roles with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and City of London Sinfonia.

The new CEO will join the ESO artistic team, led by artistic director and conductor Kenneth Woods and leader Zoë Beyers with assistant conductor Michael Young. Lovell-Huckle will work closely with Woods to develop partnerships with industry players as well as to build larger and more diverse audiences.

Lovell-Huckle said: ‘I am enormously excited to join ESO at a critical moment in its history, and look forward to working with its outstanding musicians, its artistic director Kenneth Woods and the board and staff in its next phase of development.’

You can find out more about the English Symphony Orchestra here.