When you first arrive at Conference, please stop at the Registration Area, located in the Exhibit Hall, to pick up your badge and Conference materials. Feel free to visit us again throughout Conference to say hello, ask questions, and let us know how your experience is going!
Bennett Direct is the Official Name Badge Sponsor of the League of American Orchestras.
Speaker(s): Ruth Hartt, Chief of Staff, Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation
Customer-centricity is a key organizational quality for understanding the needs of your orchestra’s stakeholders and increasing ticket sales and community relevance. Join us for a 4-hour Pre-Conference Seminar that will help you build alignment at your orchestra around a more customer-centric audience experience and transform your approach to audience development and engagement.
Ruth Hartt distills insights from visionaries like Priya Parker (The Art of Gathering) and Nina Simon (The Art of Relevance), providing powerful frameworks to help you navigate the challenges you face in a rapidly changing world. You will explore questions like: is 'art for art’s sake' a meaningful purpose? Does tradition stifle diversity? Does relevant mean immersive? You will see real-world examples from arts leaders and organizations who have successfully applied these principles, alongside actionable ideas that you can implement right away.
Cost: $295 / $365 not-yet-member
Speaker(s): Susan Nelson, Executive Vice President, TDC
As the benefits of government funding dissipate and the new realities of donor and audience behaviors emerge, it has become ever more important for orchestras to think about how they do multi-year budgeting. In this four-hour workshop, building upon her related League webinar from October, Susan Nelson will guide participants on what and who to include in a successful process. The Pre-Conference Seminar will use the case study method to demonstrate the principles of multi-year budgeting in the first half of the session. In the second half, participants will bring their specific questions and concerns to discuss.
Cost: $295 / $365 not-yet-member
The Education and Community Engagement (EdCE) Half-Day Meeting is a dedicated time for professionals from member orchestras who specialize in this work to learn together, building and strengthening constituency connections in a focused session before the League's National Conference begins.
Full details to come soon. If you have any questions, please contact nlee@americanorchestras.org. Space may be limited and therefore priority will be given to EdCE registrants.
Cost: $80 Early Bird (by May 2); $100 Regular
Location: Xochi restaurant
Join your fellow volunteers at the Volunteer Networking Dinner on Wednesday, June 5 at 7:00pm at Xochi restaurant. Xochi celebrates the culinary and indigenous richness of Oaxaca, Mexico and its varied geographic regions and preservation of primitive customs with an unrivaled menu of Oaxaca-inspired food and drink, prepared by nationally recognized chefs.
Cost: $60. Includes two drink coupons and a taco bar.
Location: Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Artistic personnel at member orchestras are invited to join the Houston Symphony for a closed dress rehearsal of Salome.
Location: Discovery Green (Steps from the Marriott Marquis Lobby)
For more information, visit https://www.mercuryhouston.org/2324-baroque-to-boleros. League Conference delegates are invited to attend for free. Visit https://www.mercuryhouston.org/leagueregistration to reserve your tickets.
About This Concert
Come as you are for a special hour-long program welcoming you to Houston! Mercury Chamber Orchestra presents centuries of music from across Latin America featuring fun Baroque dances to fiery boleros sung by mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte. Join fellow delegates and the Houston community in Discovery Green, a beautiful oasis to explore, discover, and connect in the heart of downtown Houston.
Tex-Mex food and beverage selections available during the concert.
Artists
Members of Mercury Chamber Orchestra
Antoine Plante, Artistic Director
Cecilia Duarte, Mezzo-Soprano
When you first arrive at Conference, please stop at the Registration Area, located in the Exhibit Hall, to pick up your badge and Conference materials. Feel free to visit us again throughout Conference to say hello, ask questions, and let us know how your experience is going!
Bennett Direct is the Official Name Badge Sponsor of the League of American Orchestras.
Join us for a half-day event showcasing technology offerings in the areas of marketing, data management and CRM, ticketing, online program notes, audience engagement apps, in-hall concert technologies, and more. Get to know the companies behind these offerings, learn how your peers are innovating with technology, and pick up tips and tricks for creative ways to take better advantage of the tools you have.
The Tech Fair will take place in the Exhibit Hall, with presentations in adjoining rooms. See the schedule of presentations.
No additional cost. The Tech Fair is included in your Conference registration!
