League Forward: April 2026

Dear Friends,

It’s always a pleasure to be able to write to our many donors across the country, to thank you for your support, and let you know what’s going on at the League. And a lot is going on! I’m excited to share a few highlights with you in this issue of League Forward.

From the launch of our first-ever Orchestra Intensive for orchestra personnel managers to a brand-new Board Member Forum at our upcoming National Conference in Baltimore, we’re finding new ways to strengthen orchestras and the people who lead them—and it’s encouraging to see the positive response from the field.

Strengthening orchestras also means investing in the next generation, and Chuck Dickerson is a powerful example of that work in action. As a member of our Board of Directors and founder and conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, Chuck’s story is one of vision, persistence, and an unshakeable belief in what music can do for young people. I think you will enjoy getting to know him in this issue. You will find that same passion for music in our recent Donor Town Hall with author Nancy Shear, whose reflections are a beautiful reminder of why orchestras matter. In different ways, Chuck and Nancy both demonstrate the real and lasting impact we have when we invest in people and in the future of the orchestral art form.

This year’s National Conference in Baltimore introduces something new for orchestra board members: a dedicated Orchestra Board Member Forum with programming focused on strategic fundraising, healthy leadership, and board engagement. Board members will have the opportunity to explore good governance principles, join roundtables with peers, and hear a conversation between League Board Chair Alan Mason and Ann Meier Baker, retired Director of Music and Opera at the National Endowment for the Arts. We are also launching a new edition of our Effective Orchestra Governance guide—free for League members—and members of the League’s Board of Directors will be on hand as Conference guides to help board members find the right sessions and make the right connections. We hope to see you there! Learn more about the Orchestra Board Member Forum.

I am delighted to introduce Chuck Dickerson, founder, executive director, and conductor of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, and a member of the League’s Board of Directors. Chuck’s remarkable 50-year career, spanning conducting, composition, civic leadership, and education, reflects a deep commitment to the transformative power of music. Read the full interview to learn more about his work, his vision, and what continues to inspire him.

In March, the League launched its first-ever Orchestra Personnel Management Intensive—a four-day, deep-dive professional development program held in Bloomington, Indiana, in collaboration with Arts Administration programs at Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. Twenty orchestra professionals from across the country gathered to build hands-on skills in collective bargaining, auditions, conflict resolution, and building inclusive cultures, led by faculty from the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Participant David Allen, Personnel Manager and Principal Clarinet of the Western Piedmont Symphony, captured the experience beautifully: “Walking through the airport on my way home, I noticed I walked differently, with a confidence that I didn’t have when I walked through the airport on the way to the Intensive. When I left the Intensive, I knew I was truly an Orchestra Personnel Manager with the knowledge, skills, resources, and community to back it up.”

Programs like this illustrate how the League is working to strengthen orchestras from within, and with an Orchestra Artistic Administrator Intensive coming in fall 2026, there’s more exciting news ahead. Stay tuned for more information.

I am pleased to share the recording and transcript from last month’s engaging Virtual Donor Town Hall featuring a conversation with Nancy Shear, author of I Knew a Man Who Knew Brahms. Nancy shared her remarkable experiences, from slipping through the stage door of the Academy of Music as a teenager to building extraordinary relationships with some of the 20th century’s greatest musicians, including Leopold Stokowski and Mstislav Rostropovich. Her reflections on why orchestras still matter—100 people from entirely different backgrounds setting everything aside, for the sake of the music—is a beautiful reminder of why we do this work. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch the full conversation. And if you haven’t yet picked up Nancy’s book, it’s a wonderful read. View the recording of the session.

Thank you, as always, for your philanthropic support and partnership, and for your belief in the power of music to connect us, inspire us, and move us forward together.

With appreciation,

Simon Woods
President and CEO
League of American Orchestras