Courtesy Dario Cantatore
Elizabeth Sobol, a veteran of the music and recording industry, is the new president and CEO of Saratoga Performing Arts Center, beginning Oct. 1.
She replaces Marcia White, who held those positions for the past 11 years and who decided earlier in the year to step down at the end of the 2016 season, the 50th anniversary for the renowned performance venue.
Sobol has a three-year contract that was finalized in August, SPAC officials said.
White came into the position with no experience in arts administration but with ties to the community through her previous career as a political staffer. During her tenure, the organization reconstituted its board of directors and operated in the black every year.Sobol spent three decades in management at IMG Artists, an artist agency, where she guided careers of such stars as Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming and James Galway.
Most recently, Sobol served for three years as president and CEO of Universal Music Classics, a record company that is the home for the renowned recording imprints Deutsche Grammophon and Decca plus other labels.
Sobol has also worked with artists and presenters from other fields, notably dance. At IMG she established a dance division whose roster consisted of ballet and modern companies, including the Bolshoi Ballet, Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, and Miami City Ballet.
On top of programming and budgeting, seeking grants and individual contributions will be one of Sobol's key responsibilities.
Sobol will be relocating to Saratoga Springs along with her husband, the Cuban jazz pianist Jorge Gomez, who leads the Grammy-nominated band Tiempo Libre.