Atlanta Symphony Names Emory Graduate New Executive Director

Barlament, who formerly served as the general manager of the Omaha Symphony and the executive director of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, is a graduate of Emory University.

She will succeed Terry Neal, who has been the ASO’s interim executive director since Oct. 2014. Neal stepped in following the resignation of CEO Stanley Romanstein during a lockout of ASO musicians.

The 2015-16 ASO season begins next week; Barlament will arrive in Atlanta in January.

“I am very pleased with the outcome,” ASO music director Robert Spano said in a statement. “Jennifer and her track record are very impressive and I believe she will be a tremendous leader for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.”

“We are very excited about Jennifer’s arrival.” Kirk Jamieson, the ASO board chairman who led the search, said. “She possesses both the dedication to the art and the exemplary business and management skills to elevate the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra to the next level.”

After obtaining her undergraduate degree in music from Emory, Barlament earned a master’s in clarinet performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, N.Y.

“It is especially poignant for me to come home to Georgia to serve a city and an orchestra that I love, working with Robert Spano, one of the great original thinkers in American classical music,” she said.