Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra President & CEO Jessica Mallow Gulley To Lead Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

president & ceo jessica mallow gulley

(September 2, 2025) KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Jessica Mallow Gulley, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s President and CEO since 2019, has been appointed the President and Managing Director of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). Mallow Gulley will continue her role at the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (KSO) through October 10, 2025, working closely with Board Chair Karen Isble, musician leadership, and senior staff to ensure a smooth transition.

The KSO Board of Directors will begin a national search for her successor soon.

During her time in Kalamazoo, Mallow Gulley successfully guided the organization through its 100th Anniversary and the challenges of a global pandemic, leaving behind a legacy of strong growth, sustainability, and community engagement.

“The Board of Directors has deeply appreciated Jessica’s incredible leadership over the past six years. She has led the organization and the Board with vision, strategic insight, and, above all, optimism,” said Board Chair Karen Isble. “She approaches problem-solving with the analytical lens of an economist while always keeping the joy of KSO’s artistic mission front and center. She is the face of the KSO in the community and has developed and fostered countless relationships that have allowed the KSO to thrive and grow into its next century. While we will miss her greatly, we couldn’t be more thrilled for her as she takes this well-deserved next step in her career.”

Mallow Gulley’s tenure is marked by several key achievements:

  • Pandemic-era Innovation: Working with the Board, staff, and the Musicians’ Committee, MallowGulley kept musicians performing safely through digital concerts, providing much-needed access to the arts during a difficult time. She spearheaded the return of the outdoor summer concert series, safely bringing live symphonic music back to Southwest Michigan audiences. Throughout it all, she also led a successful 100th Anniversary Capital Campaign, positioning the organization for future success.
  • Organizational Stability and Growth: With the creation of a five-year strategic plan launched in 2022, Mallow Gulley’s commitment to revenue and audience growth strategies has led to continuous, season-over-season growth. From FY22 to FY25, KSO audiences grew by 79% and ticket revenue by 190%. Her attention to donor solicitation and stewardship led to a 70% increase in donor households from FY22 to FY25. The culmination of her leadership led to a balanced budget for the first time in over a decade.

Mallow Gulley has spent her tenure with the KSO focusing on fostering a positive culture across the organization, including the orchestra. She successfully negotiated and ratified three contracts with Local 228, with the final agreement completed six months ahead of schedule. Improvements have included consistent wage increases, the strengthening of audition and hiring practices, and the introduction of an orchestra handbook to uphold expectations of a healthy, safe, and positive work environment.

  • Creative & Community-Focused Programming: A strong advocate for community engagement, Mallow Gulley launched the Sound Waves Series, a genre-bending concert series created in direct collaboration with local artists and organizations. The series features innovative programs, including Symphonic Beats: Celebrating Hip Hop Culture and Improv Meets Symphony.

To grow and expand audiences, she led the return of opera to Kalamazoo with a symphonic staged production of Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca in 2024. For the 2025-26 season, she has laid the groundwork for a fully staged production of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story in Spring 2026.

Mallow Gulley also facilitated collaborations with some of today’s top performing artists: cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax, and a residency with saxophonist and composer Branford Marsalis. Her work has brought unparalleled artistry to Kalamazoo’s stages.

Her leadership has fostered an organizational culture of empowerment, collaboration, creativity, and community-focused work. She leaves behind an organization primed for its future: sustainable, confident, creative, and ready for continued growth and a deepened commitment to its community.

“Jessica has been outstanding to work with,” said Music Director Julian Kuerti. “She has helped make so many dreams into realities and worked tirelessly to keep the KSO vibrant and welcoming. While I will be very sorry to see her leave, I wholeheartedly wish her the very best for this next big step.”

“While I’m thrilled to begin my next chapter with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, I leave with deep gratitude and love for the Kalamazoo community, Music Director Julian Kuerti, our musicians, board, staff, and patrons,” says President and CEO Jessica Mallow Gulley. “Together, we’ve shaped a symphony that is bold, welcoming, and creatively vibrant. I am so grateful for the music we’ve shared and the legacy we’ve built, which will continue to flourish.”

About the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra
For over 100 years, the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra has been a part of the fabric of the community, creating transformative experiences through symphonic music, fostering music education, and connecting with the Kalamazoo community through music. Led by Music Director Julian Kuerti and President & CEO Jessica Mallow Gulley, the Kalamazoo Symphony performs for audiences across Kalamazoo in venues including the historic Chenery Auditorium, James W. Miller Auditorium, many local high schools and churches, and Bronson Park in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo.

With over 10 music education programs, including free, groundbreaking, after-school music programs like Kalamazoo Kids in Tune and Orchestra Rouh, the Kalamazoo Symphony serves as a national leader in fostering a love and appreciation of music in the classroom and throughout the community. Committed to building relationships through music, the Symphony’s genre-bending Sound Waves Series brings together local artists and art forms with Symphony musicians to create new, collaborative, community-built events like Symphonic Beats: Celebrating Hip Hop Culture, Improv Comedy Meets Symphony, and Sounds of the Middle East.

Thanks to the incredible support from the Kalamazoo community, the Kalamazoo Symphony actively pursues its mission to serve the community through outstanding musical listening and learning experiences.