Heifetz Institute Announces Leadership Transition as It Enters Its Fourth Decade

After twelve years of visionary leadership, President and CEO Benjamin K. Roe today announced that he will retire on September 30, 2026, concluding his tenure at the close of the Heifetz International Music Institute’s milestone 30th anniversary season. Upon completing his service as President and CEO, Roe will assume the title of President Emeritus, continuing to advance the Institute’s mission, support strategic initiatives, and help ensure a thoughtful and seamless transition to new leadership.

Founded in 1996 by renowned violinist and pedagogue Daniel Heifetz with just twenty students and a bold artistic vision, the Heifetz Institute has grown into one of the world’s premier training centers for exceptional young string musicians. Today, more than 2,200 Heifetz alumni — products of the Institute’s innovative Performance & Communication Training methods — perform on international stages, serve on leading conservatory faculties, act as musical entrepreneurs, and are driving the future of classical music.

“Ben has led Heifetz through a period of extraordinary growth, artistic ambition, and strategic momentum,” said Board Chair Bruce Rosenblum. “He honored the founder’s vision while building the institutional strength necessary for the next generation. He is leaving the organization well positioned for the future.”

Since joining Heifetz in 2014, Roe has guided the Institute through a remarkable era of expansion and innovation in close partnership with founder Daniel Heifetz and Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen. Under his leadership, Heifetz expanded scholarship support, launched a thriving Junior Division, created the highly selective Chamber Music Seminar, significantly increased fundraising and national visibility, and grew its summer festival into a dynamic season of more than sixty performances.

When the global pandemic threatened the performing arts, Roe led a bold digital transformation that made Heifetz the first major summer classical music festival to move fully online — creating an immersive learning and performance environment for students and faculty across fourteen countries and nine time zones. His media leadership continues to power the Institute’s industry-leading livestreams, a YouTube channel with more than 18 million views and 65,000 subscribers, frequent national broadcast appearances, the Heifetz App, and the public radio broadcast/podcast Heifetz On Air.

Benjamin K Roe_Daniel Heifetz_Pamela Fox

Benjamin K. Roe with Daniel Heifetz and Pamela Fox

“Working alongside Ben has been a rare privilege,” said Artistic Director Nicholas Kitchen. “His musical intelligence, strategic insight, and profound belief in the communicative power of performance have shaped this institution in lasting ways.”

Today, the Institute presents more than sixty concerts each summer, offers over twenty free performances annually, and brings music into schools, healthcare settings, and community spaces through Heifetz on Tour and HEIR- The Heifetz Ensemble in Residence — reflecting Roe’s enduring commitment to artistic excellence paired with public purpose.

Nationally recognized as one of Musical America’s “Professionals of the Year,” Roe previously held senior leadership roles at National Public Radio in Washington, DC, and at public-media powerhouse WGBH in Boston. During his distinguished career, he has been honored with a Grammy Award, the National Endowment for the Arts Chairman’s Medal, a George Foster Peabody Award, and an ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. More recently, Roe and the Heifetz Institute received the 2023 Circle of Excellence in the Arts Award from James Madison University for outstanding accomplishments and sustained contributions in the arts.

The Heifetz Board of Directors will launch a national search for the Institute’s next leader in the coming months.

“We approach this transition from a position of strength,” said Heifetz Board Vice-Chair Amy Seto. “As Heifetz enters its fourth decade, we are energized by the opportunities ahead and deeply grateful that Ben will continue to play an important role in the Institute’s future as President Emeritus.”

“As I conclude this chapter, leading Heifetz has been one of the great privileges of my professional life,” said Roe. “I look forward to supporting the Institute’s continued growth and watching the next generation of extraordinary musicians shape the future of our art form.”