The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is pleased to provide the following update on Board and governance matters.

• The MSO Board has released the Terms of Reference for its governance review.
• The review will be led externally by professional services firm KPMG, supported by MSO management.
• The governance review, which is currently in progress, will include recommendations for organisational governance and risk management initiatives.
• A program to drive cultural change will be conducted in 2025 to design improvements necessary to support a modern creative cultural organisation.
• The MSO Board has appointed Richard Wigley as CEO, effective immediately.
• The MSO Board has also commenced a process of orderly Board renewal, with MSO Chair David Li AM, Co-Deputy Chair Margaret Jackson AC, Co-Deputy Chair Diane Jameson OAM and Director Andrew Dudgeon AM retiring progressively by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
• Director Edgar Myer has assumed the role of MSO Chair-elect, with immediate effect. Directors The Hon Martin Foley and Farrel Meltzer have been appointed as Co-Deputy Chairs.

MSO Review

Following the MSO’s decision in August 2024 to commission an independent governance review, the Board today released the Terms of Reference for the review. The Terms of Reference are available below.

The MSO intended that musician and former Federal Arts Minister The Hon Peter Garrett AM would lead the review. Unfortunately, due to the delays in progressing the review arising from legal action commenced against the MSO, Mr Garrett is no longer available to lead the review because of pre-existing commitments. The MSO is deeply appreciative of Mr Garrett’s willingness to support this process.

The review will consider the MSO’s policies, risk frameworks and processes in relation to the MSO’s principle that the MSO’s stage is subject to the direction of the MSO. The review will be informed by Creative Australia’s ‘Essential governance practices for arts organisations’ (January 2021). This governance review is expected to include recommendations to enhance organisational governance and risk management.

MSO cultural change process

The MSO will also conduct a forward-focused, cultural change process designed to understand perceptions of culture and, through a collaborative process, make the necessary improvements to policies, risk frameworks and processes to support a modern creative cultural organisation. This work will begin following the resolution of legal proceedings commenced by Jayson Gillham against the MSO and others. The cultural change process will be guided by Creative Australia’s ‘Cultural Engagement Framework’. The review will support the MSO to develop a best practice organisational culture and systems.

CEO Appointment

The MSO Board has appointed Richard Wigley as CEO, effective immediately.

Mr Wigley, an experienced orchestral leader has demonstrated strong leadership since his appointment as Interim CEO in September 2024. Mr Wigley has swiftly established effective working relationships with all stakeholders, particularly musicians and employees, while progressing important initiatives to drive organisational change.

Richard Wigley said “It’s been a privilege to work closely with musicians, staff, audiences and Board in recent months as we seek to build on the remarkable history of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. I’ve seen first-hand why the MSO’s global reputation for artistic and creative excellence is well deserved and look forward to harnessing this spirit as we continue the rebuild of the MSO. While I am conscious there is more work to do, we have already made important progress in repositioning the MSO while continuing to deliver landmark musical experiences for our audiences.”

MSO Board Renewal

David Li AM will retire as a Director and Chair in the first quarter of 2025, having served on the MSO Board for 12 years’ tenure, to enable an orderly process for the appointment of new board members to commence. Co-Deputy Chair Margaret Jackson AC will also retire from the MSO Board next year, having served as a director for a decade. Both Mr Li and Ms Jackson will remain members of the MSO Music Hub Committee.

Co-Deputy Chair Diane Jameson OAM and Director Andrew Dudgeon AM, who both joined the MSO Board in 2018, have also announced their decisions to step down from the MSO Board.

Edgar Myer has been appointed Chair-elect of the MSO and Directors Martin Foley and Farrel Meltzer appointed as Co-Deputy Chairs, with immediate effect. Mr Myer will assume the role of Chair on Mr Li’s retirement in 2025. Mr Foley and Mr Meltzer will support Mr Myer in progressing the Board renewal process.

David Li said “For more than a decade I have been honoured to work closely with the Board, management team and our extraordinary musicians to solidify the MSO’s reputation as a world-class orchestra. Among the initiatives closest to my heart is the creation and endorsement of the East Meets West concert series, a pioneering program that has fostered cultural exchange and brought communities together.

“I am thrilled I can continue to contribute to this wonderful organisation by supporting the development of the MSO Hub project building a 21st Century home for the MSO and the wide Victorian arts community.”

Edgar Myer said “I thank David, Margaret, Di and Andrew for their leadership, drive and dedication to the advancement of the MSO. I pay particular tribute to David, who has made a profound contribution to the MSO and has led the board with great energy and vision.

“The MSO is an iconic organisation brimming with talented musicians and artistic teams, led by a professional management team under Richard. I am humbled by the privilege of leading the MSO Board and am committed to working with the Board to strengthen the MSO, with an immediate focus on engaging new directors to reflect a renewed approach to achieving the organisation’s objectives and growing audiences.”

Biographies

Edgar Myer

Edgar Myer is a family office executive and a company director. Mr Myer worked as a lawyer at top-tier firms in Sydney and New York City before returning to Melbourne, where he is currently Investment Director at Yulgilbar Group of Companies. In addition to his role as a director on the MSO Board, Mr Myer serves as a director of The Aranday Foundation, a member of the Asialink Advisory Council, and as a member of The Myer Foundation’s Kenneth Myer Innovation Fellowships Committee. Previously, he was chairman of CAUSINDY, the Conference of Australian and Indonesian Youth.

Richard Wigley

Born in New Zealand, Richard studied at the New England Conservatory of Music in the United States before embarking on a professional career playing the bassoon for the Hallé Orchestra in Manchester in the United Kingdom. At Hallé he was appointed the Orchestra’s Education Director and then Head of Artistic Planning, leading to management roles at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra and overall leadership as General Manager of the BBC Philharmonic. Most recently he was Managing Director for the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland and Interim CEO of the Dunard Centre, a premier concert hall being built in Edinburgh, Scotland.