Requiem for a World on Fire

Orchestras are navigating a time of rapid transformation and opportunity. The League of American Orchestras’ 80th National Conference, June 11-13, 2025, in Salt Lake City (for the very first time!) will capture the field’s spirit of striving toward a stronger and more sustainable future.

We’re a quarter of the way into the 21st century. There’s no way of knowing exactly what the future holds for orchestras, but what might America’s classical-music scene look like at the century’s halfway point, 2050? To kick off another quarter century of music-making, Symphony asked orchestra executives, composers, and musical artists, “What’s next for orchestras?” They responded with bold ideas for the present that could carry the field forward into 2050—and beyond.