BSO VP of Education Carol Bogash Appointed to Americans for the Arts Advisory Council

Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading non-profit for advancing the arts, has recognized Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Vice President of Education and Community Engagement Carol Bogash's achievement as a leader in the field of arts education and appointed her to Americans for the Arts Advisory Council. Ms. Bogash was elected onto the council by popular vote from other Americans for the Arts members. She will serve a term of three years.

The Arts Education Council represents the Arts Education Network-a segment of the professional members of Americans for the Arts who work to improve access to and impact of arts education programs. The Council provides guidance on the development and execution of programs and services that meet the needs of arts education professionals nationwide.

Ms. Bogash joined the BSO in 2011. During her tenure, she has overseen the creation of the Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, instituted the nation's first Symphony Orchestra Science Advisory Panel to guide program content for concerts for youth and created OrchLab, a music-in-schools program in Montgomery County.

"Carol Bogash brings expertise, skill and passion to ensure that arts education thrives in our nation's schools and communities," said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. "Studies have shown that arts education helps young people develop the critical thinking, collaborative and creative skills necessary to succeed in the ever-changing, diverse and global economies of today's world. We couldn't be more pleased that Ms. Bogash will be joining our council as we work to ensure that all students receive the well-rounded education that they deserve."

Americans for the Arts' mission is to serve, advance, and lead the network of organizations and individuals who cultivate, promote, sustain, and support the arts in America. Founded in 1960, Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education. From offices in Washington, DC and New York City, we provide a rich array of programs that meet the needs of over 150,000 members and stakeholders. We are dedicated to representing and serving local communities and to creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts.

For more than 30 years, Carol Bogash has been passionately dedicated to creating educational programs in the arts, humanities, and sciences providing enriching opportunities for learners of all ages and diverse communities. Currently, she is Vice President of Education and Community Engagement at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra responsible for a large and diverse program engaging all ages from the very young to those who are retired. From 2007-2011 she served as the Director of Education for the Washington Performing Arts Society, overseeing a large and diverse program reaching more than 100,000 people each year.

As the Director of Educational and Cultural Programs at The Smithsonian Associates for more than 11 years, she was responsible for over 1,500 education programs annually, including lectures, seminars, courses, Smithsonian's Discovery Theatre, studio arts, performances, summer camp, study tours and national outreach. Prior to working at the Smithsonian, Bogash was General Manager of the Naples Philharmonic Orchestra (FL), was Director of the Non-Credit Liberal Arts Program and of the Master of Interdisciplinary Science Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Continuing Studies, served as the Orchestra Manager for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and taught at the Peabody Institute of Music and in the Baltimore City Public School System.

In 2009, she was awarded the prestigious Palmes Academiques by the French government for her broad areas of work in education and specifically on projects devoted to furthering a better understanding and appreciation for French culture.

The Grammy Award-winning Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is internationally recognized as having achieved a preeminent place among the world's most important orchestras. Acclaimed for its enduring pursuit of artistic excellence, the BSO has attracted a devoted national and international following while maintaining deep bonds throughout Maryland with innovative education and community outreach initiatives.

The BSO made musical history in September 2007, when Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra's 12th music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra. With her highly praised artistic vision, her dynamic musicianship and her commitment to accessibility in classical music, Maestra Alsop's leadership has ushered in a new era for the BSO and its audiences.

In recent years, Marin Alsop and the BSO have been regularly invited to Carnegie Hall, including Maestra Alsop's debut in February 2008, a critically acclaimed appearance later the same year to perform Bernstein's Mass, further performances in November 2010 and again in November 2011 for a performance of Honegger's dramatic oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au Bucher. The Orchestra under Maestra Alsop undertook their first domestic tour in March 2012 to the West Coast, including a 3-day residency at the University of California, Berkeley.

For more than 80 years, the BSO has maintained a vibrant educational presence throughout Maryland, supporting the local community not only through concerts and recordings, but also through its commitment to actively giving back with its education, outreach and mentorship programs. The 2012-2013 season marks the fifth year of OrchKids, a year-round in-school and after-school music program designed to create social change and nurture promising futures for youth in Baltimore City's neighborhoods. OrchKids provides music education, instruments and tutoring to Baltimore's underserved children at no cost. Since its start in 2008, the program has grown from 30 students to nearly 600 student participants throughout four schools in Baltimore City. The BSO recently launched OrchLab, in partnership with the Montgomery County Public Schools. This music-in-schools program for elementary, middle and high school students in Montgomery County was created to enrich the instrumental music program in schools within the MCPS system that have the greatest need, as well as to provide professional development opportunities for MCPS music instructors. For the 2012-2013 academic year, OrchLab will be piloted in 23 of the schools located in the Downcounty and Northeast Consortia of the MCPS System. OrchLab is an outgrowth of BSO on the Go, the Orchestra's education outreach program that has provided more than 12,000 students with classroom instruction and performances from BSO musicians since that program's start five years ago.

The BSO also provides educational opportunities for adult music lovers through special performance opportunities with members of the Symphony. In February 2010 at Strathmore and September 2010 at the Meyerhoff, the BSO invited more than 400 amateur musicians onstage to perform alongside members of the BSO in "Rusty Musicians" events that captured international attention. This annual event provides participants from across the country the opportunity to meet, rehearse and perform with the BSO and Maestra Alsop. In June 2010, the BSO held its first-ever BSO Academy, an intensive, side-by-side weeklong program of master classes, chamber music, orchestra rehearsals and public performances for amateur musicians and BSO members led by Marin Alsop. The third BSO Academy was held in June 2012.