ESD Welcomes Dallas Symphony Association President and CEO

April 3, 2024

Started in 2002 by Robert H. Dedman, the annual Dedman Lecture Series invites professionals across various backgrounds to share academic and practical experiences with students to prepare them for lives of intellectual discovery, integrity, and purpose outside of ESD. This year, junior and senior students had the opportunity to listen to Kim Noltemy, Ross Perot President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Association, as she discussed how unforeseen experiences accelerated her professional career.

Individuals of all ages understand what it means to have ambitions, yet one thing no one can prepare for is when our paths turn onto a different course. However, there is beauty in the uncertain, as we discover new things about ourselves with every step we take in a new direction.

Embarking upon her career, Noltemy had her sights set on living and working in Japan. She became fluent in the language, resided in the country, and was employed through a work visa that, unbeknownst to her, could not be extended after a year. With no other viable option, Noltemy had to return to her home state of Massachusetts and transition into working for a rather unexpected position at the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

As an individual with no musical or instrumental experience, Noltemy was surprised to find that there is much more to the orchestra than meets the eye. Over the next 21 years, she discovered the many departments that keep such organizations running, from IT teams and marketing coordinators to PR officers and financial advisors.

When the Dallas Symphony Orchestra recruited her in 2018, Noltemy found herself in a familiar environment yet with a new structure. As with her previous experiences, Noltemy continued to educate herself and acclimate to the culture and community surrounding the DSO, including attending several of the 150 annual shows performed at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center.

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While her orchestral prowess continued to blossom, Noltemy also applied the practical knowledge she accumulated throughout her career to better the organization as a whole. According to the Dallas Symphony Association, Noltemy has made a long-term impact on the landscape of classical music in Dallas and the entire industry in only six years by implementing an in-depth strategic plan and new initiatives, such as: Launching the DSO’s Women in Classical Music program, designed to increase female representation in the field through hiring women for senior artistic positions, creating an annual symposium, and ensuring that 50% of the DSO’s new commissions are composed by women. Unveiling the DSO’s Southern Dallas Residency, which makes the transformative power of music education accessible to more than 500 children of all ages in Southern Dallas through free instruments and lessons across seven schools. Expanding DSO’s online presence by initiating a strategy for digital media, including social engagement and live-streaming online events to broaden the organizational reach beyond its physical space. Contributing to the development of the Jeanne R. Johnson Educational Center that will open within the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center later this year, fusing technology and music through the application of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more interactive learning modes for first through twelfth graders. None of the aforementioned personal, vocational, and communal accomplishments would have been possible without Noltemy’s unexpected transitions. What distinguishes Noltemy’s experience from others is her demeanor – striving to be a steward of a better world through connection, advocacy, and persistence. When asked what makes a good leader, Noltemy responded, “listening, having empathy, and trying to hear the other perspective.” As our students venture into the world and carve their own paths as agents of change, ESD maintains with great conviction that our future leaders are preparing to serve with lives of purpose.

While her orchestral prowess continued to blossom, Noltemy also applied the practical knowledge she accumulated throughout her career to better the organization as a whole. According to the Dallas Symphony Association, Noltemy has made a long-term impact on the landscape of classical music in Dallas and the entire industry in only six years by implementing an in-depth strategic plan and new initiatives, such as:

Launching the DSO’s Women in Classical Music program, designed to increase female representation in the field through hiring women for senior artistic positions, creating an annual symposium, and ensuring that 50% of the DSO’s new commissions are composed by women.
Unveiling the DSO’s Southern Dallas Residency, which makes the transformative power of music education accessible to more than 500 children of all ages in Southern Dallas through free instruments and lessons across seven schools.
Expanding DSO’s online presence by initiating a strategy for digital media, including social engagement and live-streaming online events to broaden the organizational reach beyond its physical space.
Contributing to the development of the Jeanne R. Johnson Educational Center that will open within the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center later this year, fusing technology and music through the application of Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and more interactive learning modes for first through twelfth graders.

None of the aforementioned personal, vocational, and communal accomplishments would have been possible without Noltemy’s unexpected transitions. What distinguishes Noltemy’s experience from others is her demeanor – striving to be a steward of a better world through connection, advocacy, and persistence.

When asked what makes a good leader, Noltemy responded, “listening, having empathy, and trying to hear the other perspective.” As our students venture into the world and carve their own paths as agents of change, ESD maintains with great conviction that our future leaders are preparing to serve with lives of purpose.

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April 3, 2024