Adapting to Changing Audience Tastes and Preferences

Marketing directors and staff, programming directors and staff, executive directors, education and community engagement directors and staff, artistic administrators, board members, and anyone interested in better understanding the tastes of orchestral audiences.

• $20 for members
• $35 for non-members

Alan Brown (he/him)
Managing Principal, WolfBrown

Alan Brown, managing principal of WolfBrown, is a leading researcher and management consultant in the arts and culture sector worldwide. His work focuses on understanding consumer demand for cultural experiences, evaluating support structures for the arts, and helping cultural institutions, foundations and agencies to see new opportunities, make informed decisions and respond to changing conditions. His studies have introduced new vocabulary to the lexicon of cultural participation and propelled the field towards a clearer view of the rapidly changing cultural landscape. He speaks frequently at national and international conferences about trends in cultural participation, innovations in programming, and new approaches to customer relationships.

Grace Kennerly (she/her)
Executive Director, A Far Cry

Grace Kennerly is a musician and arts administrator dedicated to creating shared experiences that inspire community and nurture our authentic selves. Her medium is music, whether playing viola or presenting a concert at A Far Cry, Boston’s self-conducted, democratically-run string orchestra, where she has served as the Executive Director in partnership with their 17-headed co-Artistic Directorship since 2018. Grace celebrates the Criers’ hyper-collaborative approach to programming and music making and seeks to reinforce A Far Cry’s vision of “a world that listens.”

Prior to A Far Cry, Grace was the Director of Admissions and Artistic Planning at Boston University Tanglewood Institute, where she recruited more than 400 talented young musicians each summer and oversaw BUTI’s programs and curriculum development in coordination with the BU School of Music, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and Tanglewood Music Center. Grace grew up in North Carolina where she could be found onstage with her string quartet, recording tracks for local artists, or promoting student bands at UNC-Chapel Hill through Vinyl Records, the record label she co-founded in 2007. Grace resides in Shelburne Falls, MA with her partner Michel where they enjoy hiking and restoring mid-century modern furniture for their business Teak Freaks.

Annemarie Leenhouts-Petrov (she/her)
President and CEO, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra/Francis Winspear Centre for Music

Annemarie Leenhouts-Petrov is the President and CEO of the Winspear Centre, one of Canada’s premier concert venues, the home of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and a focal point of music in Northern Alberta. Leenhouts-Petrov pursued a performance career in Europe before joining Symphony New Brunswick as general manager. She also held posts with the National Arts Centre and Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.

Throughout her career, Leenhouts-Petrov focused on advancing the important impact that live music has on our communities. Since 2008, she has led the Winspear Centre, working to create a state-of-the-art centre for music where everyone is welcome, harnessing the power of music to build community and satisfy humanity’s search for meaning.

Leenhouts-Petrov currently serves on the boards of directors of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Arts Awards, the Edmonton International Airports Business Advisory Committee and is the incoming chair of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. She is a founding member of the Edmonton Chapter of the International Women’s Forum and a recipient of both the Rozsa Innovation Award and the national Betty Webster Award.

Peter Rodgers (he/him)
Director of Marketing, Madison Symphony Orchestra

Peter Rodgers is an accomplished artist and brand expert with a keen eye for original creative and business strategy. He’s been active for more than 25 years in art, music, design, education, nonprofits and business development. Peter produces campaigns that combine the art of design with the priorities of nonprofits and business.

Rodgers has helped bring to life brands and products for CVNL/Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Marin Symphony, Hanson Bridgett, Dun and Bradstreet, E-LOAN, NextCard, Dolby Labs, Zoom, San Francisco Art Institute, Apple Computer, SONOMA Magazine, Pantone, E*TRADE Financial, Frank Howard Allen Realtors, and Shutterfly to name a few. Peter and his teams continue to develop and execute award-winning brand, advertising and marketing campaigns for nonprofits, travel, hospitality, business and technology, and the arts and music industry.

In addition to his work, Peter has volunteered time and resources to multiple local San Francisco Bay Area organizations including; The Buck Institute, Bread and Roses, Youth in Arts/Italian Street Painting Festival and Pets Lifeline. Peter served as Youth in Arts Board of Directors chair/president for nine years, and board member for twelve years.