Category: Help Yourself

In order to provide the learning and experience needed to prepare for a successful career in this field, two individuals will spend six-months (July 1 through December 31, 2009) in a development department at a major American orchestra.  This is a rare opportunity to learn about the unique complexities of fundraising for an orchestra.

Please forward this information to anyone you know who aspires to a career in development for orchestras, and who fits one of the following categories:

• Up-and-comers with credible development experience (inside or outside the orchestra field)
• Career changers
• Recent graduate students with intensive internship experience in development and an interest in pursuing a development career

Application Deadline:  Friday, April 17
 
Click here for more information and/or the application.

With the uncertainty currently facing our field, the time is now to come together to inspire and empower ourselves and our communities. It is imperative we adapt to changing landscapes, while continuing to celebrate the work we love to do.

The League’s National Conference, Where Art & Community Come Together, is the one time of year the world of orchestras unites to face the challenges of today and the future.

Within the main theme, multiple sub-themes will be addressed. Art at the Core: Honoring Tradition/Embracing the Future focuses on concerts which honor tradition as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Dvorák Festival, as well as sessions that celebrate the music of today. The New Reality: Economics, Innovation, and Adaptability will explore the sustainability, vibrancy, entrepreneurship, and partnership that orchestras must demonstrate in a turbulent and uncertain climate. Finally, Orchestras and Public Value: Looking Inside and Outside seeks to place community at the core of orchestras’ institutional mission.

For full details about Conference program, registration, and hotel, click here.

Over 200 orchestras in 49 states have now signed on for the Orchestras Feeding America National Food Drive, organized in partnership by the League of American Orchestras and Feeding America. Orchestras are signing up every day to play their part in helping those in need in their communities. The drive culminates on March 27 & 28 and many orchestras have chosen to partner with their own local food bank at a time when they have concerts or other events taking place. North Carolina’s News 14 television station recently reported on the Winston-Salem Symphony’s food drive, which is the first video footage of an orchestra’s participation in the food drive to be received by the League. To watch the video, click here.

To find out more about the Food Drive and how to register, click here.

The League is pleased to be able to offer special financial assistance for orchestra teams to attend the Music Director Search Seminar and The Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview taking place March 29-April 1st, 2009 in Nashville, TN.

Orchestra teams of three or more will attend the Music Director Search Seminar tuition-free.

In addition, for the first forty attendees that are part of a team of three or more that register at the Nashville Hilton (615 620 1000), the League will pay for one night’s hotel stay, when booking two or more nights.

This limited time offer is available on a first come, first served basis through February 15th and includes room and tax rates only.

Thanks to the generous support of The Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation, we are able to offer this assistance representing a total savings of over $1,200 per orchestra team.

If your orchestra is beginning a music director search, or is considering one in the future, the Music Director Search Seminar is an invaluable resource in navigating an often complex search process. The Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview immediately follows the Search Seminar, and will feature eight highly-talented conductors showcasing their skill with the Nashville Symphony.

For more details, or to register your team for this limited-time offer, contact the League’s Member Service Associate Kim Schneider at 646 822 4080.

The Preview, held every two years, provides an excellent and economical opportunity to see top talent working with a highly skilled professional orchestra. 

The 2009 Preview conductors are:

Alexander Platt, currently the Music Director of both the Waukesha Symphony and the Wisconsin Marion Indiana Philharmonic.  Previous engagements include the Minnesota Opera and Chicago Opera Theater.

Donato Cabrera, currently an Assistant Conductor for the Metropolitan Opera and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Jeffrey Grogan, education and Community Engagement Conductor for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Greater Newark Youth Orchestra.  Recent engagements include conducting the Reno Philharmonic and the American Festival for the Arts Orchestra.

Ken Lam, assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. 

Carolyn Kuan, currently the Associate Conductor of Seattle Symphony Orchestra. Past associations have seen Carolyn as Artist-in-Residence at the New York City Ballet, Assistant Conductor for North Carolina Symphony and Baltimore Opera Company.

Kynan Johns, resident conductor to Music Director Lorin Maazel and Maestro Zubin Mehta at the new Palau de les Arts “Reina Sofia”, Valencia, Spain. Upcoming engagements include the Asturias Symphony Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Laura Jackson, who recently completed an appointment as the Assistant Conductor and League American Conducting Fellow with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Upcoming engagements include the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and the Reno Philharmonic.

Jonathan McPhee, the Music Director for Boston Ballet, the Nashua (NH) Symphony and Chorus, the Lexington Symphony,  and the Longwood Symphony Orchestra (The Orchestra of Boston’s Medical Community). Recent engagements include the Portland Symphony Orchestra, and the Orquesta Sinfonica de Tenerife in Spain. 

 
For more information and to register, click here.

Has your orchestra thought about hosting an Orchestra Management Fellow? 

Help launch executive careers in orchestra management by providing valuable hands-on work experience and leadership opportunities for a Fellow, and help to build the future of America’s orchestras. Orchestras from Groups 1-5 are eligible to apply. 

Application deadline: March 6, 2009 

For program details and to apply, click here.

Seven orchestras from across the country will be chosen through a highly competitive application process to participate in this program that will take place over the next three years. Institutional Vision is open to Executive, Board and Artistic leadership teams of orchestras that are committed to the principles of long-term institutional growth and success, intense self-reflection and disciplined big-picture thinking.

Through the generosity of our Institutional Vision funders, selected orchestras are supported via virtually full scholarship support.

Application deadline: February 16, 2009

Please click here for more information or to apply to be part of this transforming experience.