NJSO Trustees Ann Borowiec and Norman Slonaker to assume leadership of NJSO Board of Trustees
Duo succeeds Linda Bowden and David Huber as Board Co-Chairs
NEWARK, NJ—Effective July 1, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Trustees Ann Borowiec and Norman Slonaker will assume leadership as co-chairs of the NJSO Board of Trustees, succeeding Linda Bowden and David Huber.
Borowiec is a retired senior executive from J.P Morgan Chase and an independent director for the Delaware Investments Mutual Fund Family and Santander Bank, N.A. Slonaker practiced securities and corporate law with Sidley Austin LLP and its predecessor, Brown Wood, Fuller, Caldwell & Ivey, for more than 50 years. They bring years of experience on the NJSO board, as well as strong business acumen and statewide profiles, to their new roles as co-chairs. Both are currently members of the board’s executive committee, and Borowiec is co-chair of the NJSO’s education and community engagement committee.
Bowden and Huber led the NJSO Board of Trustees during a three-year period in which the NJSO secured acclaimed conductor Xian Zhang’s leadership through the 2023–24 season and a new five-year contract agreement with the Orchestra musicians’ union, Northern and Central New Jersey Musicians Guild, Local 16-248 of the American Federation of Musicians. The Orchestra also named José Luis Domínguez Artistic Director of the NJSO Youth Orchestras. Bowden and Huber, who will remain on the board, have also overseen the Centennial Legacy Challenge that will shepherd the Orchestra through its 100th anniversary in the 2022–23 season.
Bowden and Huber say: “We have seen firsthand how devoted trustees working in concert with the NJSO’s artistic and administrative leadership can foster a meaningful environment for creativity and community engagement, and we are proud of the Orchestra’s artistic, strategic and philanthropic achievements during our tenure. Ann and Norm embody the collaborative spirit and strong vision that define the NJSO, and we know that the Orchestra will thrive under their leadership.”
Borowiec says: “The NJSO brings live symphonic music to the diverse communities of New Jersey to inspire, entertain and educate. Norm and I share a commitment to this mission, because we believe music can bridge cultures and generations. I have personally seen the power of the NJSO’s education programs and their impact on so many children, and I have felt the peace and joy that comes from a beautiful symphonic performance. We thank our prior board co-chairs and look forward to working with our amazing music director, Xian Zhang, and our dedicated President & CEO, Gabriel van Aalst. With our talented musicians, committed staff and engaged board, we are well positioned for the future.”
Slonaker says: “I’ve had the privilege to work closely with Linda and Dave, and their predecessors, Ruth Lipper and Steve Sichak. Ann and I share their passion and dedication to ensuring the NJSO’s role as a vibrant, essential part of the cultural fabric of our state. We look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, Music Director Xian Zhang, President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst and our talented musicians at this exciting time in the Orchestra’s history as we approach the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2022.”
NJSO President & CEO Gabriel van Aalst says: “Ann and Norm have a keen understanding of the NJSO and a passion for our work. Their dedication to furthering the NJSO’s mission and impact on our state’s audiences and communities—combined with incredible creativity on stage led by our Music Director Xian Zhang and Orchestra musicians—promises a dynamic chapter for the NJSO leading into our centennial season in 2022.”
Stability and continuity have been hallmarks of the NJSO Board of Trustees. Part of the board’s legacy is the continued involvement of former Chairs. Chairman Emeritus Victor Parsonnet, who established the Orchestra’s tradition of having musicians sit on the board and its committees as full voting members, has remained a member of the Executive Committee, as do immediate past co-chairs Ruth Lipper and Stephen Sichak Jr.
Charged with establishing policies that assist in the successful implementation of the NJSO’s mission and vision, the board comprises members who are among the most in-demand institutional leaders across the state. Individual members are among the Garden State’s most significant philanthropists, and corporate members hold key leadership positions in industries such as financial services, healthcare, communications, technology and utilities.
The NJSO has thrived on stage during Bowden and Huber’s tenure. Zhang has earned critical acclaim for her dynamic performances on the podium. The New York Times wrote that she is “a natural communicator, brimming with enthusiasm and humor: a good choice for this orchestra, which takes its ambassadorial role seriously with concert series offered across the state and numerous outreach initiatives.” Since assuming the helm of the NJSO, Zhang has revitalized NJSO programming with an industry-leading commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in mainstage concerts, featuring diverse musical voices and female composers. The NJSO Edward T. Cone Composition Institute—an immersive, multifaceted experience for emerging composers presented in collaboration with Princeton University and led by composer Steven Mackey—enters its sixth season this July.
