KANSAS CITY, Mo. | July 7, 2025 — The Kansas City Symphony is pleased to announce the appointment of Julius Lai to lead the organization’s marketing and sales. Lai recently joined the Symphony in the position of Chief Marketing and Experience Officer.

Lai brings more than 20 years of expertise in marketing, customer experience and digital transformation from a career spanning companies such as H&R Block, AMC Theatres, Activision, Expedia and Marriott International. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO of ArtShare, which enables nonprofit institutions to grow their audiences and funding streams via innovation and technology. Before launching ArtShare, Lai was the Chief Marketing Officer at H&R Block and Senior Vice President of Digital and Loyalty Marketing at AMC Theatres. In both roles, he led and grew high-performing teams to deliver world-class marketing, customer and sales growth and new product innovation.

“Our organization is thinking boldly about how we can bring experiences in music to everyone in Kansas City,” said Kansas City Symphony President and CEO Danny Beckley. “To grow beyond the realm of the usual, I wanted to bring in a change leader to help us think and act differently in how we shape, promote and monetize the public interest in music, so that the Kansas City Symphony can serve this region for decades to come. Among hundreds of applicants in a national search, Julius stood out as that experienced leader and bold thinker, and I am delighted to have him on board.”

As Chief Marketing and Experience Officer, Lai will oversee all aspects of orchestra concert ticket sales, marketing, communications, brand and guest experience.

Before his career in the corporate world, Lai served as a Captain in the U.S. Air Force. He holds dual Engineering degrees from Duke University and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). A passionate supporter of the arts from an early age, he played viola as first chair with the Richmond Youth Symphony Orchestra and competed as a pianist. Outside of work, Lai is married with two daughters and is a lifelong fan of Duke basketball and the Chicago Cubs.

ABOUT THE KANSAS CITY SYMPHONY

In only its 43rd season, the Kansas City Symphony has already become one of America’s most vibrant major orchestras and has gained national and international recognition. With the 2024/25 season, the Symphony welcomed conductor and composer Matthias Pintscher as its new music director. Pintscher regularly conducts many of the world’s best orchestras and opera companies and ranks as one of the world’s foremost composers of orchestral music.

Continually creating live music experiences in Helzberg Hall, located in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Symphony serves Kansas City’s metro population of more than 2.2 million people. The Symphony’s 80 full-time musicians bring a diverse and dynamic range of musical experiences to audiences in both orchestral and chamber music formats each season. In addition to concerts in Helzberg Hall, Symphony musicians perform throughout the region on an innovative portable stage, the Mobile Music Box. The Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, adding to the rich cultural experiences that these organizations offer to the community.