New Board Chairman: H R Biere / J-M Vogt joins as new Board member
Biere has been a member of the Board since January 2013 and had been appointed by the German Orchestra Association (DOV) as a representative for the orchestra participants' group. Biere is also a member of the GVL Board's tariff and distribution committee. In May 2015, he had been elected to be first chairman of the entire DOV Board. Born in Eastern Westfalia, he plays the violin in the WDR Symphony Orchestra and in the Bayreuth Festival Orchestra.
Biere thus succeeds his predecessor, Hartmut Karmeier. Karmeier had been appointed by the DOV as Board member since October 2003 and had been elected previously to chairman of the GVL Board in 2004. The graduated bass trombonist also held office as chairman of the entire DOV Board until May 2015. Karmeier holds, among other positions, that of Vice President of the German Music Council; together with Christian Höppner, he is also spokesman for the music section of the German Cultural Council.
The seat for the representative of orchestra participants on the GVL Board that has become vacant due to Hartmut Karmeier's exit is taken over by Jean-Marc Vogt with immediate effect. In May 2015, Vogt had been elected to be second chairman of the entire DOV Board. Apart from playing the viola in the Frankfurt Opera and Museum Orchestra, he is also active in the German Music Council and the Landesmusikrat Hessen (Regional Music Council for Hesse). Vogt also takes over Karmeier's position in the distribution committee.
"We would like to thank Hartmut Karmeier for his long-term dedication and support on the GVL Board. During his twelve years in office, he has always known how to bring about viable decisions by applying his confident and circumspect chairmanship, paired with his commitment and compassion for his colleagues. He also led the rights holders' assemblies of GVL competently and considerately", emphasise Dr. Tilo Gerlach and Guido Evers, GVL's Managing Directors. "At the same time, we would like to congratulate Mr Biere for his newly elected position of chairman and are pleased to welcome our new competent and committed representative for orchestra participants on GVL's Board."