7:00 AM - 7:45 AM
Yoga
Location: Ho-O-Kan
Bring your yoga mats and start the day off right with yoga and meditation in front of the Buddha in the Ho-O-Kan room led by yoga instructor Gina Decker.
Sponsored by Dean McVay
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Registration & Exhibitor Marketplace Open
Location: Ramona Court & Spanish Art Gallery
Grab a cup of coffee and connect with businesses and individuals that support our field. Learn more about their services and what they can do for you.
9:00 AM -10:30 AM
Plenary
Location: Grand Parisian Ballroom
Musical Moment: Riverside Phil Ensemble
Strum by Jessie Montgomery
Samuel Fischer, violin
Ji Young An, violin
Aaron Oltman, viola
David Mergen, cello
Keynote Panel - The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture: How an Arts Organization Can Be a Game Changer for a Community
Speakers: Drew Oberjuerge, Executive Director, Riverside Art Museum (moderator); María Esther Fernández, Artistic Director, The Cheech Center; Patricia Lock Dawson, Mayor of Riverside, Ofelia Valdez-Yeager, Board President, Riverside Art Museum
Opening in June 2022, The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum is a public-private partnership between the Riverside Art Museum, the City of Riverside, and comedian/actor Cheech Marin — one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art.
Beyond being the first of its kind, this museum is proving to be a game changer for a region that is often overlooked and underfunded. It strives to put Riverside on the map as a creative and educational hub, a tourist destination, and an incubator for emerging Chicana/o/x artists.
This story from the museum world offers orchestras insights about how we can be game changers for our communities by pursuing opportunities for collaboration, valuing change that is bigger than ourselves, galvanizing grassroots support, and using our missions as tools for the betterment of our communities.
Sponsored by the Inland Empire Community Foundation and the Riverside Philharmonic Board of Directors
10:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Breakouts
Breakout 1: The World Has Changed and So Must We
Location: Santa Barbara
Presenter: David Taylor, Arts Entrepreneur, Coach & Consultant
The classical music industry faces many challenges in the post-pandemic world. For it to survive, we need to start having conversations about what the future looks like and how we get there. This session examines why the digital age has changed how we interact as a society, why it's important for orchestras to understand it, and that we need to adapt both the concert format and how it is marketed.
Sharing ideas and examples from other industries and inside the classical world, this session gives practical advice and exercises on how to make those changes that apply to any orchestra. Topics covered include identifying the main challenges we face, adding value to the concert experience, audience development, marketing in the digital age, branding and defining your orchestra's voice.
Sponsored by Steve Friedlander and The Bopp Montalvo Group at Morgan Stanley
Book selling and signing immediately following
Breakout 2: The Big Idea: Balancing a Major Gift Campaign with your Annual Fund
Location: Mediterranean Terrace
Speakers: Nuri Kye, Director of Development, Marin Symphony Association; Catherine Heitz New, Executive Vice President, RSC Fundraising; Jeremy Hatch, Principal Consultant, RSC Fundraising
No matter the budget size or goals, your orchestra has a limited number of donors and qualified prospects that often must be shared across multiple fundraising campaigns. How do you balance operational (i.e., Annual Fund) asks from an endowment, capital or special projects ask? Is there a way to have donors give to multiple campaigns without feeling over-asked and overburdened? RSC will guide a discussion, featuring the real-time case study of Marin Symphony’s successful Symphony Sustained campaign, to answer these and other related questions so that your orchestra can enter into a leadership campaign without fear of impacting your much-needed annual support.
Sponsored by Withum
Breakout 3: Concerts That Connect: Building a Compelling Evening from the Ground Up
Location: Renaissance Salon
Speakers: Richard Lonsdorf, Executive Director, New Century Chamber Orchestra (moderator); Jen Babcock, Director of Artistic Production, MUSE/IQUE; Brian Colburn, CEO, MUSE/IQUE; Rei Hotoda, Music Director, Fresno Philharmonic; Julia Ward, Director, Humanities, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestras know all too well the frustration that comes when a performance of compelling artists and repertoire fails to gain traction with audiences. Often we direct blame at audiences themselves, asking why they don't "understand" what we are presenting. But what if we turn our lens on our own programming process? Why are we presenting these works to an audience in the first place? The answer is not always clear, and that has ripple effects throughout the chain of execution, promotion and more. In this session, Richard Lonsdorf gathers several creative programmers from California orchestras to discuss how a concert with clear meaning, context, and relevance helps the story of the evening come to life in a way translates from the brochure to the stage!
