USC Thornton to host summer seminar for orchestra leaders
New partnership gives music students access to valued expertise
USC and the League of American Orchestras have established a new partnership to develop future orchestra leaders.
In association with USC’s Arts Leadership program (ARTL), the league will present the “Essentials of Orchestra Management” seminar in Los Angeles for the first time from July 7-16.
The 10-day seminar, which was previously held in New York City, will be hosted by the USC Thornton School of Music. A full faculty list and program details will be released at a later date.
Brent Assink, San Francisco Symphony executive director, and Deborah Rutter, president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, will continue to serve as seminar co-directors in consultation with Kenneth Foster, director of ARTL.
USC’s program is in the vanguard of creative thinking about arts leadership.
Kenneth Foster
“We are delighted to be working with the league to create a program that reflects the realities of today’s challenging environment,” Foster said. “Founded on the principle that arts leaders of today need new ways of approaching their work to be successful, USC’s program is in the vanguard of creative thinking about arts leadership in the contemporary world. This partnership with the league allows us to extend that point of view to the world of orchestra management.”
Dipping into a deep talent pool
Participants at a “Essentials of Orchestra Management” seminar (Photo/courtesy League of American Orchestras)
ARTL is multidisciplinary, and the collaboration provides the league access to an important talent pool. The partnership also enables the league to promote the orchestra field as a viable option for emerging leaders in other arts sectors. For USC, the partnership provides its students with the benefits of the league’s long-established network of orchestra leaders and expertise, expanding the students’ career options and equipping them with the skills necessary to become innovative and successful leaders.
“Essentials of Orchestra Management” features a hands-on curriculum, challenging participants to tackle real-world problems. New this year, the participants will be housed together on the University Park Campus and a local hotel, providing an even more intensive experience.
Participants with fewer than three years of performing arts organization experience are eligible to apply, along with graduate students, musicians and people outside the industry who are considering a career in orchestra management. The deadline to apply is April 14. For more information, visit the league’s website.
”Essentials of Orchestra Management” is made possible by grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. It is sponsored by the Association of California Symphony Orchestras.
Founded in 1942 and chartered by Congress in 1962, the League of American Orchestras leads, supports and champions America’s orchestras and the vitality of the music they perform. Its diverse membership of approximately 800 orchestras across North America runs the gamut from world-renowned symphonies to community orchestras, from summer festivals to student and youth ensembles.
