Category: Help Yourself

On Wednesday, December 2, the League of American Orchestras will present Successful Orchestra Fundraising in 2021: Core Practices for the Current Environment, a sponsored webinar—free to League members—in which Bob Swaney, an expert in nonprofit fundraising and founder and CEO of Robert Swaney Consulting, will discuss essential fundraising practices adapted for the recovery environment. The road to economic recovery is a long journey that most orchestras are just beginning, and creating momentum for increased patronage through earned revenue will take time. Meanwhile, contributed support must supply the operational funds for orchestras to continue to fulfill their missions. In this 75-minute webinar, Swaney will focus on the fundraising emphasis for the new year; the shifting balance and coordination between fundraising and marketing/sales; and how long-term changes to the orchestra operational model might be incorporated into annual, planned, and major-gift fundraising. The content of this webinar was developed by and sponsored by Robert Swaney Consulting. Successful Orchestra Fundraising in 2021 takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific; a recording will be available after the live webinar. Learn more and register here. Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org with questions.

Registration is open for the League of American Orchestras’ 2021 Midwinter Managers Meeting, to take place online Thursday and Friday, January 21-22, 2021. With inspiring speakers and presentations, the ​meeting will explore what roles orchestras can play in a changing world—and how this can be a source of positive organizational momentum. As orchestras re-examine their business models, values, and practices, the meeting will consider how to integrate financial strategy with the commitment to the artists and art form. The Midwinter Managers Meeting will also explore the needs of communities and how orchestras can be ambassadors of equity, diversity, and inclusion​—internally and externally. A virtual exhibit hall will provide a place to meet artist managers, consultants, and industry leaders. The League’s 2021 Midwinter Managers ​Meeting, January 21-22, is a once-a-year opportunity to network with peers and to strengthen your own resilience and support for leading your orchestra. It is open to League-member executive directors and youth orchestra administrators. Register early and save 33%.

​In addition, on Monday, January 25, a Midwinter Seminar, open to all staff at League member-orchestras, will focus on avoiding burnout and developing a culture of sustainable peak performance.

Learn more and register for the 2021 Midwinter Managers Meeting. Contact Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org with questions.

The Hub will take a break starting on Thanksgiving, and will return on Monday, November 30.

How and why are orchestras moving musical content to digital platforms and creating entirely new experiences for virtual audiences? Is this a short-term response to the pandemic or the future of the orchestra field? On Wednesday, November 18, the League of American Orchestras will present Shifting from Stage to Screen, a 90-minute webinar that investigates multiple aspects of navigating this new and exciting way to present orchestras, with topics including the strategic, creative, repertoire, technical, legal, marketing, patron, and organizational considerations. The webinar will be moderated by Scott Harrison, interim executive director/senior strategic facilitator at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, with panelists including James Darrah, creative director of digital content, Los Angeles Chamber ​ Orchestra; Timothy Kastner, director of digital media and video production, the Philadelphia Orchestra; Garrett McQueen, executive director, TRILLOQUY​; Mike Mancillas, assistant director of digital strategy and design, Los Angeles Chamber ​Orchestra; Carolyn Nishon, executive director, Portland Symphony Orchestra; Ari Solotoff, Solotoff Law Group, PLLC. Catch Shifting from Stage to Screen on Wednesday, November 18, 2020 at 3:00pm Eastern/12:00pm Pacific; a recording will be available for on-demand viewing after the live event. Learn more and register here. Questions? Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.

Now is the time to help support the League of American Orchestras by registering with AmazonSmile. Holiday shopping may look a little different this year. However, there is a silver lining to doing your holiday shopping online. When you shop with AmazonSmile, 0.5% of your purchases on Amazon are given to the charitable organization of your choice—and you help your favorite organization meet its fundraising goals. At AmazonSmile, you’ll be prompted to sign into your Amazon account (or to create one, if you don’t have one already). Once this step is complete, you are set to shop for the holidays and beyond and have Amazon contribute 0.5% of your purchases to the League of American Orchestras on your behalf!

