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): 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.

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 and Simon Woods, President and CEO, League of American Orchestras

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 conversation with League President and CEO, Simon Woods, Doug McClennan 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:

1. How AI will transform the business of orchestras.

2. AI and artistic opportunities.

3. 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.