Three Midwest Orchestras Are 2013 Scholarship Recipients

Midwestern Touring Orchestras Bring Home the Bacon

Three new scholarship recipients for the Carnets "Play the World" award can now plan their educational experience for the 2013 League of American Orchestras Conference in St. Louis later this month. Coincidentally, all three recipient orchestras are in the Midwestern United States as are the Conference (St. Louis, MO) and boomerang carnet's® headquarters (Barrington, IL).

The three awards bring the total number of scholarships awarded since 2010 to 18 equaling $9,000.00 contributed toward attending a League Annual Conference. This year's awardees are:

• Joshua Simonds, Executive Director, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
• Bridget Fraser, Executive Director, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras
• Ian Harwood, Executive Assistant to the VP of Operations/Special Project Coordinator, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The scholarships are awarded to orchestras that have toured internationally or that plan to tour internationally. The orchestras receiving the awards are eligible for an additional $250 cash award depending upon their international touring schedule.

"The Carnets "Play the World" awards have spanned the U.S. but this year it is all concentrated in the Midwest," commented Moira Wilson, Marketing and Special Projects. "With the Conference hosted by the St. Louis Symphony, perhaps that is appropriate. We Midwesterners pride ourselves on our cultural assets and these symphonies are a significant part of that." (List of all scholarship recipients.)

Attending the League's Annual Conference is a resource commitment for an orchestra but one that attendees typically find beneficial for both the educational and networking aspects. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Director of Orchestra Operations and Touring, Sonja Winkler, reflected on her participation at last year's conference, "I found attending the conference very beneficial for both networking, creative thinking and gaining a fresh perspective on the industry. I was able to reconnect with old friends and place faces with familiar names of colleagues I had only previously communicated with via email or phone. Additionally, I found the General Session lectures and small group sessions very invigorating. It is not often that we get the opportunity to set aside dedicated time to dream about the future of American Orchestras with our talented colleagues. We are in a time that requires critical thinking and problem solving for the health of our industry. Thank you to ATA Carnet for making my attendance possible at Conference, and for your continued support of touring orchestras!"