Saturday, July 27, 2024

• Presenters: Laura Bergmann, Associate Director, Advocacy & Community Engagement, San Francisco Symphony; May Stearman, Community Engagement Program Manager, San Francisco Symphony, additional presenters TBA

As orchestras examine their position in the broader cultural and civic ecosystems of their cities or region, the role of community engagement work is rapidly evolving. Building collaborative, partner-centered relationships is a pathway to organizational growth well beyond community engagement programs. Using the San Francisco Symphony's Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) concert and other programs as case studies, this session will explore how to create longstanding, flexible and relevant programs rooted in the needs or wishes of the community. 

Breakout 3: Music Directors Roundtable: On and Off the Podium

• Moderator and Panelists TBA  

As ambassadors for their orchestras, music directors are increasingly involved in many activities beyond conducting, including educational outreach, fundraising, and shaping the orchestra's role in the community. What skills and collaborative relationships are needed to be effective in both capacities? How does a music director align their artistic vision with the programming, community-building, and equity goals of the organization? How can they help influence and shape the role orchestras play in our changing world? A panel of accomplished music directors discuss the ever-evolving nature of their roles and how they balance their on-podium artistic leadership and off-podium community engagement and advocacy. 

10:30 AM-12:00 PM 
Closing Plenary: A Conversation with Ben Folds on Orchestras as Symbols of Community  
Gallery I/II  

Speaker: Ben Folds, Emmy-Award-winning composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist in conversation with Elizabeth Shribman, ACSO Board President and Chief of Staff, San Francisco Symphony.

We close the ACSO Conference with an inspiring conversation between Emmy-Award-winning composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist Ben Folds and ACSO Board President Elizabeth Shribman about the value and role of orchestras in today’s society, his commitment to arts advocacy and accessibility, the connection between orchestras and communities, and stories from his life and career. Then Ben will throw it open to the audience for a rousing AMA (“ask me anything”) session.   

Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation, Folds' enormous body of genre-bending music includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records. An active performer, podcast host and New York Times Best Selling author, he is a longtime advocate for arts and music education funding and serves on the Board of the Arts Action Fund for Americans for the Arts. For the past two decades, Folds has shared the stage with some of the world's greatest orchestras, and is in his seventh year as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He also launched a charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina that provides free or affordable piano lessons to interested school-age children. 

Finally, don't forget to buy a ticket to see Folds join the San Francisco Symphony and conductor Edwin Outwater on Saturday, July 27 at 7:30 pm to perform many of his most iconic songs. ACSO Conference attendees receive 25% off select ticket prices. This concert WILL sell out, so purchase your tickets NOW using the special ACSO link to guarantee availability and to receive the discount.