Bridget Fraser was appointed Executive Director of WYSO in September of 2010. She is responsible for the administrative leadership of the organization. Bridget works collaboratively with the WYSO Board of Directors and the WYSO administrative and artistic staff to ensure that WYSO’s programs are strong, successful and sustainable. She oversees a team of dedicated professionals and program offerings that serve a growing enrollment of nearly 550 students from more than 14 counties, 38 cities and 41 schools in south-central Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
A graduate of St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Bridget has devoted her career to arts administration. Prior to her appointment as Executive Director of WYSO, Bridget was the Executive Director of the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center in Rockford, Illinois where she worked with the board to transition the organization from a volunteer run organization to a fully professional arts organization.
In addition to her role with WYSO, Bridget serves on the Board of Directors of the Youth Orchestra Division of the League of American Orchestras and the Wisconsin Association of Charitable Gift Planners. She is a member of the Madison Downtown Rotary and TEMPO. A native of Green Bay, she and her husband Donald, a composer and recording producer, are the parents of two daughters, Murphy and Molly Lan. Bridget has a strong belief in the transformative power of music in a young person’s life and is passionate about investing in the development of children through the study of music and performance.