Welcome to the Orchestra Forum Website
This website contains public information as well as private resources for use by Orchestra Forum Members and their guests only. For access to private materials please login or request more information by e-mailing Rhea Epstein at repstein@vt.edu.
New Report Available
A Report by The Elephant Task Force of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Orchestra Program is now available for download: A Journey Toward New Visions For Orchestras.
The Orchestra Forum: A Brief Introduction
The Orchestra Forum forms an integral part of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Orchestra Program, a ten-year $50 million initiative to strengthen a select group of leading American symphony and chamber orchestras. Additional support for the musician training elements of the Forum was provided by the Helen F. Whitaker Fund.
The Orchestra Forum was designed to provide orchestras engaged in the process of artistic and organizational revitalization with opportunities to:
- Share their insights into new and effective practices
- Learn from each other and reinforce each other's experimentation
- Further stimulate their own thinking by introducing them to creative leaders from other fields
As leaders in the field, the representatives of each participating orchestra also enable the Forum's secondary purpose: to identify and stimulate innovation in the field, and to provide guidance to the Mellon Foundation in the continuing development of its support for American orchestras. On a larger scale, the dissemination of the proceedings from the Forum will ultimately enrich fieldwide learning and propel purposeful innovation.
Expected Outcomes
A number of outcomes are anticipated from the combined elements of the Orchestra Forum. These include:
- Better understanding of good practice in orchestra development, including reinforcement of effective experimentation and the absorption of new thinking
- Practical information and improved communication on key issues (notably artistic identity, institutional planning, musician and staff development, and organizational culture)
- Stronger musician leadership within the orchestra community
- Greater effectiveness by grantee orchestras in implementing their chosen paths of organizational development
- Documentation that will accelerate constructive change across the orchestra field
- Documentation of the processes and results of grantees' work in a series of case studies
