Conference 2022 Reflections: Diane Wittry

Thinking about the in-depth conversations at Conference 2022.

By Diane Wittry, Music Director and Conductor, Allentown Symphony Orchestra

The 2022 League Conference in LA was a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and to meet new ones. For the conductors, it started on Wednesday morning with an open rehearsal of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in their wonderful Walt Disney Concert Hall. Hearing how Gustavo Dudamel worked with the orchestra and his efficient rehearsal technique was inspiring. Not a minute was wasted and they had some fun too! 

As the conference began, for our conductor break-out sessions we delved into leadership, diversity programming, and connecting with the staff and the musicians. It was great to exchange ideas in this close format and to share stories of our experiences. 

For the larger sessions, my mind was catapulted into a new reality during Alan Brown’s session:  Beyond COVID-19: Immersed in the Future. His outlining of immersion experiences available throughout the world with the capacity to reach millions and bring in huge amounts of income made me really think differently about the overall concert experience and if we might as an industry be able to create some parallel immersion experiences around orchestral music. I really hope to continue this conversation into the future. It will take funding, creative ideas, and partnering with film and audio experts, as well as the use of alternate venues, but it has the potential to bring our music to so many more people. 

I thoroughly enjoyed attending Conference this year in Los Angeles and look forward to the next one in Pittsburgh next year.