Symphony Winter 2021 by League of American Orchestras

symphony “To have a new generation of artistic minds interact with a live orchestra and discover what the music has the capability of conjuring in them, is the way to guarantee relevancy.” “Let’s renew our appreciation for the sense of occasion, separateness, and drama that clings to an orchestral WINTER 2021 n $6.95 performance in a purpose-built concert hall. Those aren’t things we can ever take for granted.” “Professional and youth orchestras alike have an opportunity to heal society using the profound beauty of our art form.” “From loss can come new beginnings.” “Transformational change must happen on all levels and will involve taking bold steps.” “Online viewing can break down barriers of cost, transportation, and fear of the unknown.” “Orchestras in America have the potential to represent more voices that are diverse, multi-cultural, and transcend the symphonic and classical tradition.” THE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE OFofAMERICAN ORCHESTRAS “I see the future of grand orchestras, where massive groups musicians play and sing together shoulder to shoulder, face to face, to reflect the unwavering power of humanity.” “Nothing can replace the live experience of the concert hall, opera house, or any shared space of art and music.” “Virtual performances will become an inseparable part of orchestral activities.” “Orchestras need to proactively champion the creative voices of today and work to encourage the younger generation of artists.” “We hope to create a deeper appreciation of Native American culture—past, present, and future.” “The ‘next’ for orchestras is to be created.” “It is important that the orchestra field mirrors the world in which we live.” “Diversity and inclusion had been longstanding issues in classical music, and these two words need to be at the forefront of everything the orchestra does.” “Imagine your love for the orchestral field as your child.” “Industry-wide collaboration on systemic solutions that address issues of equity and access are imperative.” “Why is the classical orchestral world so dominated by the dead-white-European male tradition?” “Orchestral leadership needs to be more knowledgeable about living composers.” “I believe the love and appetite for orchestral music are eternal.” “The civil unrest recognizing the deep scars and trauma of the Black community—along with other BIPOC groups—force orchestras to accelerate their commitments to EDI.” “We cannot afford to forget the experiences of 2020. Let us look to 2021 as a stepping stone to a better future.” “There are no gap years in music.” “Orchestras should make it a goal that every child in their community, regardless of socioeconomic status, has the opportunity to a fine musical education.” “Orchestras must have The pandemic and thecultural nation’s the courage to examine how power is enshrined within their walls and engage in serious dialogue with civic leaders to become totally integrated in civic life.” “Orchestras must reassess why long-overdue reckoning with and what they are producing online.” “To have a new generation of artistic minds interact with a live racism have profoundly affected orchestra and discover what the music has the capability of conjuring in them, is the way to guarantee orchestras. How should we relevancy.” “Let’s renew our appreciation for the sense of occasion, separateness, and drama that move forward? clings to an orchestral performance in a purpose-built concert hall. Those aren’t things we can ever take for granted.” “Professional and youth orchestras alike have an opportunity to heal society using the profound beauty of our art form.” “From loss can come new beginnings.” “Transformational change must happen on all levels and will involve taking bold steps.” “Online viewing can break down barriers of cost, transportation, and fear of the unknown.” “Orchestras in America have the potential to represent more voices that are diverse, multi-cultural, and transcend the symphonic and classical tradition.” “I see the future of grand orchestras, where massive groups of musicians play and sing together shoulder to shoulder, face to face, to reflect the unwavering power of humanity.” “Nothing can replace the live experience of the concert hall, opera house, or any shared space of art and music.” “Virtual performances will become an inseparable part of orchestral activities.” “Orchestras need to proactively champion the creative voices of today and work to encourage the younger generation of artists.” “We hope to create a deeper appreciation of Native American culture—past, present, and future.” “The ‘next’ for orchestras is to be created.” “It is important that the orchestra field mirrors the world in which we live.” “Diversity and inclusion had been longstanding issues in classical music, and these two words need to be at the forefront of everything the orchestra does.” “Imagine your love for the orchestral field as your child.” “Industry-wide collaboration on systemic solutions that address issues of equity and access are imperative.” “Why is the classical orchestral world so dominated by the dead-white-European male tradition?” “Orchestral leadership needs to be more knowledgeable about Emerging Artists Community Studying living composers.” “I believe the love and appetitePartnerships for orchestral music are eternal.” “The civil unrest recognizing scars and trauma of the community—along with other BIPOC groups— Facethe thedeep Future to Black the Fore Safer Concerts force orchestras to accelerate their commitments to EDI.” “We cannot afford to forget the experiences of 2020. Let us look to 2021 as a stepping stone to a better future.” “There are no gap years in music.”

Next Steps

How can arts organizations respond to challenges such as life amid COVID-19? A new toolkit can help.

Navigating Uncertain Times: A Scenario Planning Toolkit for the Arts and Culture Sector provides arts leaders with a framework to approach long-term planning in uncertain times.

Download this report and many more free resources: www.wallacefoundation.org

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symphony WIN T E R 2 02 1

o paraphrase the Grateful Dead, what a long, strange year it’s been. Twelve months ago, nobody outside the scientific community had heard of novel coronaviruses, and now the U.S. death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed 400,000. Concert halls shut down in compliance with health regulations. Orchestras postponed and then cancelled performances and entire seasons to safeguard musicians, audiences, and staff. The usually hyperactive classical music scene was, in large measure, shut down. Closures, though essential, meant big drops in box-office revenue—and drastic loss of income for orchestras and musicians. Orchestras regrouped, moved ahead, went online, and regrouped again when coronavirus cases spiked. Despite the enormous challenges and human cost, the pandemic raised new possibilities suggesting that perhaps 2020 was not entirely an annus horribilis. Orchestras demonstrated flexibility and creativity—timely adaptations in a field that often relies on tradition. The pandemic accelerated the move to digital media, and online, virtual, livestreamed, on-demand concerts kept the music and the musicians playing. New questions arise: how to define a concert in the digital era? What are orchestras’ roles in society? The national focus on racial equity raised by the police killing of George Floyd and subsequent global demonstrations were wake-up calls to the orchestra field, with its longstanding lack of racial equity. Soul searching, moves toward equity, and programs to welcome more diverse stakeholders are now part of what many orchestras do, and may foreshadow classical music’s post-COVID reboot. This issue of Symphony looks at how orchestras are adapting to the new landscape— and looks ahead at what might be.

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THE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS

symphony®, the award-winning quarterly magazine of the League of American Orchestras, discusses issues critical to the orchestra community and communicates to the American public the value and importance of orchestras and the music they perform. EDITOR IN CHIEF Robert Sandla MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Melick PRODUCTION AND DESIGN Michael Rush ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Stephen Alter ADVERTISING ASSOCIATE Danielle

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symphony WIN T E R 2 02 1

THE MAGAZINE OF THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS

2 Prelude by Robert Sandla

6 The Score Orchestra news, moves, and events 16 Forward Thinking League President and CEO Simon Woods examines new opportunities and roles for orchestras in a post-pandemic world.

30 Travis Anderson

20 Board Room The COVID-19 crisis and the national focus on racial justice have spurred calls for equity, diversity, and inclusion. by Cathy Trower 24 League Webinar How do orchestras forge authentic, community-driven partnerships? A discussion among experts, with an introduction by Lecolion Washington.

Studying Safer Concerts Orchestras and scientists are studying the spread of the coronavirus so they can bring back live music—safely. by Michele C. Hollow

What’s Next for Orchestras? 21 classical-music figures on what’s ahead for 2021. by Janaya Greene

New Directions Emerging artists re-envision 2021. by Heidi Waleson

Chamber Crescendo This season, small is the name of the game. by Rebecca Winzenried

Podium Launches Launching a music director during the pandemic. by Nancy Malitz

56 Guide to Emerging Artists 65 Advertiser Index 80 League of American Orchestras Annual Fund 82 Coda With the Chineke! Orchestra, Chi-chi Nwanoku is creating opportunities for classical musicians of color in the U.K. and Europe. Text marked like this indicates a link to websites and online resources.

about the cover

We asked 21 people in the orchestra field, from executive directors to composers, educators, and activists, what they’d like to see classical music blossom into in America, and how they’re working to make these hopes and visions a reality in 2021. Some of their answers appear on the cover. The full story is on page 36.

Daniel Knight/Studio B Photography

Sounds from a Distance Orchestras’ audio engineers move center stage. by Brian Wise

Paul Shim

Ford Musician Awards A Program of the League of American Orchestras is made possible by

Now in their fifth year, the Ford Musician Awards have recognized the commitment and extraordinary impact twenty orchestral musicians have made in service to their communities.

PAST WINNERS

Applications are being accepted until February 8, 2020. For more information, visit www.americanorchestras.org/ford.

SCORE News, moves, and events in the orchestra industry THE

Music to Vote By

MUSICAL CHAIRS The Philadelphia Orchestra has appointed MITCH BASSION vice president of development. DORIS PARENT has been hired as vice president of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access strategies and strategic partnerships, a newly created position. NATHALIE STUTZMANN has been appointed principal guest conductor, effective with the 2021-22 season.

The Curtis Institute of Music has named pianist MICHELLE CANN as the inaugural Eleanor Sokoloff chair in piano studies, named after the longtime Curtis pedagogue, who died last summer at age 106. VINCE FORD, vice president of digital strategy and customer experience at the New York Philharmonic, will become Curtis’s senior vice president of digital strategy and innovation, effective February 1. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra has named STEPHANIE CHILDRESS assistant conductor, starting with the 2021-22 season. ROBERT DRIVER has been hired as the orchestra’s vice president and chief philanthropy officer.

Childress

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra has appointed JAMES CONLON artistic advisor, effective September 2021.

This November, long lines were expected on Election Day around the country, and perPRISCILLA GEESLIN has been selected as the San forming arts centers and concert halls embraced a new civic role by serving as polling Francisco Symphony’s board president, succeeding places, and musicians provided inspiSakurako Fisher, who stepped down in December. ration by playing music to vote by. At NICOLAS GONZALEZ has been appointed as the Stamford Symphony’s manager of community the Kimmel Center for the Performing engagement and education, a new position. Arts in Philadelphia, a quartet from The Elkhart County Symphony in Indiana has the Philadelphia Orchestra performed named SOO H. HAN as conductor, succeeding Brian Groner. Han will continue as director of orchestral for voters and poll workers. Seated at studies at Baldwin Wallace Conservatory of Music a safe distance in the balcony were in Berea, Ohio. violinist Elina Kalendarova and Miyo JERRY HOU has been selected as associate conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and music Curnow, Assistant Principal Viola director of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Kerri Ryan, and cellist Kathryn Picht JACLYN RAINEY, the orchestra’s former third horn, Read, who performed classics and has returned as principal horn. patriotic music including America the The Richmond Symphony in Virginia Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians perform for voters has appointed LACEY HUSZCZA as exBeautiful and Lift Every Voice and on Election Day at the Kimmel Center. ecutive director; Huszca was previously Sing. The Philadelphia Orchestra also the Las Vegas Philharmonic’s executive A ballot box at the director. posted a free online concert honoring Huszcza Hollywood Bowl, poll workers and ballot counters, and which the Los Another orchestras offered similar tribgeles Philharmonic turned into a voting utes. In Boston, cellist Mike Block launched Play for the Vote, a multi-state initiative center. enlisting musicians to perform outside polling stations on Election Day. Hundreds of musicians signed up, representing 32 states and the District of Columbia. The Brooklyn-based Experiential Orchestra commissioned five digital projects to promote voting, featuring video and music by Lembit Beecher, Joseph Bologne, Judd Greenstein, Patrick Castillo, Gordon Monahan, and James Blachly, Experiential’s music director. On the West Coast, the Los Angeles Philharmonic turned the Hollywood Bowl, designed to accommodate thousands of concertgoers and their cars, into a voting center.

symphony

WINTER 2021

Ray Alamo

hen this issue of Symphony went to press, we were nearly a year into a pandemic that has cost hundreds of thousands of American lives, created great financial hardship, and affected nearly every aspect of daily life, with a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Yet against this sobering backdrop, orchestras and musicians continued to make music and stay connected to their communities—while staying safe—in extraordinary ways. Things were far from normal due to the pandemic as the fall/winter performance season got underway, but it began with a burst of musical activity, for reduced audiences, outdoors and in concert halls that had been shuttered since March. Orchestras continued to expand the ways they share music. There were concerts at drive-in theaters and the beach, in driveways and amphitheaters, even in an airplane hangar, all conducted under stringent safety protocols. Limited audiences, socially distanced musicians, masks, and other precautions became familiar. Online, virtual, livestreamed, and on-demand concerts became the new normal. The arrival of colder weather brought a spike of COVID-19 cases that caused further curtailing of concerts. Even so, orchestras took creative approaches to ensure that streamed events and seasonal music were available to all. There is reason for cautious optimism in 2021, with vaccines beginning to be administered and a federal relief bill signed in December that includes support for orchestras, musicians, and others in the arts.

Musical Chairs

League Works with Orchestras and Allies on Federal COVID-19 Relief Package Following months of advocacy by orchestras and the League of American Orchestras, working with advocates across the arts and nonprofit sectors, on December 22 new and extended forms of federal COVID-19 relief were approved by Congress in a funding and coronavirus assistance package that includes support specifically for the live performing arts and its workforce. The full legislation amounts to nearly 5,600 pages, but the League has published a detailed overview on key provisions at https:// americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/be-heard/latest-advocacy-alert.html. Some highlights:

• Save Our Stages: Orchestras and talent representatives are eligible for the Small Business Administration’s new $15 billion grant program dedicated to providing support for “shuttered venue operators.” Orchestras do not need to own their performance space to apply.

MUSICAL CHAIRS The Hong Kong Philharmonic has named LIO KUOKMAN as resident conductor through 2022. has been named concertmaster of California’s San Luis Obispo Symphony. EMILY LANZONE

The Bemidji Symphony Orchestra in Minnesota has named MAGGIE MCCALIP executive director. Boston’s Berklee College of Music has chosen ERICA MUHL as president, effective July 2021. She succeeds Roger Brown, who steps down after a seventeen-year tenure. Longtime Minnesota Public Radio host BRIAN NEWHOUSE has been named as the Minnesota Orchestra’s associate vice president of individual giving. has been hired as features editor of the Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts, succeeding longtime editor Sedgwick Clark, who has retired. CLIVE PAGET

has been appointed music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He retains his post as music director of San Diego Symphony. RAFAEL PAYARE

• Employee Retention Tax Credits will be extended and significantly expanded, and are compatible with PPP and SOS relief.

• Charitable Giving Incentives: The universal charitable deduction for non-itemizers that was created under the CARES Act has been extended throughout the 2021 tax year and raised to $600 for joint filers. More generous deductions for those who itemize their returns and for corporate giving are also extended.

• Relief for Nonprofits Self-Insuring Unemployment Benefits: Orchestras that self-insure unemployment benefits will continue to have liability reduced by 50% through March 14, 2021.

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance will be extended, and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation benefits that expired in 2020 are reinstated at $300 per week, through March 14, 2021. An extra $100 per week will be available for certain workers who have a mix of W-2 and 1099 income.

• The National Endowment for the Arts received an appropriation of $167.5 million for fiscal year 2021, with special permission for grants to be used for operating expenses.

• Education Funding: The bill provides an $82 billion Education Stabilization Fund, and funding for the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education program has been increased to $30.5 million. Visit the League at https://americanorchestras.org/advocacy-government/be-heard/ latest-advocacy-alert.html for more information, how to access the relief, and regular updates.

The Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra has named WILLIAM POWERS as executive director.

Payare

The Las Vegas Philharmonic has appointed TIM ROBINSON interim executive director, following the departure of Lacey Huszcza to become executive director of the Richmond Symphony.

The Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra has named REBECCA ROLING to the new position of vice president of patron and community engagement.

has been named interim president of the American Composers Orchestra, based in New York City. Rosen, who stepped down in September after more than a decade as the League of American Orchestras’ president and CEO, will remain at ACO while Acting President and Director of Development Lyndsay Werking completes her maternity leave. JESSE ROSEN

California’s La Jolla Music Society has selected TODD SCHULTZ as president and CEO. Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society has named ROBERT N. SHAPIRO as board chairman. R. DOUGLAS SHELDON , former

Ariana Drehsler

including an opportunity to apply for forgivable loans for those not accessing Save Our Stages grants. Eligible expenses are expanded, and loan forgiveness terms are improved.

Musical Chairs

• Paycheck Protection Program: More than $280 billion in new PPP relief is available,

Schultz

chairman of Columbia Artists Management Inc. (CAMI), has launched an artist management agency, Sheldon Artists, LLC. KAREN SIVERT, vice

board chair of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, has been named interim president and CEO, after Steven Haines stepped down from the position this fall. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has named MARY ANNE TALOTTA senior vice president and chief development officer.

Kidznotes, the North Carolina-based music education program, has selected SHANA TUCKER as executive director. The Florida Orchestra has appointed SUSANA WEYMOUTH as chief development officer.

has been named associate concertmaster of Florida’s Venice Symphony. ROSS MONROE WINTER

americanorchestras.org

Music and healthcare are intersecting in direct, hands-on ways to provide relief and inspiration during the pandemic. The National Virtual Medical Orchestra, consisting of medical professionals around the country and founded in response to the pandemic, began rehearsing and performing remotely in May 2020, and wrapped up the year with an online concert presented in association with Carnegie Hall entitled “Live With Carnegie Hall: Music is Medicine.” The orchestra—its musicians are all medical professionals with musical training—was formed in the spring by John Masko, music director of the Providence Medical Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Wellesley Symphony Orchestra. In Boston, the New England Conservatory of Music and Massachusetts General Hospital partnered this fall on the Boston Hope French Horn player Bettina Cheung Teaching Project to provide private and clarinetist Michael Wang— music lessons for healthcare workers. medical students who co-founded The project connects teaching fellows Northwestern Medical Orchestra— from NEC with healthcare workers for have been playing with the National weekly private music lessons—and Virtual Medical Orchestra this year. offers respite from the daily stresses of working on the front lines of the pandemic. Pete Yeh

The League of American Orchestras has announced that six individuals have joined its Board of Directors. Each will serve an initial three-year term. The new Board members are: Lorenzo Candelaria: dean, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt University; Marisa Eisemann: member and immediate past chair, Board of Directors, Albany Symphony (NY ); Howard Palefsky: board member and immediate past chair, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra; Mark Peacock: member and immediate past chair, Board of Directors, Nashville Symphony; Daniel Song: vice president, Philharmonic and Production, Los Angeles Philharmonic; Edward Yim: chief content officer and senior vice president, WQXR/New York Public Radio. Additionally, three new ex-officio members have joined the League’s Board: Kathryn Boucher, Spartanburg Philharmonic (SC); Rosina Cannizzaro, Vermont Youth Orchestra Association; and Cynthia Kidwell, East Texas Symphony Orchestra Association.

Music for—and by—Frontline Workers

Dr. Kathy May Tran practices her instrument while on break at Massachusetts General Hospital as part of the Boston Hope Teaching Project, through which healthcare workers receive private music lessons from NEC fellows.

Boston Hope

Six New Board Members at League of American Orchestras

Bandshells and Parking Decks

In October, the New York City-based Orpheus Chamber Orchestra headed to a bandshell in Hillsdale, New Jersey to perform the streamed world premiere of a new English translation of Franz Grillparzer’s narrative text for Beethoven’s Incidental Music from Egmont. The outdoor, socially distanced performance, featuring soprano Karen Slack and actor Liev Schreiber as narrator, was the first time the orchestra performed together since January 2020. Beethoven’s work is based on Goethe’s historical drama about a hero defying foreign occupiers; Orpheus commissioned the new translation of Grillparzer’s text from playwright Philip Boehm to address today’s social and political issues. In addition, smaller groups of Orpheus musicians traveled to Bronxville, New York and Morristown, New Jersey to perform in a parking lot at the Morris Museum overlooking fall foliage, as part of the museum’s “Lot of Strings Music Festival.” Audiences sat on lawn chairs in assigned parking spaces marked by chalk, with many bringing picnic spreads and blankets. Repertoire included Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, Franz Hasenoehrl’s deconstruction of Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel, and works by Brahms, Beethoven, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky. Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and soprano Karen Slack during a Beethoven performance filmed in a bandshell in Hillsdale, New Jersey.

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WINTER 2021

Keep on Trucking

Mobile music trucks were everywhere this fall. In September, the Kansas City Symphony rolled out its Mobile Music Box, with the goal of playing music in all the city’s zip codes. In the first month of the free outdoor concerts, orchestra musicians gave more than 50 performances in the custom-designed trailer—in parking lots, farmers’ markets, parks, suburbs, and on both sides of the Kansas/Missouri state line. The Dallas Symphony Orchestra gave pop-up performances around the city from a Concert Truck at venues including hospitals, parks, and the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. The 45-to-60-minute concerts in November and December featured Kansas City Symphony musicians perform in the orchestra’s new Mobile Music Box. DSO musicians and pianists Susan Zhang and Nick Luby, who created The Concert Truck in 2016. In Shenzhen, China, the Lang Lang Music Bus, a red double-decker bus and music stage, debuted this fall; the vehicle is equipped with the same seats as those in Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, a digital piano, a Bose amplification system, and an audio mixer.

Downtown Lights: Amherst Symphony at 75 The Amherst Symphony Orchestra in New York State was planning to pull out all the stops to celebrate its 75th anniversary this season, but the pandemic meant that the orchestra, like so many others, had to cancel performances. The orchestra and its volunteer musicians normally present four concerts a year at Amherst Middle School as well as an outdoor summertime concert—all New York’s Amherst free of charge. How to mark the big Symphony kept its 75th anniversary and keep the orchestra anniversary center stage with artwork on a traffic front-of-mind while in-person persignal box and 38 banners formances were on hiatus? Working on lampposts. with local authorities, the orchestra installed 38 commemorative banners on lampposts along Main Street in nearby Williamsville, and collaborated with an artist on a colorful painted traffic signal box in the Town of Amherst. The orchestra was the focus of a lengthy feature article in the summer issue of Western New York Heritage magazine, which featured text and images of its history. What’s ahead for the Amherst Symphony? Plans are afoot, so stay tuned.

americanorchestras.org

Pittsburgh and Beyond

This fall, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra launched Front Row: The PSO Virtual Experience, a digital series of music recorded at locations throughout the region and offered free for six months following the launch. One two-part episode featured PSO musicians performing works by Beethoven and contemporary American composers at Heinz Hall (the orchestra’s home venue), Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, and Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in southwestern Pennsylvania. Other episodes included a sensory-friendly Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra fl utist Jennifer holiday concert Steele performs at Fallingwater in October 2020 as led by Principal part of the orchestra’s Front Row: The PSO Virtual Pops Conductor Experience. Byron Stripling, and “Finding Your Song,” a program of music by Gabriela Lena Frank, Hannah Ishizaki, and Jorge Montilla, also conducted by Stripling. Andres Franco conducted a program of music by five women composers—Jennifer Higdon, Libby Larsen, Jessie Montgomery, Florence Price, and Joan Tower—recorded at Heinz Hall and at Washington Penn Plastics Hangar.

After months of preparation by Executive Director Eric Larson and Artistic Director Matthew Sheppard, the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra’s 300-plus students returned to in-person rehearsals this fall. Up until then, musicians in the Illinois-based organization had been rehearsing on Zoom and creating virtual performances from home since the pandemic shutdowns in March. When EYSO musicians returned to their regular rehearsal and performance space, they split into spread-out groups instead of playing as a full ensemble. String and percussion musicians wore masks, wind and brass players used bell covers to limit the spread of aerosols, and parent volunteers sewed masks fitted for the instruments. Other volunteers took the students’ temperatures before rehearsals. The young musicians live-streamed a day

Brass musicians from the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra perform a live-streamed concert at Elgin Community College, November 2020.

of music on November 15—two concerts in the afternoon and one in the evening— from Elgin Community College’s Blizzard Theater. Four orchestras, three percus-

Down the Shore

The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra normally performs at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark and at five other concert Brass musicians from the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra are halls throughout in the filmed at a beach as part of the orchestra’s virtual NJSO Everywhere series. state, but during the pandemic it has added several virtual series. In the new NJSO Everywhere series, NJSO musicians give outdoor solo and chamber performances in iconic New Jersey locations, often in repertoire by New Jersey-based composers. Assistant Concertmaster David Southorn opened the series in December with a performance of Jessie Montgomery’s Rhapsody No. 1 for Solo Violin on the roof of Newark’s One Theater Square. Other performances from January to March include a chamber concert featuring Beethoven’s Septet at Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair; the NJSO brass at the Jersey Shore; and an NJSO quartet— violinists Bryan Hernandez-Luch and Ming Yang, violist Brett Deubner, and cellist Laura Andrade, the NJSO Colton Fellow—performing George Walker’s Lyric for Strings at Hoboken’s Pier C Park. NJSO Everywhere airs on the orchestra’s YouTube and social media channels.

Music at High Altitude Normally, the Boulder Philharmonic’s concerts are presented at Macky Auditorium on the University of Colorado campus, but this season, to keep musicians and patrons safe during COVID-19, all concerts were pre-recorded in the vast Brungard Aviation hangar at Boulder Municipal Airport with safety measures in place. Filming began on September 15 for the first of eight digital concerts—streamed live via Vimeo and later available on-demand—curated by Music Director Michael Butterman and artistic partners cellist Zuill Bailey and pianist Simone Dinnerstein. The airport relocated planes to make room for musicians and their instruments, including a nine-foot Steinway grand. A January 23 concert spotlights Bailey performing the world premiere of the chamber version of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s new concerto, written for Bailey; an April program including an arrangement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 for string sextet will also feature Frequent Flyers Aerial Dance troupe performing Korine Fujiwara’s ballet score for Claudel.

sion ensembles, brass choir, and chamber ensembles performed. Larson told the Elgin Courier-News, “These students love performing music and being able to do that in a time like this is a fantastic benefit to them.”

Cellist Zuill Bailey (center) and (left to right) Boulder Philharmonic musicians Charles Wetherbee, Michael Brook, Jennifer Hayghe, Charles Lee, and David Crowe in a virtual Boulder Philharmonic concert at Boulder Municipal Airport.

symphony

WINTER 2021

Victoria McCabe/NJSO

Space Out, Tune In

Home for the Holidays

Aram Boghosian

Holiday concerts are a time-honored tradition for orchestras, but with most audiences literally confined to home for the holidays this year, creative options abounded. Music Director Kirk Muspratt and the New Philharmonic, based in Illinois, recorded a “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” program outdoors at Glen Ellyn’s Lakeside Pavilion in October under strict guidelines. The concert, streamed in December and January, featured sing-along versions of seasonal music including “Joy to the World,” the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, Lucas Richmond’s Hanukkah festival overture, and works by John Williams, LeRoy Anderson, and Tchaikovsky. The Boston Pops and conductor Keith Lockhart recorded a “2020 Holiday Celebration” at Symphony Hall for later streaming, with an extended stage to keep musicians safely distanced. Included were “Sleigh Ride” and “Twelve Days The Boston Pops records its “2020 Holiday Celebration” at Symphony Hall, led by conductor Keith Lockhart. of Christmas,” plus a virtual performance with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Portions of the program were also filmed at Fenway Park. The orchestra also rolled out a new element with the online concert: captioning and audio descriptions that allow audience members from the deaf and blind/low vision communities to participate more fully. Musicians from the New York Philharmonic performed their 25th annual holiday brass and percussion concert, but it necessitated a trip to New Jersey, where musicians recorded music at an The New Philharmonic and Music Director Kirk Muspratt record a “Holiday Sing-Along with the Symphony” program at the Lakeside outdoor amphitheater Pavilion. at Montclair State University. Former Principal Trumpet Philip Smith rejoined his Philharmonic colleagues as conductor/host/ trumpet, and the program was streamed free in December and January.