Speaker(s): Kay Sprinkel Grace, Principal and Founder, Transforming Philanthropy
As orchestras pivot to find new ways to restore our audiences and our donors, boards and executive directors are quickly learning that pivoting is essential for them, too. From orchestra governance to community engagement to involvement in fundraising, our job as board members and how we partner with staff has changed. The art we present, how we reflect our community through our board membership, and the culture of our organization—as well as our need for new philanthropic investors—all shape our future.
This exciting time is rich with opportunity and fraught with change. As we grapple immediately with renewal of donors and subscribers, we are also addressing renewal of a different kind: a commitment to imagine and navigate towards new horizons in board service while adhering to governance principles that are both our anchor and our sail.
Join Kay Sprinkel Grace for a lively 4-hour Pre-Conference Seminar that will give us new tools for governance during times of considerable change. Kay is a board member and past President of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale and is a widely known writer and speaker on boards and board governance.
Cost: $295 / $365 not-yet-member
Connect with your fellow volunteers, learn about the Houston Symphony education programs, and enjoy a presentation from the Classic Award winner.
Join with other ALAANA colleagues from across the country at this gathering.
All League members who self-identify as people of African, Latinx, Asian, Arab/Middle Eastern, or Native American descent (ALAANA) are invited to join the ALAANA Affinity Group. Simply fill out this short demographic survey and we’ll get you signed up.
Location: Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Denney Theatre
About This Concert
From Tuesday, June 4 to Friday, June 7, EarShot Readings will be held in conjunction with the Conference featuring ROCO at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, culminating in a performance of these works on Thursday morning, June 6 from 9:30am to 12:30pm EarShot composers will work with mentor composers Valerie Coleman, Jennifer Higdon, and Nina Shekhar, as well as conductor Mei-Ann Chen, Artistic Partner to ROCO.
One work chosen by the orchestra will be performed as part of a public concert given by ROCO on Friday, June 7 at 11:00am , and live streamed for free on ROCO.org, YouTube, and Facebook.
Program
Autumn Maria Reed Mental Health Suite: The Persistent Past & The Fearful Future
Naama Perel-Tzadok Agricultural Pictures
Patricia Leonard John Adams Theme – Overture from My Dearest Friend
Stella G. Gitelman Willoughby Stories of Sorrow and Strength: A Suite in Two Movements
Welcome to Houston! Whether you are here for the first time or a Conference regular, you are invited to hear about the highlights of this year’s Conference, receive tips on how to maximize your experience, and get to know some new friends among the delegates.
Throughout the Conference, you’ll gather for stimulating meetings with those who best understand the challenges of your position: your peers. Whether you’re working at an orchestra as an executive director, board member, volunteer, staff, or musician, there is learning designed specifically for you.
Find more information about constituency meetings.
Constituency sessions have been generously sponsored by the following:
Development: Bennett Direct
Executive Directors, Groups 3-4: Broadway In Love
Finance: AccountingWare
Marketing, Groups 1-2: VATIC
Orchestra Board Members: Arts Consulting Group
Youth Orchestra Division: ACFEA
Join your friends and colleagues in the Exhibit Area for this annual reception.
The All-Delegate Reception has been generously sponsored by Acceptd.
Location: Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Round trip transportation will be provided from the Marriott Marquis Houston.
Speaker(s): Gabriela Lena Frank, Composer-in-Residence, The Philadelphia Orchestra; Lee Koonce, Former President and Artistic Director, Gateways Music Festival; John Mangum, Executive Director/CEO, Margaret Alkek Williams Chair, Houston Symphony; Juraj Valčuha, Music Director, Roy and Lillie Cullen Chair, Houston Symphony; and Michael Webster, Artistic Director, Houston Youth Symphony
The Opening Session will showcase the Houston Youth Symphony conducted by Artistic Director Michael Webster performing Grammy winner Jessie Montgomery's Soul Force and Silvestre Revueltas's Sensemayá.
We’ll also hear a keynote address from Gabriela Lena Frank, winner of a Latin Grammy and nominee for Grammys as both composer and pianist. She is currently serving as Composer-in-Residence with The Philadelphia Orchestra and is a former Composer-in-Residence with the Houston Symphony.
