The ACSO Awards program recognizes remarkable individuals and organizations for their meaningful contributions to the orchestra field. ACSO gives out five awards:
Awards to Organizations
1) Community Impact Award
Awards to Individuals
2) Young Musician Leadership Award
3) Executive Leadership Award
4) Emerging Professional Award
5) MVP Volunteer Award
Award descriptions and links to nominations are below. Nominations for 2026 are now open. The deadline to submit a nomination is Friday, May 15th.Â
Award winners are chosen based on strength of the application in demonstrating, in alignment with the criteria, the nominees' extraordinary leadership and professional accomplishments.
ACSO encourages nominators to consider submitting candidates for the individual awards who meet the award criteria and represent a wide array of ages, genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds.Â
For questions about ACSO's Awards Program, contact office@acso.org.
Learn about the 2025 winners here.
Community Impact Award
Has your orchestra launched a program, partnership, concert series, or initiative that is making a meaningful difference in your community? Are you responding to a local need, expanding access, strengthening inclusion and belonging, or building new relationships that increase your organization’s relevance? If so, we invite you to apply for the ACSO Community Impact Award.
This award recognizes an ACSO organizational member who demonstrates thoughtful and innovative community impact. We encourage applications from orchestras of all budget sizes — from volunteer-led community ensembles to large regional institutions. Initiatives may be new or ongoing; what matters most is the clarity of purpose and demonstrated impact.
At ACSO, we believe orchestras play a vital civic role. When orchestras listen deeply, collaborate authentically, and respond to evolving community needs, they build trust, strengthen partnerships, and reinforce their long-term sustainability. This award celebrates organizations that are leading with that vision.
We are especially interested in work that expands who feels welcomed and represented in the orchestral experience, and that strengthens connection both inside and outside the concert hall.
Submit your application
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Young Musician Leadership Award
ACSO seeks to encourage a more intentional pathway into the field of arts administration by recognizing students who currently show strong leadership potential.
This award is given to a young musician in middle school through college, who is part of a performing ensemble, and who has shown remarkable potential to become a future leader in the performing arts field. This is NOT an award for musical ability – it is to highlight the leadership potential of those who have gone above and beyond in service to their orchestra, school, peer group, or community.
To ensure that the field of arts administration becomes a place where diversity is exemplified and celebrated, ACSO encourages nominations of students from non-traditional pathways into music who represent a wide array of ages, genders, and ethnicities.
The Young Musician Leadership Award comes with a $250 honorarium, underwritten by Dean McVay, ACSO Board Emeritus. The recipient will also receive an ACSO individual student membership for a year as well as one (1) complimentary registration to the 2026 Annual Conference.Â
Submit a nomination
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2025 Young Musician Leadership Award Recipient: Christopher Sterling, Southern California Philharmonic
2024 Young Musician Leadership Award Recipient: Iris Rodriguez, San Diego Youth Symphony
2023 Young Musician Leadership Award Recipient: Zen Glick, Pasadena High School & Pasadena Youth Symphony
Executive Leadership Award
The Executive Leadership Award recognizes a chief executive officer, executive director, or managing director of an ACSO member organization for extraordinary leadership in the orchestra/classical music field over the past three to five years.
This award honors a leader who advances their organization’s mission through a compelling vision, effective strategy, and the ability to unite teams to meet the evolving demands of live orchestral performance. This individual has strengthened their organization’s relevance and impact, positioning it as an indispensable part of its community as audiences diversify and change.
This leader fosters a culture of innovation, creativity, and accountability, empowering staff to do their best work while cultivating future leaders for the field. They align artistic and administrative priorities and ensure the organization reflects and serves its unique, diverse, and evolving community—prioritizing accessibility, inclusion, and belonging.
