What’s Up in Utah: The View from the Board

Against a backdrop of economic pressure, cultural change, and a national search for connection and clarity, orchestras remain powerful platforms for music, reflection, dialogue, and joy. In Utah, orchestras are not only cultural cornerstones but also community hubs where creativity, tradition, and civic life intersect.

The League of American Orchestras’ 80th National Conference, hosted this June 11-13 by the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera, is an opportunity for orchestras across the United States to gather in Salt Lake City for three days of learning, networking, and discovery. The Conference features many sessions of interest to board members as well as a constituency group just for those serving on orchestras’ boards of directors. Given this year’s Conference theme of “ASCEND,” we spoke with board chairs from professional orchestras, youth ensembles, and community-based symphonic groups throughout Utah to better understand how leadership can elevate thinking, shape the future, and lift everyone to new heights.

From fundraising and education to programming and governance, these leaders are focused on helping their orchestras thrive, ensuring that music continues to inspire, comfort, and bring people together across generations. Their comments provide insight into their day-to-day programs, pending projects, and long-term initiatives.

Erik R. Anderson, President, Murray Symphony

What is your philosophy of governance for nonprofits like orchestras? How involved should boards of directors be in day-to-day operations?

The board of directors of a nonprofit organization, such as a community symphony, is responsible for managing the essential administrative and operational tasks necessary to sustain the organization. By handling these responsibilities, the board enables members to engage in whatever capacity they choose. In essence, a dedicated board of directors allows members to focus on their passions without the burden of bureaucratic duties.

What do you see as your orchestra’s role in your community? How does your board support that work?

Our community continues to support us because we have cultivated an identity that reflects their values, interests, and needs. As the Murray Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, we take pride in our long-standing tradition of providing high-quality, family-friendly, and affordable performances to the Utah community. Some of our members and patrons have been with us for over 35 years, a testament to the enduring impact of our organization.

The Murray Symphony Board is committed to upholding and refining this identity to ensure it remains relevant and meaningful. Our process begins with evaluating the experiences of our own members—how can we strengthen their sense of belonging, even for those who live farther away? What measures can we take to ensure they feel valued and heard? Equally important is assessing how our efforts resonate with our patrons. Do adjustments need to be made to better align with our mission?

What are the most pressing issues and opportunities facing your orchestra right now? For orchestras in general?

A key challenge for the Murray Symphony is selecting music that resonates with both our community and our musicians. Our repertoire must be engaging, appropriately challenging, and appealing to audiences.

To achieve this, we formed the Music Selection Committee, a volunteer group representing all symphony sections. This committee curates our season’s repertoire, balancing artistic excellence with audience appeal. By incorporating feedback from members and the community, we ensure our selections align with our mission and enrich the concert experience.

Our community continues to support us because we have cultivated an identity that reflects their values, interests, and needs.

Patty Bartholomew, Executive Director and Board President, Cache Youth Orchestras

What are the most pressing issues and opportunities facing your orchestra right now? For orchestras in general? 

We are finishing up our 3rd year and have four main difficulties right now.

1. Funding: As a new nonprofit, this has been difficult to spearhead. During our first year, we didn’t qualify for many grants because we didn’t have a track record. We had about 60 students during our first year, and most of our funding came from tuition and a few fundraisers and private donations. We have since found an affordable grant writer and have successfully written grants to help fund our program.
2. Recruiting woodwinds, brass, and percussion: This is the first year we have had a full orchestra with woodwinds, brass, and percussion. In our community, string students typically start in 4th or 5th grade. Band students start in the public schools in 6th or 7th grade. This creates an interesting challenge in varying levels between our string and band students. Marching band is also prevalent in our community, and we are trying to navigate the challenge of collaborating with local high schools’ marching band programs so students can successfully participate in our youth orchestra.
3. Artistic vision: As a newer organization, we are constantly trying to improve and fine-tune the artistic vision and quality of our program. This is a difficult balance; we need numbers (especially in our Philharmonic Orchestra), and we also want to raise the quality. Finding the right conductors and staff has been crucial here.
4. Strategic and active board: Organizing board duties and finding invested board members has been a challenge. As the executive director and board president, it’s been difficult for me to manage both (along with working full-time as a financial advisor and conducting an adult beginning/intermediate orchestra). Eventually, it would be best to separate those duties and have one person be the executive director and someone else be the board president.

