by Henry Timms, who guided Lincoln Center through the turmoil of the pandemic and helped shepherd the $550 million renovation of David Geffen Hall, will step down from his leadership role this summer after five years, he announced Wednesday.
Timms will become CEO of Brunswick Group, a global public relations firm. He said that he had always intended to remain at Lincoln Center for five to seven years, and that the Brunswick Group, which advises major businesses and cultural groups, had approached him about a position there late last year. .
“I’m proud of what we’ve done,” he said in an interview in his office above the Lincoln Center campus. “But I also always believe that change is a good thing.”
Steven R. Swartz, chairman of Lincoln Center’s board of trustees, said in an interview that Timms had been a “transformational leader” who had helped drive innovation and played a critical role in accelerating the renovation of Geffen Hall, the headquarters of the Lincoln Center. of the New York Philharmonic. during the pandemic.
“In our perfect world, we would allow him to continue doing the job,” Swartz said. “But we certainly understand that he sees this opportunity as the next step for him and we obviously wish him all the best.”
Timms, 47, came to Lincoln Center in 2019 with a mandate to restore stability to the organization, which was grappling with financial problems and years of leadership turnover. He was also tasked with restoring Lincoln Center’s strained relationship with its constituent organizations, including the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet and the Philharmonic. The center acts as owner of these groups, but has little power over them, as each has its own leadership, board of directors, and budget. The center also presents its own work, sometimes putting it in competition with its constituents.
In his first year on the job, the pandemic hit, forcing Lincoln Center and its constituents to close for more than 18 months. Timms, working with Lincoln Center’s board of directors and Philharmonic leaders, took advantage of the shutdown to finish the Geffen renovation a year and a half ahead of schedule, so construction crews could work without disrupting concerts.
Timms received about $1.5 million in total compensation in the year ending June 2022. He has received some criticism for his efforts to change Lincoln Center’s cultural offerings. The organization reduced spending on its own programming and shifted its focus from classical music and international theater to other genres, including pop, hip-hop, social dance and comedy.
The old Mostly Mozart Festival was replaced by a new, eclectic festival, Summer for the City, with more diverse offerings. To project a more welcoming image, the center hung a giant disco ball over its main plaza.
Some critics have suggested that Timms has abandoned the values of Lincoln Center and his traditional role as a defender of today’s embattled classical art forms. Alex Ross wrote in The New Yorker last year that the new vision seemed “fundamentally out of step with Lincoln Center and its audiences, both existing and potential.”
But Timms defended his position. He pointed to Lincoln Center’s investment in Geffen Hall as a sign of his commitment to classical music, but added that the organization would need to attract a much broader and more diverse audience to fulfill his mandate. The center now offers “choose what you pay” tickets to some events.
“We’re talking directly to the culture,” he said, “which requires us to talk to some new people who historically haven’t felt more comfortable at Lincoln Center.”
Timms also worked to diversify Lincoln Center’s board and staff: Women make up about 60 percent of its executive and senior management teams, and people of color nearly 40 percent.
Timms’ departure will add to Lincoln Center’s challenges. Although the center is in a relatively strong position (the endowment has increased to about $280 million, from $258 million in 2019), it is still working to recover from the pandemic. Lincoln Center, which spent $23 million on its own programming in 2019, spent $14 million in the year ending June 2022, when Geffen Hall was still closed, and $21 million in the year ending in last June.
It’s unclear how the departure will affect Timms’ plan to tear down the barriers separating the Lincoln Center campus from Amsterdam Avenue, a project still in its early stages.
Swartz said the center would move forward with the plan. He hopes the organization can find a new leader before Timms leaves office in August.
“We want someone who can continue the momentum,” he said, “and who can provide leadership around innovation, but also work collaboratively with our constituent organizations that are, after all, the lifeblood of Lincoln Center.”
British-born Timms, who previously ran the 92nd Street Y, has long had interests outside the arts. He helped create #GivingTuesday and co-wrote “New Power,” a book exploring upward leadership.
Timms said it was difficult for him to leave, but he felt he and Lincoln Center were ready.
“I did what I came to do,” he said. “I’m handing over the keys with the engine purring.”
