Rhett M. Del Campo

With 15 years of leadership experience in the professional arts industry, Rhett M. Del Campo focuses on increasing organizations’ impact through sustainable partnerships and cultures that provide high levels of productivity and profitability. He is President & CEO of the GRAMMY® Award-winning Pacific Chorale, Orange County’s resident professional chorus at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, a role he assumed in April 2024. 

At Pacific Chorale, Del Campo partners with Artistic Director Robert Istad and the Board of Directors to broaden audiences, strengthen philanthropic support, and expand the organization’s cross-generational educational footprint across Orange County. During his tenure, Pacific Chorale has advanced a long-range financial sustainability initiative (PC@60) tied to the Chorale’s 60th anniversary in 2028, expanded board leadership, and led a robust 5-year strategic planning process. The organization has also celebrated significant artistic and philanthropic milestones, including a National Endowment for the Arts award supporting the commissioning of a major new symphonic work by American composer Jocelyn Hagen; and the announcement of a transformative estate gift to endow the Assistant Conductor Chair. Pacific Chorale’s self-produced choral-theatrical film To the Hands – recorded live at Segerstrom Center – has received major film festival recognition, including Official Selection and a world premiere screening at the Newport Beach Film Festival in October 2025, with a public television broadcast premiere on PBS scheduled for later in 2026. 

 Rhett enjoyed a nine-year tenure as Executive Director of Seraphic Fire, a GRAMMY®-nominated professional vocal ensemble based in Miami. Under Rhett’s leadership, Seraphic Fire built a robust education program that brought music education into Title I elementary schools across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Collier counties. He forged three national education-based partnerships, launching the Ensemble Artist Program with UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music, the Professional Choral Institute at Aspen Music Festival and School, as well as student conductor and composer apprenticeships with University of Miami’s Frost School of Music. He also brought to fruition artistic collaborations with The Cleveland Orchestra, Fort Worth Symphony, New World Symphony, and American Brass Quintet, oversaw numerous national tours, commission and recording projects, and worked to increase artist compensation by 53% over the course of his tenure at Seraphic Fire.  

 Rhett started his career in arts administration as the assistant to the executive director with Kansas City Symphony. He also served as a business developer and client relationship manager for Monday Loves You, a Chicago-based web technology company focused on digital strategies for nonprofits. His administrative leadership and development expertise have been informed by capacity building workshops with DeVos Institute of Arts Management and studies at Indiana University’s Fund Raising School. 

 A Chicago-native and life-long musician with a background in piano and percussion performance, Rhett debuted as a piano soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1991 and on tour in Italy with the Chicago Youth Symphony in 1994. He holds a bachelor’s degree from New England Conservatory (Boston) and a master’s from DePaul University (Chicago), both in percussion performance. Rhett was a percussion fellow with New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas for four seasons and, from 2006 to 2010, resided in Stockholm, Sweden, serving as the principal percussionist with the Royal Swedish Opera and Ballet. He has performed, recorded, and toured with the Philharmonia Orchestra (London) under Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Palau de les Arts Opera (Valencia) under Zubin Mehta and Lorin Maazel, as well as the Chicago, Detroit, and Kansas City symphonies. 

 Rhett is committed to being an active member of the communities he serves. He was a taskforce leader for Emerging Arts Leaders of Miami and a member of United Way’s Young Leaders, where he volunteered his time as a member of the health council reviewing grants and conducting site visits. He also served as an Arts & Culture grant panelist for the Florida Department of State, and for Miami-Dade County’s Department of Cultural Affairs. To give back to New World Symphony, Rhett has presented to fellows as part of its Sounding Boards series and Entrepreneurship Program. He served on the Executive Committee of the Friends of New World Symphony Board and is currently the Chair of the Board for IlluminArts (Miami) and Co-Chair of the Alumni Committee at the Aspen Music Festival and School.