Dear CCW Community,

On behalf of CCW’s Board of Directors, I am pleased to announce that following a rigorous national search, Robbie Jacobs will join us as Executive Director later this summer.



Robbie joins us from Boston Children’s Chorus (BCC) where he served for six years, most recently as Executive Producer. CCW and BCC have enjoyed many years of close collaboration, and many of our choristers have performed with BCC in Three Trebles festivals and the “We Are One” virtual choir.

Robbie brings a depth of experience in leading and developing children’s choruses, and a strong connection to the regional, national, and international choral community. After graduating with a choral scholarship from King’s College, Cambridge, Robbie began his career as a Music Teacher with Teach First, the UK equivalent of Teach for America, before developing his career in arts leadership and education. 

A passionate advocate for widening participation in music education, Robbie comes to CCW with a national reputation for expanding access to choral singing for young people. Through his work with BCC, Robbie has led partnerships with public and charter schools across Boston, engaging over 1,500 singers, and extending the reach of choral programming broadly across the city. He is an authentic relationship-builder, as evidenced by his leadership through the pandemic and his network of champions across Boston and in his home city, London.

The Board is excited about the future partnership of Robbie and CCW’s Artistic Director, Margaret Clark. Robbie’s experience as an artistic collaborator with various organizations, including the National Youth Choir of Great Britain, London Youth Choir, and Royal Academy of Music, make him a perfect partner to help fully realize the exciting and ambitious vision that Margaret has set for CCW. 

Robbie is accepting the baton on July 31, from Betsy Bates, who announced her departure earlier this season. During her tenure, Betsy has enabled CCW to make significant progress in many areas. In addition to providing steady, thoughtful leadership during the pandemic, Betsy spearheaded the evolution of the DCPS Honor Chorus and CCW scholarship programs, which are just two of many examples of her impressive legacy. Stay tuned for an opportunity to celebrate Betsy’s significant contributions, and a chance for the community to wish her well before the end of this season.

The Board voted unanimously to bring Robbie to CCW. We believe he will be an excellent steward of our community and will challenge us to think and grow in new ways and build our reputation as a premier artistic institution. Many thanks to our recruitment partner LeaderFit and the members of the Search Committee who together helped design and execute our comprehensive search process. 

Please join me in welcoming Robbie to the CCW community.
Warmest regards,
 
Katherine Silverthorne
President, Board of Directors