Edward Song’s career in music management has been distinguished by his bold, creative leadership and innovative outlook. A highly effective communicator, strategic planner, and consensus-builder, he is widely respected for integrating an organization’s vision with fiscal responsibility to shape their future.
From 2001 – 2005, Mr. Song held the position of Managing Director at VAMG LLC, an artist management and marketing consulting company for the performing arts in Seattle, WA. During his tenure, he has directed all operations of the company including finance, business development, marketing, strategy, consulting, and global artist management. He successfully managed the careers of internationally-acclaimed classical musicians and launched the careers of several promising young artists. He was responsible for securing recording contracts for his artists with major companies such as Universal Records France and EMI Classics. In 2005, he was invited as a guest lecturer by the Pacific Lutheran University and the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA to discuss issues in arts and entertainment management.
In addition, he has served on the Board of Directors as the Vice Chair of Artistic Operations at the Tacoma Philharmonic Association from 2002 – 2005. At the Tacoma Philharmonic Association, he was recognized as the youngest executive board member of a major non-profit arts organization in the United States. He was part of a financial and organizational restructuring team that included developing a five-year strategic plan, resulting in a 40% ticket sales revenue increase and 97% “outstanding†customer service ratings. He formed strategic marketing alliances with IMG Artists and Ford Motor Company to organize the first U.S. tour of the Under the Tuscan Sun Music Festival from Cortona, Italy featuring celebrity author Frances Mayes, cellist Nina Kotova, conductor/violinist Dmitry Sitkovetsky, and the NES Chamber Orchestra. With the collaboration of Brown & Haley Corporation, he established the highly-acclaimed Valentines Day Concerts, an annual tradition with sold-out performances every season. Finally, he increased the organization’s commitment to family programming and community outreach by implementing the Virtuoso Artists Discovery Series.
As a music business executive and concert violinist, he has collaborated with artists of the highest caliber from around the world including Yo-Yo Ma, Alicia de Larrocha, Midori, Joshua Bell, Cho-Liang Lin, Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Piotr Anderszweski, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Jean-Philippe Collard, James Ehnes, Vladimir Spivakov, Eugenia Zukerman, Midori, Rossetti String Quartet, and the Shanghai String Quartet. In addition, his collaborations with orchestras and conductors include Los Angeles Philharmonic (Esa-Pekka Salonen), Oregon Symphony (Carlos Kalmar), Seattle Symphony (Gerard Schwarz), Vancouver Symphony (Bramwell Tovey), Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Strings, Camerata Nordica, and the Australian Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Song holds a BA in Business Administration in Marketing and Arts Management from the University of Washington. He is currently an award-winning MBA candidate at the University of Connecticut in Finance and General Management. He is the recipient of the prestigious United Technologies Corporation graduate assistant position for the the 2007-2008 academic year in the Pension Investments Division. In addition, he is pursuing Executive Education studies in Finance at the Wharton School of Business-University of Pennsylvania.
Upon completion of his graduate studies, he plans to pursue a career in corporate finance. Mr. Song currently resides in East Hartford, Connecticut. He is the newly appointed President, Board of Directors for SONOS Chamber Orchestra in New York City. Check us out at http://www.sonoschamberorch.org
