The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Sarah Weber has been selected as the association’s new Executive Director. She began her tenure in that role on January 1, 2019.

For the past two years, Sarah has served as ACSO’s Membership and Development Manager. During that time, she has executed membership renewal campaigns, written successful grant proposals, and secured corporate and individual donations. She has been a partner in program planning, managed the delivery of member services, and played a key part in producing ACSO’s signature annual conference. Her enthusiasm for inviting and growing individual participation, maintaining organizational continuity, and directing energy towards purposeful work and accomplishment will serve ACSO and its membership extraordinarily well as the organization prepares to celebrate its 50th Anniversary.

Sarah is an experienced arts and culture leader who believes in the power of music. Sarah’s leadership will provide members with opportunities to be inspired, to learn, and to connect with colleagues and experts in the classical music field. She has a keen desire to create a sense of belonging for all ACSO members, with appreciation for what it takes to be part of a smaller organization while also respecting the complex challenges faced by larger ones.

In making the announcement, Board President Sean Sutton said, “It was apparent to the entire Board of Directors that Sarah was uniquely suited to serve the organization and its membership, and to advance ACSO’s newly adopted strategic plan. With careful consideration given to identifying candidates that might lead the organization—knowing that many talented individuals in our field might be ready to take on their next challenge—we were fortunate not to have to look any further than our own back yard.”

Sarah’s work for more than fifteen years in the arts and culture sector has been characterized by a focus on organizational health in order to best execute mission-driven initiatives. She’s worked closely with governing boards, participated in multiple strategic planning processes, improved internal infrastructure, and managed departmental budgets, staff, and volunteers.

With a background in museum education and operations, Sarah was previously hired by two major museums as a part of new leadership teams. At both the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix and the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles she created fully functioning education departments from the ground up. Sarah’s leadership set new standards for interpretation and programming and her team was able to provide opportunities for underserved audiences to engage in meaningful arts and cultural experiences that many may have not had otherwise.

“I am honored to have been selected as the new executive director of ACSO,” said Sarah. “This is such an exciting time for growth as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary, and I look forward to working with the ACSO board and staff to continue to expand services and programs for our members.”

Originally from Salt Lake City, Sarah holds a BA in history from the University of Utah and an MA in history and museum studies from Arizona State University. She just completed a nine-month leadership fellowship through the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce. Sarah is a violinist and has enjoyed playing in youth and community orchestras throughout her life.

Join the League of American Orchestras and ACSO on February 1, 2019 for an exciting leadership development seminar in Los Angeles. Is Your Board Optimized? is presented by the orchestra-savvy, Susan Howlett, author of Boards on Fire! Inspiring Leaders to Raise Money Joyfully.

After attending this workshop, you will leave knowing what highly-effective board members know -- the proven-practices that don't cost money, don't require more time, but result in optimized boards. Perfect for board-staff teams, this practical session addresses the complementary roles board members play in their organization's governance and resource development.

The comprehensive tax reform provisions signed into law last December include a new requirement for nonprofits to pay Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT) equal to 21% of the value of commuting and parking benefits provided to employees. The League of American Orchestras has partnered with the broader nonprofit sector to ask for clarification of the new rules, delayed implementation, and repeal of this unprecedented tax on nonprofit expenses. While no guidance has been issued by the Internal Revenue Service to clarify which benefits are subject to the tax and how to value certain benefits, the new requirements officially took effect beginning on January 1, 2018.

A tax package now under consideration by Congress includes a provision to repeal the new tax on nonprofits. You can take action today by contacting your elected officials to ask them to:

1. Weigh in with the Treasury Department on your behalf, and ask for a delay in implementing the new tax.
2. Take legislative action to repeal the new tax on nonprofit parking and transportation employee benefits.

The Johnson Amendment is at risk again. This Amendment (passed in 1954) forbids nonprofits from endorsing candidates. We can of course take positions on ballot measures and legislation, but the Johnson Amendment protects us from being pressured to support a particular candidate for Congress, Board of Supervisors, or any other elected office.

Imagine if a major donor asked your organization to publicly support his choice for the Board of Supervisors. Or if a foundation president sent a letter to grantees asking them to publicly oppose the same candidate. The Johnson Amendment protects us from this kind of pressure.

We send our thoughts and prayers to our members affected by the wildfires in Northern and Southern California. We will update this feed as we learn more from our members. Also, we will share resources with those in need and ways you can help.

Resources for those Affected

ArtsReady
ArtsReady is your cultural organization’s online source for readiness resources, and a web application that can make disaster planning easy.

Note from ACSO: The author of this article, Retired United States Marine Corps Major Brian Dix, was Director of “The Commandant’s Own,” The U.S Marine Drum & Bugle Corps, in Washington, D.C. He is currently an independent conductor and composer in San Diego, California.

It is a pleasure observing various symphony orchestras crafting Veterans Day programs each year on November 11. Having worked with several artistic directors on creating appropriate repertoires, I’ve seen common threads of misunderstanding. They often suggest well-intended selections for our nation’s fallen service members that are more appropriate for a day of solemn and earnest commemoration, also know as Memorial Day. In a nutshell, Memorial Day is a day of “remembrance”; Veterans Day is for the living.

It is bittersweet to share the news that ACSO executive director Mitch Menchaca has been appointed as the new executive director of arts and culture for the City of Phoenix and will be stepping down from his ACSO post November 30 to assume his new role.

Mitch joined ACSO at a transitional time when Kris Sinclair stepped down after 31-years of service. During his tenure, he worked with the board and staff to start the next era in advancement of the organization and its unique mission. This included moving the office from Sacramento to Los Angeles, finding new revenue streams in LA County, and managing the development process of a new strategic plan. Mitch also upgraded the association’s technology, hired terrific new staff and retained key contractors. He facilitated the continued growth and excellence of ACSO’s program offerings, and he invested time in enhancing the profile on the organization's advocacy efforts.

