Portland, OR – After serving nearly three years as the Executive Director of the Portland Columbia Symphony (PCSO), Rebekah Phillips resigned as of January 27, 2022 to pursue new opportunities, returning to her area of expertise in marketing. The Board reluctantly accepted her decision and has appointed Jane Kenworthy to serve as the Interim Executive Director while commencing a search for a new permanent successor.
During her tenure, Rebekah has overseen the strategic growth of the organization–adding infrastructure, increasing resource capacity, and growing community engagement. While leading PCSO through the pandemic, she championed the creative talents and versatility of the region’s freelance professional musicians, bringing to fruition PCSO’s enormously successful “Meet the Instruments” series, instating an equitable pay scale, and increasing the number of paid performance opportunities in a season. Board President Mary J. Mayer and Music Director Steven Byess lauded her efforts and vision and expressed their gratitude for her leadership.
The Portland Columbia Symphony is excited to have Jane Kenworthy on board as the Interim Executive Director. Most recently, Jane served as Executive Director of the Rogue Valley Symphony in Southern Oregon and Business Manager of Anima Mundi Productions. She has a long and distinguished career in performing arts management, having served as Executive Director of the Stockton (CA), Fairfax (VA), Dubuque (IA), Roanoke (VA), and Annapolis (MD) Symphonies. Jane has also held general manager positions with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, and the Washington Bach Consort (DC). A graduate of Oberlin College with a major in English, she went on to study violin at the Manhattan School of Music. She is a native of Washington, D.C., mother of three, and currently lives in Medford, OR.
With Jane Kenworthy now on board, the PCSO Board of Directors will begin a search for a permanent Executive Director.