Another highlight of the opening will be the presentation of the Gold Baton Award, the League’s highest honor, to Lee Koonce. Lee has served as President and Artistic Director of Gateways Music Festival, Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico in New York City, Executive Director of Third Street Music School Settlement, and Director of Community Relations for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
Akustiks, HGA Architects, and Schuler Shook have generously co-sponsored the Opening Session at the League's Conference.
Enjoy connecting with your fellow LGBTQIA+ League members this Pride month in Houston, where you can network with your community from across the country.
For the third year of this gathering, we are honored to have as our special guest Annise Parker, President and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund and Institute and, as the former mayor of Houston, the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major American city.
Join us for a special networking event with your colleagues and friends. More information coming soon!
When you first arrive at Conference, please stop at the Registration Area, located in the Exhibit Hall, to pick up your badge and Conference materials. Feel free to visit us again throughout Conference to say hello, ask questions, and let us know how your experience is going!
Bennett Direct is the Official Name Badge Sponsor of the League of American Orchestras.
Speaker(s): J. Todd Frazier, Director, Center for Performing Arts Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital; Zachary Gresham, Program Manager, Arts in Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center; Carol Herron, Periwinkle Arts in Medicine Program Coordinator, Texas Children's Cancer and Hematology Center, Texas Children's Hospital; Rainel Joubert, Community-Embedded Musician, Houston Symphony; and Robert E. Jackson, M.D., C. Richard Stasney Distinguished Chair in Performing Arts Medicine, Houston Methodist Hospital
As the largest medical facility in the country, the Texas Medical Center has been a hub of innovation in the medical field, bringing together hospitals and higher education to drive cutting-edge treatments. This session takes a deep dive into the work of some of the TMC’s leading institutions — Houston Methodist, Texas Children’s, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — and what they are doing to partner with the performing arts to drive better patient outcomes. Learn how orchestras can support music and wellness initiatives in their own communities, and how hospitals and medical schools can support the health and well-being of musicians and performing artists.
Speaker(s): Chris Abi-Nassif, VP of Content & Growth Initiatives, The Cleveland Orchestra; Sarah Hatsuko Hicks, Principal Conductor of Pops and Presentations, Minnesota Orchestra; and Becky Lees, Head of LSO Live, London Symphony Orchestra Live Ltd.
Moderator: Maarten Walraven, Co-CEO, Symphony.live
Delve into the transformative role of video in shaping the digital strategies of orchestras worldwide. The distinguished panel brings together expertise from Chris Abi-Nassif, VP of Content & Growth Initiatives, The Cleveland Orchestra; Becky Lees, the head of LSO Live, London Symphony Orchestra, and explorative conductor Sarah Hicks. Together with moderator, Maarten Walraven, co-CEO of Symphony.live, they will present a comprehensive exploration of video production's impact on orchestral storytelling and audience engagement.
The panel will touch on a variety of approaches to video production and its strategic deployment across digital platforms, from captivating multi-camera concert recordings to personal storytelling that amplify artistic narratives. Gain valuable insights into navigating copyright considerations, clearances, and the nuances of preserving artistic integrity in video representations of live performances.
No matter what part of the orchestra organization you work in, this session promises to broaden your perspective on harnessing video to enhance the reach and resonance of orchestral experiences in today's digital world. Find harmony in the symphonic potential of video as part of your orchestral digital strategy.
This session has been sponsored and developed by Symphony.live.
Sponsored Innovation Sessions feature League business partners sharing specific learnings based on their unique view of the industry. This year’s Sponsored Innovation Sessions will be developed and presented by Capacity Interactive, Nave Strategies, Symphony.live, and TRG Arts. Stay tuned for more details.
Join your colleagues and your business partners for this mid-morning networking break in the Exhibit Hall.
Speaker(s): Blake-Anthony Johnson, President & Chief Executive Officer, Chicago Sinfonietta; Jessica Lustig, Founder and Managing Director, 21C Media Group; Mark Pemberton, Arts Consultant, Mark Pemberton Art; Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, Founding Director, Afghan National Institute of Music; and Matías Tarnopolsky, President and CEO, The Philadelphia Orchestra
Orchestras are engaging in partnerships in their own communities, on tour, and in the humanitarian arena to maximize the power of music as a human right and a shared language. Learn how to deepen your orchestra’s commitment to music diplomacy from inspiring leaders that are crossing political boundaries, cultivating international partnerships, and celebrating the cultural diversity of music making here in the U.S. and across the globe.
This session has generously been sponsored by The Cliburn.
