League of American Orchestras Announces Gold Baton Recipient

Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) executive director Kris Sinclair will be presented with the League of American Orchestras' highest honor, the Gold Baton, at the League's National Conference in Baltimore, June 9-11. Sinclair, who is retiring this year after thirty-one years at ACSO's helm, will receive the award at the League's Annual Meeting, June 10, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.

"Over three decades, Kris Sinclair has been a staunch advocate for orchestras, creating a model state orchestra association through her exemplary leadership," said Jesse Rosen, League of American Orchestras President and CEO. "She has been deeply engaged in a wide range of state-wide civic causes while building consensus, fostering collaboration, and achieving remarkable accomplishments for California's orchestras."

"Kris Sinclair is that wonderful friend and colleague we all have who remains steadfast through all the years of our career. She was a tremendous resource to me during the years I was working in California, and has stayed a good friend in all the years since," said Deborah F. Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., who was executive director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and orchestra manager of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the 80's and early 90's. "We had so much fun creating and recreating the work of ACSO in those years. She has earned the admiration and respect of the entire field, and has helped so many orchestras and arts organizations and countless individuals in their careers. Brava and congratulations to you, Kris. Well done - you are an inspiration!"

Given annually since 1948 for distinguished service to America's orchestras, the Gold Baton recognizes individuals and institutions whose far-reaching contributions to the field serve to champion and advance the cause of orchestras and symphonic music throughout the country.

Previous Gold Baton recipients include, among many others, Leonard Bernstein (1959); John D. Rockefeller, III (1963); Paul Mellon (1964); American Federation of Musicians (1965); The Ford Foundation (1966); Leopold Stokowski (1968); Arthur Fiedler (1976); Aaron Copland (1978); Beverly Sills (1980); Isaac Stern (1987); Carnegie Hall (1990); and John Williams (2006). Click here for a full list of Gold Baton recipients.

Kris Sinclair has held the position of Executive Director of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras since 1985. Under her guidance ACSO, which was established in 1969, has grown in size and stature, developing from an organization with a $4,000 budget to its current budget of $300,000 and achieving many important milestones on behalf of California's symphony orchestras and choruses.

Sinclair is a leader in the field of service to orchestras and has consulted with many states to start or strengthen their own orchestra associations. She has been an active partner of the League of American Orchestras, including a frequent presenter at League National Conferences. A past president of the Santa Rosa Symphony League (1983), she served as a Board Member of the Santa Rosa Symphony from 1984 to 1986 until relocating to Sacramento, where she became an officer of the Sacramento Symphony League. Sinclair was on the advisory council of the California Lawyers for the Arts and Arbitration Services, a founder and first chair of the California Arts Advocates (CAA), a member of the advisory board for the Midori Center for Community Engagement, and has been a guest speaker at the University of the Pacific's Arts Administration Program. She served as a mentor for the Arts in Crisis program of the Kennedy Center for the Arts and was on Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson's committee "For Art's Sake." Currently, she is secretary of the Board for the California Association of Nonprofits and serves on its public policy committee. Sinclair attended schools in England and at the College of William and Mary. Early career experience included stints in investing and marketing.

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