Mary Finch, a longtime Bay Area arts administrator and soprano, will lead the organization, the chorus announced Wednesday, March 18. She replaces interim director Jean Kellogg and takes over about a year after the abrupt firing of former executive director Seth Ducey.

Ducey was terminated in January 2025 after allegations of “lewd actions” at the group’s Kanbar Performing Arts Center. A chorus spokesperson said at the time that “the organization has no reason to suspect that any choristers or staff were victims.”

Finch inherits an organization eager to move past that episode as it looks to celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2028.

“I am honored to join the San Francisco Girls Chorus as its new Executive Director,” Finch said in a statement. “As the San Francisco Girls Chorus approaches its 50th Anniversary in 2028, we will build upon a strong legacy of artistic excellence while advancing a vision for the future.”

Finch has spent decades inside the Bay Area’s arts world. She performed for more than 20 years as a soprano with the San Francisco Opera Chorus and later managed chorus and dance personnel there. 

She went on to lead Cantare, an Oakland music nonprofit, and most recently worked in fundraising at the San Francisco Symphony.

Artistic Director Valérie Sainte-Agathe said Finch’s experience as a performer particularly stood out.

“Her arrival marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to working closely together to open new opportunities for our singers.”

Founded in 1978, the chorus serves about 400 singers each year from across the Bay Area.