
Senior Consultant
Brief info
Senior Consultant
Email: [email protected]
Deborah Borda has extended the artistic, commercial, and technological boundaries of what an arts organization can be in the 21st century through creative leadership, commitment to innovation, and progressive vision. As President and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, she revitalized the institution, working with NY Phil and Lincoln Center leadership to transform David Geffen Hall, deepening connections with the community through initiatives such as NY Phil Bandwagon during the COVID-19 pandemic, and engaging Gustavo Dudamel as the Orchestra’s next Music and Artistic Director. In July 2023 she became the first person to hold the role of Executive Advisor to the President and Board of Directors, in which capacity she will focus on fundraising and special projects.
Throughout her career, Borda has advanced how arts organizations serve their communities through her leadership of ensembles including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and through the creation of community engagement programs including the New York Phil Bandwagon and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles. The accelerated completion of the David Geffen Hall project — a complete reimagination of how the venue serves the Orchestra and its community — follows others she has overseen, such as Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles and Orchestra Hall in Detroit. The LA Phil’s success during her 17-year tenure was chosen for case studies by both Harvard Business School and Harvard Kennedy School.
The first arts executive to join Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, Borda has received accolades including honorary doctorates from The Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Curtis Institute of Music, and Manhattan School of Music; election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton award in 2023. In June 2023 the NY Phil named her an Honorary Member of the Society — a rare distinction, given to the likes of Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Liszt, President Harry S. Truman, and Igor Stravinsky — for her “outstanding service to the organization and the world of music.”
She is in demand internationally as a consultant and lecturer, and her accomplishments have been cited in numerous reviews and articles, both nationally and internationally. Organizations that have tapped her for her vision include the Avery Fisher Artist Program, which she serves as Chair; the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition; and Oxford University’s Humanities Cultural Programme Advisory Council. In 2023, she established BordaArts, and in that capacity, she formed an exclusive partnership with Aspen Leadership Group focused on executive search for arts leaders in organizations with national and global impact. A former professional violist, Deborah graduated from Bennington College and continued her studies at London’s Royal College of Music.