The Executive Leadership Award recognizes the chief executive officer, executive director, or managing director of an ACSO member organization for extraordinary leadership in the classical music field by advancing the mission of his/her organization, creating a vision that inspires others, creating strategies to overcome challenges, and uniting a team to meet the demands of the changing world of classical music performance.

This leader has built an organizational culture and strategy that causes the institution to be an indispensable member of its community and has led their organization to evolve as its audience diversifies, changes, and grows. Throughout his/her leadership experience, this individual has encouraged innovation and creative independence among employees, enabling them to do their best work, and has demonstrated a special ability to identify and foster future leaders for the sector. This person effectively aligns artistic and administrative goals and uses his/her position to ensure that the organization is a reflection of and is in service to its unique, diverse, and evolving community.

Throughout his/her career, this person has been the embodiment of ACSO’s vision that the classical music landscape of California and the region is vibrant, healthy, diverse, and connected to the communities it serves.

Selection Criteria:
  • Nominee’s organization must be a current member of ACSO
  • Must be the CEO, executive director, or managing director of his/her organization
  • Nominee must be a paid employee (part time or full time) at an organization of any budget size
  • Nominee must have strengthened and transformed the organization that he/she leads (specific examples of the individual’s impact must be provided)
Nominator may be a member of the board of directors, a member of the organization’s senior leadership, music director, musician, a peer, or may be a self-nomination.

Nomination & Review Process:
The Nominator must complete and submit the online application on Friday, August 21, 2020.

The ACSO Awards Committee will complete its review and selection process and the winner will be notified by September 25 at the latest and the public announcement will be made in late September. ACSO will provide the awardee’s organization with a press release that can be customized to send to local media.

Because there is no in-person annual conference in 2020, the award will be presented at ACSO’s Annual Conference at the Mission Inn in Riverside in August 2021.

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