Sponsored by Opus 3 Artists
12:15 PM - 2:00 PM
ACSO Annual Meeting & Luncheon
Location: Grand Parisian Ballroom
At the Annual Meeting, members vote on ACSO’s new and renewing board members and learn about the association’s financial health, impact, and future initiatives.
The luncheon also includes a panel discussion about the California Festival followed by a message from California Arts Council Executive Director Jonathan Moscone titled “The (Constant Flux of the) State of the Arts."
Musical Moment: Temecula Valley Youth Symphony Woodwind Quartet
Sunny Days by Jonathan Wall (world premiere)
Married Life from the Disney Pixar film Up by Michael Giacchino, arranged for wind quartet by Aidan Guilderson
Gabby Potter, flute
Olivia Wooldridge, oboe
Zaiba Choudhury, clarinet
Sofia Latapie, bassoon
California Festival: Exploring Statewide Collaboration and Musical Innovation
Panelists: Laura Bergmann, Associate Director, Advocacy & Community Engagement, San Francisco Symphony, Veronika Krausas, Composer and Professor at USC Thornton School of Music; Meghan Umber, Senior Vice President Programming, LA Phil
Taking place November 3-19, the California Festival is a celebration of new music, honoring the Golden State’s long history of musical experimentation and forward-thinking artistry with more than 90 organizations performing music written in the last five years. The festival was conceived of by LA Phil, San Francisco Symphony, and San Diego Symphony Music Directors Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Rafael Payare and organized in collaboration with ACSO. The panel will explore the California Festival’s content and creation, the state’s legacy of musical innovation, and the impact of statewide collaboration.
Sponsored by Claremont Graduate University Center for Business & Management of the Arts
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM
Breakouts
Breakout 1: Radical Relevance: Reclaiming Relevance to Rebuild Cultural Audiences
Location: Santa Barbara
Presenter: Ruth Hartt, CEO, Culture for Hire
Ruth Hartt offers a new framework for what it means to be relevant in today’s world. She’ll explain the business framework that illuminates customer motivation, and why it matters for arts marketers. You’ll walk away inspired to shift away from traditional arts marketing (which is often boring and, worse, egocentric) to the more empathetic—and more effective—customer-centric approach.
Sponsored by Young Concert Artists
Breakout 2: The Change-Up: Succession Planning Best Practices
Location: Mediterranean Terrace
Speakers: Shawn Ingram, Vice President, Arts Consulting Group; Anwar Nasir, Executive Director, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra; Nagham Wehbe, VP Research Practice Leader, Arts Consulting Group; Reggie Wilson, Board Vice President, Pasadena Symphony and POPS
Leadership transitions can be a great challenge or a great opportunity for an orchestra. Join this session led by Arts Consulting Group to learn about best practices in planning for the departure of an executive, artistic, or board leader and the arrival of new leadership. This session will offer strategic recommendations to ensure organizational stability during a time of transition, build collaboration and effective communications between staff and board, support the identification of interim leadership and/or an executive search partner, and effectively engage donors and stakeholders to build confidence in the transition process. The session will also feature a facilitated discussion highlighting the experience of orchestra board and executive leaders related to leadership transitions. The session will conclude with questions-and-answers. Attendees will leave the session with broader knowledge of the leadership transition process and materials to support leadership transition decision-making within their own organization.