Submit a nomination
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2025 Award Recipients: Anne Brown, Executive Director, Auburn Symphony & Kelly Ruggirello, President & CEO, Long Beach Symphony
2024 Award Recipient: Kathryn R Martin, President & CEO, Santa Barbara Symphony
2023 Award Recipient: Natalia Staneva, Executive Director, New West Symphony
2022 Award Recipient: Jenny Darlington-Person, Executive Director, Music in the Mountains
2021 Award Recipient: Julia Copeland, Former Executive Director, Youth Orchestras of Fresno
2020 Award Recipient: Stephen Wilson, CEO, Fresno Phil
Emerging Professional Award
ACSO recognizes the importance of investing in future leaders from all backgrounds to ensure the vitality of the orchestra field. The Emerging Professional Award honors an individual in their first five years in the orchestra/classical music field who has already made meaningful contributions to their organization—regardless of budget size—and demonstrates strong potential for leadership and continued professional growth.
This individual has achieved early career success, helped advance their organization’s mission, and is making a positive impact in their community. They show a commitment to learning and self-development, contribute new ideas, support colleagues, and challenge the status quo. They champion inclusion and belonging, strengthen organizational culture, and demonstrate leadership that advances both people and programs.
The Emerging Professional Award comes with a $500 honorarium, underwritten by Dean McVay, ACSO Board Emeritus.
Submit a nomination
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2025 Award Recipient: Jahan Atebar, Executive Assistant & Office Manager, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera
2024 Award Recipient: May Stearman, Community Engagement Program Manager, San Francisco Symphony
2023 Award Recipient: Raphaela Correa de Lacerda Campos, Assistant Conductor, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
2022 Award Recipient: Tiffany Fajardo, Patron Services Manager, Berkeley Symphony
2021 Award Recipient: Virginia Evans, Operations Manager, Reno Philharmonic
2020 Award Recipients: Tara Aesquivel, Executive Director, American Youth Symphony and Connor Bogenreif, Manager of Operations & Education, Long Beach Symphony
MVP Volunteer Award
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.
From board members, to education providers, to marketing and outreach support, to fundraisers, and in many other capacities, these individuals willingly give their time and talents to make sure music organizations thrive.Â
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The MVP Volunteer Award is not a competition but an opportunity for your extraordinary volunteers to be recognized publicly. Â
Nominations can be made for an individual volunteer, a volunteer committee, or a volunteer organization (such as a league or guild).
Submit a nomination
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2025 MVPs:
Todd Aldrich, Board Member, Santa Barbara Symphony
Dr. Bernard Karian, Board Member, Fresno Philharmonic
Donna Marie Minano, Board President, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
Patricia Petric, Member & Volunteer, Pacific Symphony League
Stefan Podell, Board President, San Luis Obispo Symphony
Kimberly S. Winick, Board President, Pasadena Symphony Association
Women’s Committee of the Pasadena Symphony Association
2024 MVPs:
Sue Greenway, San Diego Youth Symphony
Erin Keefe, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
Linda Randall, Music in the Mountains
Paul Severtson, San Luis Obispo Symphony
2023 MVPs:
Linda Dunn, Peninsula Symphony of Northern California
John Evans, Pacific Symphony
Paul Finkel, New West Symphony
Dr. Ayesha K. Randall, Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles
John Rogers, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
California Symphony Alliance Event Committee
2022 MVPs:
Mikki Andina, Santa Barbara Symphony
Mary Jane Cooper, Santa Barbara Symphony
Mary Eichbauer, Vallejo Symphony
Lloyd Garrison, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
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, Music in the Mountains
Linda Burroughs, Santa Cruz Symphony
Dr. Dee Lacy, Youth Orchestras of Fresno
Leslie Lassiter, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
George Lucas, San Francisco Symphony
Charles Schimmel, Monterey Symphony
Paradise Symphony Society Board of Directors
San Bernardino Symphony Music in the Schools Committee
2020 MVPs:
Dr. Jay Fiene, San Bernardino Symphony OrchestraÂ
Mary Ann Orr, Santa Cruz Symphony
2019 MVPs:
Grace Baldwin, San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra
Linda Burroughs, Santa Cruz Symphony
Business and Professionals Committee, Los Angeles Philharmonic Affiliates
Lee Rosen, Monterey Symphony
Anne-Marie Spataru, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Sharon Stewart, Pacific Symphony
Autumn van den Berg, Tucson Symphony Orchestra