DSO President Anne Parsons to retire in fall of 2022
Anne Parsons, the longtime president and chief executive officer of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra who helped push the orchestra onto the national stage while steering it through a series of challenges, plans to retire in the fall of 2022, the DSO announced Wednesday.
Parsons has been at the DSO's helm since 2004, leading the organization through economic downturns and a bitter musicians' strike, all while boosting its programming, audiences and financial outlook.
Her decision to retire comes as she's been battling lung cancer.
“I have been honored to serve the remarkable Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the people of this vibrant and resilient city for the past 17 years,” said Parsons, who is currently on medical leave, in a press release. “Even before my cancer diagnosis, I had been looking at my 65th birthday in 2022 as a favorable time to close this chapter of my life, and for the past two and half years, it has been my absolute joy to be able to balance work, life, and cancer treatments with full commitment, determination, and optimism."