Brad Broecker will step in for executive director Scott Provancher, who announced last month that he would leave for a job as vice president of Cincinnati's Fine Arts Fund. At the time, it appeared that the orchestra would shortly declare bankruptcy and shut down, but a deal was eventually reached with musicians to allow it to continue.

Broecker has agreed to serve on a volunteer basis through the end of the 2006, after which he and his wife plan to travel.

A former employee of the Brown & Williamson tobacco company, Broecker went to work in 1984 for the Broadway Series, a presenter of musical theater. According to the Courier-Journal, he helped expand the series into a regional power. He joined Clear Channel Entertainment after the conglomerate purchased the Broadway Series, retiring as a senior vice president in 2005.

Among the tasks facing Broecker are the stabilization of the orchestra's financial situation and the selection of a new music director to replace Uriel Segal, who left in 2004. Seven finalists are auditioning for the post this season.

"I am always up for something challenging," Broecker told the Courier-Journal. "I see the opportunity, maybe, to reposition the orchestra in the minds of the public to help not only with the growth of classical supporters, but also pops and other musical [genres]."