Send us Fan Mail A city like Charleston feels incomplete without live music, and Michael Smith could not accept that the Charleston Symphony Orchestra might disappear. We sit down face to face with Michael, a first-chair trumpet player turned CEO, to unpack the real story behind keeping a nonprofit orchestra alive through the 2008 recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is part music, part entrepreneurship, and entirely about leadership when the stakes get personal. Michael shares what most people never hear about the orchestral world: the scarcity of full-time jobs, the pressure of screen auditions, and the whiplash of achieving a dream only to feel the need to chase the next door. From there, we get honest about the business side of the arts, where “nonprofit” does not automatically equal “sustainable.” When payroll stops and operations are suspended, the conversation turns to restructuring, rebuilding credibility, and learning to read financials as a decision-making tool, not a mystery. Then comes 2020. While many organizations went dark, the Charleston Symphony chose a different path guided by clear principles: do more rather than less, protect the financial future, and operate as safely as possible with layered precautions and medical partners. That commitment to serving the community leads to deeper trust and a major endowment breakthrough that changes long-term stability. We also connect the dots to hearing health: untreated hearing loss, loneliness, musician hearing protection, sound shields, and the challenge of protecting ears without sacrificing performance. If you care about leadership, community, hearing loss prevention, or the future of live music, subscribe, share this conversation, and leave a review so more people can find it. Connect with the Hearing Matters Podcast Team Email: hearingmatterspodcast@gmail.com Instagram: @hearing_matters_podcast Facebook: Hearing Matters Podcast

From Musician to CEO: Michael Smith on Leadership, Resilience & the Charleston Symphony

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