By Andrew Adler
Community Editor
Graham Parker at left, pictured with children Georgie Parker-Benson and Max Parker-Benson, alongside his husband, NYC psychologist Adam Benson (photo courtesy of Graham Parker)
In what he calls “a rebalancing of priorities,” Graham Parker has resigned as CEO of the Louisville Orchestra, citing the pressures of commuting between Louisville and New York City, home to his husband and two young children.
“Careers have contours created by impact, experiences and results,” the British-born Parker — who is Jewish and was the subject of a profile in the January 2025 issue of Community — said in a statement posted recently on his LinkedIn page. “Also, careers have to be balanced by other responsibilities and in my case, that is family, who have absorbed the impact of me being away 50% of the year as I have commuted back and forth from NYC to Louisville for the last 3.5 years. They have been so supportive but it has taken a toll on all of us, and at the beginning of this year, I decided I couldn’t ask them to pay that toll any longer.”
Parker has been the LO’s chief executive since October 2021, serving initially on an interim basis before being appointed permanent CEO a little more than a year later. He brought a long track record as a classical recording executive, NYC radio station manager and similar high-level positions. He also heads his own consulting firm, The Fearless Cooperative, which will occupy increasing amounts of his time going forward.
His last official day as CEO was Feb. 28.
LO chief of staff Nathaniel Koch has been named Interim Executive Director, the orchestra announced today (Wednesday, March 12). A formal search for a new CEO will begin soon, alongside music director Teddy Abrams. Meanwhile, Parker will continue with the orchestra in an advisory role, “focusing on fund raising and artistic planning.”
“Working with Teddy, the Board, Orchestra and Staff in this new role will allow me to hone my energies where they are needed most right now, and spend less time away from NYC,” Parker said in his LinkedIn post. “We have achieved incredible results at the LO but the strains of balancing the budget are real and the successes of the last three years have not diminished the importance of finding new and enduring pillars of support.”