Rachel Cementina has been elected by the San Luis Obispo Symphony Board of Directors as the new Executive Director of SLO Symphony.
The board said Cementina’s background in local nonprofit management and fundraising, combined with her passion for promoting arts programs in the community, will help further the mission of the organization, which celebrated its 60th anniversary last year.
“We are delighted to welcome Rachel as our new Executive Director,” said SLO Symphony Board Chairman Jim Walker. “She will bring experience, enthusiasm, great communication skills and a breath of fresh air to our organization.
“We were fortunate to find her and look forward to a successful and dynamic future under her leadership.”
When Cementina takes office on April 3, she will manage all day-to-day operations of the county’s regional orchestra, known for its innovative performances, youth symphony/educational programs and annual POPS By The Sea program.
Cementina will lead fundraising initiatives as well as marketing and community engagement initiatives.
Her background includes six years as Director of Community Engagement for the United Way of SLO County. Most recently, she served as Director of Membership, Marketing and Philanthropy for the San Luis Obispo YMCA.
“I am honored to join such a passionate group of musicians, staff and volunteers at the SLO Symphony Orchestra,” said Cementina. explain. “I look forward to serving the community and promoting arts and music education on the Central Coast.”
Cementina will oversee the remainder of the 2022-23 season, which includes the fifth and final classical concert of the Tchaikovsky and Testimony season. The concert will be at the SLO Performing Arts Center on Saturday, May 6th.
The symphony, in collaboration with the Diversity Coalition in San Luis Obispo, will bring the West Coast premiere of William Banfield’s “Testimonies of Tone, Tune and Time.”
The narrative is based on a speech by the historical African-American orator and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and consists of seven short movements. It is composed for two narrators, solo saxophone, piano, harp, percussion and strings. The orchestra will also perform Tchaikovsky’s “Fourth Symphony”.
“I am delighted to welcome Rachel as the next Executive Director of the San Luis Obispo Symphony,” said Music Director and Conductor Andrew Sewell. “She has a strong track record of commitment and involvement in the SLO community, and I am excited to begin this new chapter together.”