Schedule of Events

ASK THE EXPERTS throughout the day

Experts are available to speak with you or your group on a variety of topics. Schedule your FREE 30-minute consultation at the sign-up table in the Resource Room (Mesa Verde).

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Registration and Resource Room Open

10:00 am - 10:25 am

Conference Orientation

Meet challenges head on; seize opportunity; eliminate risk! Your first Conference task is preparing yourself to make the most of this experience. Appropriately, our orientation session will provide all the tools you need to custom-fit these three days of learning and sharing into a richly rewarding journey of discovery, inspiration, and encouragement.

10:30 am - 11:15 am

Association of California Symphony Orchestras’ Annual Meeting

11:30 am - 1:30 pm

Peer Forums

What’s trending in the orchestral universe? This is where our path to discovery begins. Join your peers for this once-a-year, unparalleled opportunity to build your network and enhance your professional expertise by meeting, mingling, and exchanging information, insights, concerns, and plain hard facts with your colleagues. It’s the perfect entry vehicle to a Conference that fosters confidence, creativity, comprehension, and connections through interaction and sharing.

1:30 pm - 2:45 pm

Plenary I: "The Fluctuating Inner Universe: What the H*ll is Going On With People?!”

In a world of intense change and technological transformation, the old ways of navigating seem increasingly obsolete. From our homes to our workplaces and to the concert hall, distractions, stresses, emotions and fluctuating priorities drive our behaviors. Join Jeremy Hunter, as he sorts out who we are, where we’ve been, and where we’re going as a society to help us effectively manage the performing arts in this new universe.

3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Plenary II: "Mission Control: California’s Next Generation of Audiences"

Audiences are changing. How -- and what -- must we do to adapt? Shifts in demographics, trends in technology, and tastes in music and music consumption will redefine the next generation of classical music audiences. By exploring current trends and new research that aim to better understand the forces driving patterns of music participation and demand for the live classical performance we can forecast the artistic, social, and educational experiences future audiences will demand. It doesn’t take a crystal ball to see that orchestras can control their own destinies through proactive response to this rapidly changing marketplace.

4:30 pm - 6:00 pm

California Arts Council Listening Tour

The California Arts Council is conducting a "listening tour” – a series of meetings to ask for input from the arts field as we create a new Strategic Plan. Please come and tell us what you think our future should be.

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Overture Party at South Coast Plaza Garden Terrace

From the Westin, walk across the Unity Bridge to the Plaza, remain on the 2nd level and the Garden Terrace is close to Macy's and Salvatore Ferragamo.

Remain at South Coast Plaza for dinner on your own.

ASK THE EXPERTS throughout the day

Experts are available to speak with you or your group on a variety of topics. Schedule your FREE 30-minute consultation at the sign-up table in the Resource Room (Mesa Verde).

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Registration and Resource Room Open

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Health Reform Crash Course: What Nonprofits Need to Know

Don’t get left behind! With changes coming at warp speed, you need to boost your awareness and comprehension of the new health care reform requirements. Although some are already in place, the biggest changes are right around the corner. Understand new employer reporting and plan requirements; determine how you can benefit from the new exchange, and learn how to communicate with your employees about health care reform. If time is on our side, we’ll also touch on Workers' Compensation issues for added momentum.

8:30 am - 10:00 am

The Shifting Philanthropic Landscape

With philanthropy demystified, you can translate your learning into meaningful initiatives for future stability and success. This not-to-be missed session brings us head-to-head with the important questions and crucial answers as to who’s giving what, and why. Find out where orchestras and the arts fit into the fabric of giving, what impact an endowment can have on your budget, and what it looks like to develop a culture of philanthropy. Our “Next Generation Philanthropy Essential Top Ten List” will propel you to new heights!
 

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Yin-Yang: The “Dual Bottom Line” Approach to Education & Community Program Decisions

Mission Impact or Financial Sustainability – an either/or choice? Not at all IF you make strategic decisions to achieve both! Orchestras face constantly changing situations: funds disappear, programs go stale, new opportunities arise. In the old paradigm we agonize over tough decisions regarding financial viability, unsure which programs to grow, cut, or abandon. By adopting new methodologies, we can learn to develop a “Matrix Map Tool” to evaluate programs and make strategic decisions to not just survive, but thrive.

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Extensions and Connections: Concert Formats with Major Impact

The arts don’t exist in a vacuum – never have, never will. Collaborations among performers/groups, multi-media & multi-disciplinary presentations, spectaculars, marathons, festivals, you’ve seen them/heard them/done them. The question is, with mash-ups becoming de rigueur, how can we create truly seamless and superior offerings? Our panel of experts will help us define the thinking that informs approaches to developing multi-media/inter-disciplinary/alternative format concert performances and explain how this translates to your organization.

