Peter H. Gistelinck

Executive Director

Mr. Gistelinck is the Executive Director of the renowned Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Prior to joining Wharton Arts in 2019, he served as the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s President & CEO (2014-2019) and Executive Director of The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia (2006-2014). Before immigrating to the USA in 2006, Mr. Gistelinck was Director of Sales and Marketing and Co-Artistic Director for the Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra in Belgium, and General Manager of Business Affairs of the famed French-Baroque orchestra Le Concert Spirituel in Paris, France.

For more than 30 years, Mr. Gistelinck has made a difference within the music entertainment industry, not only as a seasoned arts administrator and turnaround professional, but also as an accomplished music producer, composer and arranger. He has numerous credits to his name, having worked as Executive and Artistic Producer on many recording projects and concert productions including for Le Concert Spirituel, Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra, I Fiamminghi, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Marvin Hamlisch, Michel Legrand, Alberto Iglesias, Plácido Domingo, Phil Ramone, Philip Webb, J. Mark McVey, Jessye Norman, Gamble & Huff, Paul Shaffer, All-4-One, Kevin Cole and on behalf of various major record labels like Sony Classical, EMI Classics, Philips Classics, RCA/Ariola (BMG), Universal Music, Deutsche Grammophon, and Reader’s Digest World Music Services, amongst many others. A highlight in Mr. Gistelinck’s early artistic career was a commission by the Royal Palace of Belgium to compose, arrange, and produce The King’s Ballet, a children’s ballet that commemorated the 60th birthday and 40th anniversary on the throne for King Baldwin I, former King of Belgium. Mr. Gistelinck has also published works for music education, including Great Songs from Musicals and Romantic Latin, each by De Haske Publications in the Netherlands and Hal Leonard in the USA.

Mr. Gistelinck earned a M.A. in Musicology and a B.A. in History of Arts in Belgium from the Ghent University and graduated from the Royal Music Conservatory of Ghent. Mr. Gistelinck also holds the Executive Certificate in Leadership from the Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University in Herndon, VA and the Business of Change Certificate from Columbia Business School at Columbia University in New York, NY. He speaks Flemish/Dutch, French, English, and German.

Most recently, Mr. Gistelinck was awarded the 2022 Education 2.0 Conference
‘Outstanding Leadership Award’ in Las Vegas, NV.