LES DÉLICES EARLY MUSIC ENSEMBLE HIRES ITS FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2020 – Cleveland-based early music ensemble Les Délices is pleased to announce the hiring of Laura Wiegand as the organization’s first executive director. Now in their eleventh season under artistic director and founder Debra Nagy, Les Délices has grown to include over 40 performances and outreach programs each year.
Wiegand joins Les Délices as a passionate supporter of the arts and art education, and with a wealth of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, community engagement, and program development gained over the last twenty years working in a variety of non-profit settings.
“Over the past decade, Les Délices has become a nationally-recognized ensemble with a steadily growing audience for our distinctive offerings,” said board chair Dr. Joseph Sopko. “We are thrilled to be gaining Laura’s experience and enthusiasm. Her hiring comes at an important moment for the ensemble: we’ve achieved so much in the past ten years and are planning for a bright and sustainable future.”
The addition of this new leadership role will free Nagy to focus more fully on her artistry and on creating the extraordinary musical experiences that define the ensemble. Nagy added, “Laura brings a fresh perspective and a commitment to meaningful arts-based community development, which I’m confident will help steer Les Délices toward continued growth and success in the years to come. I’m eager to partner with Laura in planning the 2020-21 season, working on new directions for Les Délices’ outreach programming, and much more.”
As executive director, Wiegand will work closely with Nagy to advance Les Délices’ mission through the development of new partnerships that engage diverse audiences in enriching experiences and that transcend boundaries of culture and tradition. Wiegand will lead efforts to increase revenues that will enable additional innovation and artistic experimentation as Les Délices continues to raise its profile as a national leader in the field of early music.
“What excites me most about Les Délices is that Debra and her colleagues are world-class musicians who not only bring centuries-old musical tradition to life, but are dedicated to interpreting that tradition for today’s audiences through themes and ideas that are universal,” says Wiegand. “It’s an honor to be a part of this work and to share in the excitement for what’s to come.”
Les Délices will present three programs in Spring 2020, which include: Lessons in Love (Jan 16-19) with Boston’s Blue Heron (Scott Metcalfe, director), exploring 14th-century songs in the hypnotic late-medieval Ars subtilior style that draw inspiration from each other’s words and music; Torchsongs Transformed (Mar 6-8), which brings Les Délices’ innovative baroque-jazz fusion program to a new level with fresh songs and arrangements featuring soprano Hélène Brunet and members of L’Harmonie des Saisons (Quebec); and, in April 2020, a fabulous creative team including designer Ian Petroni (of CMA’s Parade the Circle) and Shawn Keener (visual display) will bring to life Aesop’s fables and a 17th Century fairytale when we present an original, part-Opera/part-Puppet theater production Into the Labyrinth and family-friend program The White Cat (April 23-26, 2020).
For more information, contact info@lesdelices.org or call (216) 302-8404.
About Les Délices
Les Délices (pronounced Lay day-lease) explores the dramatic potential and emotional resonance of long-forgotten music. Founded by baroque oboist Debra Nagy in 2009, Les Délices has established a reputation for their unique programs that are “thematically concise, richly expressive, and featuring composers few people have heard of.” The New York Times added, “Concerts and recordings by Les Délices are journeys of discovery.” The group’s debut CD was named one of the “Top Ten Early Music Discoveries of 2009” (NPR’s Harmonia), and their performances have been called “a beguiling experience” (Cleveland Plain Dealer), “astonishing” (ClevelandClassical.com), and “first class” (Early Music America Magazine). Les Délices made its New York debut before a sold-out audience at the Frick Collection in May 2010. Highlights from recent seasons included performances for Music Before 1800, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, San Francisco Early Music Society, the Yale Collection of Musical Instruments, and at Columbia University’s Miller Theater. In addition to touring engagements, Les Délices presents its own annual four-concert series in Akron, Lakewood, and at Plymouth Church in Shaker Heights, OH, where the group is Artist in Residence. Their critically-acclaimed 4th CD, “Songs without Words,” was released in November 2018. Visit www.lesdelices.org for more information.
About Laura Kushnick Wiegand
Laura Kushnick Wiegand joins Les Délices as its first Executive Director in January 2020. Serving most recently as Program Director of Arts Van Aken for Shaker Heights Development Corporation, Laura conceptualized and executed numerous arts-based programs as part of a targeted and timely placemaking initiative. Previously, Laura spent nine years as VP/Director of Development & Community Engagement for Downtown Cleveland Alliance, where she gained a wealth of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, community engagement, and program development.
Laura’s passion for the arts began early. A frequent visitor to Severance Hall, Playhouse Square, and Cleveland’s great museums, Laura went on to earn an undergraduate degree in Studio Art from Wesleyan University and a Masters of Art and Art Education from New York University. She remains deeply committed to the value that all arts disciplines bring to both education and community-building initiatives.
###
Media Contact
Debra Nagy
(216) 302-8404
