CSO Welcomes First Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Inspiring Endowment

Just over a year ago, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and Cincinnati Pops announced a plan to more diligently address the racial and gender inequities in classical music and ensure that the organization is serving the needs of its entire community. In March 2021, the CSO welcomed Harold Brown as its first Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, a new executive leadership position to catalyze, guide and implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and practices organization-wide.

The CSO’s commitment to these initiatives inspired board member Michael Cioffi and his wife, Rachael Rowe, to do something historic: make a major gift to endow and name in perpetuity the CSO and Pops’s Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. Michael and Rachael named the position in honor of pioneering civil rights leader, lawyer and federal judge Nathaniel R. Jones, whose efforts to abolish racial discrimination included challenging school segregation, ending racial bias in the military and combating injustice everywhere.

“Classical music must address racial and gender disparities in order to stay culturally relevant and reach new creative heights, because talent and genius are colorblind. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra has taken great strides to ensure that the organization increasingly reflects the diverse communities it serves, and Rachael and I are proud to support the CSO’s inspiring and ambitious mission to make classical music richer, more inclusive and accessible for all,” says Michael.

There are many ways to impact the CSO—and our community—just like Michael and Rachael did. Learn more by contacting Kate Farinacci at 513.744.3202 or kfarinacci@cincinnatisymphony.org.