League of American Orchestras' Conference 2015 Set for Cleveland This Week

Nearly 1,000 stakeholders from across the orchestra field will attend the League of American Orchestras' Conference 2015, this week, May 27-29 in Cleveland, marking the first time a League Conference has been hosted by The Cleveland Orchestra. Orchestra managers, musicians, staff, trustees, and volunteers will interact with experts from within the arts community and beyond, attending general and elective sessions, live performances, and social and networking events.

With the theme of "The New Work of Orchestras," the Conference will examine how arts organizations are addressing civic needs while sharing their artistry with new audiences. Conference sessions will put this into context by exploring such critical issues as changing demographics, increased competition for fundraising dollars, diversity, organizational sustainability, and the promise of new technologies in the current cultural landscape.

"The Cleveland Orchestra exemplifies this year's Conference theme by marrying the highest standard of artistry with forward-thinking, community-centered work," says League President and CEO Jesse Rosen. "They are the perfect host for the Conference as orchestras across the country become increasingly aware of civic priorities and service to their communities."

"We are thrilled to host the League's Conference for the first time and welcome our colleagues from across North America," says Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson. "We will greet them with one of our signature opera performances under the direction of our Music Director Franz Welser-Möst in Severance Hall, hailed by many as America's most beautiful concert venue. Cleveland is a wonderful city and beyond all of the music and all of the meetings we want to share the experience of our home."

The Opening Session on May 27 will include an address by National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu. The session will kick off with a performance by The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and cellist/COYO alum Alisa Weilerstein, under the direction of Brett Mitchell, COYO Music Director and Assistant Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra, followed by introductory remarks by Rosen, Hanson, and Leonard DiCosimo, president, Cleveland Federation of Musicians, Local 4. A panel of government, business, community, and artistic leaders will then delve into how orchestras can develop meaningful relationships with their communities.

Jesse Rosen will address delegates during the League's Luncheon and Annual Meeting on May 28. Anne-Marie Soullière (Retired President, Fidelity Foundations) will receive the Gold Baton, the League's highest honor, bestowed annually since 1948 for distinguished service to America's orchestras. The event will also include a performance by American Idol Season 6 finalist Melinda Doolittle, as well as the presentation of the Helen M. Thompson Award (recipient tbd), given to recognize Thompson's support and encouragement of promising music directors and managers early in their careers.

May 29's Closing Session looks at the artistic side of creating deeper community connections. A panel of musicians and artistic administrators will consider how to propel this work from solo and small ensemble sessions taking place outside the concert hall into full-orchestra, in-hall experiences. Eric Booth, President, Everyday Arts Inc., will moderate a panel comprised of Delta David Gier, Music Director, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra; Martha S. Gilmer, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Symphony; Daniel Bernard Roumain, Composer/Performer/Arts Administrator, Sozo Artists; and Joshua Smith, Principal Flute, The Cleveland Orchestra.

Conference delegates will have an array of musical, social, and networking events to choose from, including an evening performance on May 27 of the Richard Strauss opera Daphne by The Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by music director Franz Welser-Möst (with soprano Regine Hangler, tenor Andreas Schager, tenor Norbert Ernst, bass Ain Anger, mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby, and Men of the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus); a performance by CityMusic Cleveland, conducted by Music Director Avner Dorman, of Dorman's work Spices Perfumes Toxins on the evening of May 28 (with vocalist Heather Headley); an all-delegate Tune Up Party at the Atrium at the Cleveland Museum of Art on May 27; and a social event for young professionals on May 28 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

There will be twenty Conference Elective Sessions on May 28 and 29 covering topics including community engagement and the civic value of arts; artistic programming; diversity; digital innovation; audience development; philanthropy; governance; partnerships and collaborating; orchestra sustainability, and recruiting and retaining staff.

Additional topics from strategic planning to effective grantwriting will be explored at more than a dozen small roundtable Lunch and Learn sessions on May 29. Also on May 29, The Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson will lead a lunchtime conversation with writer Norman Lebrecht.

Pre-Conference seminars, taking place on May 26 and 27, will cover the following topics:

Patron Growth, 2015 edition: An Integrated Approach to Sales, Fundraising, and Loyalty

Two-Day Seminar for New Executive Directors

Boards on Fire!

Building a Culture that Values People, Place, and Purpose

Outcome-Based Planning and Evaluation

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