Speaker(s): Chris Harrington, President and Chief Executive Officer, Ordway Center in St. Paul, Minnesota and John McCann, President, Partners in Performance
Gen-X, Millennials, and Gen-Z place a high priority on learning and development as an institutional value of the places they choose to work. Data on their preferences can be used to craft strategies that result in better prepared leaders. This session will illustrate the shift in human resources theory and practice from merely "attract and retain" to "attract, develop, and retain." We will identify key elements of a useful leadership development strategy and suggest talent development practices and behaviors consistent with positive outcomes.
After this session, the facilitators will be available for an additional hour to engage with participants around specific questions, ideas, and opportunities related to leadership development.
Speaker(s): Laura MacDonald, Founder, Benefactor Group
Orchestras are reliant on charitable giving to fuel their concerts and community work. As wealth transfers from older to younger generations, how can we adapt our fundraising strategies to attract philanthropic investments? Join Laura MacDonald, past chair of Giving USA and founder of Benefactor Group, to explore data-driven approaches that will inform your orchestra’s efforts to raise funds for today while creating a resilient foundation for the future.
This session has generously been sponsored by DCM.
Location: Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, Denney Theatre
This concert is included in your Conference registration as a performance elective. Just bring your badge and you will be admitted for free. https://roco.org/performances/in-concert-magnetic/
About This Concert
Join us for a showcase led by ROCO Artistic Partner and conductor Mei-Ann Chen. Comprising several of ROCO’s previously commissioned world premieres and passion project works alongside works by Errolyn Wallen, Gabriela Lena Frank, and the premiere of a work by one of the finalists of ROCO and American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Call for Scores by early career female composers, this concert highlights ROCO’s commitment to women composers and expanding the classical canon.
Program
Heather Schmidt Solitaire
Leanna Primiani Neither men nor money validate my worth
Reena Esmail Teen Murti
Jennifer Higdon Dance Card V. Machina Rockus
Errolyn Wallen Photography I. Vivace
Gabriela Lena Frank Elegia Andina
Plus the winner of Earshot Call for Scores from female composers
Concert sponsored by the Carol Franc Buck Foundation, and part of the Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation In Concert Series.
This session has generously been sponsored by BMI.
Speaker(s): TBD
EDI work takes courage, perseverance, and a unified organizational vision. Join us as we discuss ways to create a strong foundation for long-term EDI progress through building and retaining inclusive teams, generating musician engagement, creating agency and distributing power, working in challenging environments, and improving fundability. This session will feature diverse perspectives from Catalyst Pilot and Incubator grantee orchestras as well as from experts outside the orchestra field. The panel will share EDI sustainability best practices and what they have learned in their personal and organizational EDI journeys.
RSVP Required
What is a ticket worth? Truly worth? Discussing price and value in an arts organization is really hard. Because as passionate as your colleagues are, they aren't the ones buying the tickets. Talking about price is so difficult that often it's not talked about at all. But for an organization to evolve, pricing must evolve too. Join us as we walk you through how to have the tough conversation about price.
Those interested in attending must RSVP to Sean Kelly – Founder, VATIC, at seank@vatic.tech by May 29.
This session has been sponsored and developed by VATIC.
Join Opus 3 Artists at Discovery Green as they present a lunchtime concert by pianists Nick Luby and Susan Zhang from the stage of The Concert Truck. You can purchase a sandwich from The Lake House as you enjoy this event.
The Concert Truck is a mobile music venue that strengthens communities by redefining the concert experience and making live music accessible to all. It engages diverse communities and audiences nationwide with thoughtful, timely programming, and works with arts organizations of all sizes to build a critical presence in their communities.
Impassioned by their love for music and belief in its emotional power, pianists Nick Luby and Susan Zhang converted a 16-foot box truck into a fully functioning mobile concert hall, complete with lights, sound system, and piano. Since then, The Concert Truck has toured across the country, presenting concerts in city streets, music and arts festivals, schools, neighborhoods, parks… anywhere you can think to park a truck. Recent performances of The Concert Truck have been presented in conjunction with the Dallas Symphony, the North Carolina Symphony, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Virginia Arts Festival.
This presentation has generously been sponsored by Opus 3 Artists.
