Roe's successor will be charged with replacing music director Jacques Lacombe
James Roe, the oboeist who stepped into the corner office at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra after the NJSO's embarrassing hiring blunder in 2013, is leaving to head the Orchestra of St. Luke's in New York City, the orchestra announced Friday.
NJSO chief operating officer Susan Stucker, who was named to her post when Roe was appointed NJSO president and CEO, will be serve as the interim head of the state's largest musical ensemble until a successor is appointed. Roe takes up his new position Dec. 1.
Roe's successor will have a major task: Replacing music director Jacques Lacombe, who leaves next year after six years with the orchestra. Lacombe, an ambitious hire for the financially struggling organization, will become chief conductor of the Bonn Opera in Germany.
Roe focused on audience engagement during his tenure, launching NJSO Accents, pre- and post-event parties, wine tastings and sing-a-longs, and helping establish the Edward T. Cone Composition Institute for young and emerging composers in conjunction with Princeton University.
In a statement, NJSO board of trustees co-chairs Ruth C. Lipper and Steve Sichak praised Roe's efforts to build audiences and to balance the budget.
"It is not easy to leave: when leaders of OSL approached me to take the helm, it presented an opportunity to return to an organization with which I had a deep 20-year relationship, and such opportunities are rare in life," Roe says in a statement. "I am profoundly grateful for my time with the NJSO and, with a full heart, acknowledge its leadership, musicians and staff."
Roe took over from Richard Dare, who resigned less than two weeks after starting work when The New York Times revealed that he had been convicted of molesting one of his students, a 15-year-old girl who later became his wife, and spent 60 days in jail and three years on probation for lewd and lascivious acts. "Media attention to my family's personal life will harm the organization and musicians I cherish, as well as needlessly embarrass my wife," Dare said in his resignation.
Dare, the former CEO and managing director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, told top NJSO officials about his criminal background during the search process, but Sichak told The Star-Ledger that Dare had given "an incomplete and misleading version." But the search committee and the Board of Trustees were not informed of Dare's criminal history.
Vicki Hyman may be reached at vhyman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @vickihy. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.