Strategic Framework | 2027-2030

May 2026

In fall 2025, the League’s board and staff undertook a refresh of the League’s Strategic Framework to guide the period from 2027 through the end of the decade. Our vision, mission, and commitments remain strong and are carried forward unchanged. The updated priorities balance external strategies to support the orchestra field with internal strategies to strengthen the League’s effectiveness and ability to deliver value to its members.

Orchestras today are navigating great complexity and uncertainty. Economic volatility, inflation, and evolving patterns in philanthropy are putting pressure on business models. Shifting demographics, changing audience behaviors, and the urgent need to welcome new generations into our concert halls are intensifying questions about relevance. The federal policy environment has forced arts organizations to reconsider how they articulate their commitments to inclusion, while political polarization and heightened scrutiny are increasing the need for orchestras to enhance and articulate their value to communities. Artificial intelligence is bringing seismic disruption, offering real opportunities for insight and business effectiveness and posing disquieting questions about artistic creativity, intellectual property, and the environment.

Through all of this, orchestras continue to inspire communities of all sizes across the country with their artistry. Despite the complexity of the operating environment, the way music touches millions of lives each year remains the field’s north star, sustaining orchestras in their work and guiding the League in its role providing information and resources and training the next generation of leaders.

This new Strategic Framework is closely targeted at addressing the issues outlined above. It leads with two major transformational initiatives, continues with a series of focus areas tied to the critical needs of the field, and concludes by outlining internal effectiveness and business strategies that are essential to the League’s ability to support the field. Appendices outline the development process and the scope of the League’s current and continuing work. We are grateful to the many people who contributed their time, insight, and experience to the development of this plan.perience.