Speaker(s): Dr. Durell Cooper, Founder and CEO, Cultural Innovation Group; Douglas Hagerman, Board Chair, League of American Orchestras; and Donna Walker-Kuhne, President, Walker International Communications Group, Inc
Friday afternoon’s general session will lead off with the League’s Annual Meeting, followed by an interactive session led by Donna Walker-Kuhne and Dr. Durell Cooper on the creation of strategies that integrate community engagement, inclusion, and marketing into new holistic approaches to audience development. It will cover the need to have courageous conversations with internal and external stakeholders, the importance of building safe spaces for communities in our halls, emerging approaches to audience and revenue growth, and bringing adjacent organizational disciplines such as artistic planning, marketing, and community engagement together to work ambitiously toward newly aligned goals.
Orchestra teams are encouraged to sit together. Re-Envisioning Audiences will include group discussions, collaborative activities, and Q&As. We will conclude with a summary of key takeaways, distilling the insights shared and providing actionable points for participants to implement in their audience engagement efforts. This session promises to be an enriching experience, offering valuable insights and practical strategies for organizations seeking to build the inclusive audience of the future.
Facilitator(s): Roger Sametz, Chief Executive Officer, Sametz Blackstone Associates
One of the few positive after-effects of the pandemic is that we’ve “broken the fourth wall” and brought our audiences into our organizations in an unvarnished, genuine manner we might not have considered before. We’ve continued to learn critical lessons about justice, equity, and systemic marginalization in our communities, and to face tough questions: who doesn't feel welcome in our (virtual and physical) spaces? How can we make our orchestras more inviting to more audiences? How can our storytelling find more diverse eyes, ears, hearts, and minds, and be relevant to those who may not think we are?
Your orchestra’s brand can play a powerful role in extending an authentic welcome to diverse audiences in your community — culturally, racially, economically, demographically — if you craft and manage your brand in an intentional and thoughtful way. Through this interactive and case study-filled session, join us to discuss the process of building a compelling, welcoming brand that meets your constituents where they are.
Facilitator(s): Elizabeth Blaufox, Director of Promotion, Boosey & Hawkes; Alecia Lawyer, Founder, Artistic Director, and Principal Oboist, ROCO; Vanessa Rose, Executive Director, American Composers Forum; Nina Shekhar, Composer, Mannes School of Music (The New School), Princeton University; and Curtis Stewart, Artistic Director, American Composers Orchestra
On July 4, 2026, our nation will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Orchestras are thinking about how they and their communities are commemorating and analyzing this historic milestone in their programming.
Join this conversation to discuss programming ideas and share your thoughts as we look ahead toward that year and the future we want to create for the next generation and beyond.
Facilitator(s): Jackson Cooper, Adjunct Professor, Arts Leadership, Seattle University, UNC-Greensboro
Building authentic partnerships that drive mission and revenue is critical to all American orchestras. By centering relationships within our fundraising practices for staff, executive directors, music directors, and board leadership, we can maintain focus and momentum while crafting a community-centric model of inclusion.
Through case studies of sustainable and inclusive fundraising strategies, discuss the evolving challenges and opportunities you and your leaders are facing in fundraising.
Facilitator(s): Albert Martínez-Fernández, Budget Manager, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Explore how you can use design thinking to effectively promote EDI in your orchestra’s community engagement programs. Participants will discuss the common approaches used in designing and executing community engagement programs in arts organizations, assess their limitations in achieving EDI progress, and examine how design thinking can help address these shortcomings.
Through a "Community Co-Designed Approach," a new framework that leverages design thinking and user-centered methodologies, you will better understand and address the unique needs and values of diverse communities. This innovative approach will help you integrate EDI principles into your community engagement initiatives more effectively.
Join colleagues for a conversation that inspires change and guides orchestras towards inclusive, impactful, and meaningful community engagement work.
Facilitator(s): Alan Brown, Managing Principal, WolfBrown and Christina Bellevue, Senior Marketing Manager, National Arts Centre
At the 2023 League Conference, many orchestra managers expressed the view that different approaches to creating value for customers are needed to foster affinity for the art and loyalty to the organization. New research from the National Arts Centre of Canada and other organizations suggests important opportunities to diversify the types of relationships that orchestras have with their customers.
