2024 Annual Conference Schedule - Thursday
Please continue to check back for developing details on sessions and speakers. All sessions and speakers are subject to change. Questions or Need Assistance? Email [email protected].
Thursday July 25, 2024
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Registration & Exhibitor Marketplace Open
GALLERY FOYER
Make this your first stop at the conference! Get registered, 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 - 12:00 PM
Pre-Conference Workshop: Imagine Your Board on Fire About Fundraising
Price: $100 members; $150 non-members; advanced registration required
Presenter: Susan Howlett, Principal, Susan Howlett Consulting
Your board members know they’re supposed to help with fundraising, and they mean to, but they don’t always deliver. In this enlightening and interactive session, we’ll 1) explore what’s keeping them from succeeding, 2) learn how to remove those barriers, and 3) discover what to ask them to do instead so they can be effective fundraisers, in ways that fit their skill sets, their comfort zones, their interest areas and their busy schedules. You’ll leave with practical, no-cost tips that will help your leaders raise money with confidence, joy and ease, by focusing on relationship-building rather than asking.
Susan will be selling and signing copies of her book Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully following the workshop.
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Conducting Masterclass
Price: separate fee for accepted participants
If you are a conducting student or early to mid-career conductor from California or surrounding states, apply to participate in this masterclass! Taught by Conductor Rei Hotoda (Music Director, Fresno Philharmonic) this two-hour fee-based masterclass includes 15 minutes of hands-on podium time with a seasoned music director. Masterclass participants are eligible for conference registration discounts. Learn more and apply here by June 15.
Sponsored by Jessica Bejarano, with support from the San Francisco Philharmonic
10:15-11 AM
Conference Orientation
This helpful overview will quickly orient you to the highlights of the conference agenda, help you get the lay of the land in San Francisco, and arm you with networking tips to amplify your time over the next three days when connecting with new colleagues and friends.
11:30 AM - 12:45 PM
Emerging Professionals Dinearound
LOCATION TBA
Create bonds of friendship that can last for the rest of your career! If you have been in the orchestra/performing arts field for less than five years, sign up for this informal lunch where you can enjoy networking, stimulating conversation, and peer learning before the conference even begins. Each participant is responsible for purchasing their own lunch.
1:00-2:30 PM
Opening Plenary: Run It Like a Business
GALLERY I/II
Keynote Speaker: Aubrey Bergauer, CEO, Changing the Narrative
If you hate that phrase, you’re not alone. But the arts are a business, a sector worth billions whose institutions serve almost every region in the country. Today, arts organizations are trying to rebuild audiences, reclaim relevance, and confront centuries of systemic discrimination.
The solutions are right before our eyes though. Volumes of data, research, and case studies from the for-profit sector demonstrate how to achieve success across customer engagement, the user experience, company culture, the subscription economy, digital content, new revenue streams, and brand relevance. Just because arts organizations are non-profits doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make money; it means the money we make goes back to fund the mission. And it means a sustainable model is still necessary. Running it like a business isn’t unwitting board speak; it’s essential to revitalize this critical, massive economic engine and ultimately better serve the art and its consumers in the new normal ahead.
Aubrey will be signing copies of her book Run it Like a Business following her keynote. Purchase your copy in the registration area.
Sponsored by Monterey Symphony
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM
Breakout Sessions
Breakout 1: The Compelling Employment Offer: Attracting & Retaining Talent
- Speakers: Emanuel Maxwell, Chief Talent & Equity Officer, Los Angeles Philharmonic; Tyler Rand, Managing Director, Advisory Board for the Arts
A staggering number of people have changed jobs during the pandemic, and orchestras are not immune to the steep workforce hiring and retention challenges other sectors face. In this session, the Advisory Board for the Arts presents research from a recent study to give orchestra leaders a much clearer picture of what employees want, and what they are willing to trade off in order to get it. Session attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of ways to resonate better with the needs and expectations of employees in order to build employment offers capable of competing in a tight labor market.
