Page 9 - Resurrezione Coverage Book
P. 9
2 May 2021
The English Concert’s Alfonso Leal del Ojo: on
being a player-manager
Alfonso Leal del Ojo, CEO of The English Concert
reflects on his role as a player-manager in a guest blog
for Thoroughly Good
As a player-manager, my journey in the performing arts has probably been
slightly unconventional, although by no means unique. I started filling a gap at
the Irish Baroque Orchestra in 2007. I led the Dunedin Consort during
tremendous growth between 2010 until 2019, when I took on my current role
at The English Concert.
There are some notable examples of successful musicians that have made a
career as managers; Clive Gillinson (Carnegie Hall), Marshall Marcus
(European Union Youth Orchestra), Alasdair Tait (YCAT), Julia Desbruslais
(London Mozart Players), Giulio d’Alessio (Il Pomo d’Oro) and others.
Non-player managers have the same passion for the art form as those that
have been successful as musicians. What differentiates us is that we have
known for longer and in closer quarters what players tend to think about
