Above: Violist Lynne Ramsey. Photo credit: Roger Mastroianni. Watching four children and their parents shuffle onto the main floor of the Knight Concert Hall to hear Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Holly Hudak had a moment. Hudak is the managing director of Cleveland Orchestra Miami, and it’s easy to understand why every orchestral performance moves her. Yet watching a new generation of orchestral fans develop, she began to “feel at home,” in her new home, she said. “In that one moment, I saw the potential for the work we’re doing in terms of developing orchestra audiences for the future.” Supported by Knight Foundation, Cleveland Orchestra Miami recently expanded its subscription season and plans to increase its educational engagement of students. Below Hudak shares why she moved to Miami and what audiences can expect over the next year. You moved from Chicago about a year ago to become the new managing director. What drew you here? H.H.: I was so impressed with what Cleveland Orchestra Miami had built. It has one of the highest average house fill rates of any orchestra series in the country: 88 percent! That means it’s achieving the goal of getting people in touch with music. Of course, we’d like it to be at 100 percent. But more than anything, coming here was about exploring a sense of possibility. For a person whose entire life has revolved around bringing more diversity and access to the arts, this city offers tremendous opportunity. It’s incredibly diverse with people from all socioeconomic backgrounds, not all of whom have had exposure to classical music. Plus, I’ve never spent time in a warm climate. I was seduced by the great beauty of Miami.