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

The Voice & the Value Proposition: Effectively Communicating Impact

The stakes have never been higher for California’s orchestras to effectively convey value in their communities. At a time when public and philanthropic decision makers expect nonprofits to meet basic human needs, orchestras must clearly demonstrate their meaningful impact on local communities and citizens from all walks of life. This session covers the current landscape and provides tool kit applications in helping you meet this critical communications challenge.

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Straight talk: Ethics – In Fundraising, In Your Organization

There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9) when it comes to human behavior. We’ve been defining, examining and theorizing moral right-and-wrong throughout history. Although ethics underlies every step we take, do we ever consider the moral basis of actions in a business sense? How do ethics affect your organization’s standing in the community; relationships with staff, volunteers, donors and patrons; your individual professional work? Join a fascinating, lively, and unexpectedly useful session about a critical aspect of an organization’s health that impacts all of us.

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Luncheon with Guest Speaker Peter Sellars

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm

The Future of Subscriptions: Is There One?

Talk about a changing universe! What does the future hold if subscriptions are truly a thing of the past? Current thinking postulates that a long-term decline in audience commitment is inevitable. A meteorite shower of “one-time” promotions and discounts – crowdsourcing, Goldstar, Fill-A-Seat, Living Social – have captivated the general public and given us options for filling our venues. But is this solution sustainable? Let’s assess the situation and determine if belief in accepted prevailing societal trends will lead to an ever-downward spiral to obscurity. Identify the “hidden” and unique performance assets you already possess to cultivate patron loyalty and grow participation. Perhaps there’s a way to re-create a winning game with new awareness of how to play. 

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm

Intersecting Worlds of the Music Director

We all know – or think we know – what the conductor does on the podium, but what about the rest of the time? Your music director/conductor is a singular person living in multiple worlds. What are other expectations of your music directors and what are their expectations of your orchestras? What roles could/should they play in the organization off the stage? Enjoy this insightful Q & A with a man who wears many hats, believes "music is a birthright" and ascribes multi-faceted attributes, responsibilities and capabilities to his chosen profession – or more simply, "music not just for music's sake."

2:15 pm - 3:30 pm

"Appreciative Inquiry" – A Positive Approach to Organizational Development

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive: Can a viable and desirable future be generated by focusing increasingly on what an organization does well, rather than on eliminating what it does badly? Affirmation, and an upbeat, optimistic attitude may be the keys to realizing your organization’s aspirations. Learn an approach that unleashes an individual’s – and an organization’s - ability, knowledge, and  confidence to create an improved future state. Discover how you can prioritize to achieve greatness, explore innovation, and compete in the modern marketplace – all while maintaining a positive balance. 

3:45 pm - 5:00 pm

Digital Strategies: Using Your Resources Wisely

It’s a brave new world for 21st century orchestras. A seminar on digital strategies would have been unheard of in the past; today it’s imperative. This session will ground you in the basics of developing and implementing an effective digital strategy during a period of rapid change in technology and consumer behavior. Learn to plan and prioritize digital projects and to initiate a working 2-3 year roadmap that will guide you on the path to robust and successful initiatives. Full speed ahead!

3:45 pm - 5:00 pm

From the Musicians Stand

An orchestral musician’s life is a study in contrasts, communal yet solitary. Individual talents, personal circumstances, hopes and dreams must mesh with the ensemble’s space-time continuum. Our musicians utilize separate experiences to harness collective energies, creating inspirational performances in a parallel universe. Questions? Here’s your chance to cross the threshold into their minds and experiences, and insight into their reality.

3:45 pm - 5:00 pm

Avoiding a World of Trouble: Presenting Foreign Artists in the U.S.

Music may be the universal language, but jet-setting still creates confusion. While presenting and touring foreign artists in the U.S. brings many rewards, it also entails coordinating considerable logistical challenges. In a lively session that will focus on current developments and practical skills, attendees will learn: fundamental visa concepts and procedures as well as basic federal and state tax obligations of foreign artists and non-California artists. So go ahead and put out the welcome mat!
 

5:30 pm

Dinner at Center Club

Before you make your way to Pacific Symphony's "Symphony in the Cities" concert at the Arts Plaza, walk down to the Center Club to enjoy a Mexican Fiesta buffet, complete with build-your-own-taco bar and $5 margaritas, beer, and wine. Nestled on the garden level of the award-winning Center Tower, the Center Club is adjacent to the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts, making it the perfect spot for some fun before the evening's concert.

