On December 1, 2023, the California Arts Council (CAC) announced 856 grant awards totaling more than $32.75 million in overall projected investments for operational and project support to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state of California.

In this 2023 grant cycle, ACSO and 12 of our orchestra members received grants totaling $457,463, as did 14 additional orchestras and music organizations that received grants totaling total of $471,750. This is a nearly $1million investment of public funds in our sector.

ACSO joins thousands of arts organizations and communities across the nation to recognize October as National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM). NAHM 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. It is a coast-to-coast collective recognition of the importance of art and culture in America during the month of October with goals of:

• FOCUSING on equitable access to the arts at local, state, and national levels;
• ENCOURAGING individuals, organizations, and diverse communities to participate in the arts;
• ALLOWING governments and businesses to show their support of the arts; and
• RAISING public awareness about the role the arts and humanities play in our communities and lives.

Learn more about how your organization can get involved here.

During ACSO's Annual Meeting on Thursday, August 17, 2023, ACSO members welcomed new board officers for 2023/24 and elected six new board members. Congratulations!

2023/24 BOARD OFFICERS

Elizabeth Shribman
President
Chief of Staff
San Francisco Symphony

95 Organizations Throughout the State of California
Announce Programs Featuring Music Composed Within the Last Five Years
As They Join in The California Festival:
Two Weeks of Innovative and Compelling Music from Around the World,
November 3-19, 2023

LOS ANGELES (August 1, 2023)—The Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony and San Francisco Symphony today announced that 95 organizations will participate in the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, presenting some of the most innovative and compelling music from around the world for two weeks, November 3-19, 2023, in venues throughout the state. Announced in January 2023 and conceived by LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the California Festival highlights the collaborative and innovative spirit that thrives in California by inviting musical organizations of all kinds to incorporate works written within the past five years into their broader season programs.

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is pleased to announce the 2023 recipients of the Executive Leadership Award, Emerging Professional Award, and Most Valuable Player (MVP) Volunteer Awards, and the inaugural recipients of the new Young Musician Leadership Award and Social Impact Award. Congratulations to all the worthy recipients and nominees!

ACSO’s annual awards program recognizes remarkable individuals and organizations within ACSO’s membership network for their meaningful contributions to the orchestra field.

By Retired Major Brian Dix, US Marine Corps, and active conductor and composer from San Diego

In a delightful turn of events, this year's Independence Day concerts will feature a newly adopted song of the US Space Force, “Sempra Supra”. However, if your ensemble's performance of the "Armed Forces Service Song Medley" was arranged prior to September 2022, the music might be incomplete. Fear not, for a quick remedy awaits you.

On May 24, 2023, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the second round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2023, with more than $103 million in funding to support the arts nationwide. This is the second of the NEA’s two major grant announcements each fiscal year and includes grants to organizations through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, and State and Regional Partnership categories. 

ACSO and nine of its members have been selected to receive Grants for Arts Projects in the Music and Arts Education categories, totaling $256,000 in funding (see list below). For the full announcement from the NEA, please click here.

ACSO is seeking new board members to serve three-year terms beginning on October 1, 2023 OR beginning October 1, 2024. We are looking for individuals who are dedicated to guiding the organization’s growth, forward momentum, and leadership in the field and will help expand ACSO's capacity to serve its members.

You could be a great fit for ACSO if…

ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAS‘ ANNUAL CONFERENCE 
INSPIRES, REVITALIZES, AND CONNECTS COMMUNITIES

Los Angeles, CA (May 19, 2023) – The Association of California Symphony Orchestra’s (ACSO) Annual Conference is back in person for the first time in four years, and for the first time in the organization's 54-year history, it takes place in the Inland Empire. The conference is being held at the historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, CA from August 16 - 18, 2023 and is hosted by the San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, in partnership with the Redlands Symphony and the Riverside Philharmonic.

The 2023 summer music festival season is here! Artists and live music lovers from all over the world are coming to California and the Western U.S. to experience a unique blend of music-making, camaraderie, and scenic beauty. The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is pleased to share this summer's offerings from our festival members, highlighting a vital and vibrant way for artists and audiences alike to deeply engage in classical music in picturesque, unique communities.

No two festivals are exactly alike, yet each share one common thread: a love and respect for composers, musicians, and the communities in which they are rooted. There are many opportunities to experience world-class performances and connect with the artists who bring these great works of art to life.

 A Sponsored Ad from The Rose of Sonora

California Festival: A Celebration of New Music
A Two-Week Statewide Festival Celebrating the Most Innovative and Compelling Music Composed Around the World in the Last Five Years
November 3-19, 2023

The Association of California Symphony Orchestras (ACSO) is proud to be a partner of the California Festival.

On January 31, 2023, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony and San Francisco Symphony announced the launch of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music. The two-week, statewide festival of music from around the world will showcase today’s most compelling and forward-looking voices in performances of works written within the past five years. The California Festival was conceived by LA Phil Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel, San Diego Symphony Music Director Rafael Payare and San Francisco Symphony Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen as a festival that highlights the collaborative and innovative spirit that thrives in California. 

On January 10, 2023, The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced the first round of recommended awards for fiscal year 2023, with more than $34 million in funding to support the arts nationwide. This is the first of the NEA’s two major grant announcements each fiscal year and includes grants to organizations through the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Challenge America, and Research Awards categories. Eight ACSO members have been selected for grants, totaling $220,000 in funding (see list below). For the full announcement from the NEA, please click here.

“Together, these grants show the NEA’s support nationwide for strengthening our arts and cultural ecosystems, providing equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contributing to the health of our communities and our economy,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “I encourage everyone to explore these projects and the ways they help provide inspiration, understanding, and opportunities for us to live more artful lives.”

On December 23, 2022, the California Arts Council (CAC) announced its second round (Cycle B) of grant awards for 2022, awarding more than $41 million across 900 grants supporting artists, culture bearers, and cultural workers throughout the state of California.

All told, the projected sum of grants to be awarded for 2022’s regular program funding cycle is more than $72 million—the biggest annual investment in the California Arts Council’s 46-year history, largely supported by the $40 million one-time boost in support for the agency’s creative youth and arts education development programs.