Pacific Symphony Welcomes Arthur Ong As New Board Chair
Pacific Symphony is pleased to announce that Arthur Ong, who currently serves as Executive Vice Chair of the orchestra’s Board of Directors, has been elected as Chairman of the Board to serve a two-year term. On January 1, 2023, he will succeed John R. Evans, who is stepping down after holding the post of Chairman since 2020 and who will continue to serve on the Board as Immediate Past Chair. Symphony President and CEO John Forsyte welcomed Mr. Ong to his new position on the Board and commented, “Arthur Ong brings more than three decades of legal and business experience and extensive board service, combined with boundless passion for classical music to his new position as Chair of the Symphony Board. He balances great leadership wisdom with a commitment to serving the community.”
“I am deeply honored to serve as Chairman of the Board of Pacific Symphony,” said Arthur Ong. “My greatest joy is listening to the uplifting and inspiring music performed by the Symphony’s extraordinary musicians. Carl St.Clair’s leadership of the Symphony remains a guiding light and inspiration, and I look forward to partnering with him to fully harness the Symphony’s artistic potential.
“My predecessors as Board chairs have steered the organization through great change and growth,” he continued. “In a relatively short period of time, the Symphony has emerged as a major professional ensemble with an international reputation. It is also one of Orange County’s most important cultural institutions. Having an orchestra of this caliber in our community is an amazing gift to the people of Orange County. I look forward to working with the Symphony’s Board—an extraordinary group of community leaders—and with the Symphony’s talented and dedicated staff led by President and CEO, John Forsyte, to build on the Symphony’s impressive record of success.”
Mr. Ong concluded, “This is an exciting, challenging, and pivotal moment for the Symphony as the organization seeks to expand its role in the community and begins to look for a successor to our beloved music director, Carl St.Clair. Most of all, I look forward to working with the leadership of the Symphony to further its mission—to inspire, engage, and serve the people of Orange County through the wonderful gift of music.”
About Arthur Ong
Arthur Ong served most recently as Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Pacific Investment Management Company (PIMCO) and is currently retired. He holds over three decades of legal experience, working with such firms as PIMCO, Barclays Global Investors, Morgan Stanley, and Davis Polk & Wardwell, and he also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University. He is admitted to the bar in New York and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Ong served on the Board of Directors of The PIMCO Foundation, the charitable arm of the investment firm. He is currently a member, and was past chairman, of the Board of The Wooden Floor, one of the Symphony’s Heartstrings partners. He also serves on UC Irvine Law School’s Board of Visitors.
He played the clarinet for many years and is returning to the instrument now. He loves classical music, attends Pacific Symphony concerts with his wife Ginger Sun, and looks forward to making a meaningful difference for Pacific Symphony.
