By Tom O’Connor

Ed Yim

When we think about the organizations TOC Arts Partners exists to serve, classical music and opera occupy a central place. Orchestras, opera companies, and performing arts organizations anchor cultural life in cities across the country, and the leadership questions they face are among the most consequential in our field. Major orchestras and opera companies have been among our most significant search and consulting clients since our early years over a decade ago. We have worked alongside these institutions joyfully, and now is the time to deepen that commitment.

That is what brings us to today's announcement.

We are proud to share that Ed Yim will be partnering with TOC Arts Partners to expand our executive search and strategic planning work in classical music and opera.

Ed has spent his career making these institutions stronger. As President and CEO of American Composers Orchestra, he led the organization through a strategic repositioning that erased an accumulated deficit, grew fundraising by 20% over three years, and sharpened ACO's commitment to composers who have too often been left out of the orchestral canon, including female-identifying, transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming artists, Black and Latinx artists, and immigrant artists. Most recently, as Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of WQXR, he oversaw a strategic reinvention of one of the country's most beloved classical music stations, deepening its ties to New York City's arts community and expanding its audience considerably.

Before those roles, Ed held senior positions at the New York Philharmonic, New York City Opera, IMG Artists, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, a career arc that has given him a genuine feel for how these institutions work, what they need from their leaders, and what makes the difference between a search that looks good on paper and one that transforms an organization.

That last part is what matters most to us. Executive search is change and relationship work. The best outcomes come from consultants who know the field from the inside, who can call on real trust, real knowledge, and real judgment when helping an organization figure out who it needs next. It's also what we have always tried to bring ourselves. This is a field we work in every day, not one we visit. Ed brings all of that, and then some.

We are so glad he is with us. These are important institutions doing vital work, and we are grateful to have a partner who cares as deeply about their futures as we do. Welcome, Ed.

You can read our full press release here.

TOC Arts Partners (formerly Tom O’Connor Consulting Group) is a national strategy and executive search firm for arts and culture organizations. Our team of seasoned arts leaders brings decades of first-hand experience in organizational strategy, financial stewardship, and operational excellence for arts institutions.