This session will delve into research on taste, affinity, and loyalty, and summarize a recent scan of experiments with new types of products, relationships, and sales platforms. For example, younger consumers tend to express affinity for artists, formats, and spaces, and older consumers are more likely to hold feelings of loyalty towards institutions. While the subscription model will continue to be a desirable product for the foreseeable future, it is unable to capture the considerable passion for music that circulates amongst those who aren’t interested in subscribing.
Our conversation will establish the logic and argument for innovative new models for educational, social, and other types of relationships, and allow participants to share approaches that are promising in their own environments.
Facilitator(s): Mark Bailes, Marketing Revenue Manager, Houston Symphony ; Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl, Young Associates Council Vice Chair, Houston Symphony ; Kirby Lodholz, Chair, Young Associates Council, Houston Symphony; Sherry Rodriguez, Corporate Relations Manager and Board Liaison, Houston Symphony Orchestra; and Katie Salvatore, Development Officer, Houston Symphony
The Gen X, X-ennial, Millennial, and Gen Z generations are vital to the future of symphony orchestras. Join us to learn about the data behind giving trends and share the ways you and your teams are forming or expanding your young professionals program.
The session will also feature a case study on the Houston Symphony’s Young Associates Council, a philanthropic membership group with over 100 members that is actively engaged in all areas affecting the Houston Symphony from fundraising, subscription sales, board service, education and community engagement initiatives, and more.
Facilitator(s): Bob Swaney, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, RSC Associates and Morgan Walker, Executive Director, Shreveport Symphony Orchestra
Orchestras require a robust planned giving program that makes a lasting impact, yet they don’t always commit the attention and resources necessary for a sustained effort. Other organizational priorities compete for attention, and the stamina necessary for success slowly diminishes.
Explore a simple, repeatable, and effective approach that will not only help you successfully launch a planned giving program, but also sustain it in the months and years ahead. And come ready to share your own examples of challenges and successes in your orchestra’s planned giving program.
Facilitator(s): Lorin Green, Community Relations Manager, Seattle Symphony; Julia Jacobsen, Creative Marketing Manager, Boulanger Initiative; William Ryan, Student Council Member, Worcester Youth Orchestras; Max Stephenson, Operations Manager, Cayuga Chamber Orchestra Youth Orchestra; and Lauren Zwonik, Graduate Assistantship in Arts Administration, Las Vegas Philharmonic
We all know that younger generations are consuming information and your marketing efforts in ways that we are still trying to understand. Learn from members of the League’s Student Leadership Council about how the next generation is consuming your marketing efforts through examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Bring your own samples or pull out your laptop in the roundtable second part of the session to see what suggestions Student Leadership Council members have for your website or marketing campaign in real time.
Facilitator(s): Brian Baxter, Executive Director, Quad City Symphony Orchestra; Caitlin Lingle Bishop, Director of Marketing, Quad City Symphony Orchestra and Chelsea Sammons, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Quad City Symphony Orchestra
Explore how orchestras can evolve to be more inclusive, youth-focused, and community-centric, all while ensuring financial sustainability. Through a multi-pronged approach to audience development, emphasizing inclusivity, youth engagement, and robust community partnerships, discuss how orchestral music can be accessible to all, especially underserved and diverse populations.
Highlighting the Quad City Symphony Orchestra’s youth-centric initiatives, from Students @ Symphony, which invites school music groups to Masterworks performances, to the formation of the Quad City Symphony Youth Ensembles Concert Club, discover how to nurture the next generation of orchestra enthusiasts and reinforce your community-centric entity, bringing people together through music. Discuss strategies that can help you deepen community ties, cultivate future subscribers, and ensure enduring relevance and growth.
Facilitator(s): Jay Gilman, Assistant Vice President, CCS Fundraising and Jacob Tudor, Patron Engagement and Crescendo Club Manager, Nashville Symphony
Millennials and Gen Z have the potential to become your orchestra’s greatest champions, and the work of engaging them in governance can and should start now. In this session, discover a 5-factor framework informed by lessons from the Nashville Symphony's highly successful associate board and young professionals' club.
Discuss how you can effectively involve younger generations in your board and share your own experiences in this critical work with those who are just getting started.