Sharing the latest developments and changes in the professional lives of our members. This edition covers announcements made in September and October 2018.

Individuals

The Carmel Bach Festival announced the promotion of Michael Beattie to the position of Director of the Virginia Best Adams Masterclass.

ACSO joins thousands of arts organizations and communities across the nation to celebrate National Arts and Humanities Month throughout October. National Arts and Humanities Month is coordinated by Americans for the Arts, the national organization working to empower communities with the resources and support necessary to provide access to all of the arts for all of the people. This month-long celebration grew out of National Arts Week, which was started in 1985 by the National Endowment for the Arts and Americans for the Arts.

Note from ACSO: The author of this article, Julia Ward, is the director, development communications and strategy and editor, Past/Forward: The LA Phil at 100 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She is also on ACSO's Board of Directors.

When the Los Angeles Philharmonic was founded in 1919 by William Andrews Clark, Jr., Los Angeles wasn’t the likeliest place for a professional orchestra to spring up. It was a pioneer town with indigenous roots on the verge of what remains one of the largest population booms in U.S. history. The film industry had set up shop by then as well, and Fatty Arbuckle shorts weren’t doing much for the city’s reputation as a fount of classical art. But Clark and the impresarios who followed were nothing if not aspirational. 

Passed by Congress in 2010, House Resolution 275 designates the week beginning with the second Sunday in September as National Arts in Education Week - that's this week! National Arts in Education Week is supported by Americans for the Arts on behalf of the field of arts education to bring visibility to the cause, unify stakeholders with a shared message, and provide the tools and resources for local leaders to advance arts education in their communities.

Intense customer loyalty isn’t just for companies like Apple and Harley-Davidson.  Today, all sorts of organizations and companies are competing to transform mere customers into vigorous communities of support.  That spells even greater competition for non-profit arts & cultural organizations.  In this webinar, Matt Lehrman shares 5 essential strategies to grow audiences and and sustain your patrons' fervent support.  The rules of allegiance for your ticket buyers, subscribers, member and donors are changing.  If you’re not diligently pursuing your Patrons’ loyalty, someone else surely is.

Note from ACSO: The author of this blog, Leslie Schlussel, is ACSO's Summer 2018 Conference and Membership Intern and her internship is supported by a grant from the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. She is entering her senior year at UCLA, majoring in Music Performance with a minor in Music Industry. She aspires to be a professional horn player in a symphony orchestra as well as work in arts administration.

What is my role as a classical musician in today’s world? In what ways can I help protect orchestral music’s integrity and further its efforts to address audiences’ evolving needs and expectations?

Sharing the latest developments and changes in the professional lives of our members. This edition covers announcements made spring and summer of 2018.

Individuals

The Santa Rosa Symphony has announced four new appointments to its board of directors. They are Marty Behr, Betty Ferris, and Jacki Reinhardt of Santa Rosa, and Andrew Lewis of San Francisco. 

Earlier this year CalNonprofits told us about Assembly Bill 2252, to create a searchable database of state grants —from all state agencies— on a single portal accessible to the public.

The bill also would enable nonprofits to submit state funding applications electronically. AB 2252 is sponsored by CalNonprofits and authored by Assemblymember Monique Limón, who is also Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector.

ACSO welcomes two new board members and elects new officers for 2018/2019. New board members include Steve Friedlander, executive director of the Carmel Bach Festival and Scott Vandrick, chief development officer, Pasadena Symphony Association.

Steve Friedlander is the executive director of the Carmel Bach Festival and was previously the Managing Director of Artistic Operations of the Grand Teton Music Festival with responsibility for the administration of the music program, musician housing, facilities, and education and outreach. Mr. Friedlander joined GTMF as Stage Manager for the 2011 summer season and joined the full-time staff in November 2011 as Director of Artistic Operations. During the 2012 summer season Mr. Friedlander served as Acting Executive Director and Director of Artistic Operations.

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) announced today that the San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory is the recipient of the 2018 Kris Sinclair Leadership Award for its Community Opus Project, a music education program for elementary students.

This award is named after Kris Sinclair who was the executive director of the ACSO for 31 years and is given to an ACSO Organizational Member that demonstrates recent and measurable leadership initiatives by its staff and/or board in one or more of the following areas: finance, governance, staff development, audience development, education, or community engagement.

It is an honor and pleasure to officially welcome you to the 2018 Annual Conference – the first of many events leading up to our 50th Anniversary celebration next year. Look for special programs and activities to take place over the next twelve months as we celebrate this milestone.

We applaud our members from across the state and region for the work you do in your communities, and we are especially grateful that you made the journey to Sacramento to help us kick-off ACSO’s year-long anniversary celebration.

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the NEA’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2018.  Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $15,000 to the Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO).

“The variety and quality of these projects speaks to the wealth of creativity and diversity in our country,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Through the work of organizations such as the Association of California Symphony Orchestras, NEA funding invests in local communities, helping people celebrate the arts wherever they are.”

The California Arts Council announced its plans to award $25,500 to ACSO as part of its Statewide and Regional Networks program. The Statewide and Regional Networks program is rooted in the California Arts Council’s commitment to supporting arts service organizations reflective of California’s diverse populations. The program provides general operating grants for arts service organization networks with regional or statewide reach. Arts service organizations serve as networks to provide specialized, practical services for artists, arts organizations, and cultural communities.

ACSO is one of 43 grantees chosen for the Statewide and Regional Networks program. The award was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council.