Why is this idiot smiling? 1. Because a tough year has ended.

2. Because he wants

to wish all his symphony friends health, high spirits and big smiles in 2021.

Dan Kamin

Comecdeyrtos Con (412)563-6505 dan2@dankamin.com www.dankamin.com

americanorchestras.org

Global Beethoven

With so many concerts sidelined by the pandemic, 2020 was a tough year to celebrate what had been expected to be one of classical music’s biggest moments: the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. Many events moved online, and virtual celebrations included the #GlobalOdetoJoy project, a digital iteration of conductor Marin Alsop’s Global Ode to Joy initiative, which included Carnegie Hall, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Philadelphia Orchestra. Alsop had been set to lead the Ninth Symphony with those orchestras and others on five continents—alongside new music by artists from each region and with the “Ode to Joy” text translated into the local language. To keep the spirit of the original project going, virtual #GlobalOdetoJoy invited orchestras and individuals to share their most joyful content—and Beethoven music—by adding the hashtag #globalodetojoy to their YouTube videos. A compilation of the #GlobalOdetoJoy videos was posted on YouTube on Beethoven’s birthday, December 17. Elsewhere, Gustavo Dudamel streamed a daylong event featuring performances of all nine Beethoven symphonies by Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, for free on his YouTube channel. Seventeen Seattle arts groups created a four-day “This is Beethoven” streamed festival in December, curated by Kristin Lee and Andrew Goldstein, co-founders of the Emerald City Music chamber series. Several new Beethoven books have been published, including American musicologist Lewis Lockwood’s Beethoven’s Lives—a bit of meta-Beethoveniana that surveys 200 years of Beethoven biographies.

Water Music

Downtown Sounds In October, the Princeton Symphony Orchestra headed to Princeton’s Palmer Square to shoot a film of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man featuring its brass and percussion musicians, led by Music Director Rossen Milanov. Filming entailed the use of multiple cameras, including a drone camera, and at the end of the day musicians performed the fanfare for shoppers, families, and everyone nearby. The project was the idea of PSO Executive Director Marc Uys, who noted that for many musicians the project represented “their first and only work in six months. They are extremely grateful, and excited to be playing with colleagues again. The final product will be a high-quality piece, shining a light on Princeton Symphony Orchestra and Princeton’s vibrant downtown.”

Michael Mancuso

Ben White

In October, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Alasdair Neale performed at the Canal Dock Boathouse on Long Wharf Drive in New Haven, Connecticut. On a patio facing the water, the first concert featured a percussion duo and string trio, and the second spotlighted the symphony’s brass quintet. The concerts came about after NHSO Operations Director John Leibensperger attended presentations by the Yale School of Public Health and Shoreline Arts Alliance about safely reopening arts venues. When symphony CEO Elaine Carroll and Patron Services Ambassador Cheri Brooks visited the wharf, it was determined the concerts The audience at a concert by musicians from could proceed while the New Haven Symphony Orchestra at Canal complying with Dock Boathouse in Connecticut. health regulations, and the city donated the space for the concerts. In addition to music by Bach and Handel, selections included Scott Joplin’s “Solace” and “Bethena,” Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’, and an arrangement of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” with marimba player Aya Kaminaguchi and percussionist Michael Singer.

Princeton Symphony Orchestra Principal Percussion Jeremy Levine was among the musicians in the orchestra’s film of Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, shot in downtown Princeton, New Jersey.

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Musical Scavenger Hunt

Driveway PopUp Concerts Normally, the Stockton Symphony performs at the 1,400-seat Atherton Auditorium in Stockton, California. During the pandemic, the orchestra Amy Gibbs

has hosted pop-up events including a saxophone quartet performance in October for board members, donors, patrons, and guests at the Spenker family’s winery and creamery. The quartet also serenaded a symphony patron just outside his home. In addition, the orchestra has pivoted to digital events, hosting monthly virtual Town Halls, including one in September to

Amy Gibbs

During the pandemic, as everyone sought ways to spend time outdoors, the ROCO ensemble in Houston, Texas came up with a musical scavenger hunt. The Buffalo Bayou flows along the Houston waterfront, with a trail system running alongside. From September to December, ROCO collaborated with the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership to create a soundtrack: 40 different Visitors to the Buffalo site-specific audio streams, accessed Bayou trails in Housvia QR codes along the waterfront. The ton, Texas could hear site-specific music came from ROCO recordings, and highlighted the bayou’s landmarks musical streams by the ROCO ensemble, and public art. Musical works includthemed to 40 locations and accessed ed Flying Sirto by Erberk Eryilmaz at via QR codes. the Waugh Bat Bridge, Brad Sayles’s Buffalo Bayou Suite near John Runnels’s steel canoe sculptures, and the second movement of Alexander Miller’s ROCOmoji (a Concerto Grosso for Double Reeds), titled “OMG,” at the Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark. Music by Shostakovich was selected for the Sesquicentennial Park Monument honoring James A. Baker III, who helped oversee foreign policy at the end of the Cold War. ROCO was founded in 2005 as the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra.

mark Peter Jaffe’s 25th year as music director and another in January entitled “Pizza and String Quartet.” The latter

The Louisville Orchestra’s opening-night concert in October made it to the silver screen—the gigantic outdoor screen at the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In in La Grange, Kentucky. There were 200 parking spots for the pre-recorded concert, which featured Music Director Teddy Abrams and the orchestra in “Beethoven’s Third—A Concert for Healing,” and the event included a post-concert showing of the 1994 movie The Shawshank Redemption. The program featured the first movement of Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony, Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst, and two works with bass-baritone Davóne Tines: Samuel Barber’s Dover Beach and two movements of Caroline Shaw’s By and By for voice and orchestra. A highlight was the orchestral premiere of Tines’s composition VIGIL, which paid tribute to Louisville native Breonna Taylor, who was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020 by plainclothes police officers. Collaborators for VIGIL included producer Igee Dieudonné and Matthew Aucoin, who arranged the score. For those who couldn’t make it to the drive-in, the music was streamed as part of the orchestra’s LO Virtual Edition on-demand series.

Clifford Oto

Concert and a Movie

Four Stockton Symphony musicians perform as a saxophone quartet at a patron’s home in October. Stockton Symphony musicians also have performed pop-up concerts at locations including a winery in Lodi, California.

event featured the orchestra’s string quartet in a YouTube performance of the Mendelssohn String Quartet in A major, with add-ons including delivery of “Stockton Symphony plates”: pizza, salad, and wine from local businesses.

The Louisville Orchestra’s opening-night concert was shown at the Sauerbeck Family Drive-In in La Grange, Kentucky, for an audience of 200 cars and their occupants. americanorchestras.org

Santa Barbara Streaming After months of safety preparations, in October California’s Santa Barbara Symphony opened a seven-concert virtual 2020-21 season at the Granada Theatre with 22 musicians performing music from the Great American Songbook, led by Music Director Nir Kabaretti (right and below). For the cabaret-style event, musicians were filmed onstage of the 1924 Granada Theatre, socially distanced, without an audience and with plexiglass shields in place; breaks every 30 minutes allowed the theater’s filters to recirculate fresh air. The show—hosted by actor Leslie Zemeckis and with Broadway vocalist Lisa Vroman—included backstage interviews with musicians and a pre-show cocktail demonstration from a local catering company. The orchestra reported that one-quarter of the nearly 1,000 households that tuned in for the opening-night concert and rebroadcast came from outside Santa Barbara; the stream was later offered on-demand. Interim CEO Kathryn Martin described the event, the orchestra’s first onstage performance since March, as “one that will be remembered forever.”

Focus on Women in Dallas

Sylvia Elzafon

At the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s “Women in Classical Music Symposium” in November, attendees networked at a mentorship speed-dating-style session (right), and Marin Alsop led the DSO and violinist Hilary Hahn in a streamed concert at Meyerson Symphony Center (above right).

Sylvia Elzafon

In November, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra hosted its second Women in Classical Music Symposium, designed to advance career paths for women in the field. Unlike the inaugural event in Dallas in 2019, this year’s four-day event was a hybrid of in-person and virtual options. Panel discussions focused on women composers, performers, and administrators, with sessions including “Breaking Barriers—Women in Classical Music,” “Motherhood and Music— Women as Caregivers,” and “Music and Wellness.” A speed-dating-style event offered networking and mentorship—this time with masks. Violinist Hilary Hahn received an Award of Excellence, composer Katherine Balch was given a Career Advancement Award, and Deborah Borda, president and CEO of the New York Philharmonic, was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Among performances was a DSO program led by Marin Alsop and featuring Hilary Hahn, with works including Magnus Lindberg’s Absence (Abwesenheit—L’Absence), Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 (“Classical”).

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Fred Viebahn

Orchestral Voices

Former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove, whose Sonata Mulattica is the subject of several episodes of the Akron Symphony’s new Unorchestrated podcast.

Orchestras are creating online content that ventures far beyond concerts. Followings a series of “Conductor’s Corner” posts in which he wrote about repertoire and how music can intersect with today’s most pressing issues, Durham Symphony Orchestra Music Director William Henry Curry recently posted his first video blog, speaking directly to viewers while sharing his artistic insights and personal perspectives. In the Akron Symphony Orchestra’s Unorchestrated podcast, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Director of Marketing Thomas Moore speak with ASO musicians, guest artists, and music-industry newsmakers. Unorchestrated launched with a multi-part discussion featuring Akron-born poet Rita Dove, with episodes about Dove’s poetry collection Sonata Mulattica: A Life in Five Movements and a Short Play, which explores the relationship between Beethoven and the Black violinist George Bridgetower—for whom Beethoven composed his “Kreutzer” Sonata. Florida’s Sarasota Orchestra launched its online “Books of Note” program, a conversation-and-readings series that explores two collections of literature, one curated by Artistic Advisor Jeffrey Kahane and the other selected by Sarasota Orchestra musicians. In “Classical Music in America,” Kahane discusses books ranging from Jonathan Rosenberg’s Dangerous Melodies to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch’s Inherit the Truth. The Sarasota Orchestra musicians’ series centers on books that have transformed their lives; the first event featured Sarasota Orchestra violinist Mia Laity in a discussion of Haruki Murakami’s Absolutely on Music: Conversations with Seiji Ozawa.

Two new digital series from the Sarasota Orchestra feature musicians and Artistic Advisor Jeffrey Kahane discussing music and music-themed books.

In Memoriam: Richard Cisek, Minnesota Orchestra Executive and League Board Member

John Croft, Star Tribune

Richard Cisek, who spent more than three decades in multiple administrative positions at the Minnesota Orchestra, including thirteen years as president, died on November 18, 2020 at his home in North Oaks, Minnesota. He was 92. Cisek was an active participant in the activities of the League of American Orchestras for many years, and served on the League’s Board of Directors from 2002 to 2017. Following his time on the regular board, he became a member of the League’s Emeritus Board. Cisek was born on November 11, 1928 in Buffalo, New York, to Helen and Bruno Cieslinski. He graduated from Canisius College in Buffalo, served in the armed forces in Korea, and received an MBA from the Wharton School. A tribute on the Minnesota Orchestra website states that Cisek “began his career in orchestra Richard Cisek in 1990 management at the Buffalo Philharmonic, then joined the Minnesota Orchestra’s administrative staff in 1958 in Orchestra Hall, as public relations director. He quickly rose through the organization’s ranks, as assistant managing director, which he helped build as a home for the manager and ultimately president.… In 1983, the League of American Orchestras … awarded him the Louis Minnesota OrchesSudler Award for ‘outstanding contributions to the profession of symphony orchestra management.’ During tra during his three Cisek’s tenure with the Minnesota Orchestra, he contributed to numerous achievements and programs, includdecades with the ing the construction and opening of Orchestra Hall; the expansion of the Orchestra’s season to year-round, organization. including the creation of Sommerfest; contract negotiations with recording companies; the hiring of Leonard Slatkin, Klaus Tennstedt and Charles Dutoit as principal guest conductors; and numerous major fundraising campaigns … His tenure overlapped with … music directors Antal Dorati, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Sir Neville Marriner and Edo de Waart.” Following retirement, he began a consulting career advising orchestras. Cisek is survived by his wife, Kay Fredericks, three children, and several grandchildren. americanorchestras.org

THINKING

FORWARD

A World More Embracing As orchestras grapple with the financial and organizational challenges of recalibrating their business models for a post-pandemic world, compelling opportunities to rethink relationships with local communities and society itself are emerging.

fter more than 30 years working with orchestras, I was honored earlier this year to accept the position of president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras. But back in March, I had little idea of what I would inherit as I stepped into my new virtual office at the end of the summer. It’s not hyperbole to say that our working lives will never be the same again after 2020. As a result of COVID-19, arts organizations large and small are fighting for their lives, while individual artists and administrators are fighting for their livelihoods. The long-overdue racial reckoning of 2020 has layered on a profound re-examination of our entire field. And the Presidential election has reminded us all of the polarization that runs through American society and the acute divergence of views about how we should move forward as a nation. But what’s particularly draining about this moment is the unfathomable uncertainty. Previous assumptions about our organizations seem irrelevant; even yearold strategic plans are barely worth the paper they’re printed on, and no amount of self-care can fend off the deep anxiety we feel as we try to navigate the moment. Amid crisis, it’s hard to see what the future might bring. Music and extraordinary artistry across our field will always nourish

us. But with vaccines shipping and hope on the horizon, I want to suggest that we turn to new possibilities that might lie ahead. Humanity is resilient, and the arts are resilient. Orchestral music has survived for centuries, and it will thrive again. But it will thrive differently—and the opportunity in front of us now is to fashion a future that is richer and far more embracing than where we’ve come from. Much has already been written on how we rethink our business models to be sus-

Orchestral music has survived for centuries, and it will thrive again. But it will thrive differently—and the opportunity in front of us is to fashion a future that is richer and more embracing. tainable in a very different environment. It’s a mammoth task. But alongside that vital work, there will be things we can do to root our work in a “new humanity” that gives our art fresh meaning and resonance. What follows are some thoughts on what those priorities might look like. We can wait no longer to implement permanent structural change in response to the racial injustice that disfigures the history of orchestras. The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too

Craig T.-Mathew/Mathew Imaging

by Simon Woods

Simon Woods, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras

many other Black Americans have precipitated deep questioning and accelerated our learning about how we have excluded Black people and culture from the orchestra field over many decades. The rawness of the moment has been mobilizing—and it’s inspiring to see many organizations (including the League in its recent Statement on Racial Discrimination committing themselves to the journey toward creating race-equity cultures. And as orchestras opened their 2020 fall seasons— in many different formats—a common thread was the widespread and welcome presence of Black artists and composers. But we’ve been here before and this time must be different. This moment requires commitments and benchmarks that we all hold ourselves accountable to and that keep this work alive each morning as we walk into our offices—virtual or actual. We must address the pervasive privilege that continues to run through our structures and activities. Despite the urgency to maximize revenue in support of an art form that inherently requires many people for its execution, there are some symphony

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big questions to answer about financial and societal barriers to attendance, about the racial and socio-economic make-up of our boards, about galas that celebrate the exclusivity and the trappings of social privilege, and about our relationship with smaller arts organizations in our communities. COVID-19, as has been thoroughly documented, is the reverse of a “great leveler,” in the way it has laid bare the way privilege runs through society. It would be tone-deaf to attempt to turn the clock back to 2019; the new environment deserves and demands we observe a new level of intentionality around the word “inclusion” and how it plays out in our internal cultures and our external actions. Creative artists will lead the way. They are the voices that will memorialize the human stories of this challenging period Some of the most moving and visceral art of previous generations came out of darkness and suffering, and 2020 will be no exception. Works born of the COVID era will attempt to make cathartic sense from the suffering of this time, and they will come from a diversity of identities that would be unrecognizable to previous generations. If we put the creative voices of today center stage, future generations will turn back to them to learn about this moment we lived through, unravel its impact, and admire the way we grasped the moment to reconsider our purpose and values. We need to rethink the role we ascribe to the canonic European repertoire of the past. Like Metropolitan Museum, Prado, and Louvre for the visual art world, orchestras interpret and curate an extraordinary body of repertoire for today’s audiences. And that repertoire continues to be of profound meaning, generation after generation, even as we increasingly understand it to be only part of the story. But the currency risks getting devalued. In this moment of re-assessment, let’s finally stop treating these great treasures of orchestral music as a recyclable asset, pulled mercilessly off the shelf for marketability and immediate emotional impact. Through scarcity and being placed in more diverse, more complete, and more americanorchestras.org

surprising contexts, they will live with new meaning and immediacy. We must quickly advance the leadership potential of the coming generation, creating space for them to thrive, and helping us all to inhabit their world— where the many dimensions of diversity are a natural part of the landscape of hu-

We can wait no longer to implement permanent structural change in response to the racial injustice that disfigures the history of orchestras. manity. Years of teaching and mentoring have shown me time and time again that young people ask the right questions and hold many of the answers. Our organizations are full of them—onstage and off. As the world shifts on its axis, the next generation of musicians and leaders brings extraordinary appetite for thinking differently and challenging norms. They are amazing multipliers for our field and its potential. Now is the moment to release their power. Advocacy for education reform and instrumental instruction should sit much higher up in our hierarchy of organizational priorities. Even pre-COVID, access to music education was a stark civil rights issue, with schools serving lowincome neighborhoods and communities of color receiving the least access to the benefits of an arts education. Music education resources are likely to be further threatened as public sector finances reel from the post-COVID economy. We know intuitively and from research that participation in music later in life as professional and amateur musicians, audience members, and volunteers is directly attributable to access to music education at the earliest age. But orchestras must prioritize education advocacy not only out of self-preservation, but because equitable access to a complete education is a human right. This slow-burning catastrophe requires a new urgency and leadership from orchestras and the field as a whole.

The rehabilitation of towns and cities must again become our work. The word “outreach” is at last thankfully getting replaced with the much more welcoming “engagement,” but that’s not going to be enough in 2021 and beyond. Think “activation.” With many downtowns currently reporting office occupancies of 10% or less and some showing disturbingly fast signs of decline, now the arts will come into their own, giving people a reason to return to urban cores, eat in restaurants, stay in hotels, and spend money in stores. Orchestras are increasingly skilled at reflecting local identity in their programming. That willingness to look for purpose beyond the stage can now come into its own, as the arts lead a revival of our postCOVID towns and cities. Collective impact should be our daily bread. Many large arts organizations live in fragile competition with others in their communities, trying desperately to make a case for customers’ “share of wallet.” The vast range of entertainment, cultural, and philanthropic options available to our audiences forces us to hone our competitive edge. But this isn’t a zero-sum play. We

Collective impact should be our daily bread. can continue to nurture the uniqueness of our offerings while reaching communities more efficiently in partnership with smaller, less-resourced culture-makers who are more rooted in neighborhoods. Without underestimating the financial challenges orchestras are currently facing, it’s nonetheless true that in “normal” times we are usually among the largest and most privileged organizations in our communities. With that privilege comes great responsibility, and we should feel emboldened to stand side-by-side with those with less agency and access to power, working to inspire and build healthier communities together. And finally, as we eventually exit from this tunnel, we must prepare for the next crisis. The violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja said recently: “COVID-19 is the general rehearsal for climate crisis.” The

still worsening pandemic has brought humanity’s fragility shockingly into focus and should wake us up to the even more catastrophic threat that we—and our children—face. Like COVID-19, climate change exerts an asymmetrical force, as those who have less tend to suffer more.

For sure, we’ll think twice about jumping on a plane to that business meeting a twohour flight away, but we owe it to those performing in and managing orchestras 100 years from now to go further. However difficult the answers may be, let’s finally start an honest discussion about the more

carbon-intensive aspects of our work— like touring, the global market for guest artists and attractions, and how audiences travel to our concerts and events. The League of American Orchestras supports and represents America’s vibrant orchestral sector—and it’s of deep personal meaning for me to take on the leadership of this organization at such a pivotal moment. In the past decade, our field has benefited from a huge explosion of new thinking, coming out to meet the changing world in exciting and challenging ways. Music has a unique power to cross boundaries and bring people

The next generation of musicians and leaders brings extraordinary appetite for thinking differently and challenging norms. together—and its inspiration will be more important than ever in the months and years to come. But we have work ahead of us, as we redefine ourselves less as “legacy art form” and more as a sector in permanent evolution, responding to and participating in powerful tides of societal change. Through advocacy, research, convening, and education, the League’s work is to equip our field to answer the big questions in new ways as each generation passes the baton to the next—and help nurture our hopes into living reality. I recently read a quote from long-time executive coach Nancy Levin that jumped off the page at me: “Honor the space between no-longer and not yet.” There is no better way to honor that space than giving airtime to the most pressing issues and challenges that are staring at us. We are currently living through the longest period of uncertainty that any of us has ever experienced in our professional lives, and it feels like an eternity. The more care we spend thinking about our missions in this not-yet moment, the more fully we’ll be ready for the world more embracing that awaits us. This article first appeared on Medium.com on November 17, 2020.

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Your Legacy Matters Share the magic of orchestras with future generations

Planned Giving enables individuals like you, who care deeply about the League of American Orchestras’ mission of advancing the orchestral experience for all, to support the League’s work beyond your lifetime. To learn more about the League’s planned giving opportunities, please visit americanorchestras.org/donate/plannedgiving.

ROOM

BOARD

Boards, Governance, and Racial Equity The COVID-19 crisis and the national focus on racial justice have profoundly affected conversations around governance, with new calls for equity, diversity, and inclusion on boards and at orchestras. by Cathy Trower Cathy Trower

he pandemic has taken a tragic toll on lives around the world, and the country’s long-delayed reckoning with social equity has caused a profound reconsideration of racism in this country. A silver lining to the pandemic and the national focus on racial injustice is that boards are finally waking up and examining existing practices, particularly around board composition and racial diversity—or lack thereof. Board composition is perhaps the easiest thing to look at but there are downsides: (1) by focusing on this relatively low-hanging fruit, some boards are missing all the rest: the staff, the organization’s culture and norms, the organizational policies and practices that reinforce White norms; and (2) some boards are thinking, “we should add a person of color or two” as if that is a solution—without thinking about equity and inclusion or the myriad other factors involved. The most difficult act for White board members is to confront their own privilege. I came across a Warren Buffett quote recently (I know: he’s an older White guy, but it’s still a great quote): “What the human being is best at doing is interpreting all new information so that their prior conclusions remain intact.” We see examples of people—and boards—doing this all the

time. It is not typical human nature to seek disconfirming data; when confronted with it, human nature takes over automatically because no one likes dissonance. That’s part of the power or stereotypes and unconscious bias. Now, boards are seeking more resources on the issues they should be examining. There are many more webinars, books, articles, TED Talks, blogs, etc., on these

There’s a growing need to create an equity frame to the way that boards are governing and leading their organizations. matters. We’re also seeing a closer look at organizational stances on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), including definitions and values statements by organizations— not enough, but at least a start. Forging an Equity Framework

There’s a growing need to create an equity frame to the way that boards are governing and leading their organizations. What might an equity frame entail, and how can boards bring that frame to the boardroom? Equity is promoting justice, impartiality, and fairness within the procedures, processes, and distribution of resources by

institutions or systems. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society. Diversity and inclusion are actually easier for boards to think about and grapple with than equity, but without inclusion diversity doesn’t really matter, and without equity, diversity, and inclusion, you won’t get where you need to go. Bringing an equity frame means looking much deeper around your board table and your organization’s staff to see people of color. It means thinking deeply about “White space”— space dominated by White people, norms, and culture. It means examining yourself and your beliefs and discussing the beliefs of others on the board and confronting White-dominant culture and the characteristics that it embodies. These characteristics include either/or binary thinking; power hoarding; perfectionism; quantity over quality; defensiveness; paternalism; worship of the written word; fear of conflict; and belief in meritocracy and personal objectivity. Is there a connection between embrace of EDI and good governance? Yes, if you believe that good governance is tantamount to leadership and that leadership requires an EDI framework. Good governance is defined, for me, as the right people having the right conversations in the right way on the right issues at the right symphony

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time. That’s a lot to get “right” and getting it right does not mean White right. The right people means diversity in as many ways as we can think about: race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and more. The concept goes well beyond demographic characteristics and extends to background, experience, expertise, how board members think, and skillsets and competencies such as diplomacy, listening, and leadership. In short: does the person reflect the values of the organization? Looking at all of these through the EDI lens will help the board govern better. Becoming More Self-Aware

I highly recommend taking some of the tests at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html, which measure your own implicit biases around race, sexuality, religion, Arab-Muslim, weapons, gender as related to science (vs. liberal arts), gender as related to career, disability, skin tone, age, transgender, weight, and more. The results will astonish you—especially if you think you are not biased. This will help you a lot as you reflect on yourself and how you walk in this world. As I wrote in my July 2020 “Message to Fellow White Board Chairs” blog at BoardSource, it’s key to become aware of your whiteness as a group identity and how that grants you enormous amounts of unearned privilege. Privilege that means that you don’t know or experience the fear and pain that comes with being a part of a group that is brutalized and discriminated against. Privilege that means you can choose to move blissfully unaware through interactions with others, feeling unmarked by your racial identity and

expecting others to see you the same way you see yourself. An exercise from The Pause Principle by Kevin Cashman suggests asking three or four people who know you well and whom you respect to answer: “As you think about me as a BLANK (leader, board member, board chair, manager), what are my primary strengths (if you could only pick two)? What are my

Take a good, long look at your board’s culture with an eye to “blind spots.” primary challenges, blindspots, or places to improve (if you could only pick two)?” Before you get feedback from others, answer those questions for yourself. Invite input from sources outside your closest friends and family, who may fear being completely honest or who see you only in certain ways. Genuinely want to know and improve without being defensive, which can be a natural place to go. Making Board Culture More Inclusive

Board culture, like other cultures, is hard to see when you’re part of it. Technically, according to organizational-culture expert Edgar Schein, culture is “a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems.” Not technically, board

culture is “the way we do things around here.” There are three parts to board culture: (1) artifacts: the overt and obvious elements (bylaws, policies, boardroom setup); (2) espoused values: the declared set of values and norms (what is put on the website); and (3) underlying assumptions: the source of values in a culture and what cause actions. Assumptions are usually “known” on some level but are not discussed, nor are they written or easily found. They comprise unconscious thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, and feelings—and they drive action. We can say over and over that we value EDI, but that means very little. Climate—the way people experience the culture—is a physical manifestation of culture. Climate matters! It’s why you hear about unwelcoming or chilly climates. Ask your board members to name two or three adjectives to describe the board’s culture. Unpack those. Do this anonymously and collect gender, age, race, and other variables to go with each answer. Also ask what makes them use those words, and ask what evidence they see to support that adjective. And then, as a board, unpack the findings. For example, you often hear that the board is “collegial,” but what does that really mean? Is collegial another way to say congenial, or polite? Does it feel clique-ish? Is there an “in” group and an “out” group? Getting at how the board culture is perceived will help you get at space dominated by White culture and norms. As psychologist Jim Taylor has said in his blog, start by first reflecting on the importance of diversity to your organization’s work. Take a good, long look at your board’s culture with an eye to “blind

League Resources for Board Members This article is based on an online Trustee Constituency Meeting presented by the League of American Orchestras on September 30, 2020. Led by Cathy Trower, immediate past chair of BoardSource and former research director of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and facilitated by Doug Hagerman, board chair of the League of American Orchestras, the meeting focused on board involvement in addressing racial equity. Read about the League’s equity, diversity, and inclusion work at https://americanorchestras. org/images/stories/diversity/EDI-Work-at-the-League-Summer-2020.pdf, and the League’s Statement on Racial Discrimination at https://americanorchestras.org/news-publications/public-statements/racial-discrimination-august-2020.html. The League’s Noteboom Governance Center offers a comprehensive range of support, strategies, and programs designed to strengthen governance practice in orchestras. Learn more at https://americanorchestras.org/board-members-volunteers/thegovernance-center.html. americanorchestras.org

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spots”; examine what you have and what you want and identify gaps; and think about why EDI matters and how EDI will impact the organization. Expand your network: I appreciate that there are some parts of this country that are mostly White but if you throw up your hands and say, “persons of color just aren’t out there,” you’re not trying hard enough. Cultivate talent. Expand networks by posting board roles on diversity-focused job websites such as blackcareernetwork. com or reaching out to local chapters of professional or civic associations such as the Hispanic National Bar Association or

Is there a connection between embrace of equity, diversity, and inclusion and good governance? Yes. the National Black Chamber of Commerce. Be sure to build an inclusive and welcoming culture. If someone asks, “What did you do in 2020 in regard to racial inequity?,” what should a board hope to be able to say in response? We refused to accept the status quo or be complacent. We looked long and hard at ourselves as individuals and as a board. We discovered, together, our current culture and climate and why it exists, and determined a path forward to change what needs to be changed. We listened and learned. We took action. We began the journey. CATHY TROWER is immediate past chair of BoardSource and president and a principal of Trower & Trower, Inc., which provides consulting services to nonprofit CEOs and boards. She was co-founder of the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and most recently served there as a senior research associate and research director. She is the author of The Practitioner’s Guide to Governance as Leadership and the second edition of Govern More, Manage Less (BoardSource). She holds a BBA and an MBA from the University of Iowa, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from the University of Maryland.