What is the value of music and arts education—beyond gaining potential new audiences? Does exposure to orchestral music have a transformative impact? If so, how?

I believe it is vital to our communities. Participating in a youth orchestra (community or school) creates connection and promotes creativity and innovation like nothing else. Our students form life-long relationships with friends and fellow orchestra members. Some of my middle and high school orchestra friends remain some of my closest friends to this day. Playing in an ensemble can impact students academically, increase self-esteem and belonging, and give students a way to express themselves in a beautiful and transformative way. Many of our students will continue to play and perform on their instruments. Our community has orchestra opportunities for every stage of life—from childhood to retirement—serving all levels at every age. Music unites us and promotes acceptance and empathy.

Playing in an ensemble can impact students academically, increase self-esteem and belonging, and give students a way to express themselves in a beautiful and transformative way.

Blanka Bednarz, Executive Director, Utah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra
Cheung Chau, Artistic Director, Utah Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra

What is your philosophy of governance for nonprofits like orchestras? How involved should boards of directors be in day-to-day operations?

Our common belief is that everything we do needs to be in service of education, operations, and artistic quality. Any ticket revenue or donation we receive goes entirely towards the program, including equipment, artistic content, advertising, paying clinicians, facility rentals, or taxes and legal fees. Not a single dollar is spent on anything else.

We are a small but extremely efficient board. Everyone has five jobs and wears a lot of hats. We’ve unfortunately lost some board members—some moved away, left for a higher-paying or other job, retired, or passed away in the last couple of years—so we are certainly looking for more members who share the symphony’s vision of serving the community, educating young musicians, and collaborating with area entities.

What is the value of music and arts education—beyond gaining potential new audiences? Does exposure to orchestral music have a transformative impact?

An orchestra is a very safe environment for young people to experiment. It’s a part of life for them to learn and discover who they are. If they make a mistake, nobody will get hurt, like in the medical field. Usually, by the end of the year, everybody is much more expressive, open, and courageous, and it really affects the quality of the music. It always sounds better and more beautiful when they are not afraid to communicate. Empathy and awareness of other people couldn’t be more important in today’s volatile world. We foster a supportive and collaborative attitude within our students so that they can truly listen to and learn from each other.

What are the most pressing issues and opportunities facing your orchestra right now? For orchestras in general?

Rising costs. Even mundane things such as [renting] a Post Office box have risen almost 100%. We’ve been extremely lucky to receive donations from parents and friends of the orchestra, and that has helped us remain here.

Though we try to keep tuition as low as possible, we’ve had to raise our tuition minimally. We are all on pins and needles to provide what we can without burdening the families, but we would love to be able to offer scholarships for students in the future. We always tell the parents that it’s cheaper than babysitting for three hours, and here, they are at the dinner table with Bach, Beethoven, Berlioz—you name it! It’s time well spent.

An orchestra is a very safe environment for young people to experiment. It’s a part of life for them to learn and discover who they are.

Alyce Stevens Gardner, Chair, Southwest Symphony

What do you see as your orchestra’s role in your community? How does your board support that work?

The Southwest Symphony has been the cultural heart of an expanding and vibrant arts mecca in Southern Utah since 1980. Collaborative, innovative, and education-focused, the symphony seeks to fulfill its mission to inspire and enrich audiences through the transformative power of symphonic music. We work together with community partners to share this beauty through educational and entertaining performances.

