The Amherst Early Music Festival is the largest presenter of early music workshops in North America, attracting students and faculty from all over the world. Its dedicated staff and vibrant work-study program have ensured a positive experience for attendees since 1980. When special accommodations were made for members of teaching faculty who wanted to bring a child and caregiver to the festival, news of this arrangement spread positively across the festival, and other faculty and staff took advantage of complimentary lodging and meals for families and caregivers. The case builds toward the question of formalizing a policy for family accommodations and the effects such a policy might have on attendees of the Amherst Early Music Festival.

The Amherst Early Music Festival is the largest presenter of early music workshops in North America, attracting students and faculty from all over the world. Its dedicated staff and vibrant work-study program have ensured a positive experience for attendees since 1980. When special accommodations were made for members of teaching faculty who wanted to bring a child and caregiver to the festival, news of this arrangement spread positively across the festival, and other faculty and staff took advantage of complimentary lodging and meals for families and caregivers. The case builds toward the question of formalizing a policy for family accommodations and the effects such a policy might have on attendees of the Amherst Early Music Festival.

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra has been enriching the lives of the people of Sioux Falls and the wider part of the state since it incorporated in 1965. Its community engagement work in particular has been recognized among symphony orchestras across the United States. Comprising 10% of the population of South Dakota, Native American communities have been central to the orchestra’s efforts to connect with the state’s broad public. This case surveys the inspiration and phases of the Lakota Music Project, initiated by Delta David Gier, Music Director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. The Lakota Music Project is then set in the context of other programs under the umbrella of “Bridging Cultures.” A grant to support training in equity, diversity, and inclusion prompts new questions about the organization’s past and future.
This case study is a collaboration of the League of American Orchestras and the Eastman School of Music.

Fifth House Ensemble is a Chicago-based chamber music group that has embraced collaboration and education as part of its artistic mission. Its inventive partnerships and penetrating initiatives have set it apart from other contemporary music ensembles. This case study examines the decision within Fifth House Ensemble to engage with a booking agent for some of its programming. Three examples illustrate the group’s robust artistic offerings. After parting with the one artist management company, Fifth House Ensemble re-entertains the idea of whether a new agent might enter the picture to assist with bookings for a new project with which the group had some experience—a concert version of a live video game experience.

Founded in 1987, Bang on a Can is a contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. Composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe established Bang on a Can with the hope of creating an international community focused on innovative music in whatever form it may take. The organization commissions composers and presents daring programming to audiences around the world. This case study traces the history of Bang on a Can by focusing on the success of its annual Marathon. Through its activities, the organization has cultivated an audience that reflects its own openness, expansive musical tastes, and support for contemporary music composition and performance. A proposed “Long Play Festival” presents an opportunity for Bang on a Can to scale its vision further in a multi-day, multi-location concert series.

The South Dakota Symphony Orchestra has been enriching the lives of the people of Sioux Falls and the wider part of the state since it incorporated in 1965. Its community engagement work in particular has been recognized among symphony orchestras across the United States. Comprising 10% of the population of South Dakota, Native American communities have been central to the orchestra’s efforts to connect with the state’s broad public. This case surveys the inspiration and phases of the Lakota Music Project, initiated by Delta David Gier, Music Director of the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra. The Lakota Music Project is then set in the context of other programs under the umbrella of “Bridging Cultures.” A recent grant to support training prompts new questions about the organization’s past and future.
This case study is a collaboration of the League of American Orchestras and the Eastman School of Music.

Fifth House Ensemble is a Chicago-based chamber music group that has embraced collaboration and education as part of its artistic mission. Its inventive partnerships and penetrating initiatives have set it apart from other contemporary music ensembles. This case study examines the decision within Fifth House Ensemble to engage with a booking agent for some of its programming. Three examples illustrate the group’s robust artistic offerings. After parting with the one artist management company, Fifth House Ensemble re-entertains the idea of whether a new agent might enter the picture to assist with bookings for a new project with which the group had some experience—a concert version of a live video game experience.

Founded in 1987, Bang on a Can is a contemporary classical music organization based in New York City. Composers Michael Gordon, David Lang, and Julia Wolfe established Bang on a Can with the hope of creating an international community focused on innovative music in whatever form it may take. The organization commissions composers and presents daring programming to audiences around the world. This case study traces the history of Bang on a Can by focusing on the success of its annual Marathon. Through its activities, the organization has cultivated an audience that reflects its own openness, expansive musical tastes, and support for contemporary music composition and performance. A proposed “Long Play Festival” presents an opportunity for Bang on a Can to scale its vision further in a multi-day, multi-location concert series.

The Nashville Symphony has served the famous “Music City” since the mid 1940s, and Alan Valentine has been its President and CEO since 1998. This case study surveys the growth and promise of the symphony early in Valentine’s tenure, leading to a major moment when a new home for the symphony opened in 2006. A wage freeze for staff and musicians as a result of the Great Recession was only part of the dire financial straits the organization faced. A historic flood in 2010 compounded the financial troubles and would test management of the Nashville Symphony. Highlighting the positive relations between Valentine and the musicians, the case concludes with an impending negotiation based on an essential financial restructuring for the Nashville Symphony.