< Back to front page Text size – +

Rockport Music hires new executive director

Print | Comments () Posted by Geoff Edgers January 25, 2010 12:48 PM

E-mail

Tony Beadle is heading back to Boston or, more specifically, Rockport. The former manager of the Boston Pops, who left in 2006 to become executive director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, is taking over as executive director of Rockport Music. The organization presents the Rockport Chamber Music Festival held in June.

It's a big year for the organization, as it will open the Shalin Liu Performance Center, a 330-seat space with ocean views.

Before moving into management, Beadle, a Boston University graduate, was a musician (double bass) who worked with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, the Opera Company of Boston under Sarah Caldwell and was principal bass of Boston Ballet. While managing the Pops, he helped launch a jazz series at Tanglewood and oversaw the self-release of the group’s CDs.

Beadle’s tenure in Columbus was anything but smooth, as a financial crisis led to a labor dispute with the players and the five month shutdown of the orchestra. The Orchestra’s officials allowed Beadle’s contract to expire at the end of last August.