As the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) crisis continues – reaching almost operatic levels of drama after the company’s ex-CEO Sophie Galaise told her story to The Australian last week – it appears this particularly explosive situation points to some similar (though far less dramatic) governance problems that other not-for-profit arts companies have been encountering for years.
In the case of the MSO crisis, it seems the company’s former CEO Sophie Galaise was able to manage her professional relationship with her Board fairly well over her eight-year tenure (although The Australian’s story hints at existing tensions between Galaise and the company’s current Board Chair David Li AM, who was appointed in 2021).
