Education, accessibility and community engagement are taking center stage as The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts continue to expand its reach beyond the concert hall.
The organization recently announced a series of leadership appointments aimed at strengthening its connection to audiences across the region. Among them is Catherine Marie Charlton, who has been named Vice President of Education. She joins Leslie Patterson-Tyler, now Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Civic Engagement, and Andrea Garcia, Vice President of Communications, as part of a broader organizational restructuring focused on deepening community relationships and broadening access to the arts.
Charlton brings to the role a background in arts education, most recently serving as President and CEO of Musicopia. She’s a Steinway Artist, a Grammy voting member and former leader in the Recording Academy’s Philadelphia Chapter, an award-winning recording artist, and a nationally recognized voice for arts education, building a career around creating access, belonging, and connecting young people to the arts.
In this new position, Charlton will assist in guiding education initiatives that already serve more than 40,000 students annually, while shaping a future vision for engagement and access.
Charlton sat down with Metro to talk more about how her past experience will be applied in her role at Ensemble Arts, how education plays a role in the organization’s evolving mission, and why creating spaces where young people feel seen and inspired is so important.
Through my leadership, I am passionate about ensuring young people feel seen, that they belong, and that the arts can be something they own and are proud of. At Musicopia, that meant centering programs on cultural relevance while also addressing barriers like transportation, stipends, and broader social challenges. That showed up in initiatives like drumlines, tuition-free orchestras, the Philadelphia Lullaby Project, partnerships with global artists, and free arts programs in neighborhoods across the city.
On a personal level, this work has come full circle. I grew up in Virginia listening to The Philadelphia Orchestra, and a yard sale piano given to me at age eight opened up a world I never imagined. Through my nine years at Musicopia, I came to deeply appreciate Philadelphia and our community and I’m excited to continue to serve our region on a larger scale.
As [The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts president & CEO] Ryan Fleur shared, the organization is “not only a world-class arts institution; we are a civic partner bringing people together through shared cultural experiences.”
Education is central to that vision and advances the broader mission. For me, deepening community impact means investing in young people. Education is about shaping the next generation of leaders through these shared cultural experiences. Some students will pursue the arts, while others will move into fields like medicine, engineering, or public service. What they carry forward are the skills they develop through the arts, including empathy, collaboration, discipline, and creative thinking. These experiences stay with them and strengthen communities.
One of the most important things we can do through education is create experiences where young people feel they belong. It starts with listening to students, families, and communities and ensuring those perspectives shape what we offer.
Ensemble Arts Philly’s programs like Jazz for Freedom reflect that approach. First started in 2019, the program connects more than 5,000 students annually to jazz, Black history, social justice, and civic life through workshops and field trips to the Kimmel Center, exploring the art form through music, storytelling, spoken word, and tap dance.
This is exactly the kind of work I’m deeply honored to carry forward. When learning is grounded in cultural and historical context, engagement becomes more meaningful and students feel a sense of ownership and pride.
As the largest provider of free arts education in the region, The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts Philly already have an extraordinary reach, serving more than 40,000 students each year across over 400 schools. I am especially excited by the breadth of programming, from The Philadelphia Orchestra to Broadway and everything in between. It offers many entry points for students and families.
Right now, I am focused on listening and learning, understanding what is already working well and where there are opportunities to deepen impact. This phase is about spending time with the team, partners, and programs to see that work in action. From there, the goal is to build on those strengths in a thoughtful, aligned way that reflects community needs.
It has been energizing to step into this role alongside thoughtful, experienced, and brilliant colleagues. We each bring unique perspectives and it’s fun to collaborate. We are anchored by our shared belief that the performing arts can bring people together in meaningful ways.
I look forward to continuing to build these relationships and working together to advance the organization’s goals, including audience growth, audience experience, community partnerships, and long-term sustainability. My goal is to always advocate for education and young people in these conversations.
In recent years, I have had the opportunity to work on initiatives from leading a merger and launching new programs for college and career readiness to building partnerships with the City of Philadelphia around public health and safety. What that clarified for me is that arts education is not separate from broader community priorities. It is deeply connected to the systems that shape our communities and can play a meaningful role within them.
Just recently, I saw one of our Philadelphia Orchestra All City Fellows perform. He had been in the Musicopia String Orchestras when he was younger. It was incredibly moving to see him now, with confidence on stage and a real mastery of his instrument, compared to my memory of him as a much younger student just beginning, but already with that spark that showed he was going far. Watching young people grow into themselves and seeing the pride and joy they bring to their work is what continues to inspire me.
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