President & CEO

Overview

Wharton Arts welcomes nominations and applications for the newly defined leadership position of President and CEO, available in the Spring of 2026.

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With a history spanning nearly five decades, Wharton Arts is New Jersey’s largest independent non-profit community performing arts educator, serving nearly 2,000 students annually through a broad spectrum of musical programming. Four core programs – the New Jersey Youth Symphony, New Jersey Youth Chorus, Paterson Music Project, and Wharton Performing Arts School – provide exceptional performing arts education for students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds.

Developed more than 45 years ago, the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) is a tiered orchestral program that offers ensemble education opportunities for more than 500 students in grades 3 through 12. NJYS ensembles have performed at venues ranging from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Musikverein in Vienna to local assisted living centers, libraries, and street fairs in New Jersey.

NJYS has received awards for adventurous programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) and has been on six European tours, most recently to Italy and France in 2023. NJYS’s flagship ensemble, Youth Symphony, will travel to Scandinavia, Finland, and the Baltics, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, in the summer of 2026.

Paterson Music Project (PMP) is an El Sistema-inspired program that uses music to empower and inspire young people through the community experience of ensemble learning and playing. PMP provides accessible, affordable, and high-quality instrumental instruction and focuses on musical excellence, community, and life skills. Since its inception in 2013, the program has grown from one class of 24 third graders to nearly 350 students in first to twelfth grades, providing tuition-free musical training to students from more than 25 schools throughout Paterson.

PMP’s first class of third graders graduated from high school in June 2023. PMP now engages alumni as interns and leaders in the program.

The New Jersey Youth Chorus (NJYC) merged with Wharton Arts in 2022 as the Chorus celebrated its 30th anniversary season. NJYC is an auditioned choral ensemble for students in grades 3 through 12. NJYC encourages a love and appreciation for choral music while nurturing personal growth and creativity. NJYC’s more than 150 members regularly perform throughout the state and tour across the country.

Past performances include the White House, the Super Bowl, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, and Radio City Music Hall. In the summer of 2025, 30 choristers toured Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, appearing at renowned venues including the Cologne Cathedral, Bonn Cathedral, and Menin Gate in Ypres.

The Performing Arts School (PAS) provides instrumental and vocal instruction, musical theatre, drama, and other courses for students ages four through adult. PAS promotes personal growth through excellence in music education. PAS students have participated in music festivals and recitals in venues that include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Musik Quartier in Vienna. A member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education, Wharton Arts offers private and group lessons, summer camp, and a CAFÉ (Creative Aging for Everyone) Choir for aspiring and accomplished musicians alike.

Wharton Arts is governed by a Board of 17 Trustees, has an annual operating budget of approximately $4 million and a team of more than 100 artistic and administrative staff members. Trustee Erika Fanelle is Interim Executive Director;
Helen Cha-Pyo is Artistic Director and Principal Conductor. Wharton Arts operates three campuses located in Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Paterson, New Jersey and draws students from twelve New Jersey counties.

The President and CEO of Wharton Arts will assume a newly defined and expanded leadership role that includes responsibility for all aspects of the organization, both artistic and administrative. The CEO will have the opportunity to work with a…