Category: Help Yourself

Witnessing the dramatic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the national conversation on racial justice, among other factors, the Wallace Foundation commissioned AEA Consulting to create a scenario-planning toolkit to help arts and culture organizations deal with a “new normal” featuring few certainties. Daniel Payne and Natalia Vartapetova, members of the AEA Consulting team that created the toolkit, will present “Navigating Uncertain Times,” a scenario-planning “how to” webinar for League of American Orchestras members on January 27 at 3:00pm ET. They will introduce the concepts behind scenario planning, discuss how AEA Consulting created the tools, highlight trends that may affect orchestras and music creation in each of the toolkit’s four scenarios, and discuss how organizations use the toolkit to extend planning horizons and imagine new possibilities. The webinar will conclude with a question-and-answer session.

“Navigating Uncertain Times” takes place on Wednesday, January 27, 3:00pm Eastern/12:00pm Pacific; a recording will be available after the live event. Learn more and register here. Questions? Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the University of California, San Francisco are launching Sound Health Network, which aims to bring together musicians, music therapists, scientists, and others to explore the intersection between music and health and to promote research and public awareness. The network emerged from the Sound Health initiative, a partnership between the Kennedy Center and National Institutes of Health in association with the Arts Endowment that has brought together scientists, music therapists, artists, and the public to explore music’s impact on the brain, health, and wellness. To launch this new network, the NEA and UCSF will hold a free virtual presentation on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT. The hourlong event will feature conversations with musicians with an interest in this area, including Esperanza Spalding, Renée Fleming, and Quetzal Flores. Topics at the virtual launch will include brain functioning, reducing social isolation, and promoting community solidarity. Sound Health Network will spotlight resources and services at its website. To register for the January 26 event, click here. Read Symphony magazine’s article about how orchestras and musicians are working to destigmatize mental illness.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) will host a preliminary webinar regarding the Shuttered Venue Operators Grants (known to advocates as the Save Our Stages program) on Thursday, January 14, at 3:00pm Eastern. While complete guidance on implementation of the program is not yet available, the webinar will provide initial information about the grants, who can apply, how organizations wishing to apply can prepare, and additional details regarding eligibility and applications.

The webinar will be recorded and advance registration is required for the live event.

On Wednesday, January 13, 2021, the League of American Orchestras will present Coming Back Stronger—Using the Shutdown to Rebuild Audience Loyalty, a webinar that offers practical steps for attracting and retaining loyal audiences during—and after—recent shutdowns. The webinar will be led by Karen Freeman, executive director of research, and Michael L. Mael, founding partner, at Advisory Board for the Arts. Audiences typically don’t return at the same levels as before a downturn or crisis. Once return is safe and performances resume, orchestras can expect—after an initial burst of audience energy—to hit lower audience plateaus than pre-pandemic. How can orchestras avoid that drop-off in 2021 and beyond? What are the critical actions to take now to avoid acceleration of a generational shift away from the performing arts? The 90-minute webinar will help orchestras stem audience decline, with recommendations from other business and nonprofit sectors plus tangible tools to help engage audiences effectively during the pandemic.

Coming Back Stronger—Using the Shutdown to Rebuild Audience Loyalty takes place online on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific; a recording will be available after the live event. Learn more and register here. Contact League Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org with questions.

The deadline for the early-bird discount for the League of American Orchestras’ 2021 Midwinter Managers Meeting is Thursday, January 7—so register today and save. From Now to Next: The 2021 Midwinter Managers Meeting will take place online on Thursday and Friday, January 21-22, 2021. The meeting will explore what roles orchestras can play in a changing world—and how this can be a source of positive organizational momentum. The Midwinter Managers Meeting will also examine ways to integrate financial strategy with commitment to the artists and art form, and will explore how orchestras can be ambassadors of equity, diversity, and inclusion , both internally and externally. A virtual exhibit hall will provide a place to network with artist managers, consultants, and industry leaders.

Post-meeting on Monday, January 25, the League will present a Midwinter Seminar focused on avoiding burnout, open to all staff at League member-orchestras. “Burn Bright, CCL’s Resilience Advantage” will be led by the Center for Creative Leadership.

Don’t miss these opportunities to network with peers and to strengthen your own resilience and support for leading your orchestra. Rates go up after January 7, so register now and save.

The Hub will take a break from Thursday, December 24 through the start of the new year. We look forward to bringing you the latest news about orchestras beginning on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Happy Holidays!

The San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), San Francisco Symphony, and the President’s Advisory Council on Equity and Inclusion at SFCM have extended the deadline to apply for their Emerging Black Composers Project to February 1, 2021. The Emerging Black Composers Project, launched earlier this year, will commission ten new works from early-career Black American composers over the next ten years. Each winning composer will receive a commissioning fee of $15,000 and artistic mentorship from Oakland Symphony Music Director and SFCM faculty member Michael Morgan, SFCM Music Director Edwin Outwater, and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen. All applications will go through an anonymous review process by a committee led by Morgan, Outwater, and Salonen and including John Adams, Elinor Armer, Carmen Bradford, Anthony Davis, Germaine Franco, and Joseph Young. The first commission will be announced in spring 2021, with a world premiere planned for the 2021-22 season. Black American composers (U.S. citizens or permanent residents) who have completed a degree program in composition or music performance, or have equivalent experience, are encouraged to apply. The extended application deadline is February 1, 2021. For more information or to apply, visit sfcm.edu/EBCApplication.
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At a time when orchestras are developing innovative new ways to serve all constituents, it is critically important to apply better practices in equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) to stakeholder engagement and fundraising. On Wednesday, December 16, 2020, 3:00pm Eastern/12:00pm Pacific, the League of American Orchestras’ EDI as an Imperative in Stakeholder Engagement and Fundraising webinar will show how approaching development work with an EDI lens can help orchestras attract diverse staff and volunteers, engage more audiences, and strengthen mission impact. Speakers at the session are Lee Bynum, vice president of impact, Minnesota Opera; Sharon Hatchett, Volunteer Council member, League of American Orchestras; Ron Schiller, founding partner, Aspen Leadership Group; and Ed Yim, chief content officer and senior vice president, WQXR, and Board Member, League of American Orchestras. The webinar will offer ways to move from EDI awareness to action and sustainable organizational change, and explore topics including inclusive philanthropic cultures, the importance of recruiting and retaining diverse staff, boards, and volunteers, and practices to engage potential stakeholders.

EDI as an Imperative in Stakeholder Engagement and Fundraising takes place on Wednesday, Dec. 16 at 3pm Eastern/12pm Pacific; a recording will be available after the live event. Learn more and register here. Contact Member Services at member@americanorchestras.org with questions.

The League of American ​Orchestras gives heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated to the League in 2020. The League shares your passion for orchestral music and believes that orchestras are vital to the health and vibrancy of communities. Now more than ever, there are many demands on your finances—and the League appreciates being among your philanthropic priorities.

If you have not yet given, please consider making a donation to the League before December 31. Just as it has for our member orchestras, 2020 has seen the League’s operating revenue mix become more reliant on contributed income. The League’s important work is not possible without the generosity of donors. Help the League keep the music playing in 2021 and beyond. And keep in mind the many ways (stock, IRA contributions, and donor-advised funds) to support the League while also saving valuable tax dollars. The CARES Act includes a new charitable deduction for gifts made during 2020, allowing taxpayers to take tax deductions for donations to nonprofit organizations in calendar year 2020. For more information check out Ways to Give.