Facilitator(s): Vanessa Gardner, Vice President of Marketing & Operations, Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts; Jamie Leigh Sampson, Co-Owner and Composer, ADJ•ective New Music; Merwin Siu, Artistic Administrator, Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts; Andrew Martin Smith, Co-Owner and Composer, ADJ•ective New Music; and Zak Vassar, President and CEO, Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts
Orchestras can expand impact and communities through multi-composer commissions. The Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA) and ADJ•ective New Music have an artistic partnership that has developed over the past 14 seasons of music making in Toledo and beyond. Their collaborations have included marathon concerts at the Toledo Museum of Art and contemporary music festivals across the Northwest Ohio city.
Come discuss the logistics and benefits of working with composers’ collectives and where to look for such communities.
Facilitator(s): Michelle Cann, Piano
The ethnocultural diversity of our nation is among our greatest strengths, but representation among performers, composers, and audience members of classical music has not reflected that diversity. The programming of works by underrepresented composers can educate all of us and empower our next generation.
Discover the rich repertoire by composers whose extraordinary music was either neglected in their lifetimes or abandoned after their deaths — and come prepared to share your own repertoire ideas to help the whole orchestra field continue to enrich its programming.
Enjoy dinner on your own or with colleagues. Nearby dining options are listed in Things to Do in Houston.
Location: Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
Round trip transportation will be provided from the Marriott Marquis Houston.
Concert tickets can be added on to your Conference registration until May 13, 2024. After that date, please purchase directly from the Houston Symphony.
About This Concert
At the Conference concert on Friday evening, June 7, a scandalous play by Oscar Wilde meets the explosive musical originality and visceral story-telling of Richard Strauss. The result is one of the most shocking and thrilling works in the operatic repertoire.
Experience it firsthand with Music Director Juraj Valčuha and the Houston Symphony.
The Conference Tune-Up Party will follow.
Read an in-depth analysis of Richard Strauss’ Salome by Alex Ross in The New Yorker.
Artists
Juraj Valčuha, Conductor
Jennifer Holloway, Soprano (Salome)
John Daszak, Tenor (Herodes)
Linda Watson, Mezzo-Soprano (Herodias)
Mark S. Doss, Baritone (Jochanaan)
Issachah Savage, Tenor (Narraboth)
Adam Larsen, Creative Director
Location: Lynn Wyatt Square (600 Louisiana St.)
Transportation will be provided.
Following the Houston Symphony’s performance, be sure to join us for the Tune-Up Party, which will take place at the stunning Lynn Wyatt Square (600 Louisiana St.) in Houston’s Theater District right across the street from Jones Hall. Enjoy live DJ performances and food trucks offering a taste of Houston's diverse cuisine. Round trip transportation will be provided from the Marriott Marquis Houston. All Conference registrants are invited — just bring your badge and enjoy this vibrant night!
When you first arrive at Conference, please stop at the Registration Area, located in the Exhibit Hall, to pick up your badge and Conference materials. Feel free to visit us again throughout Conference to say hello, ask questions, and let us know how your experience is going!
Bennett Direct is the Official Name Badge Sponsor of the League of American Orchestras.
Come to the Exhibit Hall to grab a cup of coffee, network with your colleagues, and visit with your business partners.
Speaker(s): TBD
Are you interested in fostering greater racial diversity within your orchestra? Join us as we delve into insights gained during the pilot phase of Inclusive Stages, a national initiative dedicated to increasing the racial diversity of musicians in U.S. professional and community orchestras.
In this session, you’ll learn the practical steps that Inclusive Stages coalition member orchestras are taking to enhance the racial diversity of their musicians. You’ll gain critical insights into the state of inclusion and belonging in U.S. orchestras, as revealed by a recent research partnership between coalition members and consultancy Accordant Advisers. And you’ll hear about ways that your orchestra can get involved in further efforts to accelerate musician diversification.
Join us for practical guidance, empowerment, and inspiration, as we face up to one of the most pressing challenges facing orchestras today.
Speaker(s): Doug McLennan, Editor, ArtsJournal
Part 1 of AI and the Future of Classical Music: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Creative Fields
Starting in Houston, and continuing through the second half of 2024, the League of American Orchestras and ArtsJournal will present a series of conversations that will dive into the opportunities of generative artificial intelligence and address the profound implications it has for all those who work in classical music and the arts more broadly.
In this first conversation, Doug and TBD will lay out the stakes for artists, orchestras, arts organizations and the creative industries generally, identifying major challenges, opportunities and shifts in thinking that AI poses.
