President & CEO, Brevard Music Center
Thirty years ago Mark Weinstein concluded that he was not driven by money, but by mission. “That sounds odd coming from a Harvard Business School graduate, but you have to know yourself,” he says. “It’s paid off.”
Weinstein is in his fourth year as president and CEO of Brevard Music Center. His past work experience includes president and CEO at the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts; executive director at the Washington National Opera; general director at the Pittsburgh Opera; and executive director at the New York City Opera.
Born in the Bronx, New York, and working in some of the largest cities in the country, one wonders why he made the transition from a large city to the Center’s 180-acre campus in Transylvania County.
In high school he “got hooked on the glee club. Ever since, music has been a big part of my life. For twenty-eight years, I ran musical organizations that dealt mostly with professionals—many at the highest level. Now I work on behalf of talented musical students who will become the professionals of the future; it is more rewarding than anything I’ve ever done in the past.”
“Perhaps the most difficult [part] is trying to envision what the Brevard Music Center should look like 25 years from now.”
The Brevard Music Center is a summer institute and festival, teaching gifted young musicians from the ages of 14 through post-college to prepare and perform great musical works at a high artistic level. Each summer, almost half of the Center’s concerts are free and open to the public. And with some 40,000 summer music festival attendees each year—not to mention 500 students and scores of faculty, staffers, and interns—the annual outreach of the Center is nothing if not impressive.
Weinstein shares a story from two summers ago of a Brevard Music Center student, who was an excellent percussionist but shy and introverted. Weinstein bonded with the student and saw a transformation in him throughout the summer.
“I saw him blossom in his relationships with his peers, in his confidence as a musician, and in our friendship. It was a life-changing experience for him. That is the transformative power of a summer at Brevard Music Center.”
Weinstein doesn’t view any part of his job as challenging—he says even the tough parts are enjoyable. “Perhaps the most difficult [part] is trying to envision what the Brevard Music Center should look like 25 years from now.” Founded in 1936, the over 80-year legacy of the Center is important to preserve for future generations.
In his spare time, Weinstein enjoys listening to opera, playing golf, and learning to fly fish. The most influential person in his life is his father: “He showed me that a soft man can be a strong man.”
The most rewarding part of his job is witnessing the growth of students as they pass through the Center each summer.
“The satisfaction in seeing our students exceed their own expectations—in their musicianship and performance—is most rewarding,” he says.
Mission
The Brevard Music Center, a summer institute and festival, teaches gifted young musicians to prepare and perform great musical works at a high artistic level.
Annual budget
$6 million
Number served annually
40,000 summer music festival attendees, 500 students, 80 faculty, 15 full-time staff; with hundreds of seasonal staff and interns each summer.
how do you get funding?
Three core buckets: fundraising, box office, and tuition (but we also award $1.3 million in student scholarships each year).
Year nonprofit was founded?
1946
Service area
Asheville
List of board members with titles
Artistic Director:
Keith Lockhart
Board Members:
T. Kenneth Cribb, Jr., Chair
Bruce Berryhill
Thomas C. Bolton
John S. Candler
Martha Coursey
Preston Davitt
Robert H. Dowdeswell
Jerusha Fadial
Charles Goldsmith
Bill Hackney
Falls Harris
Sue Henderson
Phillip Jerome
Elaine Knight
Katie Loeb-Schwab
Ruby Morgan
Russell Newton
Doug Ombres
Mary Owen
Helen C. Peery
Michel Robertson
Robby Russell
Arthur Schreiber
Linda Thompson
Joella Utley
M. Beattie Wood
(BMC board members come from a variety of southern states including: NC, SC, TN, GA, & FL)
Go HERE for links to our mini-profiles of other heads of nonprofits in Western North Carolina. And go HERE for our 2017 report on regional nonprofits.
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