Breakout 2: Fundraising Events that Work: Insider Secrets on Successful Events
- Speakers: Nicola Reilly, President & CEO, Monterey Symphony; Scott Vandrick, Senior Director of Advancement, The Music Center
So many fundraising events, so little time! This session unravels insider secrets on producing fundraising events that stand out in a crowded field. Learn practical strategies and innovative approaches to infuse excitement into your next event, all while adding that element of surprise that will keep your guests coming back for more. Starting with a comprehensive overview of effective strategies for planning, budgeting, and executing successful events, this session will delve into the hard truths that mean the difference between epic event fails and fundraising triumphs. Join us for this interactive session complete with silent auction, opportunity drawing, and surprise guest stars!
Breakout 3: It’s Not Just a Concert: How to Make a Classical Uprising
- Speaker: Dr. Emily Isaacson, Artistic Director, Classical Uprising
Today’s audience does not want to attend a performance, they want to participate in an experience. How can classical music re-imagine the audience experience for the 21st century? In this session, Dr. Isaacson shares six frameworks for change, a toolbox of strategies, and examples of success for re-imagining the concert experience. These data-based, customer-centric approaches will increase your audience, deepen your fanbase, and give your organization a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving creative universe.
4:30 – 5:30 PM
Peer Forums
VARIOUS LOCATIONS
Start a conversation, offer ideas, ask questions, and offer opinions. In these give-and-take sessions, you can join your counterparts at other orchestras or meet with similarly sized organizations to listen, learn, share, and collaborate.
- Executive Directors with Budgets Over $1 Million; Facilitated by Richard Lonsdorf, Executive Director, New Century Chamber Orchestra; Nicola Reilly, President & CEO, Monterey Symphony
- Executive Directors with Budgets Under $1 Million: Facilitated by Dr. Kevin Eberle-Noel, Executive Director, Redlands Symphony
- Board Members with Budgets Over $1 Million: Facilitator TBA
- Education and Community Engagement Staff: Facilitated by Issy Farris, VP of Operations & Music Education, Long Beach Symphony
- Operations Staff: Facilitated by Sunshine Deffner, General Manager, California Symphony
- Development Staff: Facilitated by Nuri Kye, Director of Development, Marin Symphony
- Finance & HR Staff: Facilitated by Alicia Gonzalez, Interim Human Resources Director, San Francisco Symphony & TBA
- Marketing and Patron Services Staff: Facilitated by Ellen Armour Stein, Marketing & Development Director, Fresno Philharmonic
- Music Festival Board & Staff: Facilitated by Jenny Darlington-Person, Executive Director, Music in the Mountains
- Youth Orchestra Board & Staff: Facilitated by Alex Chu, Director of Education and Community Engagement, Pasadena Symphony and POPS & Nadia Liu, Executive Director, Young People’s Symphony Orchestra
- Community Orchestra Board & Staff: Facilitated by Chelsea Chambers, Executive Director, Peninsula Symphony of Northern California
- Conductors, Musicians and Artistic Leaders: Facilitated by Jessica Bejarano, Artistic Director, San Francisco Philharmonic & Rei Hotoda, Music Director, Fresno Philharmonic
5:30 - 6:30 PM
Dinner Break
6:30 PM
Board Buses to Davies Symphony Hall
7:30-9:30 PM
San Francisco Symphony Concert: Tchaikovsky and Barber
Davies Symphony Hall
Tickets will be available through the SF Symphony Box Office starting May 1st. ACSO Conference attendees will receive 25% off selected ticket prices.
9:30-11:00 PM
Overture Party
Hosted by the San Francisco Symphony
Wattis Room, Davies Symphony Hall
Following the SFS concert, our host orchestra invites all conference attendees to Davies Symphony Hall for drinks and appetizers while catching up with colleagues and enjoying live DJ performances. ACSO will provide round-trip transportation from the Hyatt. Just bring your badge and enjoy the evening! Guest tickets are available for $25/person.
11:00 PM
Board Buses to Hyatt Regency SF Downtown SOMA
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