Recently, the Southwest Symphony partnered with Utah Tech University to provide funding to renovate the Cox Auditorium on campus and transform it into a new performing arts center. Hundreds of generous community donors, including Southern Utah citizens, corporations, Washington County, and the Utah State Legislature contributed to the effort to raise $40 million. The renovated performing arts center will provide a home for the symphony, but more importantly, the new performing arts center will impact generations with state-of-the-art technology, employment, entertainment, and educational opportunities. This project would not have been possible without the leadership, fundraising, and dedication to the arts in our community by the Southwest Symphony board and staff. Their vision and work propelled the project forward, turning a dream into a reality. This project illustrates the impact we can have when we collaborate with our community partners to achieve a common goal.

We work together with community partners to share the beauty of symphonic music through educational and entertaining performances.

Barbara Scowcroft, President, Utah Youth Symphony Orchestra

What do you see as your orchestra’s role in your community?

As the first established youth orchestra in the state, our role is to keep the musical climate healthy, challenging, fun, and positive. UYS musicians go on to have their own private studios, become music educators, and become important patrons of the arts. Many alumni continue their love of music into adulthood and play in Utah’s numerous community orchestras.

What qualities make a good board member?

Our board is comprised of parents of Utah Youth students, UYS alumni, Utah Symphony musicians, university professors, and community members. Qualities that make a good board member include:

1. Being in love with classical and contemporary music and the musicians who make it.
2. Having an attitude of openness and learning without a personal agenda to cloud vision, the process, and the progress.
3. Being aware of the diversity of those around us who can contribute to our mission—even if they have no musical training—and giving them space to learn, grow, and test out creativity in alignment with our mission.

What’s your vision for the orchestra field?

Building on the great tradition of classical music, welcoming new works, and not being afraid to experiment with a concert format will bode well for the future of the symphony orchestra and welcome more people to attend. We are family-friendly and user-friendly. We will continue to remind the public that we are not an elite entity. This strengthens our audience base and shows them that they have a 50 percent ownership in every concert. The musicians on stage are the other 50 percent. Together we make a great concert.

What is your philosophy of governance for nonprofits like orchestras? How involved should boards of directors be in day-to-day operations? 

We are so grateful for the devotion and time of our board members. As they have their own businesses and responsibilities in their personal lives, I think being involved in day-to-day workings of a youth orchestra or professional orchestra is too much to ask and not realistic. You have to live the life of the musician to understand it. It’s not fair to expect someone to understand the nuances and needs of a working musician.

What would you want to tell someone who is new to orchestral music? What cliches would you like to dispel, and what positive impact and pleasures would you point out?

Trust! Come into the hall and you will have an immediate understanding of why you should come back. You don’t have to wear specific clothing; you can even fall asleep—it’s a compliment to us as musicians that you’re comfortable with us in our space. Music heals us and expands us. It changes our cells and our souls.

As the first established youth orchestra in the state, our role is to keep the musical climate healthy, challenging, fun, and positive.

Harold Shirley, President, Orchestra of Southern Utah

What do you see as your orchestra’s role in your community? How does your board support that work?

We see the Orchestra of Southern Utah as one of the cultural anchors of our community. Our role is to make orchestral music accessible, meaningful, and connected to the lives of the people we serve—from lifelong concertgoers to students hearing a symphony for the first time.

In a rural region like ours, the orchestra offers more than performances—it brings people together and creates shared experiences that strengthen community ties. Programs like our annual Messiah performance, the high-energy Rock Gold concert, and our youth artist features highlight the talent within our region, while the Children’s Jubilee and educational outreach events help us inspire the next generation.

Whether it’s a formal concert or a hands-on family event, our goal is always the same: to inspire, connect, and enrich our community through the power of live music. If you’re new to orchestral music, or if you’re curious, come and give it a try. You’ll find that every performance is an invitation to discover something new, to feel deeply, and to connect with others.

Music and arts education enrich lives far beyond the concert hall. Exposure to orchestral music fosters creativity, empathy, discipline, and connection—skills that strengthen individuals and communities alike. For many, especially in rural areas, it can be a transformative source of inspiration, healing, and belonging.

In a rural region like ours, the orchestra offers more than performances—it brings people together and creates shared experiences that strengthen community ties.