Sponsored by BMI
Breakout 3: Improving Capitalization in the Arts: A Primer
Location: Renaissance Salon
Presenter: Tyler Rand, Managing Director, Advisory Board for the Arts
Panelists: Kathryn R Martin, President and CEO, Santa Barbara Symphony; Elizabeth Shribman, Chief of Staff, San Francisco Symphony; Stephanie Stallings, Executive Director; Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra
As organizations reemerge from the pandemic, their cash positions are worse than ever. Nearly half of arts leaders surveyed by Advisory Board for the Arts (ABA) expect a deficit budget next year. Audiences have been slow to return, and many long-time donors are turning their attention to social justice and safety net causes. At the same time, inflation is driving up costs and staff are turning over at record numbers. To survive and thrive, arts organizations of all sizes absolutely must have more capital, and it must be the right kind of capital, to navigate the risky path ahead.
Tyler Rand will present ABA's research on arts capitalization and then talk with a panel of orchestra leaders about how successful capital positioning allows organizations to operate existing programs, preserve long-term assets, and mitigate the risks associated with change.
Sponsored by the ACSO Internal Affairs Committee
3:45 PM - 5 PM
Peer Forums
- Executive Directors with Budgets Over $1 Million
Facilitators: Mieko Hatano, Oakland Symphony + Alice Sauro, Las Vegas Philharmonic
Location: Santa Barbara (closed meeting)
- Executive Directors with Budgets Under $1 Million
Facilitator: Kevin Eberle-Noel, Redlands Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Board Members of Professional Orchestras
Facilitator: Jamei Haswell, Santa Rosa Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Education and Community Engagement Staff
Facilitator: Laura Reynolds, San Diego Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Operations Staff
Facilitator: Issy Farris, Long Beach Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Development Staff
Facilitator: Eman Isadir, Santa Rosa Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Finance Staff
Facilitator: Natasha Miller-Zahn, Santa Barbara Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Music Festivals
Facilitator: Jenny Darlington-Person, Music in the Mountains
Location: Ballroom
- Youth Orchestras
Facilitators: Alex Chu, Pasadena Symphony and POPS + Nadia Liu, Young People’s Symphony Orchestra
Location: Ballroom
- Community Orchestras
Facilitator: Chelsea Chambers, Peninsula Symphony of Northern California
Location: Ballroom
- Marketing & Patron Services Staff
Facilitator: Tiffany Fajardo, Berkeley Symphony
Location: Ballroom
- Musicians and Artistic Leaders
Facilitators: John Wineglass, Composer + Bruce Kiesling, Sequoia Symphony
Location: Ballroom
Sponsored by RSC Fundraising
5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Dinner Break
Location: Downtown Riverside
5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
President’s Reception (invitation only)
Location: Ho-O-Kan & The Court of the Orient
The President’s Reception is an opportunity for ACSO to thank our Individual Donors and Conference Sponsors at a gathering that includes drinks and light appetizers. Have a drink on us, network with one another, and know how much ACSO appreciates your support! This reception is open by invitation to our Conference Sponsors and individuals who have donated $100 or more to ACSO in the past year. Donate at the registration desk or the door to secure your invitation!
Harp music performed by Sophia Fontes
6:00-8:00 PM
LGBTQIA+ Happy Hour
Location: The Menagerie, 3581 University Ave, Riverside, CA 92501
Hosted by ACSO Conference Committee Co-Chairs Jessica Bejarano and Dean McVay
Get to know your fellow LGBTQIA+ colleagues at this casual networking event held at the longest running bar of record in historic downtown Riverside. Since its opening in 1983, The Menagerie has been proudly serving the LGBT community of Riverside, the Inland Empire, and beyond. This event has a no-host bar. You must be 21+ to attend.
Text the keyword Happy to (323) 615-3513 to sign up
8:00-10:00 PM
Dessert Reception at “The Cheech”
Location: Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture
You heard the story of how “The Cheech” came to be when an extraordinary art collector connected with a determined community. Now see it in person! Join us for dessert, drinks, and a stroll around the galleries at the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture. This museum, a collaboration between actor Cheech Marin, the City of Riverside, and the Riverside Art Museum, showcases more than 700 pieces of Cheech’s Chicano art collection and is the first North American facility dedicated to Mexican-American art.
Music provided by Heart Sound Entertainment
Sponsored by The Rios Family and the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, with support from the Riverside Art Museum and the City of Riverside Arts & Cultural Affairs Division