The Illinois Council of Orchestras (ICO) bestowed a major award upon Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), naming IPO’s Christina Salerno as the 2022 Executive Director of the Year.
The accolade was part of ICO’s annual awards for excellence in the field of music performance and for support of musical organizations. An awards panel of judges drawn from the Illinois Council of Orchestras Board of Directors and independent professional conductors and musicians reviewed nominations representing orchestras, youth orchestras and chamber ensembles throughout Illinois.
Facing a historic pandemic that silenced nearly all live music entities worldwide, Salerno helped launch IPO’s Campaign for The Future endowment fund. The fund soon advanced from the initial $2 million Salerno had been essential in obtaining—garnering nearly $4 million by the time the 2020-21 season finished.
Also enhancing IPO’s equity, diversity and inclusion efforts, Salerno used her experiences with the DuPage County arts scene, pairing Illinois Philharmonic with the famous, award-winning Anima (formerly Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus). Anima and IPO then co-commissioned noted composer Augusta Read Thomas for a new work based on the Bronzeville poems of former Illinois Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks.
Other accomplishments under Salerno’s leadership include increased membership of the IPO Board in both numbers and community representation, executing IPO’s second Virtual Gala which netted more money than previous in-person celebrations and featured virtual performances by IPO musicians as well as Metropolitan Opera baritone Jeff Matsey, world-renowned violinist Rachel Barton Pine and New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill.
Salerno’s win comes on the heels of IPO being named Professional Orchestra of the Year in 2020—the third time the orchestra has won this award.