20 Participants Selected for League of American Orchestras’ First Orchestra Personnel Management Intensive

Program to take place March 2026 at Indiana University in Bloomington, IN

New York, NY (February 4, 2026) – Twenty orchestra professionals from across the U.S. have been selected for the first Orchestra Intensive from the League of American Orchestras. A four-day, deep-dive professional development program, the Orchestra Personnel Management Intensivewill be the first in a series of Intensives focused on specific roles in orchestra administration. This program is presented in collaboration with Arts Administration programs at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, and will take place March 16-19, 2026, in Bloomington, IN.  

The Orchestra Personnel Management Intensive is made possible by a generous grant from The Dr. M. Lee Pearce Foundation, Inc. 

“We had an incredible response to the announcement of the first year of this program,” said League of American Orchestras President and CEO Simon Woods. “This cohort is experienced, dedicated, and passionate about serving American orchestras. For decades, we’ve seen the impact of programs like this in strengthening and catalyzing our field—and we’re eager to see what this new class will achieve.”   

Orchestra Intensives are intended to be complementary to the League’s long-standing Essentials of Orchestra Management program, which has created a pathway to future leadership and career success for over 25 years. Demand for similar programs with a more specialized approach drove the League to invest in developing these new opportunities. The Orchestra Personnel Management Intensive will be the first in the series, to be followed by an Orchestra Artistic Administrators Intensive in Fall 2026 and an Orchestra Operations Management Intensive in Spring 2027.

Curriculum topics at the Orchestra Personnel Management Intensive will include musician management and hiring, collective bargaining agreements, the audition and tenure process, building inclusive cultures, conflict resolution, crisis problem-solving, employment law, and more. The program also emphasizes networking and leadership development, with time for peer exchange and guided reflection.

This program is taught and directed by a faculty comprised of expert leaders of the orchestra field and beyond, including: 

Faculty Leadership:

Beth Paine, Director of Orchestra Personnel, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Shana Bey, Director of Orchestra Management, Los Angeles Philharmonic 

League Leadership:

Simon Woods, President and CEO 

Caen Thomason-Redus, Vice President, Inclusion and Learning 

David Styers, Director, Learning and Leadership Programs 

Guest Faculty:

Rochelle Skolnick, Director of Symphonic Services and Special Counsel, American Federation of Musicians

Kyle Wynk-Sivashankar, SHRM-CP, PHR, Chief People Officer, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Timothy Zavadil, Clarinetist, Minnesota Orchestra

The 2026 Orchestra Personnel Management Intensivecohort is comprised entirely of professionals working in personnel management for U.S. orchestras, seeking to strengthen or advance their careers.  Participants include:

Kayla Aftahi Pavel, Orchestra Personnel Manager, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

David Allen, Personnel Manager and Principal Clarinet, Western Piedmont Symphony

Kristin Baird, Director of Orchestra, New World Symphony

Taylor Crawford, Orchestra Personnel Manager, Las Vegas Philharmonic

Matthew Creek, Manager of Popular Programming, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Daniel Dardon, Manager of Visiting Faculty & Entrepreneurship, New World Symphony

Jordan DeWester, Personnel and Operations Manager, Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra

Erin Eady, Director of Orchestra Personnel, Charlotte Symphony Orchestra

Natalie Fernandez, Personnel Manager and Education Director, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas

Heidi Herbert-Lovern, President, Anchorage Symphony Orchestra Players’ Association

Christopher Herman, Personnel Manager, Tucson Symphony Orchestra

Sabrina Romney Lloyd, Personnel Manager, Wyoming Symphony Orchestra

Angelo Monroy, Personnel Manager, Reno Chamber Orchestra

Adam Norton, Orchestra Personnel Manager, San Diego Symphony

Maria-Camila Patiño, Personnel Manager and Strings Teacher, Mississippi Symphony Orchestra

Estefan Perez, Orchestra Personnel Manager and Education Coordinator, Memphis Symphony Orchestra

Eric Reichelt, Artistic Operations Manager, Peoria Symphony Orchestra

Nicholas Taylor, Manager of Orchestra Personnel, Colorado Symphony Association

Sonja Thoms, Director of Operations, Chattanooga Symphony & Opera

Jeff Whitsett, Orchestra Personnel Manager and Librarian, Winston-Salem Symphony