Orchestra Kentucky has hired a full-time executive director for the first time in 16 years. Scott Watkins was introduced during a news conference Monday at the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center in Bowling Green.
Watkins credits the local orchestra with re-inventing classical music.
"In a day and age when you're losing a lot of classical music lovers, we're trying to reinvigorate and bring new people to orchestra," Watkins told WKU Public Radio. "We bring in new ideas, new shows and new programming, which is something this orchestra does very well already."
Watkins comes to Bowling Green from El Dorado, Arkansas where he headed the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Before that, he managed the Dallas Symphony and served in leadership roles at Symphony Arlington, Corpus Christi Symphony, and the Las Colinas Symphony.
He says he’d like to continue efforts to introduce a new breed of classical music to the public while also increasing the budget and audience for Orchestra Kentucky.
Watkins replaces Darrell Edwards who retired in August.
