Simon Woods
The Performing Arts Administration graduate program at NYU Steinhardt is pleased to welcome Simon Woods as a new adjunct faculty member. Woods will teach MPAPA-GE 2133 Governance of Performing Arts, a core course in the program’s curriculum that, for many years, has been taught by Linda Shelton, Executive Director and Trustee of The Joyce Theater Foundation.
Building on the strong foundation of the course developed by Professor Shelton, Woods brings a distinctive perspective shaped by four decades of leadership in the classical music field, including his current role as President and CEO of the League of American Orchestras. His appointment adds to the program’s ongoing commitment to connect students with accomplished arts leaders whose professional experience deepens classroom learning and expands students’ understanding of leadership and governance across the performing arts sector.
“The PAA program is thrilled to welcome Simon Woods to our team," said program director Richard Maloney. "His knowledge of the classical music field is unparalleled and his abilities as a teacher and a communicator have long been recognized by his peers. We are certain our students will benefit by engaging regularly with one of the top leaders in the performing arts today.”
Woods is widely recognized for his leadership in the classical music sector and for his commitment to developing and sustaining performing arts organizations in communities across the United States. At the League of American Orchestras, he is known as a trusted mentor and advisor to orchestras and those who work within them. For more than twenty years, he has contributed to the League’s professional development programs, including serving as Director of Essentials of Orchestra Management, the League’s signature immersive leadership program. His thought leadership also includes regular writing and speaking on orchestra leadership in the United States and abroad.
Prior to joining the League in 2020, Woods served as CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 2017 to 2019, and as President & CEO of the Seattle Symphony for seven years beginning in 2011. From 2005 to 2011, he was Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Earlier in his career, he served as President & CEO of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra.
Before moving into arts administration, Woods worked as a record producer at EMI Classics in London from the late 1980s to the late 1990s, producing recordings at Abbey Road Studios and on location with many of the world’s foremost classical artists, ensembles, and orchestras. Born in London, England, he earned a degree in music from Cambridge University and a diploma in conducting from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.