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(For Immediate Release, June 5, 2025, Boston) Celebrity Series of Boston announces that Gary Dunning, its President and Executive Director since 2011, will retire at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season. Dunning’s leadership defined a new era for the organization, marked by artistic innovation, a commitment to artists across the arcs of their careers, institutional growth, and community impact.
During his 15-year tenure, Dunning has transformed the Celebrity Series into a dynamic, forward-thinking institution, broadening its artistic scope, deepening its community impact, and securing its place as a cultural cornerstone in Boston and its neighborhoods. Under his leadership, the Series has introduced new programming including the Debut Series, showcasing emerging classical talent; Stave Sessions, which brings contemporary music to unconventional venues and new audiences; and the Jazz Festival, exploring contemporary jazz in a pop-up club atmosphere. Initiatives such as these reflect Dunning’s approach to offering performances across an expansion of genres that resonate with both traditional and next-generation audiences.
Dunning also oversaw the founding and expansion of Arts for All!, the Celebrity Series’ signature community outreach initiative. This programming engages, supports, and promotes Boston-based artists, and reaches tens of thousands of people annually through free performances, public art projects, and artistic outreach in neighborhoods including Dorchester, Roxbury, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, Back Bay, the South End, and beyond. Notable public projects launched during his tenure include the Jazz Along The Charles outdoor jazz festival, the popular Let’s Dance Boston! events, and the Street Pianos Boston installation, all of which bring the joy of live performance into public spaces and help redefine how the city interacts with the arts.
Under his leadership, the Celebrity Series has demonstrated long-term institutional resilience and growth. Dunning has led the organization through a successful $23M capital campaign that tripled the organization’s net assets and strengthened its endowment and established funds dedicated to innovative programming, ensuring continuity of programming through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He also championed organizational initiatives around equity and accessibility, reinforcing the Series’ commitment to Boston’s many communities and voices.
“From his first day onward, Gary has led the organization boldly and effectively, guided by an expansive and generous view of the value of performing arts for all,” says Joshua Boger, PhD, Chair of the Board of Directors. “It is rare to see a leader with such vision and passion also be such an effective and efficient manager. Gary has inspired and led a talented and dedicated team while focusing that team tightly on detailed, explicit strategic plans. His passion for the performing arts may come from his heart, but his actions to affect those plans comes from a deep understanding of the challenges of being a presenter of the very best of a variety of performing arts, from music to dance to spoken word.”
Prior to his arrival in Boston, Dunning served as Executive Director of the American Ballet Theatre, the Houston Ballet, and Big Apple Circus, building a distinguished career in arts leadership that spans more than four decades. Dunning is just the fourth Executive Director of the Celebrity Series in its 87-year history.
“It has been my honor to steward this incredible institution and contribute to Boston’s arts ecosystem,” said Dunning. “The artists, audiences, staff, Board, donors, and community partners I’ve worked with have inspired me every day. I am so proud of what we’ve achieved together, and I look forward to seeing Celebrity Series continue to grow and innovate.”
The Celebrity Series of Boston Board of Directors will launch an international search for Dunning’s successor in the coming months, with the goal of ensuring a smooth and thoughtful transition in the spring/summer of 2026. The Board has engaged Arts Consulting Group (ACG) to guide the executive search efforts. Led by ACG President, Bruce D. Thibodeau, the search will begin very soon. Additional job details may be found on both the Celebrity Series of Boston and ACG’s websites.
ABOUT CELEBRITY SERIES OF BOSTON
Celebrity Series of Boston was founded in 1938 by pianist and impresario Aaron Richmond. Celebrity Series has been bringing the very best performers—from orchestras and chamber ensembles, vocal and piano music, to dance companies, jazz, and more—to Boston’s major concert halls for 87 years. The Celebrity Series of Boston believes in the power of excellence and innovation in the performing arts to enrich life experiences, transform lives, and build better communities. Through its education initiatives, the Celebrity Series seeks to build a community of Greater Boston where the performing arts are a valued, lifelong, shared experience—on stages, on streets, in neighborhoods—everywhere.
Celebrity Series of Boston is grateful to our 2025/26 Season Sponsors Crescendo Donor Advised Fund and Susan & Michael Thonis, and to the many individuals, corporations, foundations, and government agencies whose support helps fulfill our mission to enrich and inspire our community through exceptional live performances. Individual and institutional supporters include Jill & David Altshuler, Leslie & Howard Appleby, Arts Consulting Group, the Barr Foundation through its ArtsAmplified initiative, Amy & Joshua Boger, Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, Stephanie L. Brown, Michael & Adrianne Canning, Deloitte, Klarman Family Foundation, George & Lizbeth Krupp, Liberty Mutual Foundation, Richard K. Lubin Family Foundation, Susanne Marcus Collins Foundation, Mass Cultural Council, National Endowment for the Arts, Eleanor & Frank Pao, Stephen C. Perry & Oliver Radford, Rabb Family Foundations, Reuben Reynolds, Royal Little Family Foundation, Schrafft Charitable Trust, Sally S. Seaver, PhD, Jeremy Silverman & Mary Sutherland, Belinda Termeer, Susan & Michael Thonis, Urban Agenda Grant Program from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED), Dorothy Altman Weber, in memory of Stephen Weber, Anonymous (3), and many others.
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