John Demick

Growing up in the Berkshires, John Demick had no idea he would one day become stage manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, and return each summer to the very venue where he attended many Popular Artist and Jazz concerts at Tanglewood. Demick is a graduate of St. Joseph's Central High School in Pittsfield, and subsequently earned his Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Boston University in 1984. In 1981 while still a student, he began working as a bartender at Symphony Hall, a job he found culturally fulfilling as well as an exciting way to make ends meet. It was also during this time that he spent several summers working with the BSO house crew, doing the many and various maintenance projects that occur when the hall is dark, as well as working as a laborer for the call "changeovers": changing Symphony seating to Pops seating and back. After graduation, Demick worked for an art gallery/museum-quality framer in Boston, while continuing to work evenings at the hall tending bar. That all changed in 1987 when Demick applied for and was accepted as a permanent crewmember. Beyond the general duties of the house crew at the time, he showed his early interest and affinity towards stage work, noting its direct relationship to concert presentation, and fostering his burgeoning interest in the music the orchestras performed. This interest and dedication was rewarded when he was asked to serve as acting stage manager during the 1991 Tanglewood season, filling in for the ailing BSO stage manager at the time. Later, he was promoted to stage coordinator, and assumed his current position as stage manager in 2003. With his appointment, the new role of stage manager assimilated two positions into one — previously there had been both a BSO and a Symphony Hall stage manager. The responsibilities of these roles include, amongst many other, all the performance activities of the BSO, Pops, and Tanglewood, as well as outside performers who use the various BSO venues. Demick has taken the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra on many domestic tours, as well as to Japan. In 2006, he took the Boston Symphony Orchestra on its first national tour - since the appointment of James Levine as music director. When not at work, Demick enjoys time with his wife, former BSO subscription director and marketing manager Nancy Kay, daughter Nora, and labradoodle Rosie. The youngest of six sons, he also relishes time with his extended family and mother, who still resides in the Berkshires. Demick’s fatal flaw is his passion for golf. He has traveled the globe with friends — including BSO percussionist Will Hudgins — to play many of the world's renowned golf courses. He continues to hold out hope that one day all the pieces will fall into place and he will break 70!