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Congratulations! The League of American Orchestras is pleased to honor these member orchestras celebrating noteworthy anniversaries this season: 125 years Bangor Symphony Orchestra (ME) Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PA) 100 years Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra (MI), founded by Leta Snow, who also organized the first meeting of the League of American Orchestras in 1942 Omaha Symphony (NE) Rome Symphony Orchestra (GA) Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VA) 90 years El Paso Symphony Orchestra (TX) Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (IN) Modesto Symphony Orchestra Association (CA) National Symphony Orchestra (DC)

50 years Missouri Symphony Orchestra (MO) 45 years Bellingham Symphony Orchestra (WA) Carmel Symphony Orchestra (IN) 40 years Canton Symphony Orchestra (OH), celebrating 40 years with Gerhardt Zimmermann (music director) Southwest Symphony Orchestra (UT) Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra (FL) 35 years Salisbury Symphony Orchestra at Salisbury University (MD)

75 years Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra (TX) Erie Junior Philharmonic (PA) Evanston Symphony Orchestra Association (IL) Flint Youth Symphony Orchestra (MI) Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras of Strathmore (MD) Michigan Philharmonic (MI) Mid-Columbia Symphony (WA) Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra (PA) San Diego Youth Symphony & Conservatory (CA) Spokane Symphony (WA) The Phoenix Symphony (AZ) Topeka Symphony Orchestra (KS)

30 years Meridian Symphony Orchestra (ID) Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra (PA) Youth Orchestra of Bucks County (PA)

70 years Abilene Philharmonic (TX) Allentown Symphony Orchestra (PA), also celebrating 10 years of El Sistema Lehigh Valley Georgia Symphony Orchestra (GA) 65 years Binghamton Philharmonic (NY)

10 years Gold Coast Youth Orchestra (FL) Greater Boulder Youth Orchestras (CO) New World Symphony (FL), celebrating 10 years of the New World Center Northern Valley Youth Orchestras (ND) Oconomowoc Chamber Orchestra (WI) Timpanogos Symphony Orchestra (UT)

60 years Jackson Symphony Orchestra (MI)

2 years Central Texas Philharmonic (TX)

25 years Mission Chamber Orchestra of San Jose (CA) Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra (VA) 20 years Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra (MI) Muscatine Symphony Orchestra Association (IA) Symphony of the Hills (TX) The Park Avenue Chamber Symphony (NY)

LEAGUE

WEBINAR

Creating Authentic, CommunityDriven Partnerships As the country copes with the pandemic and faces a longoverdue reckoning with racism, orchestras are seeking fresh ways to forge genuine connections with communities. How can orchestras collaborate with public education and community partners and offer social-emotional support and engagement? The League’s “New Ecosystem for Community-Centered Commitments” webinar gathered experts to propose new directions. INTRODUCTION By Lecolion Washington Orchestras all over the country have proven themselves to be extremely skilled at developing and promoting the beauty and grandeur of orchestral music. Because of the performance cancellations that have been brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, many orchestras are now seeking new and innovative ways to connect with audiences. What has become clear is that, at a time when creating and nurturing authentic community relationships is top of mind, many orchestras have not developed the necessary skills to lead in this arena. When most people talk about community, they use the word “community” to describe places they would never visit. If the neighborhood in question was a place that patrons or musicians wouldn’t take their children, then the institution would refer to that work as being “in the community.” For many, community engagement was where institutions placed programs that were important, but not mission-critical. It was this framing that led to the lack of authenticity in “community-engagement” programs. The legacy of this thinking is forcing

orchestras to come to terms with the competing truths of the orchestral field. Competing truths is a phrase from Thomas Henschel’s podcast, “The Look and Sound of Leadership.” In the idea of competing truths, there are multiple truths that are simultaneously true and contradictory. For example: We’re all the same. We’re all like many people and different from many people. We’re all individually unique.

“When most people talk about community, they use the word ‘community’ to describe places they would never visit.” All of those statements are true and contradictory. As a Black classical bassoonist, I understand competing truths quite well. I performed in great concert halls with some of the greatest musicians in the world. That’s a truth. Simultaneously, many of the concert halls in which I performed were segregated during their history. My parents would not have been able to see me perform in those concert halls when they were young. That was a competing truth in my relationship with

this beautiful art form that I loved and that I committed my life to. Many of the times that I played concerts, I had to reconcile that competing truth in my mind while also preparing to play my best. Competing truths is a way to create a sense of humility among orchestras as they begin to navigate this new terrain of creating authentic and community-driven partnerships. The music is wonderful and some of the relationships that the institutions created were simultaneously inauthentic. Last fall, Eric Booth, a veteran artslearning consultant, and I spoke with individuals from several perspectives in an honest discussion of the new approaches that will emerge from this time of closures. In The New Ecosystem for Community-Centered Commitments, a League of American Orchestras webinar, we also discussed the roles that orchestras can—and hopefully will—play in creating authentic relationships with the communities in which they exist. The text that follows has been excerpted from the League of American Orchestras’ September 23 webinar “New Ecosystem for Community-Centered Commitments” and edited for space. Learn more and watch the complete webinar at bit.ly/ communitycenteredwebinar.

Eric Booth: This conversation is a testament to the priority that the League places on this issue of orchestras deepensymphony

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ing their relationships with communities when it might get lost amid the demands of the triple or quadruple crises that we all find ourselves in. I’ve been touched that, repeatedly, they refer to this crisis time as an “opportunity time,” in which we may be able to accelerate the pace of change for the relationship between orchestras and community ecosystems. We have seven panelists with us who have seven different perspectives on this topic, experts who will look at the experience of this time and share their visions for the future. Lecolion Washington: We’re thinking about this time when 330 million people are experiencing collective trauma. We have this period of racial unrest that we must all acknowledge and appreciate. How do we take this as an opportunity to rethink what that word “community” means? What does it mean to be a community partner?

“We’re meeting regularly during this period. We’re ask ing ourselves how we’re going to rebuild post-crisis, how we’re going to diversify our faculty.” Victor Sawyer: In the Memphis musiceducation community, I’ve noticed a major challenge around training and reframing. The level of control has really been democratized; everyone’s equal on the worldwide web. I’m noticing that a lot of people are having a hard time relinquishing control and allowing the community to speak for themselves. The people who have had the reins are rethinking what they do, because they don’t have that same level of control that they once did. Paul Murphy: I’m involved with several communities of teaching artists at cultural organizations. This is a vulnerable time for many of us—like most of my colleagues, I’m unemployed at this moment. And yet, teaching artists have been meeting regularly during this period. We’re asking ourselves how we’re going to rebuild post-crisis, how we’re going to diversify americanorchestras.org

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Proudly hailing from Washington, D.C., trombonist Hakeem Bilal is assistant professor of trombone at West Virginia University, a regular extra with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Pittsburgh Symphony, serves as the bass trombonist of C Street Brass, and is a member of River City Brass and the MC of Beauty Slap. Arts learning consultant Eric Booth has worked with many arts organizations, including several U.S. orchestras as well as cities, states, and businesses. He has served on the faculties of Juilliard, Tanglewood, the Kennedy Center, and Lincoln Center Education, and is the author of seven books. Charles Dickerson is founder, executive director, and conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and the South Side Chicago Youth Orchestra, and professor of conducting at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. Trumpeter Paul Murphy is a teaching artist at the New York Philharmonic and a curriculum specialist at Juilliard K-12. He has performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the Knights, and International Contemporary Ensemble, and co-founded the chamber collective Decoda, an affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall. Strategic and cultural planning consultant Myran Parker-Brass is the former executive director for the Arts for the Boston Public Schools. She served as director of education for the Boston Symphony Orchestra for twenty years, and was chair of Experiential Education at Longy School of Music at Bard College. Suzanne M. Perrino is senior vice president of Learning and Community Engagement at Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Victor Sawyer is a freelance trombonist in Memphis, TN. He is an instrumental instructor at Stax Music Academy for middle-school and high-school musicians, and the senior fellowship coach for the Memphis Music Initiative, working with teaching artists in underserved communities. Dalouge Smith is CEO at the Lewis Prize for Music and prior to that, he led the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory for thirteen years. Smith also serves as vice-chair of El Sistema USA and is on the boards of California Arts Advocates and Californians for the Arts. Lecolion Washington is the executive director of the Community Music Center of Boston. He was co-founder and executive director of the PRIZM Ensemble in Memphis. Washington has been a featured solo and chamber bassoonist in the U.S. and abroad, and has performed as guest principal and co-principal bassoon with American orchestras.

our faculty. We wonder how we can help cultural institutions, arts leaders, board members, teaching artists, and funders reimagine more equitable labor structures for teaching artists and our community engagement work. Right now, many teaching artists are feeling abandoned by cultural institutions. There is a risk that the trusting, collaborative, generous culture that has fueled teaching artists’ work in community engagement may be damaged if we

“There’s a major disconnect from people who have internet and say, ‘All right, we’re gonna go online.’ We’re leaving out people who didn’t even have internet before the pandemic who were left in the dark.” are unable to address the vulnerability of teaching artists as a labor force. At the same time, I’m aware of many organizations that are using this moment to double down on community engagement. Even in organizations where funding has been cut or is uncertain, I’ve seen arts leaders find innovative ways to keep building community both internally and externally, so that we’re ready after this crisis. Washington: Hakeem, can you give us a sense of what’s happening in the academic space? Hakeem Bilal: There are universities that don’t have the deepest pockets that are furloughing employees; you’re seeing nationwide hiring freezes. But the biggest thing that I’ve seen with my students and with the community, especially in West Virginia, is the lack of accessibility. We’re talking about everyone having a stable internet connection, so that when you have a remote lesson, you have something you can receive that instruction from. There are students who have to go to a McDonald’s parking lot to get free WiFi just to have a lesson. There’s a major disconnect from people who have internet and say, “All right, we’re gonna go online.” We’re leaving out people who didn’t even

have internet before the pandemic who were left in the dark. That’s been a major roadblock. Washington: Those of you within organizations, are there things that you’re recognizing—not only challenges for yourselves and your staff, but also challenges for the constituency that you’re working with and supporting and partnering with? Dalouge Smith: The crux of this is, orchestras have an incredible specialization that, it turns out, is not adaptable to a changed environment. The question is, “What is your capacity for being responsive to change moments and to this particular circumstance?” In the creative youth development field, [they’ve retooled] programs that historically offered music, education, and meals and transportation so that now the transportation is a meal delivery service to families. Where I believe orchestras could do some important introspective work is to ask, what are the assets we have? How do we evolve those assets into a different shape or a different form to serve our communities differently than we were originally built to do? Suzanne Perrino: Just thinking outside the concert format can be stressful to orchestras considering, “What can we do besides a concert?” For the fall, we’re

creating five digital episodes that are contextual and historical, but also offer a platform for local artists. We’re opening it up to offer different voices, different perspectives, different aspects of the region, to celebrate and involve other people and other topics—which can be very scary. We’re going down that road, but it

“We’re opening things up to offer different voices, different perspectives, different aspects of the region, to celebrate and involve other people and other topics—which can be scary. As a large organization that’s been around for 125 years, we’re going through that pain right now. How can we improve?” fits into all of this: it is about adapting, pivoting. As a large organization that’s been around for 125 years, we’re going through that pain right now. How can we improve? Charles Dickerson: It is incumbent on leaders in the field to be the ones who are nimble, and not to look to those within our ensembles and groups to be the ones who need to make the change. We are the symphony

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ones who need to make the change. My orchestra also serves as the orchestra for California State University, Dominguez Hills. I’ve had to change the class so that we’re not actually performing music, but we’re listening to a lot of music. The underlying point I want to make is

“How are we as a collective going to build this new way to teach and for our students to learn? We’re seeing something similar in arts and cultural organizations. How do I invite my partners into this new mode of teaching and learning?” that it is upon us, as the leaders, to be nimble and flexible. Booth: Panelists, are you seeing things emerging in this interim time that you sense are indicators of a longer-term change? Community connection through the internet is with us; that is going to be a long-term change. What else are you spotting? Dickerson: We are suffering from a fear, perhaps more than a reality, that we’re going to lose some of our participants because some of the young people that we have the privilege of serving don’t have the technology. The bigger issue is, how do we maintain connection with the young people who are in our groups and with their parents? Some of them simply seem to have fallen off the map; they don’t want to come online. How are we being creative and making sure that we can maintain connections with the very people we are there to serve? Perrino: I’ll add that social-emotional support, to make sure that we’re there for others, is like a music therapy approach, like using music as a tool for health outcomes for the betterment of participants. The negative side of not having that social-emotional support is you see kids move away, disconnect, and return their instruments to drop out of band class, to drop out of youth orchestra. We’re in this together. How do we support the larger americanorchestras.org

ecosystem of social, emotional, supportive music education? Sawyer: In the examples where that connectivity hasn’t been lost, I noticed something positive. Instead of people focusing on the 80- or 100-member orchestra in music education, teachers and specifically teaching artists are focusing on mentorship. They’re focusing on smaller groups, on chamber groups. They’re saying, “Maybe it’s more important if I spend an hour with these three kids to just see how they are in general.” Myran Parker-Brass: In Massachusetts, our music educators have been thrown into this new territory together [and] begun to understand that we’re stronger as a collective. We’re all losing resources and revenue. How are we as a collective going to build this new way to teach and for our students to learn? We’re seeing something similar in our arts and cultural organizations. It’s that conversation about how we engage our teaching artists, and what tools we’re going to give them. Also, how do I invite my partners into this new mode of teaching and learning? I think that is the positive that’s coming out of this, because we’re having this collective thinking and conversation. One of the negatives, which we also need to keep in our forefront, is that schools and districts are having difficult conversations about resources and revenue. We’re seeing this reduction and sometimes elimination of music positions and music programs. Smith: In San Diego County, thousands of students at the highest income bracket are pulling out of public schools. They are basically building private academic hubs, pods, going to in-home learning, homeschooling, etc. At the same time, the lowest-income, most family-unstable students are dropping out of public school, disappearing. They’re not even actively withdrawing from school, they are evaporating. If orchestras want to really be responsive to the circumstances of their communities and meet young people where they are, finding partners who are tightly

connected to young people is important. I can’t state enough that orchestras have immense resources in communities, and for those resources to not be directed to young people who are at risk of essentially losing education entirely, is basically an abdication of civic responsibility. Booth: El Sistema and other in-depth after-school programs have almost all managed to get access for their students to sustain that relationship, to somewhat heroic degrees. They’re actively using every tool they have—interpersonal, socioemotional, and musical—to keep that thread alive, until it becomes clearer how to advance the musical learning. Washington: In this moment in which many people in the country are galvanized around racial inequity, what role is an orchestra going to play in this trauma-

“Orchestras have immense resources in communities, and for those resources to not be directed to young people who are at risk of essentially losing education entirely, is basically an abdication of civic responsibility.” sensitive space? What are some ways orchestras can use this as an inflection point to become part of these broader conversations? Sawyer: One thing we did at Stax Music Academy is to look at mission and vision and ask: What are the goals for this organization? For the youth? For the community? Often those aren’t aligned. It’s so important to list [these goals] and then say, what is the purpose? Is this particular part of my programming needed in this environment? When you define and say, “this is important,” then ask yourself, how do we deliver it? Are we the ones to deliver it, and why? Ask yourself: What does it mean to uplift the arts of Black culture in traditionally anti-Black spaces? Perrino: I agree. Sometimes it’s difficult for an organization to think about itself, other than its main purpose of doing concerts. How can you uplift others? So

much gets stuck in the silo of learning and community engagement, but we really need to make it institutional. Dickerson: If we’re going to be relevant, if we’re going to continue to exist, it’s time for us to get into the places where the young people are. This is not a usual space for orchestras. We’re not used to going to the people. We’re used to having the people come to us, and that’s a major paradigm shift. Murphy: Developing culturally responsive pedagogies and curriculums is an urgent part of orchestras doing anti-racist work. I’m a White teaching artist who has often been tasked by orchestras to teach predominantly Eurocentric curriculum in urban schools that are made up of primarily Black, Brown, and Asian students. We have the opportunity as a field to improve. It’s important that orchestras include teaching artists, musicians, staff, and board members in professional development around this issue. Orchestras should move away from the deficit-based lens of “giving access” to musical culture, and towards a paradigm of engaging with the cultural wealth that’s already present in the communities we interact with. For example, most of my students in East Harlem have family connections to Jamaica. There is a wealth of musical knowledge and culture already alive in the classroom—if I and the NY Philharmonic are willing to get to know the students. We talk about the music of Beethoven and Julia Wolfe in my New York Philharmonic school residencies, but as we build an authentic relationship, my students and I have also found time to talk about Bob Marley and “Buffalo Soldier.” We’re able to have a much more authentic conversation. The learning is more discovery-based and less hierarchical. It’s not about me and the Philharmonic giving access to Beethoven and Julia Wolfe, it’s about imagining the kind of conversation that Bob Marley, Julia Wolfe, and Beethoven might have had together. And empowering my students to feel like they have every right to add their own voices, ideas, and music to that conversation. Washington: Myran, what role can americanorchestras.org

orchestras play in being an advocate to mayors, city council people, state senators? You have been within an orchestra, but you’ve also been in city government, in the school system. Parker-Brass: Orchestras are in their city governments all the time advocating for funding, but that funding can sometimes be narrow, focused. When they’re advocating, let’s change that narrative so that it includes the entire musical community, the entire music education landscape, so it’s not just about them as an orchestra and what they bring to the city. This is also a time for orchestras to help schools understand how and what the curriculum needs to look like. Students and millennials access music and arts differently. You’re entering their space as orchestras, because you’re now offering many more

“It’s on us to stop acting like systemic racism is complicated. We know the problem. We know the solutions.” online opportunities for them to engage with you than ever before. Well, this is their territory. How do you bring them into the conversation about this new space of concert performance, engagement? Dickerson: I would bet that every single person who’s involved in their orchestra knows the city council person who represents the area where the orchestra is housed. It’s time for us to know the city council persons who represent that part of the community that, frankly, is 90% of the time left out of orchestral music. Call your local head of your NAACP. Have lunch with them, find out what’s going on. Ask, “How can we as an orchestra be helpful in your community?” Call your school board representative. How can we be helpful? Opening the dialogue is the first step. Sawyer: When it comes to connecting with a community, we have city names attached to orchestras. The question I began asking myself, even before the pandemic, is how does the Memphis Symphony differentiate itself from the Nashville Symphony? Oftentimes,

organizations and symphonies have the name of a city in their title, but you could literally take that orchestra and drop it in any other city, and nothing would be different. Orchestras are claiming our cities, claiming our communities, and the only way that they’re connected, oftentimes, is by ZIP code. Booth: From other arts-community conversation, two things always come up. Number one is a challenge to the quality of listening by institutions: there are such habituated ways of listening that learning afresh how to listen is crucial. The second one connects to new partnerships. What is your sense of the opportunity of new partnerships? Dickerson: I work in the inner city. Orchestras shouldn’t come in as missionaries, as colonizers. Come in with a sense of humility and a recognition of what’s already happening—what young people and their parents already know. Bilal: There’s a lot more room for the ego to be put aside. I think that we can stay relevant as organizations, by empowering those who are younger to just create, whether that’s through digital audio workstations or finding a way to teach them how to put their thoughts down on paper. Smith: City council members know what’s going on in their neighborhoods. You can turn to your local leaders and say, here’s what we have, we want to learn if this can be of use. Who should we talk to? Or, here’s something that we’re interested in learning more about, who can we learn from? You have to be conscious that you’re not coming in to put your brand on their work, that’s the colonizing side of things. Smith: It is an act of immense privilege to not show up. Sawyer: Go to a church service, go to your city council, ask the young people in your orchestra what they want. The problems are obvious; how to go about rectifying these things is obvious. Is the process a little bit painful, building relationships across time? Absolutely. But it’s on us to stop acting like systemic racism is complicated. We know the problem. We know the solutions.

Studying Safer Concerts Orchestras and scientists are joining forces to study the spread of the coronavirus so they can bring back live music— safely. These collaborations are part of the innovative approaches orchestras are taking on multiple fronts during the pandemic. Results from the scientific studies suggest mitigation strategies, safety protocols, and even new ways to present concerts. by Michele C. Hollow

magine feeling safer performing onstage than shopping at a local supermarket or taking public transportation. That’s a comparison recently made by Stefan N. Willich, professor and director of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Economics at Charité University Medical Center in Berlin, Germany.

Willich is also a conductor and founder of the World Doctors Orchestra, based in Berlin. Willich is highly aware that COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Germany, here in the United States, and around the world. Despite the widespread increase, he remains optimistic and believes that with proper measures in place, in-person

This article reports on several recent studies of how coronavirus aerosols are transmitted by orchestral musicians in concert halls and other spaces, as well as various interventions to prevent the spread of the virus. Some of the studies have been completed, while others are ongoing. Scientists are continuing to learn more about the coronavirus, and study findings noted in this article do not constitute safety recommendations from Symphony magazine or the League of American Orchestras.

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Travis Anderson

Minnesota Orchestra Principal Trombone Douglas Wright is filmed on the Orchestra Hall stage as part of the orchestra’s aerosol-transmission research study in partnership with scientists at the University of Minnesota.

concerts can safely return. His confidence stems from a German study issued in May 2020 focusing on research between musicians and scientists; the study noted that restrictions put in place in Germany since March 2020 had “achieved a sharp decline of infections.” These restrictions include mask wearing, following recommendations for general safeguards, stage plans for various instruments, cleaning, and ventilation. In the United States, orchestras are tak-

of Music partnered with Rice University scientists to figure out how to resume their events so everyone onstage, in the audience, and behind the scenes stays safe. The 2020-21 concert schedule at the Houston Symphony’s website comes with a caveat that due to the pandemic, programs are subject to change. It’s the kind of increasingly familiar proviso that most orchestras and concert halls are posting during the pandemic. Orchestras have to pivot quick-

have shown that the airflow of particles from these instruments don’t travel as far as previously thought. “That was one of the things we looked at,” Mangum says. “Scientists at Rice University have been studying how air particles are spread during a symphonic concert, thus giving orchestras a road map to reopening safely.” Most of the Houston study concluded this past summer. Researchers are still compiling data and looking at HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) systems. The crux of the problem is that when aerosols are exhaled from a person infected with COVID-19, the virus rides on those aerosols and can land on nearby surfaces or be inhaled by another person. Aerosol research is essential in getting musicians back to rehearsing and performing safely. In addition to quantifying the aerosol risks, an important goal of the studies covered

Brandon Martin/Rice University

Orchestras are working with scientists to determine how to keep musicians, staff, and audiences safe.

Houston Symphony flutist Kathryn Ladner (left) plays her instrument as part of the orchestra’s aerosol-research study with Rice University researchers Vivek Boominathan, Ankit Raghuram, and Sean Farrell.

ing action and reaching out to scientists at leading universities to determine how to keep musicians, staff, and audiences safe at performances, whether indoors or out. These collaborations between scientists and orchestras are part of the new, highly proactive approaches orchestras are taking to keep the music going during the pandemic. “We have to think in new ways and on all fronts in fighting this disease,” says John Mangum, executive director and CEO of the Houston Symphony. “And you can find the answers in science. It’s a great first step.” The Houston Symphony and students from Rice University’s Shepherd School

ly now, and so do audiences: rising infection rates and new restrictions on gatherings in mid-November meant that many orchestras had to cancel or significantly rethink holiday concerts that were just a few weeks away. It is likely that some references to in-person future concerts in this article will have changed since press time. “The more answers and the more studies we’re looking at that tell us the same information, the safer we feel,” Mangum says. “We’re building a body of evidence.” One of the biggest pieces of evidence relates to how far a wind or brass player’s breath travels when they perform. Several studies between orchestras and scientists

Visit the League of American Orchestras’ website for regularly updated information about the pandemic, including federal financial assistance; resources on communications, governance, and fundraising; and links to the Centers for Disease Control. https://bit.ly/leaguecovidresources americanorchestras.org

in this article is to examine how to reduce transmission through a variety of mitigation strategies—even as none of these recommendations can be considered definitive, given that knowledge continues to increase about how the coronavirus spreads. Making the Invisible Visible

Mangum co-wrote a proposal for the Houston Symphony/Rice University study, which is entitled “TunesFlow: Studying Aerosol Flow Spread for Wind Instruments and Singing,” with Ashok Veeraraghavan and Ashutosh Sabharwal, electrical and computer engineering professors at Rice University, and Robert Yekovich, dean of the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. With funding secured by Rice University’s COVID-19 Research Fund Oversight and Review Committee, “we thought the results of the study would help not just the Houston Symphony, but orchestras around the country,” Mangum says. The researchers at Rice looked at the direction and distance air particles travel from instruments and singers. The scientists also studied how long these particles remained in the air. They tracked these

air particles using Schlieren photography, an imaging system that monitors airflow that’s impossible to see with the naked eye. “It’s like looking at a fire and the images behind it,” Veeraraghavan explains. “Those

“The more answers and the more studies we’re looking at that tell us the same information, the safer we feel,” says John Mangum, the Houston Symphony’s executive director and CEO. images seem to shimmer and move. Schlieren photography makes the invisible visible.” They did this by photographing musicians playing their instruments. The camera captures the airflow of the air particles emitted from the holes on the instruments’ keys and from the bell when air exits the instrument. The scientists found that airflow didn’t travel as far as they originally suspected. Even the flute, one of the riskiest instruments due to a larger amount of airflow than other instruments, had an airflow of under three feet. The study noted that the outcomes were “quite surprising and point to other factors that we need to pay

attention to other than just social distancing,” especially ventilation. Nevertheless, researchers were careful to note that the standard social distancing guidelines of 2 meters are “always important” and that this distancing onstage can “reduce the risk, especially from macro-droplets and directly expelled spray.” “What we didn’t take into account,” Veeraraghavan says, “was that air exhaled from humans is warmer than the air around us in a concert hall. That warm air rises. Our intent is to remove those air particles with ventilation systems that clean the air.” The study noted, “It is clear from our data that room air currents (driven by ventilation) have a major Houston Symphony Principal Tuba David Kirk participates in the effect on the flow of orchestra’s Schlieren-imaging study with Rice University researchers. this exudate air. In particular, the airflow direction in some cases ing of our concerts on 8 p.m. on Saturcould be the opposite of the exudate direcdays,” Mangum says. “Some people prefer tion because of room air currents driven watching at home and others want to be primarily by ventilation…. It’s important here. All 150 seats sell out. They underto have good ventilation … to increase stand the precautions we’ve put in place.” air circulation as much as possible and inGoing forward, Mangum, says, “We hope crease the rate of air exchanges per hour to to be able to increase the size of our inas high a rate as possible.” person audiences. A lot depends on when Based on the Houston Symphony/Rice a vaccine will be available.” symphony

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Jeff Fitlow/Rice University

Brandon Martin/Rice Universit

Houston Symphony Principal Oboe Jonathan Fischer plays his instrument as part of the orchestra’s air-visualization research study conducted by Rice University researchers. Instruments in the experiments included flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trombone, trumpet, and tuba.

