League of American Orchestras Announces Emerging Leaders Program Participants

Nine orchestra administrators will participate in the League of American Orchestras' Emerging Leaders Program.

Viewed by the field as one of the best sources of identifying talented administrators with great leadership potential, the program is the flagship of the League's leadership development offerings. The program, along with its previous iteration, the Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, has advanced the development of more than 180 alumni, from 25 current executive directors of orchestras to countless senior executives.

"Identifying and developing high-potential leaders has been a core commitment of the League since the organization's earliest days, commented League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen. "The cultivation of leaders who can help orchestras adapt to the rapid changes in our society remains at the heart of our mission."

The participants were selected through a competitive application process and were chosen based on their potential to make significant contributions to their orchestras and to the field as a whole.

The nine men and women will take part in both in-person and virtual seminars and have the opportunity to learn from top leaders in the field. Their ten-month experience, beginning this month, will culminate with a joint presentation with the program participants at the League of American Orchestras' 2017 National Conference in Detroit. Renowned leadership development expert John McCann is the lead faculty and facilitator of the Emerging Leaders Program.

The 2016-17 Emerging Leaders Program participants are:

Nora Brady, Associate Director, Sales and Marketing, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Benjamin Cadwallader, Executive Director, Vermont Symphony Orchestra
Susan Lape, Executive Director, Lake Forest Symphony
Elisabeth Madeja, Director of Marketing, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
David Renfro, Orchestra Personnel and Operations Manager, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra
Kathryn Rudolph, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Jacksonville Symphony
Amanda Stringer, CEO, Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra
Jodi Weisfield, Vice President of Development, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Randy Wong, Executive Director, Hawaii Youth Symphony

Bios and photos are linked here.

The Emerging Leaders Program is the newest chapter in the League's history of distinguished talent leadership programs for American orchestras. These programs have included the Orchestra Management Fellowship Program, the Executive Leadership Programs, Institutional Vision and Critical Issues programs, American Conducting Fellowship Program, and Essentials of Orchestra Management.

The inaugural 2015-16 class of the Emerging Leaders Program included Caleb Baily, Executive Director, Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (was Orchestra Manager Lincoln's Symphony Orchestra, Nebraska, when he participated); Jennifer Behr, Director of Patron Engagement, Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra (was Individual Giving Manager when she participated); Nicholas Cohen, General Manager, OrchKids and Baltimore Symphony Youth Orchestras, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Bradley Evans, Assistant Orchestra Personnel Manager, San Francisco Symphony; Yoo-Jin Hong, Director of Programs, Learning and Leadership Development, League of American Orchestras (was Director of Civic Orchestra and Training Programs Chicago Symphony Orchestra when she participated); and Rebecca Zabinski, Manager, Artistic Administrator, Houston Symphony (was Artistic Associate when she participated).

The Emerging Leaders Program is made possible by generous grants from American Express Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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