Charitable donations are crucial to the work the League does, allowing us to invest in the future of orchestras. Now more than ever, as orchestras across the country navigate the challenges caused by the pandemic, your support is critical.

The League of American Orchestras is launching the Ford Musician Impact Fund, which will distribute $25,000 to orchestra musicians to assist in making their virtual presence stronger. Generously supported by the Ford Motor Company Fund, the program will award more than 150 musicians a one-time, need-based payment of $150 for the purchase of hardware and/or accessories. The Impact Fund supports virtual work done with each musician’s orchestra, including solo performance and chamber music, i.e., “at home” performances and educational programming; activities like private teaching are not eligible. The Impact Fund prioritizes need-based purchases of microphones, cameras, lighting, video editing software, audio editing software, tripods, and accessories. Fund recipients will be asked to share video links and photos so that the League can share the stories of their work. Musicians from League-member orchestras are eligible (youth, collegiate, and international orchestra musicians are not eligible) and a limit of three musicians per orchestra will be awarded. The League welcomes applicants from all backgrounds. The deadline to apply is December 17, 2020 or until all funds have been distributed. To learn more and to apply, visit the Ford Musician Impact Fund. Contact James Barry at jbarry@americanorchestras.org with questions.

With the nonprofit arts sector facing unprecedented challenges, what can be learned about organizational health from arts groups that are performing well? On Thursday, November 5, the Wallace Foundation will present the second webinar in its “Reimagining the Future of the Arts” series of free virtual conversations by experts and arts leaders, grounded in research commissioned or supported by Wallace. At 1 p.m. ET on November 5, SMU DataArts Director Zannie Voss will share key findings from the “Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organizations” study, which offers analysis and insights into approaches adopted by healthy arts institutions as well as organizations that were in distress but turned their situations around. Voss will speak with three arts leaders who participated in the research: Kim Noltemy, president and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra; Michael Bateman, managing director of the Pasadena-based theater company A Noise Within; and Zenetta S. Drew, executive director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Their approaches to achieving relevance and resilience are being tested anew by the COVID-19 pandemic, economic pressures, and the urgency of the racial justice movement. Register to watch for the free 60-minute discussion here. Read excerpts from “The “The Alchemy of High-Performing Arts Organization” in the current issue of Symphony magazine.

On Wednesday, November 4, the League of American Orchestras will present “Balancing Acoustics and Physical Distancing as Orchestras Return to Their Halls,” a sponsored webinar—free to League members—in which Robin Glosemeyer Petrone and Scott D. Pfeiffer of Threshold Acoustics LLC will discuss how to balance the need for safe spaces for performers and audiences with the unique acoustics of orchestras. Building on the success of the League’s October 7 webinar covering the same topic, this live, 60-minute webinar, developed and sponsored by Threshold Acoustics LLC, will address how best to ensure that concerts have the expected breadth and fullness of sound for distanced audiences and musicians. The webinar will also examine acoustic needs for orchestras that perform simultaneously for in-person and virtual audiences. Expert acousticians will address these challenges and discuss potential scenarios and solutions to enable ensembles to optimize acoustics as they return to live performance. “Balancing Acoustics and Physical Distancing as Orchestras Return to Their Halls” takes place on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, 3 p.m. Eastern/12 p.m. Pacific and is free for League members. Learn more here. Questions? Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.

Orchestra musicians are increasingly working to support community engagement and educational activities that extend beyond the concert hall, and pivoting in new and creative ways to deliver this work virtually during the pandemic. To recognize the commitment of extraordinary musicians and the impact of their achievements, the League of American Orchestras seeks applications from musicians and nominations by administrators of League-member orchestras for the 2021 Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service. Now in its fifth year, the awards program, made possible through the generosity of Ford Motor Company Fund, celebrates and honors these musicians, their orchestras, and their communities. Five musicians will be selected through a competitive application process; each musician winner will receive a cash award of $2,500; and each winning musician’s orchestra will receive a grant of $2,500 to support professional development for its musicians. The deadline to apply is Monday, February 8, 2021. To learn more and to apply or nominate a musician, visit the League’s Ford Musician Awards site. Questions? Contact James Barry at jbarry@americanorchestras.org.