University study, several safety measures were put in place in Jones Hall, where the Houston Symphony performs. At press time, in-person concerts were back, and the 2,900-seat concert hall was open for only 150 season subscribers to attend hour-long performances. In what has become standard operating procedure at orchestras open for in-person concerts, Houston concerts have no intermission, to minimize audience movement such as getting up to go to the restroom. No food, drinks, or printed programs or tickets are available. This way crowds won’t congregate in the lobby, and everything is touchless. Patrons scan their tickets on their cell phones upon entry, programs are online, and masks are mandatory. In Houston, musicians are tested for COVID-19 two days before the first rehearsal and string and percussion players must wear masks on stage. Woodwind and brass players also wear masks and take them off when they’re performing. The study’s initial findings were released in October. Based on those findings, musicians now sit at a minimum of six feet apart from one another, and the number of musicians on stage has decreased to about 40 musicians. “We also have livestream-

The Importance of Air Flow

Many orchestras continue to stream concerts online or through their local public television and radio stations. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra does both. However, nothing compares to in-person concerts. “Despite social distancing and masks, music is still the shortest way from one heart to another,” says Music Director Stéphane Denève. Like many other orchestras, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra canceled in-person performances due to the pandemic beginning last March. The orchestra returned to Powell Hall in October and has concerts planned through May 2021 with a maxi-

“With all these protocols in place, everyone’s on board because it’s the future of our business,” says Marie-Hélène Bernard, president and CEO of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. “We’re still learning how the virus behaves, and this study allows us to bring back live music.” dous lengths to understand and operationalize public health strategies to prevent the transmission of COVID-19,” Liang says in an email. “I’m inspired by the passion with which the orchestra has labored to bring music back into all of our lives after all these months.” Results from the study changed the way St. Louis Symphony Orchestra concerts are performed. Just like other concert halls presenting live music, now-familiar safety protocols will be in place at Powell Hall,

An usher greets two audience members arriving at one of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s first concerts after returning to Powell Hall this fall. The orchestra partnered with doctors at Washington University to study how it could return safely to the concert hall.

In photo: St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Stéphane Denève with a nurse at Mercy Hospital, October 2020. After partnering with doctors at Washington University to study ways to return safely to Powell Hall, the orchestra invited healthcare workers to its first socially distanced concerts at the hall this fall.

mum audience of 150 people. In order to make this season and the next possible, the orchestra teamed up with a group of infectious-disease specialists led by two medical researchers—Stephen Liang and Abigail Carlson of Washington University School of Medicine—to develop concert protocols. The St. Louis study, which is ongoing while scientists continue to learn more about the virus, looks at many possible scenarios, from airflow from instruments to social distancing to mask wearing and HVAC systems in the building. The orchestra’s leadership “has gone to tremenamericanorchestras.org

Air filtration systems are essential in making sure the air is clean, says a growing body of research. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s website states, “There will be time reserved between each event to allow for six complete fresh air purges and complete sanitation of that hall. HVAC air filters have been upgraded to maximum efficiency rated MERV-13.” MERV stands for Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value. The rating means the filters can catch a high percent of air particles. “With all these protocols in place,” says SLSO President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard, “everyone’s on board because it’s the future of our business. We’re still learning how the virus behaves, and this study allows us to bring back live music. We found good news about Powell Hall. It was built in 1925 as a movie theater. The airflow in the building is good because of how the building was constructed.” The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra says concertgoers are returning—but with a substantial adaptation due to the pandemic: the 2,600-seat hall is open to 150 concertgoers. “Our audiences want to be here,” Bernard says. “We conducted a survey with

among them: no food or drinks, everyone wears masks, concert times average between 60 and 75 minutes without an intermission, and halls are sanitized prior to each performance. On stage, plexiglass barriers separate rows of woodwind and brass players to ensure the airflow from those musicians is directed upward to the return filtration system.

Kate Prescott at Prescott & Associates, and the results were great. Of the 1,300 people who responded to the survey, we found 32 percent were ready to return. One third were on the fence, and the last one third were in a high-risk group for getting the virus. Of the people who wanted to attend live concerts, the mix included young and old from a variety of backgrounds.”

Dilip Vishwanat

St. Louis Symphony Orchestra Music Director Stéphane Denève greets the audience at a chamber concert at Powell Symphony Hall on October 16, 2020.

Filtration, Aerosol Concentration, and More

The Minnesota Orchestra teamed up for a study with scientists at the University of Minnesota and with Stay Safe Minnesota (a government resource site), Minnesota Department of Health, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “We were trying to un-

rection and length of that concentration. None of the air particles went farther than 30 centimeters, which is under one foot.” The Minnesota Orchestra’s website states that the University of Minnesota aerosol research study indicates that “aerosols from all wind and brass instruments are not directional and do not flow further than 30 centimeters from the instrument before decreasing to the level of ambient air.”

The next step is to bring audiences back. Safety measures are in place, air purifiers are on stage, and the filtration system cleans the air about eight times an hour. Researchers in Minnesota used a computer simulation to study how air moves in the orchestra hall and how it’s pulled out and filtered back. “Our approach all along has been to take it gradually,” Willis says. “Coronavirus numbers are rising. We want to keep everyone safe. When live concerts return, audience size will be smaller than usual. We’re being cautious.” Once everything is in place, the musicians hope to return to performing before live audiences. Bell Covers, Masks with Slits

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), data suggests that children ages 18 and younger represent about 8.5 percent of reported COVID-19 cases and children with pre-existing conditions are at risk. The WHO states that further studies are underway to understand transmission in this age group. Gaining more knowledge about this younger population is important for orchestras—especially youth orchestras—and audiences of all ages.

derstand what the situation was and how it was going to affect us,” says Mele Willis, the orchestra’s artistic operations manager. “At the time we had little knowledge about aerosol emissions.” The study, which concluded November 20, 2020, looked at air particles that came out of brass and woodwind instruments. “When we exhale, air particles come out of our mouths and out of the instruments we play,” Willis explains. “We wanted to understand what happens to those air particles when we’re performing together. Scientists at the University of Minnesota looked at the aerosol concentration coming from the instruments and at the di-

Journal of Aerosol Science

"Our approach all along has been to take it gradually," says Mele Willis, artistic operations manager at the Minnesota Orchestra. "We want to keep everyone safe."

As part of the University of Minnesota’s aerosol study with Minnesota Orchestra musicians, researchers measured aerosol generation when musicians breathed, spoke, and played their instruments.

Currently, the orchestra is performing— in ensembles of up to 25 musicians, with health and safety measures in place for the musicians, in programs created for at-home viewing—but not in front of an in-person audience. Minnesota Public Radio broadcasts the orchestra’s concerts on Friday nights, while the orchestra’s other concerts are streamed on its own website, and some have aired on Minnesota Public TV.

An aerosol study commissioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the College Band Directors National Association, and a coalition of more than 125 performing arts organizations including the League of American Orchestras, has generated results that indicate mitigation strategies for reducing the impact of COVID-19 on performing arts activities. These organizasymphony

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A safety poster designed for music educators and students in conjunction with the International Coalition of Performing Arts’ aerosol study. The study was commissioned by the National Federation of State High School Associations, the College Band Directors National Association, and a coalition of more than 125 performing arts organizations, including the League of American Orchestras.

The International Coalition of Performing Arts Aerosol Study Report was conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland and the University of Colorado Boulder. This graphic shows various models of airflow in a rehearsal room with seven clarinetists, including differences between the use of bell covers vs. no bell covers as well as relative risks of infection.

tions collaborated with scientists from the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Maryland. “We are providing these results to assist in the safer return to performing arts activities,” James Weaver, Ed.D., director of Performing Arts and Sports for NFHS, where he oversees student participation, professional development, and awareness of performing arts activities at the nation’s more than 19,500 high schools. He is cochair of the study, which “focuses strictly on the distribution of respiratory aerosol that is generated while playing wind instruments, singing, acting, speaking, dancing, and in a simulated aerobic activity,” he americanorchestras.org

says. “The study was designed to identify performing arts activities that generate respiratory aerosol including volume, direction, density, and mitigation strategies.” What surprised Weaver about the study was that the flute didn’t produce as many aerosols as he expected it would, and that double-reed instruments break up large droplets into smaller droplets because of the vibration from the reed on these instruments. Smaller droplets can remain suspended longer than larger ones. “These can be dealt with by having the musician wear a surgical mask with a slit in it,” he explains. “Everyone should wear a mask whether they’re in rehearsal or perform-

ing. Putting bell covers on the end of the instrument reduces aerosol emissions between 60 and 90 percent. And improving classroom ventilation and limiting the size and duration of rehearsals makes performing safe.” The study recommends against using plexiglass partitions or barriers between musicians, due to HVAC system design limitations in many schools. “Dead zones,” or areas where aerosols can build up, are a concern when these partitions are used. Wearing masks at all times is highly recommended. Some of these findings may seem surprising and counter-intuitive, given, for instance, that we have seen plexiglass partitions frequently used on concert stages during the pandemic. It illustrates that best practices are still emerging as scientific knowledge increases. The multi-part NFHS aerosol study was still underway at press time, with final results expected to be published in January 2021, and individual orchestras continue to work closely with scientists and health officials in their communities to keep musicians, staff, and audiences safe. In the meantime, though nothing is certain, recent news about several new vaccines has made many in the arts community cautiously hopeful about where we might be by the middle of 2021. MICHELE C. HOLLOW writes about autism, Alzheimer’s, health, and animals. Her byline has appeared in The New York Times, AARP, The Guardian, Parents, and other publications.

21 FOR ’21

What’s Next for Orchestras? 2020 was a year like no other: the pandemic, America’s long-overdue reckoning with race, financial downturns, starkly divided politics. Facing COVID-19 shutdowns and stringent health regulations, orchestras found innovative ways to keep the music playing—even while reexamining their roles in a changing society. As we head into a new year, 21 people in the classical music field share their thoughts on what’s next for 2021.

by Janaya Greene

he future of live music is in limbo, with countless orchestras, artists, venues, musical institutions, and music lovers holding their breath that at some point in 2021, experiencing the power of live orchestral music can return, and hopefully ease the pain of 2020. In addition to hundreds of thousands of coronavirus deaths in the United States, there is the staggering loss of jobs and an economy that continues to struggle as a result of the virus. At the same time, anti-Black racism, an issue on the minds and spirits of many marginalized people far before COVID-19 hit America, has become an unavoidable topic as the police killing of George Floyd and several others have heightened Americans’ consciousness. Long before 2020, Black performers and composers, along with many others, pushed for the classical field to confront racism and prejudice within orchestral institutions, hoping to make classical music more widely accessible. According to the League of American Orchestras’ Racial/ Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field study, Asian/Pacific Islander musicians represent most of the diversity increase in American orchestras, while symphony

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s we spring ahead into this new year, I think the most pressing issues for orchestras of all kinds, adult as well as youth orchestras, are around how we do our work and with whom. I hope most orchestras have opted to see the field’s recent challenges as opportunities—opportunities to innovate, unite, reexamine, and evolve. As an eternal optimist, I believe we have been given this rare gift (albeit a forced one) to innovate and reinvent how we create and share our art, and how we approach music education. Most of us never would have found our way to digital media or virtual instruction without a catalyst like the pandemic. It’s exciting to see which new ways of operating will endure post-pandemic and think about what we can forgo from the past. Professional and youth orchestras alike also have an opportunity to heal using the profound beauty of our art form. Listening to music in isolation will never compare to experiencing a live performance in community. Think of what it will feel like to gather again! In terms of gathering, I believe that each and every orchestra has this opportunity—and responsibility—to look closely at who is gathering with us and, more importantly, who is not. As we navigate our way through civil unrest and political strife, how can we use music to connect? americanorchestras.org

How can we create new seats in the audience, in the orchestra, and at the board table for those who have been suppressed due to systemic racism? How can we create authentic partnerships that elevate artists and communities of color? How are we breaking down barriers to create greater access to our programs? My hope is that continued resiliency, hope, and empathy are setting the stage for our future selves and organizations to look back and realize that we are still experiencing many of the unexpected silver linings from this time. —Megen Balda, executive director, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies

he discussions around wider cultural arts programming among institutions greatly interest me. The music and arts narratives today are about powerful, thoughtful, and creative work moving forward, mechanized deeply by aesthetics that are relevant and embrace and allow all to believe in the value of glorious music, songs, dance, poetry, and images of positive uplift and human culture. Given the focus of our conversations to think more critically about repertoire in an American school of music, about the very nature of the questions of why classical music, by and for whom, this challenges our notions of canon formality as we wrestle with being art-smart and culturally relevant. I believe today’s Black composers are wanting to dismantle our own and others’ perceptions of victimization by focusing on how we are activating, programming through the distribution of our creative shares and spaces. My idea is that cultural programming and critical curation are the transformative mechanisms forward. Musical partnerships are about the whole mechanism, enterprise of education and programming cultural content. The best way forward for today’s artmusic institutions is to have these institutions’ boards seriously invest in contemporary composer residencies, where Black concert composers are there “in the house” with the musicians and connecting with local communities. That’s how you make music meaningful, relevant and connect in

sustainable ways with your programming and arts outreach. —William Banfield, composer, director of Africana Studies and professor in the Liberal Arts Department at Berklee College of Music

he work of “Close Quarters” with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra has highlighted that there is not only a staggering global online audience for this music + original visual art series that continues to grow with each release, but also a wide range of hidden potential for re-thinking LACO’s digital presence in media and cultural circles. We have found that instead of the organization’s YouTube channel being an afterthought, there is a way to use it to strategically engage with thousands of new eyes and ears by offering new content that doesn’t just simulate a traditional concert. “Close Quarters” is designed to be reactive to LACO’s musical programs with digitally native offerings that align with the core mission and goals of the institution while simultaneously generating entirely new cinematic content. LACO has embarked on this fast-paced experiment with content always inspired by and conjured up by the music itself. As a result, LACO is now the driving force behind multiple new pieces of art film, sculptures, experimental video, animation, dance and actual paintings from prominent artists in the city—all inspired by LACO’s musical artistry. Whether die-hard chamber music fans understand the realm of visual art and film, or even like it, is not the battle ahead of us. Historical performance models of live orchestral concerts in concert halls should and will eventually continue to exist post-pandemic—but the current realities have highlighted immense interest in the chamber orchestra being seen more as a cultural curator. Can LACO be a place for collaboration that only this moment will offer? LACO isn’t only programming music and sound in LA communities; it is now bridging into other artistic realms to offer these new forms of expression and test mergers of form without a fear of risk. To have a new generation of artistic minds interact with a live orchestra as

Simona Kessler

Black and Latinx musicians have not seen significant growth in the field during the past twelve years. Social inequity can no longer be ignored, and in order for American orchestras to move ahead in ways that make an impact, leaders in the field must get creative about whom they reach and how they reach them. What’s next is on the minds of many. From orchestra executive directors to composers to educators to activists and others, Symphony asked a spectrum of people in the field what they’d like to see classical music blossom into in America, and how they’re working to make these hopes and visions a reality. We may not know what the future holds, but envisioning a better future is surely a first step.

fresh, welcome inspiration, to discover what the music has the capability of conjuring up in them, is the way to guarantee relevancy as well as real, truthful inclusion, sustained audiences, and impactful engagement with Gen Z heading into the next several decades. —James Darrah, creative director of digital content at Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

imagine we’ll be hearing a lot about how the orchestra of the 21st century needs to be more inclusive, more flexible, less wedded to a narrow canon, more technologically savvy, more open to new music. I agree, and I’ve have been making versions of those arguments for many years. If I could choose just one form of adaptation it would be a dramatic cut in ticket prices, across the board. When attending live music is a once-a-year splurge or a habit available only to the affluent, it’s difficult for the audience—and, consequently, the orchestra—to take risks. If I could choose a second change in practice, it would be to shorten most concerts and eliminate intermission. But I’d also like to put in a word for the orchestra as a tool of cultural preservation, a bulwark against hectic tides. A year of deprivation has made me acutely aware that what I crave most about concerts is their communal ritual. For an hour or two, a group of (mostly) strangers comes together in a large room for the sole purpose of making music and listening—no multitasking, no distractions, and only very limited visual entertainment. We are asked to focus on one thing only: the product of an artist’s sonic imagination. That makes orchestras custodians of an almost sacramental experience, a parenthesis in a life crammed with obligations, imagery, connectedness and screens. Repertoire, performance style, decorum, and dress all can and should be fluid. Personnel can and should be more diverse. And, sure, it’s great to hear musicians form a flash mob in a public square or give a premiere on a factory floor. At the same time, let’s renew our appreciation for the sense of occasion, separateness, and drama that clings to an orchestral performance in a purpose-built

concert hall. After this past year, those aren’t things we can ever take for granted again. —Justin Davidson, classical music and architecture of New York magazine. He won a Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2002 and was a finalist in 2019.

ike our colleagues across the arts and culture sector, the Mellon Foundation quickly pivoted to remote work when the pandemic hit last March. We engaged in our own version of scenario planning: first redeploying our current budget for urgent response, then converting restricted 2020 funds from existing grants into general operations so that our grantees could flexibly access funds that couldn’t be used for normal activities. Our trustees then increased Mellon’s overall 2020 grantmaking budget of $300 million by another $200 million, a welcome infusion but nonetheless a drop in the bucket of overall need as the pandemic raged on. Two other factors

“Repertoire, performance style, decorum, and dress all can and should be fluid. Personnel can and should be more diverse.” have shaped our activities: (1) we officially announced the Foundation’s new strategic direction, toward which we’d been moving for some time, a “focus entirely on social justice,” and (2) the depths of racial injustice across America foregrounded following the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many others, accelerated calls to action and acknowledgement of culpability across the sector. Mellon’s urgent-response grants, developed and implemented at an unprecedented pace, have accordingly focused on those historically underserved by philanthropy: individual artists, often without institutional affiliation, and small and midsized organizations serving communities of color and/or located outside major urban centers. We’ve also tended to organizations in our home city of New York. With regard to orchestras, we expect to continue our current strategy designed to

break down seemingly intractable barriers to diversifying the classical music professions, including intensive training programs for high-talent, high-potential musicians; the National Alliance for Audition Support; and the League of American Orchestras’ work to help foster more inclusive environments within orchestras. We’ve been heartened by the recent momentum in the field but recognize these are longterm efforts. On occasion, we will also continue to support individual orchestras modeling transformational change that aligns with our social-justice priorities. —Susan Feder, program officer, Arts and Culture program at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

n the words of leadership coach Marla Teyloia, 2020 is a year of no return. As each of us comes face to face with the current racial reckoning, political transition, and the devastating impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color] communities, each of us must answer the call to action. Transformational change must happen on all levels and will involve taking bold steps; far beyond posting black squares on Instagram. As we work to shift the realities of our overwhelmingly White and male-dominated field of classical music, we must remember that this revolution will not be built on anti-racism trainings alone. Shifting our consciousness involves the daily action of questioning our individual biases, disrupting and challenging oppressive systems in our organizations, centering and fairly compensating BIPOC leaders for their time, insight, and emotional energy, and continuing the collective push toward sustainable change. As the executive director of Challenge the Stats (CTS), an Atlanta-based organization that empowers BIPOC artists and uses music as a tool for justice, I am excited about new partnerships that will shift the narrative in our field. First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta will serve as a host for the inaugural CTS Collective in Residence, a partnership that will expand our impact through virtual and hybrid (in-person) experiences grounded in community leadership and connection. As symphony

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the global pandemic continues, CTS has partnered with Project: Music Heals Us to bring livestream concerts directly to children and healthcare workers at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, in an area with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Georgia. Through the Vital Sounds Initiative Partnership Grant, CTS will continue to provide these livestreams in the 2021 calendar year, with the aim of normalizing classical BIPOC musicians for young children and using music as a tool for healing. —Angelica Hairston, harpist, executive director of Challenge the Stats: Empowering Artists of Color

Bay Area artists, including hip hop artist Kev Choice and jazz pianist Tammy Hall among many others, to co-create digital experiences that amplify voices new to our organization. We’ve also come to treasure our outdoor “One-to-One” concerts that allow for an intimate musical experience and unique human connection. These personal interactions between just one or two

“If we continue to commit ourselves to taking care of all members of our artistic family, and listening, this great art and the artists who bring it to life will thrive.”

americanorchestras.org

performers and tiny groups of audience members have opened up a new kind of relationship that will be fostered for years to come. Taken as a whole, the strategies we’ve developed in this challenging year will enable us to more quickly achieve our vision of reimagining how people everywhere engage with music in deep and meaningful ways. Amidst such unprecedented loss, we have found a brighter future. —Mark C. Hanson, chief executive officer, San Francisco Symphony

Brandon Patoc

rom loss can come new beginnings. When the first stay-at-home orders were issued last spring, the San Francisco Symphony was forced to cancel everything we had on our concert calendar. Lost revenue led to a shared-sacrifice plan that was painful for all to absorb. Never before had we been so at the mercy of outside forces. At almost the same time, we needed to acknowledge exclusionary practices, completely within our control, that were causing great harm to others and stunting our institutional growth. From this powerful combination of existential threats, however, have emerged ideas that are fundamentally changing the San Francisco Symphony and our relationship with our community. Born out of necessity, strategies that we have pursued amidst this loss and internal reckoning are making the SFS more flexible, inclusive, dynamic, open-minded, accessible, and relevant. At the core of these new ideas is bespoke digital content that is designed specifically with virtual audiences in mind (and will remain a permanent part of future seasons even after live concerts have resumed). This type of digital programming doesn’t try to replicate the live concert experience, but instead introduces a whole new way of curating experiences that showcase both the talents of our musicians and an expanded array of composers and collaborators, including new Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen and eight new Collaborative Partners. As we continue on a long journey to deeply examine historic practices and achieve internal change, we have invited

ince March 2020, the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra has actively kept close contact with all of our stakeholders. Our staff, board, and volunteers have engaged in a phone-calling campaign to patrons and donors, both to thank them for their support and to check on their well-being. We swiftly reached an agreement with the AFM that guarantees our per-service musicians 60% of their average earnings during the 2020-21 season. We dove into online programming, available at little or no cost. All of these efforts have bound us even closer together and, we hope, have laid the foundation for a bright future. While we continue recording concerts for on-demand viewing, we have found that our audience also welcomes and enjoys non-musical content. In August, we debuted “A Conversation with the Maestro,” a series of interviews on our YouTube channel that provides a unique look at the

people behind the HSO and gives viewers a chance to get to know our musicians on a more personal level. This series is planned to continue beyond the 2020-21 season. Patrons of all ages have ably made the shift to online content and we know that entire households are engaging with us online. While nothing can replace the experience of live music in the concert hall, online viewing can break down barriers of cost, transportation, and fear of the unknown. We see this as a viable new offering that should continue. This time of physical separation has actually deepened our connections. So what’s next? Following Dr. Anthony Fauci’s remarks, I hope it’s a full house at a live concert this fall, with lots of first-time concertgoers, but no one can see exactly what 2021-22 will look like. Still, we look ahead optimistically. If we continue to commit ourselves to taking care of all members of our artistic family, and listening, this great art and the artists who bring it to life will remain connected, and we will thrive. —Matthew Herren, executive director, Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra

n the 1992 comedy A League of Their Own, a star baseball player breaks down in tears and an exasperated Tom Hanks iconically tells her, “There’s no crying in baseball!” This memorable advice stuck with me. Recently, when asked by a prospective graduate student whether I would advise a gap year, I was inspired to quip, “There are no gap years in music!” Training to be an elite classical musician is different from other areas of study. One cannot simply “take time off ” and expect to remain competitive, to continue to develop, and to make progress as an artist. There are no gap years in music! I’ve learned a tremendous amount these past eight months from our distinguished faculty and inspiring students. They have reinforced the value of being nimble and of being tenacious—qualities we always said were valued in Cleveland but which I have now experienced being played out. I’ve also learned from the deconstruction of sacred cows. On March 1, we were steadfast in our belief that synchronous, in-person learning was the only way to ap-

proach liberal arts general education. We have observed in the intervening months that high-performing students, given the opportunity to curate their own schedules, are not only more committed to those schedules but they are actually better managers of their time. Their music, personal health, and well-being have truly come first. Many friends who work at America’s most celebrated orchestras have confided in me that there is a tidal wave of retirements coming among the top ensembles. If their prediction is correct, we are facing as many as 500 openings in America’s largest orchestras in less than a decade. This presents our graduates with unprecedented opportunity…if they are prepared. In the words of Ayn Rand: “Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice.” We must all choose wisely. —Paul Hogle, president and chief executive officer, Cleveland Institute of Music

rom my perspective, professional orchestras during these days could play an important social role by connecting with a wide range of education, time, and culture, in addition to their routine performances. In education, orchestras may collaborate with schools and communities, demonstrate, workshop, and mentor students in various levels. For example, readings and demonstrations of instrumentation, orchestration, composition, musicianship, music history, and music appreciation; workshops and mentorship for score reading, rehearsal techniques, conducting, ear training, and so on. It would be a very treasurable experience for students to bring that textbook knowledge about music to life by interacting with professional ensembles. These kinds of educational activities also provide a model for how junior musicians might connect and keep contributing to their communities after school. For the time and culture, we all understand there are many contemporary issues of environment and humanity. Arts

cannot do alone without reflection of our time. This means that orchestras, as groups of contemporary musicians, should play a role that reflects, preserves, and speaks out contemporary voices. Orchestras in America have the potential to represent more voices that are diverse, multi-cultural, and transcend the symphonic and classical tradition in their repertoire. This part also has the potential to combine with those educational approaches to connect to our society, our time, and our world, with music. —Chen-Hui Jen, composer

he uncertainty due to the pandemic has been very intense in the field of classical music and affected orchestras more than any other medium. However, orchestras have strived to adjust to the new situation and provide their audiences with opportunities to explore new musical

