League Announces 73rd National Conference In Chicago

The League of American Orchestras' 73rd National Conference in Chicago, June 13-15, 2018, will offer a particular focus on the voices of musicians-many Chicago-based-both in performance and as session speakers.

"With its bounty of exceptional artistry, creativity, and ground-breaking community engagement initiatives, the musical landscape of Chicago serves as a timely backdrop for our National Conference," said League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen. "The preponderance of impassioned music-making here, beginning with our host the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and extending to our many local member organizations, offers delegates a unique opportunity to bring home an array of ideas and inspiration for their own orchestras and communities."

"We are pleased to welcome our orchestra colleagues to Chicago for this year's League conference and to share the exceptional artistry of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, our distinguished music director Riccardo Muti, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, as well as the extraordinary skill of our administrative staff and grace of our volunteers," said Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association President Jeff Alexander.

"It is also a time to share the stories of the extensive education and community engagement work of our Negaunee Music Institute that connects Chicagoans of all ages and diverse backgrounds with CSO and Civic Orchestra musicians through transformative musical experiences. This work inspires us as leaders of our industry to create even more opportunities and access to orchestral music and we hope that it can inspire others in our field, as well."

Nearly 1,000 orchestra stakeholders-orchestra managers and staff, musicians, trustees, and volunteers-will attend the Conference, with meetings and performances at the Palmer House Hilton and Symphony Center, and additional events at Grant Park Music Festival, and even a Chicago White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field. At its core, this year's Conference will focus deeply on the perspectives of musicians, their orchestras, and the world renowned soloists who perform with them, many with close ties to the Chicago region. The Conference's theme, Creating the Greatest Impact, is woven throughout the sessions, as are the five Conference content tracks:

• Artistic Vitality;
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion;
• Engagement and Innovation;
• Leadership, People, Culture; and
• Marketing and Development.

Celebrated for his pioneering work with homeless, mentally ill, and incarcerated populations, Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist and Street Symphony founder Vijay Gupta is the Conference's Opening Plenary keynote speaker. An acknowledged advocate for artistic voices at the center of social justice, Gupta will address opportunities for musicians as change-agents and the inspirations that have influenced his thinking in this area.

Violinist Jennifer Koh, an adventurous musician who pushes boundaries and avidly advances the new music canon, will be the featured performer at the League's Luncheon and General Meeting on June 14. Koh will also speak at the convening, offering her perspective on how orchestra constituents can work together to achieve true representation of our country--including expanded opportunities for women in this era of social reckoning--on stage, in our organizations, and in audiences. Five musicians will receive the League's Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service at the Luncheon, and attendees will hear addresses from League of American Orchestras President and CEO Jesse Rosen and Douglas M. Hagerman, chair of the organization's Board of Directors

A General Session in the afternoon of June 14 will also include a mix of music and discussion: the world premiere of a double concerto by Michael Abels (composer of the score to the film Get Out) by the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Music Director Allen Tinkham, and soloists Anthony McGill (Principal Clarinet, New York Philharmonic) and Demarre McGill (Principal Flute, Seattle Symphony) as well as a performance by student musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Percussion Scholarship Program, to be followed by a discussion entitled Inclusive and Equitable Orchestras. Brothers Anthony McGill and Demarre McGill will share insights into their musical training and career development, and the critical role that youth orchestras and music education organizations have in working together to strengthen the pipeline and pathway to becoming professional orchestral musicians The Conference comes to an inspiring end on June 15, as cellist Yo-Yo Ma, CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant, receives The Gold Baton, the League's highest honor, at the Conference's Closing Session. Ma's remarks will consider the meaning of arts and culture in our society, and how orchestras can help find solutions to society's biggest challenges-a masterful look at Conference theme Creating the Greatest Impact.

Participants with Chicago Ties Include:

• Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti
• Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, CSO Judson and Joyce Green Creative Consultant
• Violinist Jennifer Koh
• New York Philharmonic Principal Clarinet Anthony McGill
• Seattle Symphony Principal Flute Demarre McGill
• Composers Shulamit Ran and Augusta Read Thomas
• Chicago Opera Theater Music Director Lidiya Yankovskaya
• Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and Music Director Allen Tinkham
• Grant Park Music Festival and Chorus, Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar and Chorus Director Christopher Bell
• Chicago Sinfonietta's Project Inclusion fellows and alumni
• Members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the CSO's training ensemble for emerging professional musicians
• Student musicians of the CSO's Percussion Scholarship Program
• WFMT Radio Network

June 14 will be filled with music: in addition to Jennifer Koh's appearance during the Luncheon and the General Session performance by Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, Anthony McGill and Demarre McGill on that day, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Zell Music Director Riccardo Muti will join forces with cellist Yo-Yo Ma for the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 2 in the evening at Symphony Center for a program that also includes Shostakovich's Festive Overture and Prokofiev's Symphony No. 3.

Delegates will attend the opening night of the Grant Park Music Festival in the Pritzker Pavilion at Chicago's Millennium Park on June 13. The program features the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus and Baritone Dashon Burton led by Principal Conductor Carlos Kalmar performing Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, as well as Sean Shepherd's Magiya and Haydn's Symphony No. 99. The Grant Park Chorus is prepared by Chorus Director Christopher Bell.

Additionally, the Closing Session on June 15 will include a performance by an ensemble of early career musicians in Chicago Sinfonietta's Project Inclusion program.

Selected Key Elective and Pre-Conference Sessions:

• Artists, Repertoire, and Diversity
• Championing Women Composers (commission recipients from the League's Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program)
• Composers + Orchestras: Evolving for Relevance (composers from Music Alive, a program of the League of American Orchestras and New Music USA)
• Connecting with New Audiences: Seattle Symphony Case Study
• Diversity Forum: A Report on Field-wide Efforts in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
• Latino Alliance and African American Network: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Case Study
• Life in Music in the 21st Century: Next Gen Musicians' Perspective (discussion with Civic Fellows of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's 100-year-old training ensemble for young professional musicians)
• #MeToo and #TimesUp: Finding a Path Forward
• Social Impact Beyond the Concert Hall: A Musicians' Panel (recipients of the League's Ford Musician Awards for Excellence in Community Service)
• Tactics for Building and Sustaining a Diverse Board

View the Conference schedule here: https://americanorchestras.org/conference2018/sessions/

To post a comment, you must register and login.