SCORE News, moves, and events in the orchestra industry THE
M
© Nannette Bedway
Roger Mastroianni
© Nannette Bedway
ore than 1,000 orchestra staff, musicians, board members, volunteers, and business partners explored “The New Work of Orchestras” at the League of American Orchestras’ Conference, May 27-29, 2015 in Cleveland. The Conference was hosted by The Cleveland Orchestra, which performed Strauss’s seldom-seen opera Daphne at Severance Hall, and the orchesAt the opening session of the tra’s staff and musicians participated in Conference sessions League Conference this May, that demonstrated their commitment to artistic excellence, Leonard DiCosimo (at left), collaboration, and audience building. In his keynote address, president of the Cleveland League President and CEO Jesse Rosen (bottom photo) dis- Federation of Musicians, Local cussed the ways in which “the imperatives for the performing 4, and Gary Hanson, executive director of the Cleveland arts in the twenty-first century are coming into focus. The Orchestra, greeted the crowd. battles between ‘protect and preserve’ versus ‘embrace the future’ are giving way to a more holistic view, one that fuses excellence and engagement; that understands repertoire as a continuum of new and old, a point on a spectrum of genres; and that defines purpose as both fostering creativity and creating community value.” National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu further underscored the Conference theme with a speech highlighting the power of the arts to build communities. A large number of research reports previewed at the Conference included a League-commissioned analysis of subscription trends, as well as studies on digital strategy, audience development, donor relations, and changing concert Performances included the formats. Other sessions focused on such timely topics as Cleveland Orchestra’s lavish diversity, governance practice, and sustainability. concert staging of Richard Two community-based panels bookended the Conference: Strauss’s Daphne. In photo: Music Director Franz Welserin the opening session, government, business, community, Möst, musicians, and cast at and artistic leaders shared perspectives on how orchestras Severance Hall. can develop relationships with their communities and use music to address social needs; the closing session explored community impact from an artistic perspective, with a panel of creative minds showcasing community-connected projects that expanded beyond chamber-scale encounters and utilized the full orchestra. The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra (COYO), conductor Brett Mitchell, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein, a COYO member from 1992 to 1994, were also featured in the opening session. The League’s highest honor, The Gold Baton Award, was presented to Anne-Marie Soullière, retired president of the Fidelity Foundation, by Mark Volpe, managing director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, for her “lifetime of passionate support for music, enlightened leadership of the Fidelity Foundation, and wise, sympathetic counsel to numerous musical leaders.” Jennifer Boomgaarden, executive director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, received the Helen M. Thompson Award for her exceptional leadership, dedication, and accomplishment as an executive director. Conference Resources
Check out the videos, presentations, toolkits, and additional resources from the League’s 2015 Conference on the League’s website: americanorchestras.org/conferences-meetings/conference-2015.html. Jesse Rosen
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MUSICAL CHAIRS The Chicago Sinfonietta has appointed SANDRA BAILEY principal bassoon. has been named managing director of Cleveland Orchestra Miami, the orchestra’s annual Florida residency. MONTSERRAT BALSEIRO
Arts Consulting Group has appointed vice presidents for five of its regional offices: MICHAEL BLACHLY (Tampa); ELISABETH GALLEY (Dallas); NICKI GENOVESE (Los Angeles); REBEKAH LAMBERT (Portland, Ore.); and JONATHAN S. MILLER (Boston). has been named principal bassoon at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. KEITH BUNCKE
has been appointed assistant conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the CSO’s affiliated youth orchestra. JONATHAN GUNN has been named principal clarinet in the CSO. GENE CHANG
Musical Chairs
Conference 2015
Orchestra Iowa, in Cedar Rapids, has named JEFFREY COLLIER executive director.
The Amarillo (Tex.) Symphony Orchestra has appointed COREY COWART executive director.
Collier
has been appointed vice president of marketing and communications at the San Diego Symphony. JOAN CUMMING
Alberta’s Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has named PAUL DORNIAN president and CEO.
NETANEL DRAIBLATE has been appointed concert-
master of the Lake Forest (Ill.) Symphony Orchestra.
At Georgia’s Symphony Orchestra Augusta, ANSLEY EASTERLIN has been named development director for the Miller Theater Campaign. has been appointed director of education and community engagement at the Portland (Me.) Symphony Orchestra. JOHN ELLIOTT
Fayetteville (N.C.) Symphony Orchestra Music Director FOUAD FAKHOURI will step down from that post at the end of the 2015-16 season.
and FRANCESCO LECCE-CHONG have been appointed assistant conductors at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. STEVE HACKMAN has been named creative director of the orchestra’s new FUSE@PSO series.
ANDRÉS FRANCO
has been appointed artistic director of Oklahoma Youth Orchestras, music director of the Oklahoma City University Orchestra, and associate professor at OCU. ERIC GARCIA
Orchestra Iowa has named DAWN GINGRICH concertmaster. The Cleveland Orchestra has named ANDRE GREMILLET executive director, effective in October 2015.
has been appointed principal bassoon at the Jacksonville JOSEPH GRIMMER
symphony
Gremillet
FALL 2015