“Orchestras in America have the potential to represent more voices that are diverse, multi-cultural, and transcend the symphonic and classical tradition.” adventures; the virtual performances, the publication of past performances, the performance of chamber works, etc. Due to health issues and concert hall shutdowns, orchestras now organize limited performances, if any, and face restrictions to program works of various eras and genres. As a young composer, it made me feel very insecure about how and when my orchestral music would be delivered to the audience. It has always been very challenging for a young composer to have an orchestral work programmed by a professional orchestra and the current situation has made it even more difficult. Although it is understandable that orchestras now have to rethink and reconsider various factors to run their business at its maximum potential and still be a powerful artistic medium that successfully serves the community, I would like to advocate the mission of orchestras that continue to support, promote, and celebrate the music of young composers. This would enable

orchestras to showcase the fresh essence of creativity and play an influential role to reflect the ongoing social, cultural, and political issues represented in the works of young composers. Moreover, the promotion of works of young composers would advocate new voices and platforms which eventually enable orchestras to be seen and heard more broadly. Finally, I believe that although the postpandemic era looks very uncertain and unknown at this time, it will become an era of prosperity and innovation because orchestras will find out solutions on how to optimize and develop their performance and presence. For example, I think virtual performances will become an inseparable part of orchestral activities. —Niloufar Iravani, composer

ultural institutions by their nature are civic leaders, charged to model the ideal while leveraging the creativity and innovation that the arts provide to navigate the challenges that come along the way. The resurgence of social justice on the international stage, paired with the global pandemic during 2020, put a mainstream spotlight on the inequities in diversity, inclusion, health, education, social isolation, and more, and brought these issues to the forefront of our industry. For Chicago Sinfonietta, these topics have never been on the fringes in our artistic planning and output. Our legacy and future as a cultural leader stem from the work our musicians, staff, board, and volunteers do offstage in addition to our symphonic offerings. We’ve further embraced technology, cyber concert halls, virtual galas, and out-of-the-box media engagement to much success. Our new subscription model was successful, with individuals from over 20 countries joining the Chicago Sinfonietta family due to our virtual offerings. We continue to create new programs like our Artist in Residence, continue to champion both female artists and composers of color, commission new symphonic works for the field while training tomorrow’s future conductors, administrators, composers, and musicians in our flagship Project Inclusion Freeman Fellowship program. symphony

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he COVID-19 pandemic has changed the world forever: it has caused tremendous pain and despair for many, but also taught us how important it is to connect with one another and how precious to be able to see each other and hold each other’s hands. We might have taken all of it for granted before, but we know very well now. Many of us have changed forever with more compassion for others and understood the true meaning of family and friends. As a composer, I have been inspired by this surreal experience of total isolation, which leads to a state of meditative listening and thinking and my eagerness to communicate with people through my music: perhaps more expressive and thoughtful as I see and feel the suffering with my own eyes and heart. In my personal view, I do not believe that the symphony orchestra should be resized to the minimum in order to fit the economic impact, which is only temporary. On the contrary, I see the future of grand orchestras, where massive groups of musicians play and sing together shoulder to shoulder, face to face, to reflect the unwavering power of humanity. As a Chinese-American, I trust the words of my ancestors, 否pǐ极jí泰tài来 lái (out of the depth of misfortune comes bliss). —Fang Man, composer

y natural direction in life and in art is toward joy, beauty, and creation— but no one can deny the tragedy of 2020. We lost dear friends and loved ones to a mysterious virus; we saw clearly the disparity and injustice in society; performers americanorchestras.org

gather together again. As progress in public health continues, and as the conversation of racial and social justice becomes a collective commitment, we cannot afford to forget the experiences of 2020. Let us say, unequivocally, that our eyes are wide open—musically, artistically, intellectually, digitally, equitably, and justly. Let us look to 2021 as a stepping stone to a better future. —Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, and Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal

believe that the new year brings immense opportunities for orchestras to be more creative and impactful. Diversity and inclusion had been longstanding issues in classical music well before the COVID-19 pandemic and the protests for social justice in 2020. These two words need to be at the forefront of everything the orchestra does. It’s been wonderful to see orchestras present more pieces by women and composers of color. I hope that this is much more than a fleeting trend and instead, something that is a sustained, core tenet of orchestras’ approach to programming. Orchestras also need to proactively champion the creative voices of today and work to encourage the younger generation of artists. I would love to see orchestras put together workshops not only for composers beginning their careers, but also for school-aged kids who have an interest in demonstrating their creativity to a wider audience. Orchestras need to place education at the forefront of their mission, much beyond programs for young people in the concert hall. Access to high-quality instruction and instruments is severely lacking for those with less means. We will not have a new generation of musicians and audience members if we do the bare minimum when it comes to music education. Orchestras should make it a goal that every child in their community, regardless of socioeconomic status, has the opportunity to a fine musical education. I would love to see more orchestras truly invest in and impact their communities. Orchestras should recognize what makes

Roger Mastroianni/Cleveland Orchestra

lost their livelihoods as seasons and events were canceled around the world. It is hard to imagine a path forward in a kind of isolation that none of us could have imagined a year ago. The day the music stopped in early March was devastating, and for many of our artistic family it continues to be so. But for some, as we realized that this pause could last for months, a creative switch was flipped. We took the everyday technology of communications—Zoom, Skype, Facebook—and started making music. We couldn’t gather in a concert hall or an opera house, but we could meet online. Early efforts in at-home programming made us feel connected at a moment when that was so desperately needed. The commitment to share music online is proof that music cannot be silenced. In May, the death of George Floyd was a wake-up call to the world about the racism and injustice pervading our society, and—as we gained perspective on this inequality—there is much work to do in music, too. In Philadelphia, as in many other places, tensions in the city were high. In response to these events, we transformed our planned virtual gala into an event more apt to the times: “HearTOGETHER: A Healing Conversation in Music and Words.” This frank discussion with Wynton Marsalis, Valerie Coleman, and others about racial and creative equity in the world of classical music was streamed live, and the conversation continues through a new podcast series with many voices weighing in on a subject that must remain front and center. Over the summer, I was so happy to begin making music with an orchestra again. The Orchestre Métropolitain and I were able to gather in Montreal to do all nine Beethoven symphonies through government-sponsored grants. In the fall, I conducted a series of concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra (under strict health and safety protocols) for our newly conceived Digital Stage. But these are not in lieu of getting back to our audiences in person. Nothing can replace the live experience of the concert hall, opera house, or any shared space of art and music, and I can’t wait for the moment when we can safely

Chris Lee

I would like to see our field further embrace technology, improve audition practices, and develop stronger relationships with community partners. It is important that the field mirrors the world in which we live so that instead of Chicago Sinfonietta’s board, staff, vendors, contractors, and musicians being held up as a beacon for the most diverse collective in country, we become the norm. —Blake-Anthony Johnson, chief executive officer, Chicago Sinfonietta

their community unique and reflect those special characteristics in their programming. They should also understand the challenges facing their cities, especially coming out of this tumultuous year, and really aim to be active in helping to find solutions. I’m optimistic about the future of orchestras because this past year has forced all of us to reflect and think deeply about what comes next. I’m excited to help put these plans into action. —Vinay Parameswaran, assistant conductor, the Cleveland Orchestra; music director, Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra

magine your love for the orchestral field as your child. Would you commit years of your life to your child? Would you provide a warm, welcoming home for your child? Would you protect them and ensure they were safe? Would you educate your child and understand your child was your teacher, too? Would you welcome their friends into your life and want to know and love them? Would you listen and learn from all of them? Would you invest in your child’s future over and over again? Would you want them to succeed and be seen and heard and respected and loved? Would you celebrate them over and over again? Would you adorn your walls with your child’s pictures, know every facet of their history, proclaim with pride their story, and fight with every fiber of your body for your child’s body, heart, mind, and soul? Would your love for your child be unconditional? Would you see them as wise and know they represent the best of you? Would there be a limit to what you would do for your child especially when they needed you most? Now, imagine your child being hurt. Imagine your child being harmed over and over again. Imagine them ignored for their skin and hair and speech and body and blood. Imagine every opportunity and warm invitation for every other child, as an obstacle and cold rejection for your child, for your family and for you. Imagine your child physically attacked. Imagine your child emotionally scarred. Imagine your child as witness to their friend’s attacks,

harm, and trauma. Imagine your child held captive to the past. Imagine the impact racism would have on your child. Imagine your child murdered. Imagine your child gone. Would their life matter? Ask yourself: what are all the things you would do to stop that from happening to your child? Then: do all of those things for the orchestral field. —Daniel Bernard Roumain, composer, violinist, activist, educator

courage to examine how cultural power is enshrined within their walls and engage in serious dialogue with civic leaders to determine how to transcend questions of access and become totally integrated in civic life. Each orchestra has a unique opportunity to use its platform to reflect the vibrancy of its community, forging paths and partnerships that have the potential to uplift and speak to all audiences. —Abhijit Sengupta, director of artistic planning, Carnegie Hall

he impacts of the pandemic and extraordinary events of the past year make it clear that symphony orchestras will have to reemerge from this period substantively transformed. Online activities will need to be viewed as essential tools to enhance what happens on stages

“Why is the classical orchestral world so dominated by the dead-white-European male tradition? I ask that lovingly because several of those same composers were big musical influences of mine.” and deepen engagement, rather than addons to normal operations. This is the moment to examine existing operating practices to ensure that they can support the evolving digital needs of orchestras today, as they move bravely into the future. Equally urgent, if not more so, is the question of diversity, representation, and access—a conundrum for a field that has strived to create fair but meritorious audition processes. Industry-wide collaboration on systemic solutions that address issues of equity and access at every point along the chain— from school districts to conservatories to music directors and across the organization’s leadership—are imperative. But those efforts alone are not enough. In many communities throughout the country, the symphony orchestra is the dominant cultural institution, the central hub of performing arts that is emblematic of that community’s culture sector. Orchestras must have the

finished an orchestral work for the New York Philharmonic’s “Project 19” (created by their visionary CEO, Deborah Borda) titled “1920/2019” whose performance was postponed because of the virus. I am now working on a cello concerto for Alisa Weilerstein which will possibly be premiered at the Boulder Music Festival next summer with Peter Oundjian conducting and later performed by the National Symphony and the Detroit Symphony. The future of orchestras has been discussed so much in so many ways and progress certainly has been made along several paths. But there still is a strong need to become much more “contemporary” in their choice of music. Why is the classical orchestral world so dominated by the dead-white-European male tradition? I ask that lovingly because several of those same composers were big musical influences of mine. In this moment in history, we have a large group of diverse composers who write powerful and communicative music that any “traditional” audience member would love. There are so many choices of styles—for the first time in history—that it is easy to find one’s particular taste. The problem is that orchestral leadership needs to be more knowledgeable about living composers to make their best decisions, which takes time—which most do not seem to have—and curiosity, which a few conductors (and artistic administrators) do have. When the Meet the Composer program was placing composers with orchestras (it was an important project that lasted ten years), they could do the legwork for the conductors and artistic administrators. They symphony

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could also design projects to bring new music to their environment, such as a new music series, outreach, composer visitors, commissions, etc.—in summary, all the things that MTC did at that time. As a byproduct, there was the living presence of a composer in their community, which turned out to be the most important part of that project. I wish that could happen again. —Joan Tower, composer, conductor, educator

he coronavirus has initiated a change that the Billings Symphony has long pushed for but regrets not being more proactive about: live-streaming. Had the pandemic not happened, we would not be where we are today, and that is in a good way. During the third quarter of 2020, we expanded our concert set-up to three socially distanced performances, and since then we have added live-stream and on-demand options for all of our scheduled concerts. An increased presence on the digital stage has allowed us to make our music more accessible to a more diverse demographic. One of the biggest challenges for our symphony is finding a way to keep growing as well as restore the connection with our current audiences. Sports, arts, and entertainment organizations are the most affected by the pandemic, and, in particular, small- and medium-budget orchestras had to learn, adapt, and become music broadcasters and video producers in order to find creative ways to monetize digitally. Orchestras across the world need to stay strong, positive, and hopeful, and creatively connect with our patrons until we can host performances for live audiences. The Billings Symphony is looking forward to a transformative 2021, with plenty of innovation and a focus on diversity in classical music. We will be specially focusing on equity, diversity, and inclusion projects to include Native Americans and combat anti-Native racism in Billings and the region by promoting greater understanding of the variety and richness of the indigenous culture. By showcasing traditional and contemporary Native American performing artists, we hope local students and under-represented audiences will be americanorchestras.org

impacted and that this alternative perspective on Native American culture will cause stigma towards Native Americans and lack of appreciation for their traditions and culture to be questioned and realigned. Performances will span from traditional dance to a hip-hop/pow-wow fusion, taking place throughout Yellowstone and Big Horn counties. Guest artists will include drummers, singers, dancers, and flutists as well as orchestra musicians. We hope to create a deeper appreciation of Native American culture—past, present, and future. During the first two quarters of 2021, we will be assessing newfound skills acquired due to the pandemic and analyzing data collected since its arrival, allowing us to strategize for the next season. We expect the upcoming season to follow the hybrid model, with both a digital presence and live, socially-distanced audiences. We foresee many changes, which we will navigate and adjust to on a monthly basis. Our Health and Safety Taskforce will keep working to ensure all musicians, patrons, and staff have the most up-to-date safety measures in place so we can continue to share our music to diverse audiences. —Ignacio Barrón Viela, executive director, Billings Symphony Orchestra and Chorale

he pandemic has brought extra challenges to today’s symphony orchestras. Subscription concerts, premieres of new works, and many other related activities have taken a pause. We are facing one of the most difficult times to preserve this profound form of art developed over centuries. As a living composer, I feel most fortunate to be able to finalize two commissions, with Philadelphia Orchestra and Dallas Symphony Orchestra, during the past few months, setting the premiere dates after 2022. Although the size of the orchestration is slightly reduced than initially planned, I expect the musical ideas to be carried through with no compromise. In fact, with more urge to express. I believe the love and appetite for orchestral music are eternal, despite the ups and downs through the history. It is crucial to preserve this heritage. More important, the “next” for orchestras is to be created.

For example, by cultivating contemporary repertoire, investing in music education, and utilizing the rapidly developed technology, etc.—for instance, streaming concerts online may bring broader attendance. —Xi Wang, composer

t least two windows have flung open and will never be closed again. First, as so many have pivoted into a digital space, the use of media and technology as a way to expand, deepen and add texture to the orchestral experience is obviously here to stay. This past year has been very “by the seat of our pants,” and orchestras that had already fully entered this space—like the Detroit Symphony Orchestra—were able to take the content to the next level; they had already figured out how to do it, so they were able to focus strategically on what they were going to put out. Orchestras must reassess why and what they are producing online; the time of online content for the sake of itself is going to end soon. Second, the civil unrest recognizing the deep scars and trauma of the Black community—along with other BIPOC groups—force orchestras to accelerate their commitments to equity, diversity, and inclusion. Who makes up our board, staff, musicians, and audience? How do we connect to a community that has for too long been excluded from the artform we love? What specific and measurable outcomes are we reaching for beyond a usually wellmeaning but often unearned right to show solidarity with Black Lives Matter? If orchestras do not take up this work deeply, specifically and deliberately, we are compromising our relevance to the communities we claim to serve. —Ed Yim, chief content officer and senior vice president, WQXR | New York Public Radio JANAYA GREENE is a Chicago-based writer covering film, literature, music, and the African diaspora. She finds overlooked stories that are of interest to millennials and marginalized communities, and amplifies them through reporting, writing, visual storytelling, and social media. Greene is a freelance writer and social media coordinator at the Chicago Reader.

A recent recording session at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra—and just some of the audio tech it requires.

Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Sounds

from a Distance Thrilling sound is one of the defining characteristics of orchestra concerts. But the pandemic has reordered priorities: outdoor performances and safety protocols like masks and distancing require new approaches to acoustics. Plus, audiences are listening on laptops, phones, earbuds, and more. How do audio engineers convey the sound of music? by Brian Wise

hen orchestras began moving their activities outdoors amid the pandemic, recording engineers were often thrust to the front lines. At the New York Philharmonic’s series of amplified pop-up concerts, using a rented pick-up truck dubbed the Bandwagon, Audio Director Lawrence Rock enabled the music of the small chamber groups to rise above the urban cacophony, be it in Manhattan’s Herald Square or a neighborhood park in Brooklyn. When the Boston Pops’ brass and percussion sections took to the outfield of

Fenway Park for a filmed performance of Christmas music, Lead Audio Engineer Nick Squire set up a remote studio in the Red Sox dugout, adjusting mic levels over the din of helicopters and highway noise. In Chicago, Charlie Post, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s audio engineer, reported a cornucopia of sounds of “traffic, kids, pets, and nature” as he mixed the Virtual Day of Music on June 21, a day of digital premieres of videos featuring CSO musicians, filmed in living rooms and backyards and posted every half hour on the orchestra’s social-media channels. symphony

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New York Philharmonic

[Full disclosure: I am the producer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s national radio broadcasts.] In these and similar settings, recording engineers had to deliver an acoustic that matched the setting—a generous reverb would be inappropriate to a front porch—but was nonetheless pleasing to the ear. Yet some of the biggest recent revelations for engineers have occurred on the stages where they have worked for years, if not decades. Dmitriy Lipay, the Seattle Symphony’s Grammy Award-winning recording engineer, said that physical distancing measures, which create a minimum six-foot gap between adjacent musicians in order to limit the spread of aerosols, can upend the sense of balance, pitch, and tonal cohesion. “This is my biggest challenge,” he says of the distanced setups, which take place on the stage of an empty Benaroya Hall for streamed video releases. “The musicians are not hearing each other like when they were shoulder to shoulder, breathing together and tuning to each other.” Without the sensation of being part of a dense mass of sound, violinists risk overplaying to be heard over the brass. “Of course, we have some tools and I can rebalance the orchestra myself,” says Lipay, “but performance-wise, I would prefer them to be more comfortable with each other.” Lipay’s experience shows the extent to which American orchestras are now relyamericanorchestras.org

James Holt/Seattle Symphony

This summer, the New York Philharmonic’s Bandwagon brought music and musicians to neighborhoods throughout a famously noisy city.

ing on their engineers’ ears to find their signature sounds amid a thicket of new safety protocols. Empty halls have been turned into video production studios, and outdoor performances have sprouted up in drive-in theaters, stadiums, parks, and front porches. While much of this landscape is temporary—and even best practices for plexiglass barriers between musicians are continually changing as new studies about their efficacy are released— video streaming is likely to stick around long after a vaccine is widely distributed. Houston Symphony Recording Engineer Brad Sayles remembers the first day of listening to a chamber group of the orchestra’s musicians in the 2,900-seat Jones Hall, with players seated some eight feet apart. “It sounded awful,” he recalls, though that was not through anyone’s fault. Seats in the auditorium had been removed to accommodate an extended,

At the Seattle Symphony as at other orchestras, mics and other high-end tech are increasingly familiar.

League Webinars

The League of American Orchestras has recently presented timely, practical webinars on how and why orchestras are utilizing audio technology and digital platforms during the pandemic. “Balancing Acoustics and Physical Distancing as Orchestras Return to Their Halls,” sponsored by Threshold Acoustics LLC, examines how to create safe spaces for performers and audiences while maintaining the unique acoustics of orchestras. The “Shifting from Stage to Screen” webinar explores multiple aspects of digital concerts and events, including technical, strategic, and marketing considerations, led by digital experts and orchestra executives. Watch the webinars on demand at https://americanorchestras.org/conferences-meetings/on-demandwebinars.html.

Hilary Scott

American orchestras are now relying on their engineers’ ears to find their signature sounds amid a thicket of new safety protocols. Other, more mundane adaptations during the pandemic involve everything from hygiene (heavily-touched microphones are notorious vehicles for germs) to aesthetics (nothing ruins a perfect camera shot like a forest of mic stands and cables). Face masks, while crucial, do not come naturally to some violinists or violists, whose chins come into conNick Squire, recording tact with their instruengineer at the ments, and wind players Boston Symphony have to figure out how Orchestra to deal with masks for themselves and their instruments. For some orchestras, safety protocols mean that technicians are no longer in auditoriums during recording sessions—and thus unable to make quick adjustments.

Boston Symphony Orchestra

60-by-60-foot stage for video. “I thought, I’m going to have to completely rethink what I do.” Sayles began supplementing his omnidirectional microphones, which are hung over the stage to get a Tommy Joe Anderson, blended room sound, recording engineer at with spot mics, placed the Atlanta Symphony in front of individual Orchestra players, to achieve the right balances. But other challenges emerged. During a rehearsal of Mozart’s “Prague” Symphony, the woodwinds seemed to be lagging behind the violins. “It sounded fine in the hall but then I went in my [studio] and it sounded like they weren’t together,” he says. Knowing that sound travels at about one foot per millisecond, Sayles measured a distance of about 40 feet from the concertmaster to the woodwind mics and entered that into his mixing console. It automatically compensated for a 40-millisecond lag.

A holiday video by the Boston Pops shot at Fenway Park presented unusual challenges for recording engineers and musicians.

Prioritizing Audio or Video

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra has live-streamed concerts from Orchestra Hall since 2011 but has encountered some unexpected twists since relaunching the series in an empty auditorium in September. “It’s been a big adjustment for us to put video first, rather than putting it after the ‘regular concert,’ ” says Marc Geelhoed, the orchestra’s director of digital initia-

tives. “Typically, we have anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 people in the hall and we are filming that. Now, we are taking the approach that the cameras come first.” Detroit’s safety protocols include up to twelve feet of spacing around woodwinds and brass, supplemented by some modest plexiglass shields. In chamber music repertoire, spot mics are sometimes attached to music stands, or to a soloist’s clothing.

At the Boston Symphony Orchestra, health precautions including masks and social distancing, which requires a stage extension, mean that audio engineers have had to adapt.

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Health precautions taken at recent recording session by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra required new solutions from sound engineers, since musicians were masked and socially distanced.

speaker system in the hall. But maybe, given social distancing and where she was on stage, that might have made sense.” In Boston’s Symphony Hall, Squire routinely mixes amplified pop and Broadway-style performers for concerts by the Boston Pops. He has also captured the nuances of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recorded Shostakovich cycle, for which he won four Grammy Awards as sound engineer. But this season’s recorded americanorchestras.org

forward sound field mixed with the natural shine of the hall’s acoustic. Every room adds different acoustic variables. In Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, the air ventilation system over the stage allows for eleven changes of air per hour, which is welcome from a safety standpoint but a nagging contributor to a recording’s “noise floor.” Cooling fans on video equipment and subway rumbles are culprits in other halls. Charlie Post, the Grammy-nomi-

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

nated audio engineer at the Chicago Symphony, aims for a balance while recording chamber ensembles in circular arrangements (chosen for sightline benefits) and using spot microphones on Charlie Post, the individual players. Some recording en- Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s audio gineers say they must engineer mix audio that will meet the subconscious expectations of viewers. When a cellist or clarinetist is seen playing a solo on camera, for example, viewers will expect that performer to be slightly louder, says the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s longtime

Physical distancing measures, which create gaps between musicians to limit the spread of aerosols, can upend the sense of balance, pitch, and tonal cohesion. recording engineer Tommy Joe Anderson. If not, he points out, “people will start straining, wondering, ‘Why am I having trouble hearing that?’ ” To compensate, he may boost the soloist by a decibel or decibeland-a-half, “in order to match the eye and the ear.” Seattle’s Lipay reports a similar phenomenon. “When you see somebody very close, you would ex- New York pect to hear a little Philharmonic Audio more of their solo than Director Lawrence normal,” he notes. He Rock aims for a light touch, however: “It should be an acoustical, natural-sounding orchestra and not overengineered.” In the Unpredictable Outdoors

The ability to capture sonic nuances naturally decreases in non-traditional settings like a beer garden, where the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra has live-streamed chamber performances, or Exploria Sta-

Chris Lee

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Todd Rosenberg

video performances involved uncharted terrain. “Symphony Hall in a normal concert would be filled with 2,500 people, absorbing the sound and changing the acoustic to some extent,” Squire says. “When empty, Symphony Hall is still gorgeous but a bit washy sometimes.” With a 30-foot stage exThe Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s “CSO from Home” videos tension, the musicians require sophisticated sound coordination. In photo: Assistant are widely dispersed and Principal Oboe Michael Henoch, flute/piccolo Jennifer M. Gunn, Squire’s standard array of horn Oto Carillo, Assistant Principal Bassoon William Buchman, 40 to 50 microphones has and Assistant Principal Clarinet John Bruce Yeh. grown to nearly 70. “Usually, we can rely more on In a September performance of Bach’s a main pair of mics over the orchestra for Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, Principal the majority of the sound,” he explains. Flute Hannah Hammel donned a Broad“That method doesn’t work as well anyway-style headset mic. “I don’t know if we more.” His job requires a grasp of polar would have done that in a live concert,” patterns, which are the ways in which miGeelhoed admits. “I highly doubt that crophones pick up sound waves from difwe would have amplified her through the ferent directions. The goal is to capture the

Detroit Symphony Orchestra

A recent al fresco performance by Detroit Symphony Orchestra musicians. Outdoor performances have always required amplification, but health protocols necessitate further adaptations by sound engineers.

dium, home to Orlando City Soccer Club and the setting for the Orlando Philharmonic’s season opener this September. When the New York Philharmonic introduced its pop-up Bandwagon concerts, plans were also moving ahead to begin renovations on David Geffen Hall,

set of speakers, a portable Yamaha mixer, several wireless microphones, and a milk crate that served as a seat. “The biggest challenge,” he recalls, “was getting it set up and taken down fast enough so that we could keep moving and do three concerts in a day.”

Marc Geelhoed, director of digital initiatives at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra

the orchestra’s home at Lincoln Center. “We gathered equipment that we were moving out of the hall anyway” for the Bandwagon events, says Rock, the Philharmonic’s audio director. He packed a

Tech rehearsals took place in an empty lot near Lincoln Center. Musicians were arrayed to adhere to the mandated twelve feet of separation for wind players and six feet for strings. While Bandwagon audi-

Every concert hall has its own acoustic variables. Air ventilation systems are welcome from a safety standpoint but nagging contributors to noise. Cooling fans on video equipment and subway rumbles can also be culprits. of troubleshooting involves the synchronization of audio and video sources. Latencies, or delays, are introduced by camera positioning, cables, video processing tools, and encoding software, all of which may require the audio to be delayed in order to match the video feed. Benjamin Maas, head engineer of Fifth Circle Audio, a Los Angeles-area production company that has worked with the Ojai Music Festival and La Jolla Summerfest among others, says he anticipates the range of devices on which people listen to the concerts. “Even if you’re listening on a good stereo system you’re still going to have a certain amount of distractions in your home,” he explained in a recent webinar presented by the Audio Engineering Society. While a 40-decibel range in a consymphony

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Courtesy Seattle Symphony

ences were largely polite and appreciative, there were occasional sirens, loud motorcycles, and a few New York characters. Rock recalls how one spectator, straining to get the right camera angle while taking a photo, Dmitriy Lipay, lay down almost be- director of audio and recording at the neath the musicians. Seattle Symphony “One of our people asked if he could move back a little bit,” he says with a sigh. “Well, he got all bent out of the shape and then started in on us.” Despite these variables, Rock says that technical hurdles can occur just as frequently in the familiar confines of Lincoln Center. Interference on wireless microphone signals, for instance, can arise due to the vicinity of nearby theaters. Other engineers report that a significant amount

This attention to detail has no doubt shaped the Seattle Symphony’s pandemic-era spending priorities. “Do we spend all our money on the video component,

Dmitriy Lipay, the Seattle Symphony’s audio engineer, says, “I’m alone in my studio with the door closed. But musicians, they are the real heroes.”

