
The ACSO Awards program recognizes remarkable individuals for their meaningful contributions to the orchestra field. ACSO oversees three awards in its portfolio: 1) Executive Leadership Award, 2) Emerging Professional Award, and 3) MVP Volunteer Award.
Award winners are chosen based on strength of the application in demonstrating, in alignment with the criteria, the candidate’s extraordinary leadership and professional accomplishments.
ACSO promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion values and principles. As such, we encourage nominators to consider submitting diverse candidates who meet the award criteria.
For questions about ACSO's Awards Program, contact us at [email protected] or call 800-495-2276 x3.
Executive Leadership & Emerging Professional Awards
Launched in 2020, the Executive Leadership Award and the Emerging Professional Award are competitive awards that recognize individuals who represent two ends of the administrative spectrum – those who have demonstrated ability and impact early in their careers, and those who have been advancing in leadership roles for many years and whose calculated risks, acumen for strategy, and program-building have propelled their organizations to success.
Click here to learn more about the Executive Leadership Award and submit a nomination. Click here to learn more about the Emerging Professional Award and submit a nomination.
2022 Winners: Executive Leadership Award: Jenny Darlington-Person, Executive Director, Music in the Mountains Emerging Professional Award: Tiffany Fajardo, Patron Services Manager, Berkeley Symphony
2021 Winners: Executive Leader Awardee: Julia Copeland, Former Executive Director, Youth Orchestras of Fresno Emerging Professional Awardee: Virginia Evans, Operations Manager, Reno Philharmonic
MVP Volunteer Awards
Since 1996 the Most Valuable Player (MVP) Volunteer Awards have recognized exemplary volunteers, volunteer projects, and volunteer organizations working for symphony orchestras in the ACSO network.
The MVP Volunteer Award is not a competition, but an opportunity for your extraordinary volunteer(s) to be recognized publicly. An administrative staff leader of an ACSO member organization may submit one completed nomination form by Tuesday, July 19, which constitutes the sole basis of the award being given. Once you begin the nomination, you will need to complete it in its entirety, as the portal will not allow you to save partially completed information or edit your response once it is complete. You can preview the questions here but you must complete the final nomination online.
Nominations may be made for an individual volunteer, a volunteer committee, or a volunteer organization (such as a league or guild). ACSO will publicly announce the award winners in August 2022 and winners will be presented at ACSO's virtual Annual Meeting in August 2022 (date TBD).
2022 MVPs: Mikki Andina, Santa Barbara Symphony Mary Jane Cooper, Santa Barbara Symphony Mary Eichbauer, Vallejo Symphony Lloyd Garrison, San Bernardino Symphony Janet Garufis, Santa Barbara Symphony Nancy Israel, New West Symphony Nancy McAleer Golden, Santa Barbara Symphony Renee Rymer, Marin Symphony Marilyn Solter, Redlands Symphony
2021 MVPs: Terry Brown, Founder and Board Chair, Music in the Mountains Linda Burroughs, Board President, Santa Cruz Symphony Dr. Dee Lacy, Board President, Youth Orchestras of Fresno Leslie Lassiter, Board Chair, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra George Lucas, Chair of the Performing Arts Docent Tours, San Francisco Symphony Charles Schimmel, Treasurer and CFO, Monterey Symphony Paradise Symphony Society Board of Directors San Bernardino Symphony Music in the Schools Committee
2020 MVPs: Dr. Jay Fiene, Board Member, San Bernardino Symphony Mary Ann Orr, Board & League Member, Santa Cruz Symphony
2019 MVPs: Grace Baldwin, Board Member, San Bernardino Symphony Linda Burroughs, Board President, Santa Cruz Symphony Business and Professionals Committee, Los Angeles Philharmonic Affiliates Lee Rosen, Board President, Monterey Symphony Anne-Marie Spataru, Board Member, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Sharon Stewart, Volunteer, Pacific Symphony Autumn van den Berg, Board Chair, Tucson Symphony Orchestra
2018 MVPs: Elizabeth Dinsel, Mill Valley Philharmonic Earleen Ferguson Dudley, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra Lee Duffus, Santa Cruz Symphony Julie Han, Youth Orchestra of Fresno/FOOSA Festival Carol McCormack, Sacramento Master Singers Laurie Nelson, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Joon Shin, Berkeley Symphony Fred Smith, California Symphony
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