7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Concert at Arts Plaza, Segerstrom Center

Mere steps from the Westin, enjoy an evening concert by the Pacific Symphony at their Symphony in the Cities Free Target sponsored concert. VIP seating for Conference delegates. Read the Registration Form for options for the evening.

8:45 pm

President's Reception for ACSO Individual Members: Poolside at the Westin

We take this opportunity to thank Individual ACSO Members at an informal gathering. Wander back to the Westin's pool deck for more socializing, drinks and dessert. Become an Individual Member today to attend this special event!

 

ASK THE EXPERTS throughout the day

Experts are available to speak with you or your group on a variety of topics. Schedule your FREE 30-minute consultation at the sign-up table in the Resource Room (Mesa Verde).

8:00 am - 12:00 pm

Power Seminar for Trustees: "Governance As Stewardship: The Symphony Board as Leaders of a Cause"

Critical questions about community positioning and posturing are surfacing in the boardrooms of symphony orchestras throughout the State. How orchestras co-exist with all elements of our core communities, both collaboratively and competitively, will be crucial to charting our future. Using techniques that generations of leaders have employed to propel great ideas into large institutions, this 4-hour session will provide tools for board members to analyze the strengths and shortcomings of their current governance and strategic planning processes. Participants will be challenged to view their organization as a cause and a community movement to be mobilized. The workshop will include training in cause-based governance, self-assessments about the current board culture, and facilitated discussions aimed at creating a governance environment that evolves the organization, guarantees its resiliency, builds its infrastructure with the community, and prepares the next generation for leadership.

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Behind the Scenes of OC's Fundraising Special Events

Join this session for inspiration, innovation and go-to ideas from this fearless-frontier mentality to create truly exceptional moneymaking events. Local community volunteers will bring "the best of Orange" to you.

8:30 am - 10:00 am

Youth Orchestras: From New Recruit to Infinity and Beyond - Part I

At a time when professional orchestras are facing challenges on many levels, youth orchestras are thriving. Paradox? Unfathomable mystery? Teachable moment? In this special double session we will look at the complete youth orchestra experience, examining best practices and new ideas from the earliest stages of recruitment through different strategies of player development, and extra-musical opportunities for current musicians. We’ll also address the logical next step – alumni relations, appraising what happens once young musicians graduate from our programs and exploring methods to keep them active and engaged.

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

Youth Orchestras: From New Recruit to Infinity and Beyond - Part II

Continuance of Part I.

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

One Fun Universe of Knowledge about Budgets & Gift Accounting

How did you count that? Are you really sure? Confusion abounds when we bump up against the murky topics of budgets and accounting. But clarity is just your budgets with an understanding of fundamental guidelines for gift accounting and tracking. We’ll explore some of the “black holes” of this universe, including what happens once a donor expresses intent to make a gift; how restrictions, multi-year commitments, and endowment giving translate into keeping your books and budgets together and in sync; and whether all gifts have the same effect on the bottom line. You’ll leave this session with confidence and clarity to spare – and share!

10:15 am - 12:00 pm

I Need Permission For That?: Copyrights and Licenses

When did copyright and licensing get so complicated? This once seemingly orderly cosmos just gets thornier by the day! Whenever you use another’s images, recordings, music, designs, performances, or works you must understand the ramifications and follow the rules – whether for commercial or non-commercial, for-profit or not-for profit. New media and technologies, along with the ease of downloading and uploading materials on the Internet, have made this area even more complex. This essential workshop will cover basic concepts and practical considerations in the areas of copyright and licensing, as well as address common misunderstandings about public domain, educational uses, nonprofits, and fair use. 

12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Luncheon with Guest Speaker Gabriela Lena Frank

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Board Members' Roundtable: Outside Consultants: Let the Buyer Beware

The growth in outside consultation to help orchestras assess their structures, needs and solutions is booming. Adding an expert to the mix, however, requires some thoughtful consideration if all parties are to mutually-benefit from the relationship. In this special roundtable discussion, participants will have the opportunity to identify key considerations in the engagement of outside consultants, good practices to incorporate into any quality consultative relationship, and the unique roles that the executive and board members play in assuring successful engagement. Time will also be allowed for discussion of lessons learned based on the experiences of the participants from their consulting experiences. Participants will also have a chance to identify any issues with current consulting engagements and benefit from the expertise from others.

2:30 pm - 3:30 pm

Peer Forums Redux

Here we go again! The past two days of stimulating input and information undoubtedly have you seeing things in a different light. Reunite with your peers to review original discussions, brainstorm, ask more questions, share new ideas and enthusiasms, and expand your horizons.