Wilson Parish

or do we focus on the audio?” asks Seattle President and CEO Krishna Thiagarajan. “We actually chose to go with the audio and make video something that over time we can continue to grow.” Plans to purchase gear for cinematic tracking shots, which would lend a Hollywood sheen to the visual experience, have been put on hold for now, Thiagarajan says. Instead, the orchestra has invested in a streaming platform that delivers higher audio bitrates to deliver better sound, more quickly. Thiagarajan is not alone as he looks to the future of video streaming. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra recently ordered six Schoeps Colettes, high-end microphones for spot recording. “If and when we go back to normal, we’re going to try and put some mics in the orchestra more often than we used to,” says Atlanta’s Anderson. “We’ve been recording the Atlanta Symphony’s concerts for 32 years and we’ve never really put mics on stage because it’s visually not something we wanted to do. But they’ve sort of given us carte blanche to order some equipment we might need for this virtual presentation.” Lipay, referring to his role as a behindthe-scenes figure, says that he is primarily focused on an authentic audio experience. “I’m alone here in my studio with the door closed,” he says. “But musicians, they are the real heroes.”

The Houston Symphony and guest conductor Kensho Watanabe performed works by Mozart and Missy Mazzoli via livestream on August 22, 2020.

that he always tests his mixes in everyday environments. “In my last check before I send the recording to production I listen in the car while I’m driving,” he says. “I’m used to listening on small speakers, on computer speakers, and large speakers. It’s a normal process, and in this situation I have to make sure that everybody will be comfortable with my mix.”

Shannon O’Hara

cert hall can be exciting, “on most delivery systems, you’re going to end up with a very unhappy audience because their louds will be louder than they can deal with and their softs are going to be too soft to hear.” By adding effects such as digital reverb and dynamic compression, engineers can smooth out the peaks and valleys. Lipay, of the Seattle Symphony, says

Houston Symphony Recording Engineer Brad Sayles americanorchestras.org

BRIAN WISE writes about music for media outlets including BBC Music Magazine, MusicalAmerica.com, and Strings. He is also the producer of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s national radio broadcasts.

Jung Huang

Ryan Brandenberg

Violinist Ariel Horowitz

New Directions

Flutist Anthony Trionfo

Emerging artists—the young musicians who burst onto the orchestra scene every year—face unprecedented challenges as they start careers at a time when most in-person performances are off the table. Simultaneously, the country’s reckoning with racism is resonating with these young musicians, who are reenvisioning their musical careers and their role as artists and activists. by Heidi Waleson

n early 2020, Anthony Trionfo’s fledgling career was on the rise. He had won the Young Concert Artists Auditions in 2016, gaining a spot on the organization’s roster. By 2018, he had a busy performance calendar and a thriving teaching studio in Los Angeles. Then, in March of 2020, everything changed. “I was in New York for a performance on the day that the

city locked down,” the 25-year-old flutist recalls. “Fast forward, and all live concerts were cancelled for the foreseeable future. Some of my biggest venues yet were postponed, and then cancelled. It was not great for morale. I was not inspired to practice, that’s for sure. Then came the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, which for me closed the book on any self-promosymphony

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Matt Dine

Harpist Rachel O’Brien

tion. I had to come to terms with the question, how does my music affect the community? Does it matter?” The pandemic shutdown has been cataclysmic for artists and arts organizations, with its sudden loss of livelihoods and, more existentially, reasons for being. For emerging performers just getting a toehold in the music business, momentum came to a screeching halt. Artists who had just gotten used to the idea that they could pay their bills were suddenly unemployed as not only live performances but teaching dried up, with parents unable to afford lessons for their children. On top of the shocks to daily life in the U.S. came political upheavals and a new spotlight on racial injustice. Yet emerging artists like Trionfo, and the management companies that help them build their lives in music, have come

and commitment about what their lives ought to be once live performance becomes regularly possible again. Monica Felkel, YCA’s director of artist management, says, “These young artists, who have been looking at the model of

right into online performance. “It doesn’t give me a sense of purpose; live performance is what I love,” he says. However, participating in the YCA-hosted “Learning to Listen,” an online roundtable about the Black experience in classical music,

“I want to use art to propel deeper thinking, to be the champion of more composers—queer, non-binary, BIPOC, historically overlooked—and reflect social issues.” —Flutist Anthony Trionfo what a career is supposed to be—school, practicing, competitions, management— are actually the most flexible and adaptable. They understand technology and the expansion of social media. They are learning to shift to a new kind of career.” The artists, she says, “are driving the conversations, and the programs that they are doing. With time on their hands, they

helped him crystallize a new direction for his musical life. “Now, I’m coming to terms with what brings me joy, what I want to give to an audience, beyond executing flawlessly,” he says. “I want to use art to propel deeper thinking, to be the champion of more composers—queer, non-binary, BIPOC [Black, Indigenous, and People of Color], historically overlooked—and reflect social issues.” Trionfo is working on creating his own music festival. And while he has started practicing again—“I’m nitpicking all my fundamentals, and really enjoying my long tones”—and working on some live performance projects, his view of the future is different from what it was pre-pandemic. “I see myself doing the performing, appearing in better and better venues,” he says, “but I’m also seeing myself more as a leader, a person who is actively bringing the art forward. I don’t think we can just go back to what we were doing, because people aren’t going to care anymore. We need to embrace the mentality of premieres again, of music that is relevant to our time. That will enliven our audiences and touch new lives.” Music Education, Teaching, Social Media

Ariel Horowitz works with students at the Heartbeat Music Project, the K-12 music education initiative on the Navajo Reservation that she founded in 2016 when she was an undergraduate at Juilliard.

up with strategies to adapt to this unprecedented time. Thanks to technology, collaboration, and innovation, musicians have found ways to work—and even get paid. New grant programs have replaced some lost income. And the soul-searching sparked by the enforced pause in the regular round of the music business has produced, for many young players, new ideas americanorchestras.org

can spend time with repertoire that they haven’t had a moment to sit with. They can share more of their personality online in Zoom interviews or panel discussions. Their pre-recorded livestreams are reaching so many more people, growing their audience and fan base.” Trionfo, who moved back to his family home in Ohio in August, did not leap

When the pandemic hit, violinist Ariel Horowitz’s short visit with her domestic partner in Colorado Springs turned into a four-month stay. Fortunately, she had brought her violin along. She finished up her Yale graduate degree remotely, livestreaming her (piano-less) graduation recital using her iPhone camera from the basement. The enforced lull also gave her time to work on grantwriting for the Heartbeat Music Project, the K-12 music education initiative on the Navajo Reservation that she founded in 2016 when she was an undergraduate at Juilliard; the effort paid

truly important, forced me to reassess my values as an artist and an activist.” In addition to teaching violin at Mount Holyoke College, Horowitz has also used her online skills to make a living, running social media efforts part-time for various organizations. “A lot of musicians in this time have a day job,” she says.

Paul Shim

Virtual Young Artists

Anthony Trionfo performs the Ibert Flute Concerto with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s on Young Concert Artists’ 2019 Gala at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, with Teddy Abrams conducting.

off in the form of a large new donation to the project. During the summer months, Horowitz went into “tunnel vision” on her application for Concert Artists Guild. She worked hard on upgrading her technology skills for the organization’s newly all-vir-

“Being reminded of what is truly important forced me to reassess my values as an artist and an activist.”—Violinist Ariel Horowitz something from a global pandemic. But being faced with our societal interconnectedness in a way I haven’t experienced before, and being reminded of what is

World Symphony). This year, the intensive was held online, with four times the usual number of participants; a second intensive was held in November.

Matt Dine

Monica Felkel, director of artist management at Young Concert Artists, says that today’s young musicians “understand technology and the expansion of social media. They are learning to shift to a new kind of career.”

cert work. “I put my heart and soul into the application; it’s kind of amazing how it worked out,” she says. “There’s a lot of privilege in being able to say that I learned

Artist managers who focus on emerging artists were quick to adapt their practices in response to the pandemic. Nonprofits like Young Concert Artists and the Sphinx Organization rolled out new grant programs to help musicians replace lost income and fund creative projects. They also moved much of their work online. Sphinx, a partner in the National Alliance for Audition Support, which helps Black and Latinx performers develop audition skills with the goal of increasing diversity in orchestras, usually runs a summer intensive in Miami Beach for 20 musicians (the other partners in NAAS are the League of American Orchestras and New

tual competition. “It was a joyful process,” she says. “In pedagogy, you usually want the student to master the skill before they have to do it on deadline, but sometimes a deadline gives you the push to learn it.” Her work with Heartbeat put her into contention for CAG’s new Ambassador Awards, which recognize artists who are already committed to community building, and in October, she was chosen, along with three other artists and one ensemble, to join CAG’s roster. At 24, Horowitz already had a raft of prestigious competition wins and solo performances under her belt, but winning CAG has been special, especially since the organization will help support Heartbeat in addition to representing her for con-

Young Concert Artists moved discussions about topics that are useful to its musicians online, including a Zoom workshop on technology and streaming with members of the YCA roster and artist management staff (in photo), and another workshop on public relations and social media.

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Astral

Sphinx has also been able to present digital performing opportunities for its artists. “This is America,” a digital tour package for the Sphinx Virtuosi, featuring music by BIPOC composers, was engineered from individually recorded tracks; presenters including the University Music Series and the Napa Valley Festival booked it for the fall, providing both exposure and paychecks for the players. Sphinx’s annual fundraising gala was also held online. “Sixty-seven of our artists performed for more than 50,000 people—instead of the 2,500 who would have heard them live in Carnegie Hall,” says Afa S. Dworkin, president and artistic director of Sphinx. Astral Artists, the Philadelphia-based non-profit that supports young performers, has been able to continue its community and school-based education programs virtually, and thus continue paying its artists who serve as teachers, mentors, and performers. Its annual series of debut recitals were made virtual as well, and rebranded Astral Nova. “In June, since we had no idea what would be possible in the fall, we decided that planning a virtual season was safer and more practical,” says Vera Wilson, Astral’s founder and interim executive director. She adds that the creativity and technological savvy of young performers has been a great plus. The virtual events are “an opportunity for them to plan their own recitals, including other disciplines, such as poetry, dance, or paintings—anything that is inspirational to them.” The recitals vary in length and forces—one has five musicians—and may feature pieces from Astral’s commissioning programs. Once live performances are possible again, the artists will have live debut recitals. Astral usually keeps its artists for four or five years before placing them with a commercial management; Wilson expects that some will now be staying longer.

Rachel O’Brien performs with the Houston Symphony and conductor Daniel Hege.

her followers are younger musicians, many in high school or college, aspiring to classical music careers. With live performance at a standstill, O’Brien has developed that

about it in paid online speaking engagements and Q&A sessions at music camps, universities, and other forums. “I see it as encouraging people, keeping them moti-

The future “might be somewhat different, considering the way we have had to use technology this year. We will continue to use those avenues to reach people, with music.”—Harpist Rachel O’Brien online presence still further with concerts and videos. She also published a book about practicing, with a corresponding practice journal, and she has been talking

vated and on track when stuck at home,” she says. “Think of this time as positive thing, a way to practice more, and push one’s self to next level. You can be getting

Adapting—and Finding New Ways

Rachel O‘Brien’s Astral Nova recital is scheduled for February 13. The 27-year-old harpist (who was known until her recent marriage as Rachel Lee Hall) has had a busy performing schedule for several years; winning first prize in the Houston Symphony’s 2019 Ima Hogg Competition accelerated things even more. At the same time, O’Brien was working on building up her social media following on Instagram; americanorchestras.org

Concerts Artists Guild moved its “Connections: A Virtual Gala” 2020 fundraiser online; the event featured mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O’Connell (in screenshot) along with other emerging artists.

there’s still lots of uncertainty and caution, there’s also joy and gratitude when we get together. That engagement, and the commitment to talking to them, thinking of projects together, is so important.” Anthony Trionfo concurs. “I’m so lucky to be with Young Concert Artists,” he says. “Even though presenters are not giving live concerts, YCA is keeping the connec-

Vera Wilson of Astral Artists says that the organization has continued to support its emerging musicians during the pandemic, and moved its annual debut recitals, now rebranded as Astral Nova, online.

series in Virginia. The pause in live performance also made it easier for her to take some time out to get married. Changing Perspectives

Members of the Sphinx Virtuosi and EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble perform during the Sphinx Organization’s virtual gala, Lift Ev’ry Voice, on October 15, 2020, which was viewed by 50,000 people.

tions alive, sending out videos, pushing presenters to evolve.” He was especially grateful for the regular online meetings and workshops that gathered the whole roster with the YCA leadership, managers,

Chester Lane

Reactions to the pandemic have evolved over its long months. “For our artists, the tenor was more alarming in the spring and summer,” Afa Dworkin recalls. “There was lots of frustration, pain, and fear. They didn’t know what was coming; what their paycheck situation would be. Now, while

“I don’t have anybody who is giving up,” says artist manager Marianne Sciolino, seen here with client Francisco Fullana following a September 2018 concerto performance with Connecticut’s Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. In October 2020, the violinist switched repertory to perform with the reduced, socially distanced musicians of the Heartland Festival Orchestra in Illinois.

and guest artists. “It gave a sense of community, treating the artists like family, instead of isolating them and leaving them in silence.” Artists have met the financial, spiritual, and emotional challenges of getting through the pandemic in different ways. For many, it has offered an opportunity for a reset. But what will happen when there’s

Sphinx

Astral Artists

better, strategizing for when world gets back to normal.” O’Brien, who is based in Roanoke, Virginia, has continued teaching harp at Hollins University; one dream for the future is to start a chamber music

a vaccine, and regular live performances can resume? Will things be different? Rachel O’Brien believes that the future “might be somewhat different, considering the way we have had to use technology this year. It was unfortunate, but it opened up a lot of new avenues for us to reach one another. We will continue to use those avenues to reach people, with music.” Indeed, these young performers, more immediately comfortable with technology than some more established artists, have been well positioned to use and develop it during the pandemic, and will likely go on doing afterwards. Ariel Horowitz says, “I think our field was moving towards a mode that was more accessible; the pandemic has accelerated that by 20 years.” Her own dreams for herself, she says, are “so much more flexible” than they were prior to the pandemic. “I’m really invested in creating a classical music landscape that is more accessible and equitable.” Young artists and managers are working on a future—and even a present—that includes live performance. In November, YCA violinist Randall Goosby made his debut with the Mobile Symphony, playing the Beethoven Violin Concerto four times in 24 hours, doubling his original contract, so that the orchestra could accommodate symphony

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Emerging artists have met the financial, spiritual, and emotional challenges of the pandemic in multiple ways.

Craig Gorkiewicz

more socially distanced audience members. “These younger artists are hungry and willing to be flexible and take risks,” Felkel says. Marianne Sciolino, who heads the NYC-based Sciolino Artist Management,

Afa S. Dworkin, president and artistic director of the Sphinx Organization, which works to develop opportunities for classical musicians of color, says Sphinx has moved multiple programs online, drawing more participants and larger audiences.

has also been busy renegotiating her artists’ live concert engagements. In October, for example, violinist Francisco Fullana played with the Heartland Festival Orchestra in Illinois, switching the repertory to Max Richter’s The Four Seasons Recomposed in order to work with the reduced, socially distanced orchestra musicians. Sciolino is also working on rebooking all this year’s cancelled engagements for future seasons and sending out email blasts with her artists’ concertos for 2021-22 as well as 2022-23. “Orchestras are booking for next season,” she says. “We can’t just not do anything.” So far, she says, “I don’t have anybody who is giving up.” Felkel sees a post-pandemic world in which artists are newly empowered. “What has come out of this is the value of the artists being true to themselves,” she says. “Down the road, when an orchestra

comes to me for a specific violinist for the Beethoven or Lalo concerto, that artist will want to know what else they can bring to the table for that engagement. I’ve had artists say, ‘When we have regular concerts again, I want to make sure I’m in the community a day before. I don’t want to just go to a school, I want to go to a soup kitchen or a senior facility.’ They are realizing who has been cut off from access to music during this pandemic.” The special projects that the artists have undertaken during this time, as well as their newfound openness to many kinds of audience engagement, are now integral aspects of their musician DNA and cannot help but have an effect on what the concert landscape becomes. Says Felkel, “I think artists will be leading the way.” HEIDI WALESON is the opera critic of the Wall Street Journal and the author of Mad Scenes and Exit Arias: The Death of the New York City Opera and the Future of Opera in America (Metropolitan Books/Picador).

“These are the stars of the next generation.” - T H E WA S H I N G T O N P O S T

S A XO P H O N E DOUBLE BASS

Randall Goosby

VIOLIN

Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

Xavier Foley

PIANO Benjamin Baker MEZZO-SOPR ANO Martin James Bartlett Randall Goosby *Megan Moore Albert Cano Smit Risa Hokamura YO U N G C O N C E R T A R T I S T S BASS-BARITONE Do-Hyun Kim SooBeen Lee BE THE FIRST TO BOOK THE BEST *William Socolof Maxim Lando yca.org/roster 212.307.6657 management@yca.org CELLO Nathan Lee FLUTE Jonathan Swensen Daniel Kellogg president Aristo Sham Anthony Trionfo Monica J. Felkel director of artist management *Zhu Wang Vicki Margulies

artist manager

americanorchestras.org

Steven Banks

AC C O R D I O N

Hanzhi Wang COMPOSER

Saad Haddad Chris Rogerson *Winner of the 2020 Young Concert Artists International Audition

Our annual listing of emerging composers, conductors, ensembles, and soloists is inspired by the breadth and sheer volume of young classical talent. The following list of emerging talent is provided by League of American Orchestras business partners and is intended as a reference point for orchestra professionals who book classical series. It does not imply endorsement by Symphony or the League.

Composers Vince Corozine Vince Corozine Music

vincecorozinemusic.com 410 956 6090

Vince Corozine grew up in New York; earned three music degrees; taught at two universities; and recorded with members of the Toronto Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic, and Kunming Symphony in China.

Saad Haddad Young Concert Artists

saadnhaddad.com 212 307 6657

Recent commissions include the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a clarinet concerto for Kinan Azmeh. Orchestral works performed by the Minnesota Orchestra and symphonies of Albany, Columbus, Milwaukee, and Sioux City. Photo by Dennis Christians

Niloufar Iravani

niloufariravani.com 225 252 0490

Recipient of 2019 Women Composers Commissions supported by the Toulmin Foundation, Niloufar Iravani is a composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music interested to find new opportunities and collaborate with artists/ensembles. Photo by Ali Haghshenas

Chen-Hui Jen Florida International University

hmcrecluse.wordpress.com 858 366 3482

Chen-Hui Jen is a composer, poet, and pianist whose music presents an imaginative, spiritual, and poetic space with subtlety and sophistication. She writes music works that reflect an angle of contemporary art music that integrates time, sound, color, and poetry.

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Leanna Primiani Subito Music

leannaprimiani.com 973 857 3440

Leanna Primiani is a musical storyteller. Transforming traditional narratives, she uses electronics with orchestral instrumentation to explore the limits of musical form, sound, and time.

Photo by N. Noore

Hilary Purrington

hilarypurrington.com 413 426 3312

Hilary Purrington is a New York City-based composer of vocal, chamber, and orchestral music. Her works feature vibrant orchestrations, dramatic narratives, and singable melodies.

Photo by Ramuel Galarza

Chris Rogerson Young Concert Artists

chrisrogerson.com 212 307 6657

Upcoming commissions with Nashville and New Decco for Project Trio. Continues as Amarillo Symphony artistic advisor. Works performed by San Francisco, Atlanta, Kansas City, Oregon, Milwaukee, and Houston symphonies, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Photo by Matt Dine

Conductors Tabita Berglund HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 0 20 7229 9166

Taavi Oramo HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 0 20 7229 9166

Nil Venditti HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 0 20 7229 9166

Stephanie Childress HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 0 20 7229 9166

Sebastian Serrano-Ayala sebastian-serrano.com 269 815 6018 Eduardo Strausser HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 0 20 7229 9166

Gábor Káli HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 33 01 58 30 51 30

Ensembles Performing with Orchestra Merz Trio, Piano Trio Concert Artists Guild merztrio.com 212 333 5200

Sinta Quartet Concert Artists Guild sintaquartet.com 212 333 5200

Instrumentalists Hanzhi Wang, Accordion Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

“Dazzled all with her skills and musicianship” (Communities Digital News, Washington). Offers variety of repertoire, including concertos by Creston, Piazzolla, J.S. Bach, Handel, Hovhaness, Gubaidulina, and Mozart. Photo by Matt Dine

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Instrumentalists (continued) Gabriel Martins, Cello Concert Artists Guild

gabrielmartinscello.com 212 333 5200

Winner of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, Gabriel Martins’s passionate and poetic performances, combined with his ability to connect with new audiences, make him one of the premier cellists of his generation.

Photo by Amelie Fortin

Jonathan Swensen, Cello Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Debuted last season with the Copenhagen Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra at Windsor Castle, and Sun Symphony Orchestra in Vietnam, and performed a reengagement with Denmark’s Aarhus Symphony Orchestra. Photo by Matt Dine

Xavier Foley, Double Bass Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Appearances include the Detroit Symphony and reengagement with Atlanta Symphony. Soloist and composer; works for orchestra include For Justice and Peace, co-commissioned and premiered by Carnegie Hall, the Sphinx Organization, and New World Symphony. Photo by Vanessa Briceño

Beomjae Kim, Flute Astral Artists

astralartists.org 215 735 6999

Lauded for his “memorable eloquence” (The New York Times), Beomjae Kim has appeared at the Seoul Arts Center, Lincoln Center, National Sawdust, the Guggenheim Museum, the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts, and Carnegie’s Zankel, Weill, and Stern halls. Photo by Ryan Brandenberg

Anthony Trionfo, Flute Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Upcoming Chicago debut at Grant Park performing Michael Daugherty’s Trail of Tears under Carlos Kalmar. Previous engagements include solos with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s and the Edmonton and Stockton symphonies. Photo by Matt Dine

Annie Wu, Flute Astral Artists

astralartists.org 215 735 6999

Soloist with the Vienna International Orchestra, California Symphony, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, and San Jose Chamber Orchestra. First Prize in the James Pappoutsakis Flute Competition. “This artist, it seems, can do anything” (Mercury News). Photo by Rachel Rodgers

Eric Huckins, Horn Astral Artists

astralartists.org 215 735 6999

Hailed for his “sparkling, crystal clear sound” (Brass Legacy), Eric Huckins has appeared with The Philadelphia Orchestra, American Ballet Theater, S.E.M. Ensemble, and The American Brass Quintet.

Photo by Ryan Brandenberg

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Britton-René Collins, Percussion Concert Artists Guild

brittonrene.com 212 333 5200

Winner of the 2020 CAG Competition, Britton-René Collins finds passion in contemporary percussion performance and has dedicated her artistry to shaping a more diverse and inclusive community for all musicians. Photo by Britton-Rene Collins

Martin James Bartlett, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

BBC Proms debut performing Rhapsody in Blue with the Royal Philharmonic. Acclaimed performances of Mozart concerti with Sir Bernard Haitink. Exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics.

Photo by Kaupo Kikkas

Albert Cano Smit, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Performed with the Las Vegas Philharmonic, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río, Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, and the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.

Photo by Kaupo Kikkas

Do-Hyun Kim, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Tchaikovsky Competition Winners’ Concert at the invitation of Valery Gergiev; Beethoven Concerto and Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra with the Albany Symphony; Tchaikovsky with the Greenville Symphony. Photo by Matt Dine

Maxim Lando, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto with violinist Daniel Hope, cellist Lynn Harrell, and the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. Past appearances with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Pittsburgh and Vancouver symphonies. Photo by Matt Dine

Nathan Lee, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Mozart Concerto No. 12 with the Savannah Philharmonic. Previous performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and Buffalo Philharmonic.

Photo by Matt Dine

Zhenni Li, Piano Astral Artists

astralartists.org 215 735 6999

“An artist of tremendous conviction, who fascinates even as she provokes” (Gramophone), Zhenni Li has performed with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of the Dominican Republic and was first prize winner at the Concours. Photo by Brent Calis

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Instrumentalists (continued) Nicolas Namoradze, Piano Honens

nicolasnamoradze.com 403 299 0130

Named Gramophone’s “One to Watch” and a WQXR “20 for ‘20” artist to watch, Namoradze stuns critics. “I’m not often lost for words, but Namoradze’s recital almost defeated me” (International Piano).

Photo by Nathan Elson

Ronaldo Rolim, Piano Astral Artists

astralartists.org 215 735 6999

Soloist with the Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg State Academic Capella, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Musikkollegium Winterthur, Concerto Budapest, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Photo by Ryan Brandenberg

Aristo Sham, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Performed Rachmaninov with the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Simon Rattle, and with the Utah, Knoxville, and Eugene symphonies. Appearances with the English Chamber Orchestra and Hong Kong Philharmonic with Edo de Waart. Photo by Matt Dine

Zhu Wang, Piano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Debuted with the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra. Acclaimed performances of Mozart concerti with the San Juan Symphony and the Salzburg Chamber Soloists. Has also performed with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Xiamen Philharmonic Orchestra.

Steven Banks, Saxophone Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Recognized for his breathtaking performances. Collaborations with conductors Franz Welser-Möst, Jahja Ling, Matthias Pintscher, and Roderick Cox. Saxophonist educator and inclusion advocate. Invitations to perform with Oregon Mozart Players and the North Carolina Symphony. Photo by YCA

Benjamin Baker, Violin Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Strauss Concerto in a reengagement with the English Chamber Orchestra. Performances with the English Chamber Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, Auckland Philharmonia, and upcoming with the Fort Worth Symphony. Photo by Matt Dine

Francisco Fullana, Violin Sciolino Artist Management

franciscofullana.com 212 721 9975

This Spanish-born Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient is an intrepid, entrepreneurial soloist and recording artist with a wealth of concerto repertoire and a zeal for engagement with students and Latinx communities. Photo by Felix Broede

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Randall Goosby, Violin yca.org Young Concert Artists 212 307 6657 2020-21 engagements include his Hollywood Bowl debut, and performances with the Detroit, Toledo, and Mobile symphonies. Previous appearances with the Hartford and Virginia symphonies. Exclusive recording artist with Decca Classics. Photo by Kaupo_Kikkas

Risa Hokamura, Violin yca.org Young Concert Artists 212 307 6657 Silver Medal, 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, included Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony/Leonard Slatkin. Recent “Violin Virtuosos” gala concert with the Greensboro Symphony, and Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra appearance. Photo by Matt Dine

Ariel Horowitz, Violin arielhorowitz.com Concert Artists Guild 212 333 5200 Described as “sweetly lyrical” (Washington Post), Ariel Horowitz’s mission is to combine her pursuit of excellence with the dismantling of exclusionary systems that have kept audiences out of the concert hall.

Photo by I Jung Huang

Luke Hsu, Violin lukehsuviolin.com International Violin Competition of Indianapolis 317 637 4574 Praised as having “total command of the instrument” (Montreal Gazette), 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Bronze Medalist Luke Hsu has performed with the Salzburg Soloists, Houston, Wrocław, and Odense symphony orchestras. Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.

Katie Hyun, Violin astralartists.org Astral Artists 215 735 6999 The founder and director of Quodlibet Ensemble, Katie Hyun has performed as soloist with the Houston Symphony, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, and Columbia Festival Orchestra.

Photo by Ryan Brandenberg

SooBeen Lee, Violin Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Debuted with the Detroit Symphony and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s this past season. Performed the Brahms, Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Sibelius concertos with orchestras throughout the country.

