Dr. Mieko Hatano joined the Oakland Symphony in 2018 as Executive Director. She continues to define and execute the strategic vision and values of inclusive, accessible, and innovative artistic programming that is relevant to East Bay audiences and the Oakland community. 
 
Mieko is an influential, engaging, and decisive leader with over 15 years of experience building and transforming symphony orchestras, driving revenue growth, repositioning and developing new product lines, and creating and funding impactful education and community engagement programs. Most recently, she served as Executive Director of the Augusta Symphony in Georgia and Music in the Mountains in Nevada City, CA. 
 
A lifelong musician, Mieko was awarded an Executive Arts Management Fellowship at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC. in 2011 and has since been featured as one of Musical America’s “Rising Stars in Orchestra Leadership”. She holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts for French horn performance with minors in Music Education, Musicology, and Conducting, as well as a Masters of Music degree, both as a Dean’s Scholarship recipient, from the University of Southern California. She earned her Bachelors of Music degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. 
 
Mieko currently serves as a director on multiple boards including Visit Oakland and the Association of California Symphony Orchestras as well as in an advisory capacity for Maestro Games, a social purpose corporation working with first responders, research institutions and healthcare providers to develop wellness and resilience technology.