AI and the Future of Classical Music: How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Creative Fields is presented by the League of American Orchestras in partnership with ArtsJournal. This live session in Houston will be followed by three webinars during the fall of 2024, each featuring special guests in conversation with Doug:
How AI will transform the business of orchestras.
AI and artistic opportunities.
The AI policy landscape – intellectual property, machine learning, plus lessons from the Big Tech revolution of the 1990s.
Join us for these important discussions about one of the defining issues of our time.
This session has generously been sponsored by MSA.
Speaker(s): Elisha Johnson, Associate Director of Audience Engagement, Arkansas Symphony; Eric Nelson, Vice President of Global Partnerships, TRG Arts; Michael Smith, Executive Director, Charleston Symphony; and Josh Tague, Director of Marketing & Communications, Omaha Symphony
Join TRG Arts' Eric Nelson and leaders from three orchestras as they discuss strategies in audience engagement and development. The session will begin with a presentation by TRG Arts, highlighting key audience trends from the Arts & Culture Benchmark, and then transition to an interactive dialogue with the marketing leaders. They will share their experiences and approaches in connecting with growing audiences, offering insights and results in the evolving dynamics of orchestral audience engagement.
Speaker(s): Zoe Miller, Associate, Oliver Wyman and Bob Orr, Partner, Oliver Wyman
It is a popular belief that American orchestras are bound by a single traditional business model. A recent study conducted by management consulting firm Oliver Wyman in partnership with the Houston Symphony aims to dispel this myth, providing evidence that there are four distinct orchestra business model archetypes, each characterized by unique revenue models, value propositions, and activities.
In this presentation, Bob Orr and Zoe Miller will present their findings from this analysis, providing a comprehensive view of the key attributes of these diverse business models tied with industry examples and financial results. Drawing on this analysis, they will also demonstrate how orchestras can leverage this data to shape their own business model and drive strategic decision-making.
Speaker(s): Amy Chung, Executive Director, Houston Youth Symphony; Jackson Guillén, Coda Program Director, Houston Youth Symphony; Anni Hochhalter, Executive Director, WindSync; Kara LaMoure, Bassoonist and Artistic Director, WindSync; and Nicky Sohn, Composer
Now in its eighth year of collaboration, Houston Youth Symphony (HYS) partners with the professional wind quintet, WindSync, in a yearly school residency and performance with the HYS Coda Program, Houston’s first after-school El Sistema-inspired program. This session will discuss how this mutually beneficial partnership was formed and identify the core elements of the wind quintet residency that enhances the musical learning of young string players by performing culturally relevant repertoire. A commissioning element offers the opportunity to feature young diverse composers while presenting repertoire that addresses various needs of the musicians, including cultural relevance.
Participants will learn to think flexibly about mixing instrumentation and performance levels in working with young string players. The session will include hearing from various partners and youth Coda Program musicians, with a performance of a commissioned work by Nicky Sohn.
This session has been generously sponsored by MKI Artists.
Throughout the Conference, you’ll gather for stimulating meetings with those who best understand the challenges of your position: your peers. Whether you’re working at an orchestra as an executive director, board member, volunteer, staff, or musician, there is learning designed specifically for you.
Find more information about constituency meetings.
Constituency sessions have been generously sponsored by the following:
Development: Bennett Direct
Executive Directors, Groups 3-4: Broadway In Love
Finance: AccountingWare
Marketing, Groups 1-2: VATIC
Orchestra Board Members: Arts Consulting Group
Youth Orchestra Division: ACFEA
Speaker(s): Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, Founder and Director, Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM)
The Conference will conclude with a luncheon featuring Resilient Sounds, a Houston Symphony project—in partnership with Rice University, University of Houston, and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston—celebrating the determination and hope of Houston’s refugee communities.
We’ll also hear from Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast, Founding Director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), which fled Taliban-occupied Kabul for Lisbon, where the entire school community was not only granted asylum but also invited to resettle and rebuild.
No additional cost. The Closing Luncheon is included in your Conference registration!
The Closing Luncheon has been generously co-sponsored by Threshold Acoustics.
Location: Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
This concert is free and open to the public; no advanced reservation needed. It will be performed without intermission.
Program
Richard Strauss Burleske in D Minor for Piano and Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky The Firebird Suite (1919 version)
Artists
Franz Anton Krager, Music Director and Chief Conductor
Vadym Kholodenko, Piano, Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts Distinguished Artist
