Helen Zell reflects on six years as Board Chair

When Helen Zell began attending Chicago Symphony Orchestra concerts in the 1960s, she could not have known what an important role she would play in the ensemble’s future. Zell recalls being “captivated” by her first CSO performance, which featured seventh music director Jean Martinon conducting Debussy’s La mer at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium. This experience began a journey that eventually led to her becoming chair of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association’s Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2021, a pivotal period for the organization that included daunting challenges and unique opportunities.

Upon moving to Chicago in 1967, Zell and her then-husband, Jamey Fadim, purchased a subscription to the CSO’s classical series and later added programs in the Symphony Center Presents Piano series to their concertgoing routine. “I remember the [Sir Georg] Solti years vividly,” she says of the Orchestra’s eighth music director (1969-91). She also recalls “with great enthusiasm” Carlo Maria Giulini, who served as principal guest conductor from 1969 to 1972.

Beyond subscribing to concerts, the couple supported the CSOA’s annual fund at a modest level in those early years. “Quite honestly, I never really thought it mattered much. I figured that the price you paid for your ticket covered the cost of the performance,” Zell recalls. “I was extremely naïve. The ticket is just the beginning, but I had no understanding of that at all. I was just a very eager listener, and attending concerts at Orchestra Hall was one of the highlights of our cultural life.” 

Following her second marriage, Helen and her husband, Sam Zell, became increasingly involved as donors to the CSOA, generously supporting artistic programs, commissions of new music, fundraising events and more. In 2014, the Zell Family Foundation made a $17 million contribution to the CSOA’s endowment and general operating funds. This gift provided for the naming, in perpetuity, of the position of music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which has been held by Riccardo Muti since 2010.

“I was fortunate enough to be in the position where I had resources,” Zell says. “It’s a wonderful confluence of events when passion comes together with the ability to make game-changing contributions to an organization. I was very lucky.”

Zell joined the CSOA’s Board of Trustees in 2007 and served on the Executive Committee during the tenures of Board Chairs Bill Osborn (2006-12) and Jay Henderson (2012-15). It was Osborn who later recruited Zell to succeed Henderson. Zell, who had previously chaired the Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, admits that she was “really shocked” by the request. “I was thrilled to be part of the Executive Committee — to play an active role — but I never considered that chairing the board was in my future,” she says. With the encouragement of her husband, she assumed the role in October 2015, becoming the first woman in CSOA history to chair the Board of Trustees.

Reflecting on her six-year tenure, Zell is quick to share credit with the colleagues that joined her in a “team effort” to achieve many goals. “The Executive Committee, CSOA management and the musicians have provided the collaboration needed to confront significant challenges during the past six years.”

One such task was negotiating a five-year contract between the CSOA and the CSO musicians, which included a key shift from a defined benefit plan to a defined contribution plan for musicians’ pensions. Although the difficult process included a seven-week strike, the agreement reached in April 2019 placed the organization in a strong position for future financial stability while securing a salary increase and other priorities for musicians.

“Changing that pension was huge,” says Zell. “Over a long period of time, it could possibly have upended the whole organization, because the pension obligations varied so dramatically year over year. It was impossible to predict, making sound financial planning daunting. At the end of the day, the new plan is a very well thought-out and generous package.”

Less than a year after this agreement was reached, the COVID-19 pandemic brought an onslaught of new difficulties. Zell and the Board of Trustees worked with CSOA management, led by President Jeff Alexander, to swiftly address the financial losses caused by the cancellation of live concerts from March 2020 through May 2021. A key component of sustaining the CSOA through this period was the continued philanthropic support of donors and Trustees. For example, the Zell Family Foundation and other leading donors supported the Music Ahead campaign, which matched all gifts dollar for dollar, including tickets to canceled concerts that were converted into charitable donations.

In addition to keeping the CSOA financially afloat, people across the organization collaborated to continue bringing music to audiences during this time — most notably through the streaming of performances on the new video portal CSOtv. “The whole culture of the organization began to shift, and it’s just not the same place that it used to be,” says Zell. “Instead of a siloed organization of musicians, management and Trustees, we are working as a team. We all have the long-term interests of this organization at heart, and sustainability is a key priority.”

Another important achievement of Zell’s tenure came in June 2020, when the Board unanimously ratified new guidelines to formally track the evolution of the CSOA’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in programming and practices for audiences, artists, employees and Trustees. Zell notes that the CSOA already had been engaged in related initiatives for many years — the educational and community programs of the CSO’s Negaunee Music Institute being among the most prominent examples. However, establishing an official process to define goals and monitor progress was an essential next step.

Crucial to this process was the hiring of DEI consultant Heather McClean, who was “terrific” in the role, says Zell. With McClean’s guidance, five working groups were convened to oversee planning, accountability and regular reporting in five areas: musicians and artists, Trustee recruitment and retention, management and staff, the Negaunee Music Institute and audience development. More than 60 members of the Board of Trustees, Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Civic Orchestra of Chicago and CSOA administration participated in these groups in the 2020/21 Season.

“All of the five working groups have fabricated plans that are reasonable and doable,” says Zell. “I was really impressed with the thoughtfulness and originality of the members of each group; it was incredible.” She adds that supporting DEI initiatives is “a great use of philanthropy, and I’m anxious to pursue this.”

After passing the baton to Mary Lou Gorno, who became the new Board Chair in November 2021, Zell plans to remain active on the Board of Trustees. She is chairing the search committee for the next music director to succeed Maestro Muti, whose current contract extends through the 2022/23 Season. Also, she will continue to be involved with DEI efforts and will serve on numerous committees of the Board of Trustees.

When asked about her hopes for the future of the organization, Zell says, “My biggest hope is that the young audiences we are attracting today continue to grow, diversify and eventually become the predictable patron base that comprises our audience of tomorrow.”

As for herself, “I want to ensure that the initiatives begun during my tenure continue,” says Zell. “I have an ongoing interest to be part of this organization in any way that they’ll have me. I really do.”