Photo by Matt Dine

Geneva Lewis, Violin genevalewisviolinist.com Concert Artists Guild 212 333 5200 Hailed as a “name to watch” by conductor Nic McGegan, New Zealand-born Geneva Lewis is garnering attention as an artist of rare talent, a natural communicator meant for the spotlight.

Photo by Donald van Hasselt

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Instrumentalists (continued) Richard Lin, Violin richardlinviolin.com International Violin Competition of Indianapolis 317 637 4574 Richard Lin, 2018 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis Gold Medalist, performs with nearly all of Taiwan’s major orchestras this season. 2019 U.S. appearances included the Indianapolis Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, and Montclair Orchestra. Photo by Denis Ryan Kelly, Jr.

Melissa White, Violin samnyc.us Sciolino Artist Management 212 721 9975 This first-place Sphinx Laureate and Harlem Quartet co-founder has won acclaim as a soloist with numerous American orchestras. Recent and upcoming engagements include the National Philharmonic and the Richmond, Albany, and Baton Rouge symphonies. Photo by Kevin Michael Murphy

Alana Youssefian, Violin alanayoussefian.com Schwalbe & Partners, Inc. 917 572 6859 Alana Youssefian is a sought-after soloist known for her engaging performances, fierce virtuosity, and passionate interpretations of works spanning the Baroque era to the music of today.

Photo by Jonathan Slade 2

CELLO

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GUITAR

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CLARINET

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Rachel Lee Hall Astral Artists astralartists.org 215 735 6999 OBOE Mitchell Kuhn Astral Artists astralartists.org 215 735 6999

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PIANO Kenny Broberg The Cliburn kennybroberg.com 817 738 6536 Dominic Cheli Concert Artists Guild dominiccheli.com 212 333 5200 Rachel Cheung The Cliburn rachelcheung.com 817 738 6536 Christopher Goodpasture Astral Artists astralartists.org 215 735 6999

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VIOLIN

Marie-Ange Nguci HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 33 0 1 58 30 51 30

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Vocalists Jonathon Adams, Baritone Schwalbe & Partners, Inc.

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Born and based in Canada, Jonathon Adams is an Indigenous baritone of Cree-Métis descent. They hold the Netherlands Bach Society’s “Young Bach Fellowship” and are a core member of Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir. Photo by Ayako Nishibori

Evan Korbut, Baritone Dean Artists Management

deanartists.com/evan-korbut 416 969 7300

Winner, Stuart Hamilton Emerging Artist Award; Pacific Opera Victoria/Vancouver Opera – Owl/Flight of the Hummingbird; Tapestry Opera/Opera on the Avalon – Simms/Shanawdithit; Dora Award; VOICEBOX:Opera in Concert – Jamie Paul/Ecstasy of Rita Joe.

William Socolof, Bass-Baritone Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Appeared as a soloist in Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy with the Boston Symphony Orchestra with Andris Nelsons, “Sondheim on Sondheim” (Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart), and Mozart’s “Per questa bella mano” with the Juilliard Chamber Orchestra.

Simona Genga, Mezzo-Soprano Dean Artists Management

simonarosegenga.com 416 969 7300

Winner, Canadian Opera Centre Stage Competition; CBC Music’s “30 Under 30” honoree; Gerdine Young Artist, Ravinia Steans Music Institute; Opera Theatre of St. Louis: Annina/La traviata; Canadian Opera Company: Berta/Il barbiere di Siviglia. Photo by Gaetz Photography

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Vocalists Megan Moore, Mezzo-Soprano Young Concert Artists

yca.org 212 307 6657

Performed as soloist with the Charleston Pops and the Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra. Also sang with the Nürnberger Symphoniker this past summer. Other past engagements include performances with the Indianapolis Opera, Opera Naples, and Opera Project Columbus.

Martina Portychova, Mezzo-Soprano Harwood Management

martinaportychova.com 212 864 0773

Czechoslovakian mezzo-soprano Martina Portychova appeared in operatic productions in Europe and the USA as well as a soloist with the Acadian Symphony Orchestra in Louisiana and a Messiah soloist in NYC.

Victoria Miningham, Soprano Harwood Management

victoriaminingham.net 212 864 0773

Victoria Miningham made her professional operatic debut in La Bohème with the New York Grand Opera. She was heralded by the New York Times as a “saucy, beaming Musetta.” She has worked with professional orchestras such as Rome Festival Orchestra, New York Grand Opera.

Andrea Núñez, Soprano Dean Artists Management

andreanunezsoprano.com 416 969 7300

Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist, Gerdine Young Artist/Opera Theatre of St. Louis: Pvt. Sonia Gonzalez/ Ruo & Hwang’s An American Soldier; Calgary Opera: Papagena/Die Zauberflöte; Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal: Woglinde/Das Rheingold Photo by Brent Calis

Margot Rood, Soprano Schwalbe & Partners, Inc.

margotrood.com 917 572 6859

Hailed for her “colorful and vital” singing, Margot Rood performs a wide range of repertoire but is particularly committed to early music. She is a former Lorraine Hunt Lieberson Fellow at Emmanuel Music.

Photo by Ars Magna Studio

Jonelle Sills, Soprano Dean Artists Management

jonellesills.com 416 969 7300

CBC Music’s “30 Under 30” honoree for 2020; Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda Faris Young Artist Program; Against the Grain Theatre: Mimi/La bohème; Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra: Knoxville Summer 1915; Banff Centre’s “Opera in the 21st Century” Residency. Photo by Daniel Alexander Denino

Matthew Dalen, Tenor Dean Artists Management

matthewdalen.com 416 969 7300

Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal; Finalist, Canadian Opera Company Centre Stage Gala; Vancouver Opera’s Yulanda Faris Young Artist program; Edmonton Opera: Borsa/Rigoletto; Opera Theatre of St. Louis; VOICEBOX: Opera in Concert – Fierrabras. Photo by Brent Calis

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ALTO

SOPRANO

Emily Righter Harwood Management emilyrightermezzo.com 212 864 0773

Alexandra Lowe HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 44 0 20 7229 9166

MEZZO-SOPRANO Alissa Andraski Harwood Management Alissa-Andraski.com 212 864 0773 Naomi Louisa O’Connell Concert Artists Guild concertartists.org 212 333 5200

Alexandra Nowakowski Astral Artists astralartists.org 215 735 6999 TENOR Karim Sulayman Opus 3 Artists karimsulayman.com 212 584 7500

Valentin Thill HarrisonParrott harrisonparrott.com 44 0 20 7229 9166 Orson Van Gay II Harwood Management orsonvangay.com 212 864 0773 Ziwen Xiang Harwood Management Ziwenxiangtenor.com 212 864 0773

INDEX

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Chamber Crescendo

Gary Gold

The Albany Symphony Orchestra and Music Director David Alan Miller perform a chamber version of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony and the premiere of Andre Myers’s Black & Alive for chamber orchestra.

Symphonic blockbusters are being swapped out for chamber-sized works as orchestras adapt to pandemic health guidelines. Fresh discoveries abound—for musicians, orchestras, and audiences. by Rebecca Winzenried

rchestras are thinking small—as in the size of ensembles, the size of audiences, the size of programs. Granted, it was not entirely by choice. Pandemic-related restrictions on the number of persons allowed to gather, indoors or out, and social-distancing guidelines for onstage set-ups have meant measuring programs out in 60-minute segments and six-foot increments. Yet amidst it all, a bit of silver lining has been glimpsed, as

symphony orchestras embrace the power of chamber music. “It’s a time of great discovery, and realizing that small is not necessarily bad. I would not argue against great orchestras and the Mahler symphonies—sometimes I really miss the big string sound—but there is great beauty to smaller works,” says Albany Symphony Orchestra Music Director David Alan Miller. The ASO did turn to Mahler, actually, in a chamber arrange-

ment of his Fourth Symphony (more on Mahler 4 later). Like so many groups, the Albany Symphony also sought out works written specifically for smaller ensembles, like Brahms’s Serenade No. 1, originally scored by the composer for eight to nine instruments, and reductions of larger orchestral works, like Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. “You don’t want people thinking, well, we couldn’t do the real piece so we did this watered-down symphony

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Roger Mastroianni/Cleveland Orchestra

version. But there are all these really wonderful arrangements and transcriptions made by the composers themselves or their disciples throughout history,” says Miller. As orchestras began cautiously returning to their concert halls this fall, a few with limited in-person audiences, others with contactless virtual performances, reimagined seasons largely began with string ensembles. Tchaikovsky or Dvořák might still be on the program, but serenades took over from symphonies. Orchestras reached almost instinctively for the string serenades by those composers, even as they began thinking about other repertoire. “It was easy to say, let’s go with the Dvořák String Serenade and Tchaikovsky String Serenade,” says Jeremy Rothman, vice president of artistic planning at the Philadelphia Orchestra. “That’s really lowhanging fruit, but it’s also a good way for

The Cleveland Orchestra with Music Director Franz Welser-Möst and pianist Yefim Bronfman at Severance Hall in October. The orchestra changed to repertoire requiring fewer musicians for this and other episodes of its virtual In Focus series.

Symphony orchestras are embracing the power of chamber music.

americanorchestras.org

enade for Strings in October was its first in twenty years. The same program also included the orchestra’s first performance of Richard Strauss’s Metamorphosen in more than three decades. In other cases, performance of string serenades was a chance to connect with audiences in a new

way. The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra performed each of the Tchaikovsky and Dvořák serenades for its online CSO On Demand series, which was recorded live at the Knight Theater. “These are pieces we never really play on our main series because we have much bigger works,” says

Courtesy Charlotte Symphony

the orchestra to get their feet back underneath them, in playing in these new environments.” A performance of the Tchaikovsky Serenade recorded at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in August for digital streaming was the first time musicians had been together on stage in more than four months. In a number of cases, the customary serenades have been paired with George Walker’s lesser-known Lyric for Strings. That work’s more somber tone, scaled up or down in the number of musicians employed, emerged as an elegiac response to troubled times at orchestras nationwide this season, while also highlighting the music of an African American composer whose name might not be as familiar to audiences. Lyric for Strings, written in 1946, is the most frequently performed of Walker’s works, and its presence on many orchestral programs this season speaks for its power—and orchestras’ growing recognition of works by Walker and other Black composers, past and present. For some orchestras, the reimagined season was a chance to get reacquainted with works that are not frequently performed. The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Dvořák’s Ser-

The Charlotte Symphony’s virtual-only “Charlotte Symphony Al Fresco” chamber concerts were held in Principal Cello Alan Black’s backyard. The eight concerts in the series were filmed and produced by CSO horn player Robert Rydel.

Gary Gold

“It’s a time of great discovery, and realizing that small is not necessarily bad. Sometimes I really miss the big string sound—but there is great beauty to smaller works,” says Albany Symphony Orchestra Music Director David Alan Miller.

General Manager John Clapp. Listening to the first performance, which included the Tchaikovsky Serenade and Grieg’s Holberg Suite for Strings, Clapp says he was struck by how his concerns about presenting a small ensemble of socially distanced players in a 1,200-seat theater, with no audience, seemed to diminish. “It was a real adjustment, at first, for the musicians,” he says. “But by moving them apart and using more of the [acoustic] shell, it actu-

Courtesy Charlotte Symphony

ally had a warmer sound—a big sound.” The Charlotte Symphony turned to its musicians in retooling its regular On Tap concerts, performed at a local brewery. The series morphed from an indoor event with a chamber orchestra of about twenty musicians to chamber-ensemble performances in the venue’s outdoor garden. Musicians took the lead in suggesting works they had been playing in informal appearances around the city over the summer. On one program, cellist Jeremy Lamb’s arrangements of Shostakovich’s Jazz Suite No. 2 and Waltz No. 2 and William Bolcom’s Graceful Ghost Rag sat alongside his own jazz-inflected compositions.

Charlotte Symphony Orchestra General Manager John Clapp introduces one of the orchestra’s online chamber-scale “On Tap concerts,” performed at a local brewery. The series morphed from indoors to the venue’s garden.

places,” says St. Louis Symphony Orchestra President and CEO Marie-Hélène Bernard. “There are all these little gems, things I would not have heard unless I was, say, a flutist or a harpist.” She points to one program curated, in part, by Principal Harp Allegra Lily that included Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, and Reflections, by the American composer and flutist Katherine Hoover. That performance was part of SLSO fall programming that alternated weeks of chamber orchestra and smaller chamber ensemble concerts. At the Cleveland Orchestra, Chief Artistic Officer Mark Williams took inspiration from guest artist Yefim Bronfman, who suggested Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and Strings as an alternative to the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 2 he had originally been scheduled to perform. Williams did not know the work well

As orchestras cautiously returned to concert halls this fall, some with limited in-person audiences, others with contactless virtual performances, reimagined seasons largely began with string ensembles. Orchestras of all sizes have been seeking input from musicians who particularly love performing chamber music. “Conductors who have pretty deep symphonic repertoire don’t necessarily get to do a lot of chamber orchestra repertoire, so it’s always good to get ideas [from musicians] because everybody comes from different

Courtesy Charlotte Symphony

Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra

Audience members at the Charlotte Symphony’s “On Tap” in-person and virtual chamber concerts, in the beer garden of NoDa Brewing Company. Masked audiences sat socially distanced at tables; musicians performed in a small shelter to protect them from the weather.

The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony’s openingnight virtual concert featured a chamber version of Mahler 4, with soprano Adrienne Danrich. She also performed songs including her own Breathe, written in response to the killing of George Floyd. In photo: Danrich and Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Music Director Christopher Zimmerman discuss the program in a video for the online event.

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than the instruments of a typical string quartet can bear. “That goes away when you have a larger group. It’s created an opportunity to be challenged artistically, and I think that’s also very important, in this bizarre season.”

Roger Mastroianni/Cleveland Orchestra

About That Mahler 4

Camera operators capture socially distanced Cleveland Orchestra musicians at Severance Hall in an August rehearsal for the virtual In Focus series, which is available on the orchestra’s Adella streaming app.

seven-foot distance,” says Williams—and the performance was recorded for digital streaming. Since Severance Hall was able to accommodate slightly more than the maximum of 30 or so musicians permitted at many venues, he wanted to push the limits of a familiar work. The musical ideas of late Beethoven quartets are so big, he says, that the sound can be almost more

Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra

and it proved something of a revelation, paired with an instrumentally expanded version of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 (“Harp”). The quartet’s nickname comes from pizzicato string phrasing in the first movement. The quartet made for an interesting musical challenge— “It’s hard enough for a quartet of people. Now expand that to 40 people, at six- to

The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra in North Dakota replaced Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 for its virtual opening night with a chamber-orchestra arrangement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. In photo: Music Director Christopher Zimmerman and Fargo-Moorhead Symphony musicians rehearse the program. Says Zimmerman, “Every player knew the spotlight was on them, one on a part. They came to this project super prepared, super focused.” americanorchestras.org

A desire to keep stretching artistic boundaries found chamber versions of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 popping up on programs across the country. The Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra in North Dakota had planned a performance of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 for its season opener. When it became apparent that would not be feasible, Executive Director Paul Hegland and Music Director Christopher Zimmerman began looking for alterna-

Orchestras of all sizes have been seeking input from musicians who love performing chamber music. tives. “I knew that many Mahler symphonies had been arranged for small groups, but I did not know that almost every single one had,” says Zimmermann. He had never conducted one of those arrangements when the orchestra decided upon the Fourth Symphony. “I was a bit nervous about that, how it was going to be, if it was going to lose a huge part of what Mahler is. But in some ways the distillation of the huge forces brings out the essence of the piece. It gets right to the core.” With a total of fifteen socially distanced musicians, he adds, “Every player knew the spotlight was on them, one on a part. They came to this project super prepared, super focused.” That focus on musicians was amplified in a conversation included as part of the virtual concert; the performance was filmed at the orchestra’s venue at North Dakota State University. Zimmermann and Concertmaster Sonja Bosca-Harasim discussed Mahler’s use of a secondary tuning for the violin solo in the second movement, and she demonstrated differences between the two instruments she used in the performance. Viewers were then primed to look for the changeover, waiting to see when the second violin, perched neatly on a table next to Bosca-Harasim, would come into play.

Jessica Griffin Jeff Fusco

happens in real time in our world. Maybe we will leave a little wiggle room in our schedules so we can do that.” Shortened concerts—limited to about an hour, without intermission, due to safety concerns—have also reshaped the very structure of orchestra programs; today, programs aren’t following the usual overture/concerto/symphony model, and

Contemporary works for smaller musical forces are suddenly more prominent, with a more diverse range of composers in the lineup. even works by traditional composers are their shorter or smaller-ensemble scores, equal in length and instrumentation to the contemporary pieces being performed. Contemporary works that may have been overshadowed by full symphonies are suddenly more prominent, with a more diverse range of composers in the lineup. That’s benefitted composers whose port-

Dilip Vishwanat

Jeff Fusco

Lina Gonzalez-Granados leads the Philadelphia Orchestra and Branford Marsalis in Villa-Lobos’s Fantasia for saxophone and orchestra at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

songs that included her own Breathe, which was written in response to the killing of George Floyd. At the Albany Symphony, the chamber version of Mahler’s Fourth was performed along with the premiere of Andre Myers’s Black & Alive for chamber orchestra. Myers worked on the ASO commission in early summer, as protests calling for racial justice gripped the Philadelphia Orchestra Co-Principal Trombone Matthew nation. The title reflects his Vaughn, trumpet player Anthony Prisk, and Associate Principal own thoughts and hopes as Horn Jeffrey Lang perform at Valley Forge National Historical an African American, and the Park for the orchestra’s “Our City, Your Orchestra” series. work moves through march rhythms to an uplifting resThe Fargo-Moorhead Symphony used olution. The need to reimagine concert the 2007 Klaus Simon arrangement of the seasons on the fly, to program works writFourth Symphony. At the Albany Symten for fewer performers, and to consider phony, Miller chose to conduct another that performances might not take place at recent chamber arrangement by Iain Farall (the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony had rington instead of Simon’s or the 1920 to cancel its taping of a second concert Erwin Stein arrangement used by several in November when an uptick to in COother groups. “This one is much more orVID-19 cases put the safety of musicians chestral. I find it much more compelling,” and crew at risk) have all meant a chance Miller says. “I was really impressed with to address current events in a way that was how of much of the piece is still in this never possible with larger pieces and longversion, and how you have a really differrange planning. ent experience by virtue of hearing the Orchestras might eventually look back lines so clearly.” at this period with a bit of gratitude for Soprano Adrienne Danrich served as the unexpected freedom, says Williams, soloist in the chamber version of Mahler’s of the Cleveland Orchestra. “We might Fourth Symphony at the Fargo-Moorbe able to reflect as an industry on what it head Symphony; she also performed means for us to be able to respond to what

Jeremy Rothman, vice president of artistic planning at the Philadelphia Orchestra, says that the orchestra is exploring works for chamber forces by contemporary composers including Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery, among others.

Safety precautions for concerts at the St. Louis Symphony were not only onstage and backstage; the experience for masked audiences and ushers included contactless ticket scanning as well as socially distanced seating.

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given Bernard a whole new perspective. The SLSO began welcoming 100 to 150 patrons into the 2,700-seat Powell Hall for live performances (pausing in November and December when COVID cases started rising). Bernard was a bit surprised by the interest in chamber music, with half the ticketholders being first-timers, and by the robust sound produced in the space. “We’ve

Chuck Fry

folios lean toward chamber music. The Philadelphia Orchestra has commissioned and premiered works from Valerie Coleman including the orchestral version of her Umoja, and the 2020 tribute to frontline workers, Seven O’Clock Shout. However, Rothman says he first became acquainted with her smaller pieces. “So now it’s an opportunity to say, okay, we can do some of her chamber music.” Likewise, the orchestra had first performed music by Jessie Montgomery, her Coincident Dances, in March (coincidentally, on the last program with live audience before the shutdown). Rothman had also first become aware of Montgomery through her chamber mu-

The need to reimagine concert seasons on the fly has meant a chance to address current events in a way that was never possible with long-range planning.

Led by Music Director Alastair Willis, musicians from the South Bend Symphony Orchestra in Indiana recorded chamber works for Octet, an installation at the South Bend Museum of Art. Octet was created in response to the pandemic, but the portable installation may play a part in the orchestra’s future plans. americanorchestras.org

South Bend Symphony Orchestra

Dilip Vishwanat

The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra’s October 2020 concert at Powell Hall featured Music Director Stéphane Denève leading a smaller ensemble of musicians in Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3.

sic, and in the new landscape, “there were these works that were already available that were perfect.” The orchestra gave its first performance of Montgomery’s Starburst in December 2020 (paired with Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, coincidentally). Starburst was also performed by the St. Louis Symphony in October—and indeed, the work is pretty much ubiquitous this season. The St. Louis Symphony had commissioned a full orchestral version of the work for the season opener, and still plans to present that version down the road, according to Bernard. But experience with chamber performances this season has

In November, the South Bend Symphony Orchestra collaborated with the Riverlights Music Festival on Octet, an installation at the South Bend Museum of Art. Visitors encountered eight speakers in a circle, each projecting the individual parts of musicians performing selections from Purcell’s Abdelazer, Sibelius’s Andante Festivo, and Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite.

been chasing possible chamber venues for years, thinking, oh, we can’t have chamber music in Powell Hall, it’s too big. Now we’re thinking very differently,” she says. The very nature of chamber performance has been rethought in a new project at the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. In November, the orchestra’s collaboration with the Riverlights Music Festival, Octet, was unveiled at the South Bend Museum of Art. Visitors encounter an installation consisting of eight speakers, situated in a circle, each projecting the individual lines of musicians performing the Rondeau from Purcell’s Abdelazer, Andante Festivo by Sibelius, and the Jig from Holst’s St. Paul’s Suite. Octet allows listeners to immerse themselves in the music by moving around the circle to zero in on specific instruments, then step back to hear the ensemble blend. A group of eight South Bend musicians was recorded in a socially distanced performance for the project. Octet was created in response to the pandemic, but the portable installation may continue to play a part in the orchestra’s plans going forward. The South Bend Symphony envisions recording additional chamber pieces and taking the installation to schools, hospitals, and other places where listeners can find a new way into the music, even when they can’t be in the presence of musicians. REBECCA WINZENRIED is a New Yorkbased arts writer and a former editor in chief of Symphony.

Daniel Knight / Studio B Photography

Roger Kalia makes his debut as music director of the Evansville Philharmonic at the Victory Theatre, before a small audience restricted by COVID regulations.

Podium Launches The pandemic has put significant speed bumps into launching a new music director, but orchestras are rising to the challenge. Despite constantly changing health protocols and travel restrictions, orchestras—and their incoming music directors—are staying connected by adopting new technology, experimenting with repertoire, and finding ways to make music while keeping everyone safe. by Nancy Malitz

n early March 2020, just six months before assuming his music directorship of the Savannah Philharmonic, conductor Keitaro Harada, who was born in Japan and has homes in Savannah and Tokyo, undertook a quick trip with his wife to Japan for a concert engagement. The COVID-19 pandemic in Asia had already started. The moment they landed, they learned that America’s outbreak was also underway. Soon after arriving, Harada conducted the Tokyo Symphony, where he is associ-

ate conductor, in an all-Mozart concert that had no in-person audience but was streamed. Their flight back to the United States was supposed to happen the next day. But, says, Harada, “It was the week that Trump announced he was going to shut down air travel. Everybody who needed to travel went immediately to the airport—tons of people. We decided not to fly. It was just too crowded. And then we couldn’t fly for six months, because the U.S. wasn’t open.”

The Savannah Philharmonic suddenly faced its own version of the question facing a broad assortment of American orchestras this season: How do you launch a music director during a pandemic? Logistical hurdles also confronted the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, which named Mélisse Brunet as its music director in February 2020 after the orchestra emerged from a budget-driven hiatus, and the Evansville Philharmonic in Indiana, where conductor Roger Kalia became symphony

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music director just as the virus began to rage. In Texas and California, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony officially welcomed Fabio Luisi and Esa-Pekka Salonen as their respective music directors with the start of the fall 2020 season—with newly redefined roles. In a typical season, music directors are among the most jet-setting of all professional musicians, many bouncing from state to state and country to Savannah Philharmonic country to conMusic Director Keitaro duct multiple Harada embraced online orchestras. This media to connect with year, of course, audiences in the U.S. all travel has and abroad during the pandemic. been cut way back. Like Harada, several conductors found themselves stranded in a different country from one or more of their orchestras, temporarily unable to get back to the U.S. James Lowe got in half a season at the podium of the Spokane Symphony, where he became music director in fall 2019, before the pandemic hit; he has been stationed at his home in Scotland, and with Washington State hard-hit, the orchestra has postponed its mainstage 2020-21 season to 2021-22. In April 2020, the League of American Orchestras’ long-running Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview was postponed. The Preview’s emerging conductors, as well as orchestra executives and artist representatives, travel from around the country for two days of rehearsals, culminating in a free public concert by the the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum Theater. But despite postponements and cancellations, orchestras and their newly launched music directors are adapting and staying connected by learning new technology, changing repertoire, and finding a way to make music while observing stringent safety protocols. They are doing this while reconfiguring their seasons and coping with the financial realities of significantly curtailed income due to loss of ticket sales. Adaptability is americanorchestras.org

ongoing: As this article was going to the printer, Fabio Luisi, the music director of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, tested positive for COVID-19 while in Europe and was quarantining there. Luisi had conducted several critically praised concerts with the Dallas Symphony earlier in the fall, but—poignantly—would not return to the U.S. for a while. Tokyo to Savannah

While stuck in Tokyo, Harada felt himself unlucky at first. April and May engagements on both sides of the Pacific were lost: “Everything was Cancel, Cancel, Cancel. Not just me, but the entire world,” he recalls. But then he conducted one of the first “no-audience” Tokyo Symphony

A broad assortment of American orchestras are facing the same challenge this season: How do you launch a music director during a pandemic? concerts and became excited as he watched the streaming video. To his amazement, hundreds of people seemed to be watching—and chatting with each other—in real time online. Harada decided to type a casual “The conductor’s here, too!” into the chat and

mounting excitement, he realized he had gained “an audience of people who had never heard of me.” Overnight, Harada became a do-ityourselfer in the how-to of online video production: “I decided we are all hit by the same wind, but we’re not in the same boat. It was up to me to do something for myself.” After three days of work he put up his first livestream video of plucky insider chat on his own YouTube channel. That was “Music Today, Op. 1,” on May 25, and he kept up the project almost daily. By the time he reached “Op. 100” on September 15, Harada was engaging composers, soloists, and pop musicians in jargon-free conversations as viewers joined in with questions. He welcomed the curious. Harada himself had started late in music, first taking up the saxophone and then discovering conducting as a teen at Michigan’s Interlochen Center for the Arts. During those six months, Japan was rigorous about getting the virus under control, and Tokyo’s many professional orchestras were given the green light to begin performing for audiences again in September. But there was a new problem: “None of the foreign conductors were being allowed to come in,” says Harada, who had remained in Japan all that time. “I was the closest thing to a foreign conductor around, because I’m Japanese by nationality, but mentally I’m not very Japanese at all. My upbringing was in-

Keitaro Harada participates in the Savannah Philharmonic’s online trivia night, one of the ways he and the orchestra have stayed connected with audiences during the pandemic.

began interacting while he monitored his own performance. By the end of the concert, he was stunned to see streams of 8888888888888888s flowing across the screen—video lingo for applause. With

ternational and I had made my career abroad.” By September, when halls were allowed 50 percent capacity, Harada, who is in his mid-30s, found himself in rapid ascent. He was booked nearly every week

Keitaro Harada was in Japan when the pandemic lockdowns began. During a stream of a pre-recorded Tokyo Symphony concert, he typed in “The conductor’s here, too!” into the chat and began interacting with viewers. He was stunned to see streams of 8888888888888888s flowing across the screen— video lingo for applause.

by a top-flight orchestra through the end of the year—Tokyo Symphony, Yomiuri Nippon, Kyushu Symphony, Japan Century Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, NHK Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, and

On September 10, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra officially launched Fabio Luisi as music director, with an all-Beethoven concert streamed as a free video. It was performed with no intermission and a reduced orchestra of socially distanced musicians, for an in-house audience of only 75 at Meyerson Symphony Center. Musicians have taken COVID tests on a regular basis. Shuttling Luisi back and forth to Dallas wasn’t going to be easy. He lives in Zurich, where he is general director of the Zurich Opera. “Because of COVID we had to apply for a special international waiver to get him into the country, among the kinds of complications you never dream of,” says President and CEO Kim Noltemy. Her professional experience prior to her arrival in Dallas included several years at the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Fabio Luisi perform at Meyerson Symphony Center for a small audience—and cameras—in fall 2020.

