We live in a time of unprecedented creative variety and possibility, a surge of digital content and distribution, and new understandings of who gets to shape the orchestra experience. In this video of a session from a League Conference, we explore what it means for the artistic leadership of orchestras today, and what may need to change in order to seize the opportunities ahead.
Join our Volunteer Council Networking chair, Laurie Skjerseth of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra, Janet Cabot of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, and guest, Emily Green, who is the Program Coordinator of the Minnesota Music Educators Association and Head Music Librarian of the Minnesota Youth Symphonies, for a PowerPoint Presentation and Q& A on tools to help your organization and orchestras move forward.
Our colleagues of color—and many communities served by the orchestras we represent—are living with deep pain and fear, subjected to the threat of police violence, to the risks inherent in serving as essential workers in a time of crisis, and to ongoing oppression in a society scarred by racism. There is an urgent need for White people and predominantly White organizations to do the work of uprooting this racism.
While gender representation in the orchestral field has diversified both onstage and offstage recently, the challenge of creating truly inclusive and equitable environments remains. Salary parity, promotion and tenure, and interpersonal treatment are all issues in which gender inequity continues to manifest.
Today’s complex audiences crave a deeper connection to music makers both locally and globally. To provide this, orchestras require an understanding of how listeners and music fanatics relate to and consume music in the digital world.
When we return to the concert hall, we will be forced into a wholesale reevaluation of our revenue model. It isn’t simply that demand will be down, we’ll have fewer seats, and patrons will expect to pay less. The reality will be more nuanced and we’ll need to look to our patrons to tell us what our value is to them.
COVID-19 is challenging many of us to rethink how we lead, create, raise funds, program, and engage with audiences. If the pandemic is a portal (as Arundhati Roy puts it), where do we hope it will lead us? How can we reimagine and reinvent our organizations to be more relevant, equitable, and successful?
Congress is working on its fourth package of federal relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and will be making decisions about policies that will affect orchestras, musicians, and the communities they serve.
Last Updated: May 18, 2020 This is a rapidly changing situation and recommended actions may be highly-specific to your location. Check your state and local health agencies for guidance specific to your location. In addition to the resources below, the League has created dedicated discussion group on its League360 platform for members to exchange questions and information regarding the …
Even though in-person performances are suspended and marketing resources are reduced, we are not on hiatus. In fact, maintaining and growing patron engagement is more important than ever. According to Fred Reichheld, Bain Fellow and Creator of the Net Promoter System, “What you do now—how you treat your patrons—will be what everyone remembers after the COVID-19 crisis recedes.”