Essentials Curriculum

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Since its inception in 2000, Essentials has prepared nearly 700 current and aspiring orchestra professionals with the tools and mindsets they need to grow as leaders and progress in their careers, including many who now hold key leadership positions in orchestras. The gold standard of orchestra management training, this residential program with classes at The Juilliard School in New York City provides an in-depth overview of orchestra management, builds career networks, and offers participants an interactive opportunity to build necessary skills and mindsets to become innovative and successful leaders in the arts. Participants will also receive a non-credit Juilliard Extension certificate upon completion. 

Orchestras are increasingly focusing on authentic civic and community engagement, as the art form draws upon today’s rich and varied cultural currents to connect with new and diverse audiences. Essentials explores not only tried and trusted aspects of leadership, strategy, and governance, but also examines community and equity in its many dimensions as well as orchestras’ need to address changing demographics and societal attitudes.

Essentials will introduce participants to the real-life opportunities and challenges that orchestras face today and highlight the creative, adaptive, and community-oriented skills that leaders need to help move their organizations and the field forward. The course includes individual reflection and sharing with peer groups as well as open discussion and personal commitments.

As graduates of Essentials, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of core business and operating practices in orchestras
• Use critical thinking skills to identify and analyze key strategic challenges of the field
• Thrive in an environment of competing imperatives and multiple stakeholders
• Increase their understanding and awareness of critical issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion in the orchestra field
• Express a deep commitment to the value and purpose of orchestras in our communities
• Build strong relationships with a wide range of constituents, including staff teams, musicians, audience members, donors, and the general public
• Deepen knowledge of orchestras as diverse and inclusive organizations, fulfilling their unique role in the cultural context of their communities
• Cultivate a network of peers, mentors, and resources for continued professional development
• Receive a non-credit Juilliard Extension certificate upon completion

Led by prominent leaders inside and beyond the orchestra field, including many Essentials alumni, the curriculum explores all aspects of orchestra administration and the changing nature of orchestras and addresses both theory and practice, integrating the faculty’s extensive practical experience and expert knowledge in the course curriculum. Essentials also addresses the new values, roles, and practices that are emerging as orchestras evolve. Participants gain an understanding of the key functions of orchestra management, while  engaging in robust interrogation of norms in our field and new thinking about the future. Topics include:

• Artistic Planning
• Development and Fundraising
• Digital and Electronic Media
• Education and Community Engagement
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Finance
• Governance
• Human Resources
• Leadership
• Marketing and Communications
• Musicians’ Perspective
• Negotiations and Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Operations and Production
• Organizational Culture
• Small-Budget Orchestras
• Strategic Planning

Additional core activities include faculty mentoring, visits with prominent artists and executives, concert attendance, and excursions to David Geffen Hall.

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Essentials of Orchestra Management is made possible by grants from Trish & Rick Bryan, 25th Century Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.