With a background in local nonprofit management and fundraising, Rachel Cementina will assume her new role as the SLO Symphony‘s executive director starting on Monday, April 3. Cementina recently served as the director of membership, marketing, and philanthropy for the SLO YMCA.
Jim Walker, president of the SLO Symphony board of directors, said that the board is looking forward to “a successful and invigorating future with her at the helm,” according to press materials.
“She will bring experience, enthusiasm, great communication skills, and a fresh air to our organization,” Walker said in a statement.
As executive director, Cementina will manage all day-to-day operations for the SLO Symphony as well as the orchestra’s educational and fundraising events—including the annual POPS By The Sea program—and marketing and community engagement initiatives.
Cementina will also oversee the remainder of the symphony’s 2022-23 season. The fifth and final Classics Concert, titled Tchaikovsky and Testimony, will take place on Saturday, May 6, at the Performing Arts Center in SLO.
“I am honored to join such a passionate group of musicians, staff, and volunteers at the SLO Symphony,” Cementina said in the release. “I look forward to serving the community and promoting arts and music education on the Central Coast.”
Before her recent role with the SLO YMCA, Cementina served as the community engagement director for the United Way of SLO County for six years.
“She has a proven track record of commitment to and engagement with the SLO Community,” Andrew Sewell, music director and conductor of the SLO Symphony, said in the release. Δ
This article appears in Mar 23 – Apr 2, 2023.