The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Fabio Luisi performed a scaled-back 80-minute Verdi concert at Meyerson Symphony Center in October 2020. Also performing were soprano Angela Meade (standing with back to camera), mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton (to her right), and tenor Bryan Hymel (not shown). Sylvia Elzafon

Nagoya Philharmonic—conducting everything from Ennio Morricone hits and New Year’s concerts to heavy-duty blockbusters. Harada’s first time to lead the orchestra in person in that capacity will be in February, for an hour-long concert of Elgar and Dvořák string serenades, in the flexible 360-degree seating space of a restored historic landmark—the Kehoe Iron Works at Trustees’ Garden. Meanwhile, Harada has been interacting digitally and crafting online segments for the Savannah Philharmonic’s YouTube channel. Savannah Philharmonic Executive Director Amy Williams, who had gone

Zurich to Dallas

Sylvia Elzafon

Executive Director Amy Williams says the Savannah Philharmonic has connected with new audiences via increased digital activities, including interactive video chats, quizzes, and other online segments by Keitaro Harada, who became music director in fall 2020.

to Savannah from Santa Barbara’s Camerata Pacifica in the fall, observed connections with many new audience members that could be credited to the ensemble’s increased digital activities: “The orchestra normally reaches 30,000 members of the Savannah community each season,” she said in November. “But with the current season barely underway we are already at 82 percent of that.” The orchestra tried charging $10 to watch online productions at first, but determined they gained far better exposure by making them free.

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Sylvia Elzafon

americanorchestras.org

sic director,” Luisi says. “We tried to keep what we could, including all our soloists, and we have also tried to keep the line— the logic—originally intended.” Luisi insists, “It is possible to do certain high level works for reduced orchestra while retaining their character. For example, in October we did Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in Schoenberg’s arrangement for chamber orchestra.” Later in the winter season, Luisi plans to do Klaus Simon’s chamber reduction of Mahler’s Fourth Symphony. As for the empty concert-hall acoustic, Luisi says he was encouraged. “I was a little bit

Roger Kalia’s inaugural concert as music director of the Evansville Philharmonic included the world premiere of a fanfare by Paul Dooley called River City. “We adapted it for COVID and put four brass musicians in the theater balcony,” Kalia says. “It was antiphonal, beautiful, almost Gabrieli-like.” afraid because of the distancing that there should be a difference in the color or with the musicians being able to hear properly, but everything worked just fine.”

Dana Ross

she launched media projects including a digital download service, internet TV podcasts, and modernized Boston Symphony websites. That experience came in handy. At press time, the Dallas Symphony has been performing continuously throughout the 2020-21 season with streamed concerts played, for the most part, before limited in-person audiences. Reached by phone in Zurich while on his way to a rehearsal of Simon Boccanegra, Luisi explained that the Zurich Opera had managed to keep going despite COVID, and he thought Dallas should also: “I fought a lot to keep performing (in both places),” Luisi says. “The general tendency is to cancel everything. My Dallas Symphony Orchestra Music Director idea is not only Fabio Luisi to keep going, but to send a signal that culture and music are still very important and that we should try not to stop, rather to do everything we can.” Meyerson Symphony Center was built for the Dallas Symphony in 1989, but even such a relatively new hall was behind the technological curve when it came to creating a pandemic tech strategy. “Before the season opened, we added robotic cameras in the control room and fiber-optic cabling so that we would be able to record and broadcast concerts without a TV truck,” Noltemy says. “At the time the COVID crisis hit, we had begun planning for a website redesign. But we sped up everything as a result of this crisis.” Major website redesign was needed to better manage now-critical multimedia content in a more elegant manner, says Noltemy, describing a widespread industry challenge. “We had been retrofitting the old site, and that meant the videos weren’t that easy to find. We just weren’t set up for much of that.” Luisi’s programming was drastically modified to allow for fewer performers. “Verdi’s Otello became the ‘Best of Verdi’ excerpts,” Noltemy says. “The Verdi Requiem instead became opera excerpts with three singers. Beautiful, but not what we had planned.” “Programming is my core activity as mu-

limit. So Kalia went for three performances in the big hall with smaller audiences, a serendipitous triple-dip for the musicians, who were thrilled. KaEvansville Philharmonic lia’s inaugural Music Director Roger Kalia concert, which included music by J.S. Bach, George Walker, and Mozart, also featured the world premiere of a fanfare by Paul Dooley called River City, to celebrate the city of Evansville. “We adapted it for COVID and put four brass musicians in the theater balcony,” Kalia says. “It was antiphonal, beautiful, almost Gabrieli-like.” The orchestra played to an audience capacity of 250 for several months after the season opener, but this, too, was further reduced as COVID cases rose this fall around the nation. Kalia did manage performances of Milhaud’s ballet suite La Création du monde in November, with strings arrayed behind him and winds in front. As COVID restrictions tightened, Kalia

Indiana Bound

International travel is one complication that Indian American conductor Roger Kalia doesn’t have to deal with as he launches his music directorship of the 87-year-old Evansville Philharmonic in Indiana this season. He maintains a home base in Bloomington, home of Indiana University, where his wife is based, an easy driving distance. And no visa is required for Kalia to commute to his music directorships at the Symphony NH in Nashua, New Hampshire and the Lake George Music Festival in upstate New York. Kalia had planned a single performance of Mahler’s monumental Symphony No. 1 for his inaugural concert in September in Evansville’s Victory Theatre, which seats 1,800. The musicians awaited it keenly, as did Kalia. But COVID-dictated capacity restrictions drastically reduced the seating

Poster for a September 2020 concert by the Evansville Philharmonic featuring big-band music, patriotic tunes, and other music from the World War II era.

Roger Kalia announces the Evansville Philharmonic’s 2020-21 season during a live Zoom event.

Paris to Pennsylvania

Frenc h-bor n Mélisse Brunet was an assistant conductor of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, based in Wilkes-Barre, when Executive Director Nancy Sanderson announced in August 2017 that a gap in finances meant that the orchestra needed to reorganize. “We needed to pay down our debt and do the responsible thing,” Sanderson says. As the

Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic Music Director Mélisse Brunet

former music director, Lawrence Loh, was moving on to another post, Brunet assumed responsibilities as interim music director beginning in 2018-19, while the

Darren Elias

Toko Shiiki Santos

connected with the community through online chats in which the musicians shared stories about their upbringing. In so doing, he learned about the area’s strong marching-band tradition, and Evansville’s history as a center of tank manufacturing in the Second World War. The regional history became Kalia’s inspiration for places and pieces to perform. “We did an entire concert based around World War II, the big bands, patriotic tunes, soldiers’ letters, and music of the era,” he says. “I think the orchestra has connected so well to the community because of the collaborative element. At this point everybody in Evansville is trying to discover new places for performances. Bosse Field, where they filmed A League of Their Own, is a great place for a future concert and there are beautiful parks and gardens.”

drawn to Mélisse—she is so remarkable on the podium,” Sanderson says. “She was creating quite a buzz, and the musicians in the orchestra were giving us incredible feedback. When we started to talk in earnest about a conductor search, two things kept surfacing. One, we didn’t want to see Mélisse leave us, and two, we would never know as much about another conductor as we do about her. So we surveyed the musicians and patrons and they decided she was the one. It has been a great decision.” Brunet, a protégée of the late Pierre Boulez, was announced in February 2020 as the orchestra’s new music director, just a month before the U.S. shut down during the pandemic. Luckily, Brunet’s second love is orchestration. She dove into new digital techniques aggressively as the orchestra put live concerts on hold for the rest of the season while holding out hope for resumption in

Mélisse Brunet speaks to the audience at a Northeastern Pennsylvania concert in a photo taken before the pandemic. She served as the orchestra’s assistant conductor and then as interim music director prior to becoming music director in 2020.

orchestra recalibrated its financial picture and planned for a new music director. Her appointment as interim music director became part of the orchestra’s relaunch of its mainstage concerts in 2018, following a scaled-back 2017-18 season. “Our audiences and patrons were really

July. Brunet polished her skills with the widely used Sibelius music-notation software to create instrumental parts for four excerpts from The Nutcracker, which were choreographed for a local school’s young ballet dancers and filmed onstage at a drive-in theater, then recombined digitally symphony

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with it. There is that level of intellectuality and musicality and flexibility among them.”

The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic worked with a local ballet school on a video of selections from The Nutcracker. A screengrab from the production shows the young dancers, who were filmed separately, surrounded by Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic musicians. Music Director Mélisse Brunet created instrumental parts for the musical excerpts.

in post-production. The videos were released over the holidays. Among the other digital techniques she has learned during the pandemic are Adobe Premiere Pro, Zoom, GarageBand, and TikTok. Brunet also led the charge in the orchestra’s socialmedia and tech activities, producing Zoom happy hours with patrons and live video demonstrations for elementary school students so that individual musicians could talk about their instruments, play a little, and answer questions. Sanderson sees twofold benefits: “It’s really great to be able

8,000 per video,” says Sanderson. Brunet, an advocate of contemporary music and a native of Paris, holds degrees from the University of the Sorbonne and the Paris Conservatoire. She says that the experience of learning new technology while creating fresh approaches to repertoire “made me think of Boulez, who even in his eighties was still learning. I try to anticipate what the future will be like after COVID passes, as we are experiencing deep changes in the society that will change the way we approach things forever. The orchestra needs to keep its social presence and its technological presence, which during the COVID crisis improved very quickly because we were forced to make it so. I truly believe we cannot go back.” The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic draws its freelance musicians from In the San Francisco Symphony’s new artistic leadership model, both Manhattan and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen works with eight artistic partners Philadelphia.“ These (clockwise from left): Julia Bullock, Claire Chase, Nicholas Brittell, are high-level musiSalonen, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, Carol Reiley, Pekka Kuusisto, and Esperanza Spalding. cians,” says Brunet. “I have an approach for pay our musicians for these services, and Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony which is we have definitely increased our presence not in the mainstream. My stylistic models in the community. The Google analytics for that are more like Boulez and Abbado, have been just amazing. We’re averaging and the musicians were really willing to go americanorchestras.org

Following a November 2020 conference call with leaders of 25 of America’s largest orchestras who were all coping with COVID-related issues, San Francisco Symphony Chief Executive Officer Mark C. Hanson says he found himself “focused on the gnarly challenge of how you create something for people that will have a strong impact without reminding them once again just how miserable it is to be missing live concerts.” The orchestra’s new music director, EsaPekka Salonen, told Hanson he had been thinking from the get-go about home audiences and the possibilities for digital distribution. The last thing either of them wanted, Hanson says, was “a streamed version of anything one typically had the opportunity to experience live and in person, but which one Esa-Pekka Salonen, the is now being San Francisco Symphony’s forced to settle new music director. for in some experience at home.” Salonen wanted the San Francisco Symphony to produce what Hanson describes as “unique to this moment in time, and unique to the digital platform, in which there might be a kernel of an idea for a digital strategy they might even want to stick with even after normal concerts resume.” A key part of Salonen’s vision for the San Francisco Symphony is a group of eight artistic partners, a new artistic leadership model announced when the conductor became music director. Salonen put together a group of eight pathbreakers he admired, all relatively young, several of them composer-performers as the orchestra’s collaborative partners. The first composition, which opened the 2020-21 season, was called Throughline, conceived and composed by Nico Muhly to be streamed on the San Francisco Symphony’s website. Filmed all over the planet and assembled with multilayered balletic grace, Throughline features

Andrew Eccles

San Francisco Boost

Kristen Loken

San Francisco Symphony CEO Mark C. Hanson says he and Esa-Pekka Salonen, the orchestra’s new music director, are focusing on “the gnarly challenge of how you create something for people that will have a strong impact” when in-person concerts are sidelined.

Top: Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts San Francisco Symphony musicians in John Adams’s Shaker Loops as part of the orchestra’s streamed concert, November 2020. The program included Ellen Reid’s Fear / Release, Kev Choice’s Movements, and the “Allegro con brio” movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 11, and Nico Muhly (above) conducted the world premiere of his own Throughline.

various San Francisco orchestra members and all the collaborative partners: composer, pianist and film producer Nicholas Brittell; vocalist and program curator Julia Bullock; flutist and experimental music advocate Claire Chase; composer and guitarist Bryce Dessner; violinist Pekka Kuusisto; artificial intelligence entrepreneur and roboticist Carol Reiley; and jazz bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding. As Muhly remembers it, the idea for Throughline came together when the San Francisco Symphony called him in Au-

gust 2020 to kick around the notion of his writing a group of 30-second miniatures for himself and the others, to be introduced between various elements of the orchestra’s gala. “I didn’t want to do that,” Muhly says. “It felt so cosmetic. So I counter-proposed a single piece that would incorporate all of the different collaborative partners.” Muhly says he “set out to make this really ambitious thing, to spotlight all the soloists with the exception of me, and to do it in different locations, Esa-Pekka in Helsinki or wherever he was, and Julia

in Cologne or Berlin, and Nick in LA, Claire in New York, and Carol on the internet. They did an unbelievable job. In so many ways it could have been quite clunky. It worked.” Throughline is only the beginning of San Francisco Symphony projects for Salonen’s brain trust. His collaborators seem entirely open to the idea of exploring with him what a professional symphony orchestra can be in a community, drawing freely from dance, jazz, and film, along with artificial intelligence and improvisation. Yet the orchestra’s COVID-era achievements were shadowed by the painful financial cost of not being able to do much business at all. The orchestra developed a shared sacrifice plan, with temporary reductions in pay that were extended into fall, ultimately affecting everyone. Hanson hopes to restore pre-pandemic compensation and revenue numbers by 2021-22. “If we have to deal with a pandemic, then we are fortunate we have found someone [in Salonen] who is deeply collaborative,” Hanson says. “He thinks about what the future should look like, and what it could look like, and how to reach audiences, and how to combine this centuries’ old art form with cutting-edge technology. Hopefully this is a strategy we will stick with, even after normal concerts resume. If successful, we will attract many new audience members. And if we can figure out how to sustain it and grow, we will emerge from the pandemic period different, and strong.” NANCY MALITZ is the founding music critic of USA Today, an editor at ClassicalVoiceAmerica. org and publisher of ChicagoOntheAisle.com. She has written about the arts and technology for the New York Times and Opera News, among other publications.

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Ford Musician Awards A Program of the League of American Orchestras is made possible by

Now in their fifth year, the Ford Musician Awards have recognized the commitment and extraordinary impact twenty orchestral musicians have made in service to their communities.

PAST WINNERS

Applications are being accepted until February 8, 2020. For more information, visit www.americanorchestras.org/ford.

LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS With the support of our valued donors, the League continues to have a positive impact on the future of orchestras in America by helping to develop the next generation of leaders, generating and disseminating critical knowledge and information, and advocating for the unique role of the orchestral experience in American life before an ever-widening group of stakeholders. We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the following donors who contributed gifts of $600 and above in the last year, as of December 3, 2020. For more information regarding a gift to the League, please visit us at americanorchestras.org/donate, call 212.262.5161, or write us at Annual Fund, League of American Orchestras, 520 8th Avenue, Suite 2005, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10018. $150,000 and above

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$25,000–$49,999

Paul M. Angell Family Foundation Dr. & Mrs. Malcolm McDougal Brown ✧ Trish & Rick Bryan ✧ Phillip Wm. Fisher Support Foundation The Hagerman Family Charitable Fund, Douglas & Jane Hagerman Mark Jung Charitable Fund Alan Mason + Mr. & Mrs. Alfred P. Moore New York City Department of Cultural Affairs Mary Carr Patton Ms. Trine Sorensen & Mr. Michael Jacobson Penny & John Van Horn † Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation Helen Zell

$10,000–$24,999

William & Solange Brown The CHG Charitable Trust, as recommended by Carole Haas Gravagno ✧ The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Peter & Julie Cummings ✧ Drs. Aaron Flagg & Cristina Stanescu Flagg Marian A. Godfrey John and Marcia Goldman Foundation Mary Louise Gorno Jim Hasler Hugh W. Long Peter & Catherine Moye Lowell & Sonja Noteboom Mark and Nancy Peacock Charitable Fund Jesse Rosen †

PLAYING OUR PART: THE CAMPAIGN FOR THE LEAGUE OF AMERICAN ORCHESTRAS

Playing our Part is a campaign to support a major $2 million infrastructure investment in our service to America’s orchestras, including a new headquarters, modern website, increased digital learning capacity, and an improved information technology ecosystem. We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of the following donors who have made commitments to support this work: Burton Alter Tiffany & Jim Ammerman † Alberta Arthurs Brian & Emily Wren Baxter Marie-Hélène Bernard • Trish & Rick Bryan ✧ Michelle Miller Burns Janet Cabot Chuck Cagle † Lorenzo Candelaria The CHG Charitable Trust, as recommended by Carole Haas Gravagno ✧ Heather Clarke Melanie Clarke Bruce & Martha Clinton, on behalf of The Clinton Family Fund ✧ Bruce Colquhoun Margarita Contreni † Peter & Julie Cummings ✧ Gloria dePasquale The Doerr Foundation Marisa & Allan Eisemann Baisley Powell Elebash Fund Dr. D.M. Edwards, in honor of the Volunteer Council and Jesse Rosen Daniel & David Els-Piercey Phillip Wm. Fisher Support Foundation David J.L. Fisk Drs. Aaron & Christina Stanescu Flagg Ray Fowler Vanessa Gardner, in honor of Group 5-6 members GE Foundation Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation Marian A. Godfrey Mary Louise Gorno The Hagerman Family Charitable Fund, Douglas & Jane Hagerman Daniel & Barbara Hart • Jim Hasler Patricia G. Howard H.T. and Laura Hyde Charitable Fund at East Texas Communities Foundation † Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles James M. Johnson The Julian Family Foundation, Lori Julian Mark Jung Charitable Gift Fund Cindy & Randy Kidwell Bob & Charlotte Lewis Drs. Helen S. & John P. Schaefer † Helen P. Shaffer Irene Sohm

Dr. Hugh W. Long Kjristine Lund William M. Lyons John & Regina Mangum Alan Mason Steve & Lou Mason, in honor of Jesse Rosen † Barbara McCelvey Debbie McKinney † Anthony McGill David Alan Miller Mr. & Mrs. Alfred P. Moore Peter & Catherine Moye Kim Noltemy Lowell & Sonja Noteboom Steve and Diane Parrish Foundation Mary Carr Patton Karen & Tom Philion Raymond & Tresa Radermacher Patricia A. Richards & William K. Nichols Susan L. Robinson Jesse Rosen † Barbara & Robert Rosoff ✧ Mr. & Mrs. David Roth Sakana Foundation Sargent Family Foundation, Cynthia Sargent ✧ Michael J. Schmitz Andrew Sewell Helen P. Shaffer Laurie & Nathan Skjerseth Richard K. Smucker Irene Sohm Ms. Trine Sorensen & Mr. Michael Jacobson Ruth Sovronsky Connie Steensma & Rick Prins ✧ Laura Street Linda S. Stevens Isaac Thompson & Tonya Vachirasomboon Samara Ungar Alan D. Valentine Penny & John Van Horn † Robert Wagner Kelly Waltrip Terry Ann White David Whitehill Sheila J. Williams Lindsey Wood Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation Connie Steensma & Rick Prins ✧ Geraldine B. Warner Anonymous (1)

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$5,000–$9,999

Burton Alter Alberta Arthurs Benevity Gloria dePasquale Marisa Eisemann Barbara Hostetter The Hyde and Watson Foundation Jerome Foundation Robert Kohl & Clark Pellett Kjristine Lund Marin Community Foundation Steve & Lou Mason, in honor of Jesse Rosen † Anthony McGill Alan & Maria McIntyre † New York State Council on the Arts Howard D. Palefsky The Brian Ratner Foundation Michael J. Schmitz Alan D. Valentine Sally Webster, in memory of Nick Webster Simon Woods & Karin Brookes

$2,500–$4,999

Tiffany & Jim Ammerman † Jennifer Barlament & Ken Potsic • Marie-Hélène Bernard • Ann D. Borowiec Michelle Miller Burns • Lorenzo Candelaria NancyBell Coe, in honor of Jesse Rosen Martha and Herman Copen Fund of The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Norman Eaker Dr. D.M. Edwards, in honor of the Volunteer Council & Jesse Rosen Daniel & David Els-Piercey Catherine French ✧ Gary Ginstling & Marta Lederer Mark & Christina Hanson • James M. Johnson John A. and Catherine M. Koten Foundation † Dennis & Camille LaBarre † William M. Lyons Mattlin Foundation David Alan Miller Kim Noltemy Raymond & Tresa Radermacher Susan L. Robinson Laura Street Melia & Mike Tourangeau Steve & Judy Turner Kathleen van Bergen Doris & Clark Warden †

$1,000–$2,499

Jeff & Keiko Alexander Gene & Mary Arner Beracha Family Charitable Gift Fund William P. Blair III ✧ Elaine A. Bridges Susan K. Bright Karen & Terry Brown Wayne S. Brown & Brenda Kee † Monica Buffington Janet Cabot Chuck Cagle † Janet & John Canning † Leslie & Dale Chihuly americanorchestras.org

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$600–$999

Stephen H. Alter, in honor of Jesse Rosen David Bornemann, Vice Chair, Phoenix Symphony Drs. Misook Yun & James William Boyd •

HELEN M. THOMPSON HERITAGE SOCIETY

The League of American Orchestras graciously recognizes those who have remembered the League in their estate plans as members of the Helen M. Thompson Heritage Society. Janet F. and Dr. Richard E. Barb Family Foundation Wayne S. Brown & Brenda E. Kee † John & Janet Canning † Richard * & Kay Fredericks Cisek ✧ Martha and Herman Copen Fund of the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven Myra Janco Daniels Samuel C. Dixon • Henry & Frances Fogel ✧ Susan Harris, Ph.D. Louise W. Kahn Endowment Fund of The Dallas Foundation The Curtis and Pamela Livingston 2000 Charitable Remainder Unitrust Steve & Lou Mason † Lowell & Sonja Noteboom Charles & Barbara Olton † Peter Pastreich † Walter P. Pettipas Revocable Trust Rodger E. Pitcairn Patricia A. Richards & William K. Nichols Robert & Barbara Rosoff ✧ Robert J. Wagner Tina Ward • † Mr. & Mrs. Albert K. * & Sally Webster ✧ Robert Wood Revocable Trust Anonymous (1) John Burrows & Melinda Whiting Burrows, in honor of Jesse Rosen Don & Judy Christl † Jack M. Firestone David J.L. Fisk Vanessa Gardner, in honor of Group 5-6 members Bob Garthwait, Jr. Michael Gehret Marena Gault, Volunteer Council B. Sue Howard Sally & William Johnson Russell Jones & Aaron Gillies Emma Murley Kail • Adrienne H. Knudsen Anna Kuwabara • Robert Levine † David Loebel Mr. Donald F. Roth † Diana Scoggins, Metropolitan Youth Symphony, Portland David Snead Joan Squires • Edith & Tom Van Huss Charlie Wade † Directors Council (former League Board) ✧ Emeritus Board • Orchestra Management Fellowship Program Alumni + Includes Corporate Matching Gift * Deceased

CODA

Change Agent With the Chineke! Orchestra, Chi-chi Nwanoku is creating opportunities for classical musicians of color in the U.K. and Europe, with a year-round schedule of concerts, plus an orchestra of young musicians mentored by the professional musicians. Here, she speaks about the orchestra and her long-term goal: to create a future generation in which Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse classical musicians are no longer a rarity but are part of the norm.

founded the Chineke! Foundation in 2015. Chineke!’s motto is: “Championing change and celebrating diversity in classical music.” The organization aims to be a catalyst for change in British and European orchestras. Our ethos is of inclusion and creating a safe space for underrepresented musicians of color to flourish and know they belong in the classical music industry. I’m a double-bass player—first and foremost. But I discovered I also had a knack for pushing doors open and creating a platform for my orchestra, Chineke! In 2014, I attended the 20th-anniversary concert of the Kinshasa Orchestra, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, at the Royal Festival Hall in London. It was a fantastic evening. The Kinshasa musicians—all self-taught, and who had never had access to the quality of instruments or tuition that we take for granted in this country—were outstanding. That this orchestra was celebrating its 20th anniversary, having overcome so much adversity, was extraordinary. But even more interesting was the audience’s reaction: they seemed surprised. Why was this, I wondered? Was it perhaps that they were hearing works they expected to hear in a concert hall, to a standard they expected to hear in a concert hall, but by an orchestra they did not expect to see in a

Chi-chi Nwanoku (foreground) with fellow Chineke! Orchestra musicians at London’s Royal Festival Hall, November 2020.

concert hall? They were hearing one thing and seeing another! This was the lightbulb moment for me. I came out of that concert determined to change how people viewed Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse classical musicians in the U.K. I wanted to turn events like the Kinshasa Orchestra concert from a novelty into something entirely normal. Within 24 hours I had spoken to leading orchestras, venues, the government, the British Council, and conservatory heads. All were in agreement: something needed to be done. I started thinking about the idea that would become Chineke!—that Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse musicians

like me have a place at the heart of our orchestras and concert halls. My idea was to form a fully professional orchestra of Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse musicians. The orchestra would stand on its own merits: it would be artistically excellent. For the first time, the orchestra would place Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse musicians in the public eye, performing in a professional environment where they were not the minority, where their ethnicity would not be a barrier or a curiosity, where every last one of them felt that they truly belonged, so they could concentrate on their performance, and nothing else. Crucially, there would also be a junior orchestra, mentored by players from the professional orchestra, who would also act as natural role models for the younger musicians, developing the next generation. The challenge was in making these ambitions a reality with very limited resources, especially in the beginning. In September 2015, Chineke! launched as Europe’s first majority Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse orchestra. With musicians from over 40 nationalities, the group has a truly international flavor. The Chineke! Junior Orchestra launched on the same day. They represent the next generation, one in which Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse classical musicians are the norm. Our launch concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall was a moment I will never forget, the crowd rising to applaud us as we walked on stage. But launching Chineke! was just the beginning of my journey. Double bassist Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE (Order of the British Empire) studied at London’s Royal Academy of Music, where she is a professor and fellow, and with Franco Petracchi in Rome. She is the founder and artistic and executive director of the Chineke! Foundation, which encourages diversity in the classical music industry through the Chineke! Orchestra and Chineke! Junior Orchestra and community engagement work.

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