Likewise, the Orchestra’s education and community engagement programs have flourished under Bowden and Huber’s leadership. The NJSO Youth Orchestras, a four-ensemble family of student orchestras that features NJSO musicians as coaches, welcomed Artistic Director José Luis Domínguez. The NJSO’s Community Partners chamber music program annually brings original programs designed and performed by NJSO musicians to a variety of settings, reaching nearly all of New Jersey’s 21 counties. The Orchestra also presents school-time Concerts for Young People.
Ann D. Borowiec
Ann D. Borowiec is a retired senior executive from J.P Morgan Chase, currently serving on corporate and non-profit boards. Borowiec is an independent director for the Delaware Investments Mutual Fund Family. She is also a member of the boards of Santander Bank, N.A., and Banco Santander International, where she chairs the audit committee.
In addition to corporate boards, Borowiec is very active in her New Jersey community. She co-founded the New Jersey Coalition for Action Now (JerseyCAN), a research and policy education advocacy group focused on making sure all children have access to great schools. Borowiec co-chairs the board of JerseyCAN with Governor Thomas Kean, and she is a member of the board of 50CAN, the national affiliate. She has been the co-chair of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s education and community engagement committee. Borowiec previously served as a member of the board of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where she chaired the development committee.
Borowiec retired from J.P. Morgan in 2013, after 25 years with the firm. She led J.P. Morgan’s Private Wealth Management business as the Chief Executive Officer, and she was a member of the J.P. Morgan Global Wealth Management Operating Committee. Borowiec previously ran the New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic regional wealth management businesses. Her professional experience also included four years in the investment bank and three years as Head of Investor Relations for JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Borowiec was inducted into the N.J. Business Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2007, NJ Biz named her one of New Jersey’s Best 50 Women in Business. In 2001, Worth magazine selected her as a top financial advisor in the United States.
Borowiec earned her M.B.A. from Harvard University and her B.B.A from Texas Christian University. She is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Financial Planner.
Norman D. Slonaker
Norman Slonaker practiced securities and corporate law for more than 50 years in the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP and its predecessor, Brown Wood, Fuller, Caldwell & Ivey. He became a partner in the firm in 1973 and served on the firm’s executive and management committees. He has extensive experience in a variety of securities and corporate transactions.
Slonaker has been a speaker at seminars on financial regulation reform, new financial instruments and techniques and other aspects of the federal securities laws.
He is a member of The Association of the Bar of the City of New York and served on the Securities Regulation Committee and the Financial Reporting Committee, of which he was chair from 2006 to 2009.
Slonaker has served on the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Board of Trustees since 2015 and is a member of the executive committee. He also is the Development Council Chair of the University of Washington Medicine Cancer Vaccine Institute and a member of the UW Medicine Campaign Initiatives Committee. Slonaker also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Kemmerer Library in Harding Township.
Slonaker graduated from the University of Washington and Harvard Law School.
New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
Named “a vital, artistically significant musical organization” by The Wall Street Journal, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra embodies that vitality through its statewide presence and critically acclaimed performances, education partnerships and unparalleled access to music and the Orchestra’s superb musicians.
Music Director Xian Zhang—a “dynamic podium presence” The New York Times has praised for her “technical abilities, musicianship and maturity”—continues her acclaimed leadership of the NJSO. The Orchestra presents classical, pops and family programs, as well as outdoor summer concerts and special events. Embracing its legacy as a statewide orchestra, the NJSO is the resident orchestra of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and regularly performs at State Theatre New Jersey in New Brunswick, Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown and bergenPAC in Englewood. Partnerships with New Jersey arts organizations, universities and civic organizations remain a key element of the Orchestra’s statewide identity.
In addition to its lauded artistic programming, the NJSO presents a suite of education and community engagement programs that promote meaningful, lifelong engagement with live music. Programs include school-time Concerts for Young People; NJSO Youth Orchestras family of student ensembles, led by José Luis Domínguez; and El Sistema-inspired NJSO CHAMPS (Character, Achievement and Music Project). NJSO musicians annually perform original chamber music programs at community events in a variety of settings statewide through the NJSO Community Partners program.
Tickets are available online at njsymphony.org, by phone at 1.800.ALLEGRO (255.3476) or in person. The NJSO Patron Services office is located at 60 Park Place, Suite 900, in Newark; hours are Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm, and concert Saturdays, 11 am–5 pm.
For more information, visit njsymphony.org or email information@njsymphony.org.
The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s programs are made possible in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with many other foundations, corporations and individual donors.
Press Contact
Victoria McCabe, NJSO Senior Manager of Public Relations & Communications | 973.735.1715 | vmccabe@njsymphony.org
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