League Announces Essentials Of Orchestra Management Participants

Thirty-four orchestra executives, administrators, musicians, students, and career changers from across the country will participate in the League of American Orchestras' Essentials of Orchestra Management program in Los Angeles, July 16-26. The ten-day immersive seminar, taking place on the campus of the University of Southern California (USC), develops the careers of orchestra managers, providing an in-depth overview of orchestra administration and offering participants the unique opportunity to learn from a faculty of orchestra executives, musicians, and leadership experts.

"These thirty-four talented professionals have diverse backgrounds and occupations, but all are keenly interested in the future of orchestras," said Jesse Rosen, the League of American Orchestras' President and CEO. "With a cutting-edge curriculum and a forward-thinking faculty from within and outside the orchestra field, this year's seminar will help these participants achieve success in a complex and changing environment." Since its inception in 2000, over 400 men and women have participated in Essentials, including many who now hold prominent positions in orchestras.

The seminar, presented by the League of American Orchestras in association with the USC Arts Leadership Program, has been updated this year and is organized around five tracks:

• Artistic Vision and Execution
• Civic Engagement
• Organizational Dynamics
• Organizational Sustainability
• Personal Growth

Highlights of the seminar will include:

• A panel on musicians' perspectives with the participation of International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM) Chair and Los Angeles Philharmonic Violist Meredith Snow
• An interview with conductor Stéphane Denève, Music Director Designate, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
• Sessions on diversity in orchestras with Alexander Laing, Principal Clarinet, The Phoenix Symphony and on women in the field with Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Executive Director Jennifer Barlament
• Sessions on programming for the 21st century with San Francisco Symphony Director of Artistic Planning Matthew Spivey, on audience building with WoflBrown Principal Alan Brown, and on the future of orchestras with violist, ethnomusicologist, and entrepreneurial musician expert Tanya Kalmanovitch
• Two full days of immersive role-playing to learn skills such as effective negotiating and navigating the day-to-day challenges of an orchestra's executive team

Topics covered in the curriculum include diversity, education and community engagement, artistic leadership, audience building, finance and sustainability, fundraising, operations, marketing and communications, advocacy, organizational culture, governance, and an introduction to effective negotiations and collective bargaining. This year's Essentials participants were selected in a competitive process based on management experience and potential, commitment to serving American orchestras, and motivation and goals for participating in this professional development seminar.

The Essentials of Orchestra Management core faculty members are:

• Essentials Director Simon Woods, Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Essentials Associate Director Scott Faulkner, Principal Bass, Reno Philharmonic Orchestra; Former Executive Director, Reno Chamber Orchestra
• Jennifer Barlament, Executive Director, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Alexander Laing, Principal Clarinet, The Phoenix Symphony

Essentials 2018 guest presenters include:

• Karen Lewis Alexander, former Vice President of Development, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, current Executive Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Muscular Dystrophy Association
• Brent Assink, former Executive Director of the San Francisco Symphony, current Executive Director of The Fuller Foundation
• Aubrey Bergauer, Executive Director, California Symphony Orchestra
• Reveta Bowers, Retired Head of School, The Center for Early Education
• Phil Bravo, Associate Director, Social Innovation, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Alan Brown, Principal, WolfBrown
• John-Morgan Bush, Director of Learning and Leadership Programs, League of American Orchestras
• Bruce Coppock, Retired President and Managing Director, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
• Kenneth Foster, Director, Arts Leadership at USC, Thornton School of Music
• Dr. Tanya Kalmanovitch, Associate Professor, The New School, and Faculty, New England Conservatory
• Elsje Kibler-Vermaas, Acting Director, Education Initiatives, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Simone Porter, Violinist
• Faith Raiguel, Chief Financial Officer, LA Opera (retired)
• Laura Reynolds, Vice President of Education & Community Engagement, Seattle Symphony
• Jesse Rosen, President and CEO, League of American Orchestras
• Meredith Snow, Chair, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM); Violist, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Daniel Song, Vice President, Philharmonic and Production, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Matthew Spivey, Director of Artistic Planning, San Francisco Symphony
• Charlie Wade, Senior Vice President for Marketing and Business Operations, Seattle Symphony

2018 Essentials of Orchestra Management participants include:

• Peter Abell, President and CEO, Memphis Symphony Orchestra
• Ignacio Barron Viela, MBA Candidate, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California
• Tyler Benware, Orchestra Operations Manager, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
• Rachel Cantzler, Development Manager, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras
• Chelsea Downes, Annual Fund Officer, Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Shannon Farro, Executive Director, Long Bay Symphony
• Brian Garland, Youth Orchestra Manager, Asheville Symphony
• Alexander Gurevich, General Manager, New West Symphony Association
• Joshua Hall, Personnel and Operations Associate, Sarasota Orchestra
• George Hanson, Festival Director, Tucson Desert Song Festival
• Katherine Hovde, Education & Community Engagement Program Associate, Seattle Symphony
• Maia Jasper White, Co-Artistic Director, Salastina Music Society
• Barbara Josenhans, 4th Horn, Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra
• Aimée Kreston, Executive Director, Eastern Sierra Symphony; Concertmaster, Pasadena Symphony
• Nadia Kyne, Student, Columbia University
• Carl Lam, Vice President/Violinist, Western New York Chamber Orchestra
• Alexis Leon, Booking Agent - Northeast Territory, IMG Artists
• Taylor Lockwood, Operations and Community Programs Coordinator, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
• Emma Logan, Operations Manager, San Francisco Symphony
• Nathan Lutz, Director of Operations, Dallas Symphony Orchestra
• Theresa Madeira, Director of Marketing and Patron Loyalty, California Symphony
• Gaelen McCormick, Double Bass, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra
• Akilah Morgan, Assistant to Executive Director, Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles
• Michael Morin, Client Relations Specialist, ChapterSpot
• Justin Pressman, West Coast Development Manager, American Friends of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
• Mylyn Grace Ramos, Artistic Operations Assistant, San Antonio Symphony
• Rina Ritivoiu, Doctor of Musical Arts student, USC Thornton School of Music
• Connor Schloop, Operations Manager, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
• Gregory Stead, Box Office and Concert Production Manager, Friends of Chamber Music, Kansas City
• Matt Travis, Director of Choral and Orchestral Programs, Midland Center for the Arts
• Shanna Ungate, Communications Director, Missoula Symphony Association
• Hollis Welsh, Executive Director, Boise Philharmonic
• Steve Yellen, former Senior Vice President, Investment Bank of Morgan Stanley
• Ashley Yony, Artistic Operations Manager, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra

Essentials of Orchestra Management is made possible by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Hearst Foundation, Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts.