Half Notes E-Newsletter - Summer 2010
Volume 4, Issue 2
Settlement Welcomes New Executive Director
A few weeks ago, Settlement Music School’s new executive director, Helen Eaton, (center in photo) had the chance to visit the Philadelphia area. She spent one day of her visit on a whirlwind tour of all six current branches, and was also able to check out the construction site of Settlement’s new Willow Grove branch, along with Settlement President Barrie Trimingham (left) and Jenkintown Branch Director Marsha Hogan (right).
Eaton begins her tenure in August as only the sixth Executive Director in 102 years and the first female one. In the words of Joe Waz, Chairman of Settlement’s Central Board, "After an extensive national search, we found in Helen Eaton a candidate who fills the bill in so many ways: a musician, a teacher, a successful arts administrator who was ready to step up to lead the largest institution of its kind, and a person who knows, understands, and loves urban neighborhoods. Helen is clearly passionate and committed not only to arts excellence but also to the School's mission of service. We believe she will follow successfully in the footsteps of the School's superb leaders. Equally important, we believe she will become a vital and collaborative member of the Philadelphia arts advocacy community."
Helen holds degrees in Viola Performance from Julliard and a Master of Arts in Music History and Theory from the University of Chicago, and is also a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in French. She spent her childhood in Washington, D.C., and has family ties to the Philadelphia area.
Since 2007, she has been Executive Director of the Chicago Children's Choir, the largest comprehensive choral music education program in the United States serving almost 3,000 children in eight Chicago neighborhoods and has led the organization on international performance tours.
She was an instructor and later Associate Director of Operations and Dean of Programs for five years at Merit School of Music in Chicago, a community school of the arts considered among the largest in the United States with programs and a mission similar to those at Settlement.
“It is an honor to serve as the next Executive Director of Settlement Music School,” commented Eaton, “Settlement’s dedication to excellence and access is key to its success in nurturing talent and creativity in students of all ages, backgrounds and levels of ability. I
look forward to working with the Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, students and families, and
the greater Philadelphia community to build upon the School’s many accomplishments and
to extend its vision of preserving and promoting the arts as an absolutely essential component of our society.”