Speaker: Catherine Heitz New, Chief Executive Officer, RSC Associates

Arts leaders know they need to grow fundraising, but limited resources often stand in the way. In reality, it’s not about doing more—it’s about taking the right actions at the right time to build momentum and drive results.

In this three-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to strategically sequence your fundraising calendar to target the right prospect pools with the right tactics. Each segment requires a distinct approach, and knowing how to balance your time, money, and people across them is key to sustainable growth.

Bring your full team: executives, board members, and development leaders. You’ll leave with a clear plan for your organization that defines whom you’ll target, how you’ll reach them, and when you’ll engage them.

If you’re ready to move from busy to productive, this session is for you.

Cost: $330 League Member / $410 Not-Yet-Member

Speakers: Julian Chender, Founder + Managing Consultant, 11A Collaborative and Jessica Phillips, Consultant, Arts and Culture, 11A Collaborative

Your organizational culture is the bedrock of your artistic presence. It shapes every project, collaboration, and hire—from musicians and conductors to administrators—and has significant implications on the flow of your operations and your bottom line. Ultimately, it influences everything your orchestra achieves, both on and off stage, including your reach in the community. 

Join us for a Pre-Conference Seminar on organizational culture designed specifically for senior orchestra leaders and board members of all budget sizes. This experiential workshop will discuss the many ways industry culture expectations have shifted over the past five years and then equip you with proven techniques for leading culture with deliberate and impactful action. We will combine your real-world insights with behavioral psychology and organization development models to explore methods tailored specifically for the unique orchestral landscape.

Discover what you, as an influential leader within your organization, can do to propel your orchestra and the field forward.

Cost: $330 League Member / $410 Not-Yet-Member

Location: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Transportation on your own.

Purchase your tickets directly through the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra.

About This Concert

The Baltimore Chamber Orchestra (BCO) makes its Meyerhoff Symphony Hall debut during the League of American Orchestras National Conference, presenting The Best of Baltimore! This concert, led by Music Director Robert Moody, highlights some of Baltimore’s newest and most well-known contributors to the orchestral canon, with works by Frank Zappa, Karina Ingram, Mason Bates, and Beethoven. 

Program

Karina Ingram, Animals of the Solstice: Calm of the Equinox
Frank Zappa, G-Spot Tornado
Mason Bates, Cello Concerto
Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7

Speaker: Marla Bobowick, Nonprofit Governance Consultant

Good governance should be the starting point for how your board, executive team, and artistic leadership work together. When done well, solid governance creates meaningful board engagement, which in turn adds real value to an orchestra’s relevance and resilience. But what should the board be engaged in, and when? What prevents board members from contributing productively? How can executives and board chairs make the most of their boards?

This interactive session will help board members and executives explore governance principles and best practices to:

• Use board processes and procedures for more than just fiduciary accountability

• Design meetings that address strategic issues and leverage board expertise in the room

• Establish group norms to motivate board members beyond baseline expectations

• Strengthen relationships between board members and with executive and artistic staff

Board issues will be examined from multiple perspectives—board and staff, larger and smaller orchestras—with an emphasis on practical tips and common pitfalls. Together, we will unpack challenges related to sharing information, decision-making, and strategic leadership in a way that elevates the work of the board and activates appropriate board member engagement.

Cost: $330 League Member / $410 Not-Yet-Member

Constituency meeting for conductors and orchestra board members, with Robert Moody, conductor.

Explore the full agenda for the Orchestra Board Member Forum.

Location: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Transportation on your own.

Purchase your tickets directly through the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. Use promo code LEAGUE to save 50% off your tickets, up to 4 tickets per transaction.

About This Concert 

The Annapolis Symphony Academy's Orion Youth Orchestra plays Nancy Galbraith’s Midnight Stirring, performing side-by-side with their ASO musician-mentors—a powerful symbol of music’s ability to inspire across generations, conducted by Claire Lewis. 

Maestro José-Luis Novo, Artistic Director of the ASO, conducts the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra's debut performance at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The concert includes Reynaldo Moya’s vibrant Polo Romanesco and Shostakovich’s gripping Symphony No. 5—a journey from darkness to triumph that remains one of the most powerful works of the 20th century. 

Speaker(s): Kathleen Gregory, Director of Development, Public Justice Center and Sally Schaeffer, President, Uncorked Advocates

While the impulse to give comes from the heart, the size and timing of charitable donations is strongly influenced by federal tax policy. Major changes in giving incentives take effect in 2026, with potential for both expanding the base of donors to orchestras and changing the pace and scale of current donations. This practical session will walk through the adjustments in tax policy that are likely to shape giving at the individual, corporate, and foundation levels in the coming years and what to expect from donors going forward. Experts from the wider nonprofit sector will partner to describe what’s new, how it could influence private philanthropy, and how to talk with your orchestra’s supporters about these shifts in simple, clear ways.

Small-group, relevant topic roundtable discussions for both board officers and directors.

Explore the full agenda for the Orchestra Board Member Forum.

Location: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall
Transportation will be provided and is included in the cost of your concert ticket.

Concert tickets can be added on to your Conference registration until May 6, 2026. After that date, please purchase directly from the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

About This Concert

In “Aspects of America,” Music Director Jonathon Heyward curates works with a distinctive American voice. Reflect on America at 250 with a tribute to the American Songbook from Cécile McLorin Salvant and the world premiere of a commission by Billy Childs for flute and clarinet, performed by brothers Demarre and Anthony McGill.

Artists

Jonathon Heyward, conductor
Cécile McLorin Salvant, vocalist
Anthony McGill, clarinet
Demarre McGill, flute 

Location: Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall

Transportation will be provided.

Following the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s performance, be sure to join us for the annual Tune-Up Party to experience the unique tastes and flavors of the culture of Baltimore. Come for the festivities; stay for the conversation and company!

Round trip transportation will be provided from the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront. All Conference registrants are invited—just bring your badge and enjoy this vibrant night!

Speaker(s): Jeff Alexander, President, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Sarah Generes, Vice President, Development, League of American Orchestras; Dale Hedding, Vice President of Development, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and Jennifer Teisinger, Executive Director, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra

Transformational gifts can redefine what is possible for orchestras. But how do these gifts actually happen?

Get a behind-the-scenes look as leaders from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra share the stories of two extraordinary gifts to their organizations— a $50 million gift to the CSO and a $2 million gift to the SDSO— that had an incredible impact.

This panel discussion will demonstrate:

• How transformational gifts emerge

• The critical steps that move an ambitious idea toward a realized commitment

• The conditions that inspire donors to invest at a truly impactful level

• The essential role board members play in securing these gifts by cultivating relationships and inspiring generosity

Designed for orchestra leaders, board members, and fundraising professionals, this session offers practical lessons and strategic perspectives on cultivating and securing gifts that can radically change an orchestra's ability to pursue its mission.

Learn from Ann Meier Baker’s decades of perspective on arts organizations and board governance in conversation with League Board Chair Alan Mason.

Explore the full agenda for the Orchestra Board Member Forum.