🔒On the Record: Portland Symphony’s new executive director aims to expand audience reach

Derek Beckvold, 38, recently left the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra to succeed Carolyn Nishon as executive director of the Portland Symphony Orchestra. With strategic planning underway and the holiday concert season just ahead, Mainebiz sat down with the world traveler and multi-instrumentalist at the PSO’s office on Exchange Street to find out more about his background and plans.

Mainebiz: What was your first musical experience?

Derek Beckvold: I grew up in a creative house and my first instrument was the saxophone. I eventually went to school for it and made a career as a saxophonist. But the moment when music changed from being a hobby to a life pursuit was during a high school camp in Tanglewood, the summer home of the BSO [Boston Symphony Orchestra], listening to an open rehearsal of the orchestra playing Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 and Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet.” I was lying on the grass and absorbed in all this nature having the time of my life and was like, “This is what I want to do forever.”

MB: How did the PSO get on your radar?

DB: I think it was through the League of American Orchestras that Carolyn [Nishon] announced she was leaving. It seemed like a really great opportunity and a great organization and a great city. It was the right time in my life to make a change and so the stars aligned.

MB: Had you ever been to a PSO concert?

DB: I had never been to a PSO concert, unfortunately — because it’s such a gem of an organization and orchestra. But many of the musicians play in the Boston Philharmonic and other orchestras in the Boston area. In many ways, it’s a new environment, but it’s also quite a familiar environment with a lot of familiar faces and old friends.

MB: How have you spent your first month on the job?

DB: I’ve spent my first month getting to know this organization in all of its many facets. So that’s going to rehearsals, concerts, being part of the production of concerts, understanding aspects of marketing and the development aspects of the organization — donor relationships, community partners, education partners and other arts organizations. Also a lot talking with our subscribers, our trustees and their committees. A lot of different stakeholders make up this big, beautiful PSO community, so I’m just trying to get to know them all.

MB: On the talent side, how does the PSO compete against orchestras in larger cities?

DB: We compete for it because Portland is a really great place. I keep hearing that people love coming to Portland — they think that this organization really feels like a community and that the city really embraces the PSO in a broader community sense.

MB: How are orchestras in general responding to changes in how people experience music?

DB: We’re involved in a strategic planning process that’s going to lay out how we are engaging in 2026 and beyond with our current audiences and with new audiences that are out there. That’s the process of listening to people, throwing ideas out and figuring out a game plan. Right now, we’re in the information-gathering and listening process, so we’ll be heading into the situation analysis in a couple of months, and then we’ll have a better picture. There are a lot of technologies that can enable greater access for audiences.

MB: Can you give an example?

DB: Zoom! Maine is a very big state and there are a lot of corners to reach and people who don’t have mobility or access to get to Merrill Auditorium, so I think there are a lot of opportunities to go to people.

MB: What are some of today’s fundraising challenges?

DB: Donors are an aging demographic, which ties back to the strategic plan — how do we stay relevant in the 21st century? If we can answer that question, we can start to address some of the issues of our aging audience base and our aging donor base.

MB: What’s your vision of this orchestra five or 10 years from now?

DB: My vision is for the PSO to mean more to more people.