As one of the longest serving board members of the Salisbury Symphony (nine years), I am devastated by the resignation of James Harvey as our executive director.

James was, in my view, just the visionary we needed at this pivotal juncture in our organization’s 50-year history.

He brought a host of fresh and innovative ideas so critical to growing our audience and expanding our diversity. He reached out to so many sectors of our community and beyond, forging new partnerships and solidifying old ones. He brought friend and longtime symphony supporter, Constance Stanton, on board who volunteered her time and treasure as his administrative assistant to update and streamline our office systems to operate more efficiently.

He managed to garner more publicity for the symphony than I have seen in the 14 years we’ve lived here. He made such an impact in such a short time that this newspaper highlighted him as one of the top 10 people to watch in 2018.

I deeply regret that the Salisbury Symphony and our community at large were unable to keep what I consider a real gem in James Harvey.

— Mary James

Salisbury