On January 28-29, 2018, the League convened executive directors and youth orchestra leaders at its annual Mid-Winter Managers Meeting at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan. The meeting was a successful gathering of orchestra professionals discussing key issues in the orchestral field and sharing experiences and ideas with each other.
The opening plenary session was filled with useful information for delegates. League President and CEO Jesse Rosen addressed the delegation and spoke about the current state of orchestras in the United States. In his address he spoke of a variety of issues that currently affect orchestras: how some orchestras have faced major natural disasters and are on their journey to recovery, sexual harassment, and how recent policy developments might have an impact on the philanthropic landscape of American orchestras.
The League’s vice president for advocacy, Heather Noonan, presented an overview on the recent tax legislation passed in January. Heather provided the latest updates and new research from Washington on how the legislation will immediately affect charitable deductions, and she shared predictions from tax policy experts.
The keynote speaker at the Mid-Winter Managers Meeting was Derrick Feldmann: the lead researcher of the Millennial Impact Project, a multi-year study of how the next generation of supporters and consumers engage with causes. The annual Millennial Impact Report is cited regularly by such outlets as Forbes, TIME, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company.
In his keynote address, Derrick helped the delegation to ask questions and seek solutions to engaging the millennial generation. How do we engage millennials to share in the artistry of American orchestras? How do we connect with this generation to build sustainable audiences and engage them in philanthropy? Through Derrick’s expertise and data-driven presentation, our members explored how millennials communicate, volunteer, act, influence their peers, and choose to give their time and money. Through this session, we gained a new perspective on the millennial generation and learned tactics to unlock their hidden potential as audiences and donors.
One of the most beneficial elements of the Mid-Winter Managers Meeting is the opportunity for our constituents to convene with their peers in group meetings. These meetings provide a valuable opportunity for orchestra leaders to discuss key issues and share resources. This year, our constituency group meetings covered a wide range of topics which included, but were not limited to, discussing models for a regional convening of orchestras; diversity, equity, and inclusion; event safety and crisis management; governance and much more.