Collaborative Partners: A New Artistic Leadership ModelIn their inaugural season together, Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony introduce a new artistic leadership model new to the orchestral world, anchored by an extraordinary group of eight Collaborative Partners from a variety of cultural disciplines. This group of visionary artists, thinkers, and doers will join with Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony to embark on a future of experimentation by collaborating on new ideas, breaking conventional rules, and creating unique and powerful experiences. The San Francisco Symphony’s Collaborative Partners comprise composer and pianist Nicholas Britell; classical vocalist and curator Julia Bullock, who has put social consciousness at the forefront of her work; flutist, educator, and creator of new and experimental music Claire Chase; composer, guitarist, and co-founder of The National Bryce Dessner; violinist, musical director, and artistic trailblazer Pekka Kuusisto; composer and multi-faceted collaborator Nico Muhly; artificial intelligence entrepreneur and roboticist Carol Reiley; and jazz bassist, vocalist, and undefinable artist Esperanza Spalding.“I’ve never achieved anything on my own. Every achievement that I'm really proud of has been a result of collaboration,” says Esa-Pekka Salonen. “This art form that we all love and respect needs new thinking, fresh thoughts and ideas, new ways to involve the community, and different ways to enhance the experience. I’m looking to create a different kind of framework, and these wonderfully creative people in the team will help me in that process.”“This is the first time that I know of where a major arts institution is implementing such a democratic mode of making decisions,” says Julia Bullock. “Instead of just a few people contributing their voices to what repertoire is being presented to audiences, how it's being presented, and how the community will be engaging with the work, now those decisions will be coming from many places. I believe that in addition to Esa-Pekka and those of us who have been named collaborators, every single person who is behind the scenes at the San Francisco Symphony is going to have an important role to play in influencing this change in institutional dynamics.”The 2020–21 season begins with a three-week festival of events and concerts curated and performed by Collaborative Partners, working with each other and with the Orchestra in a variety of musical and conversational settings. The Festival culminates with the San Francisco Symphony’s celebratory Season Opening Gala on September 30 and All San Francisco Community Concert on October 1, both celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the opening of Davies Symphony Hall in 1980. These season-opening concerts explore the music of J.S. Bach, examine how other composers have experienced Bach, and offer new interpretations of Bach reimagined by the eight Collaborative Partners. Full details of the Collaborative Partners Festival will be announced in July 2020.In addition to the multi-week Festival, Collaborative Partners will also be involved in San Francisco Symphony projects and performances throughout the 2020–21 season, through Orchestral Series concerts, four SoundBox programs, and other special projects. June 17–20, Pekka Kuusisto performs Bryce Dessner’s Violin Concerto, a new San Francisco Symphony co-commission. The Collaborative Partners are featured in all of the San Francisco Symphony’s experimental SoundBox programs in the 2020–21 Season, with each of the four programs in the innovative performance space curated and performed by Collaborative Partners including Claire Chase, Nico Muhly, and Esperanza Spalding. Full details will be announced at a later date.
(You think I'm a packrat, I think I'll never know when I might need to refer back to something someone said years ago. I remember being asked by an engineering manager why I'd handled a particular documentation issue in a particular way, and I pulled out the relevant email and replied "Because that's what you said I should do." This was more than 20 years ago, and yes, I do have a ridiculously long memory. It has advantages and disadvantages.)
How did this work out for SFS? Well....there were some amazing performances. On the other hand, the Collaborative Partners Festival didn't happen in 2020 (pandemic) or any time; they never seemed to actually be in the same place at the same time; I don't think they had any overall or long-term impact on SFS, innovation at the orchestra, or the programming. (How much support Salonen really had for this initiative is unknown; we all know how his tenure ended, though again, there are details we don't know.)
Okay, that was a lot of throat clearing. This morning, I received the following from the LA Phil, which has a new music director designate, Daniel Harding, and also creative director Esa-Pekka Salonen, with Gustavo Dudamel and Anna Handler in the mix as well:
LOS ANGELES (November 4, 2026) — Kim Noltemy, LA Phil President & CEO and David C. Bohnett CEO Chair, today announced three new appointments to the LA Phil’s reimagined artistic leadership team, with a lineup of world-renowned artists whose guidance and work will forge an exciting future for the LA Phil. The artistic leadership team taking shape will soon include a full complement of leaders in place for the 2027/28 season, when recently appointed Walt and Lilly Disney Chair, Music Director Daniel Harding begins his tenure.
Distinguished contemporary composer and performer Thomas Adès will assume the role of John and Samantha Williams Creative Chair for New Music, succeeding composer and conductor John Adams, who has held the role for 17 years. The artistic leadership team has been broadened to include the new role for Latin Grammy Award-winning artist and singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada as the Creative Chair for Latin Music, generously supported by Alicia Miñana and Rob Lovelace. Grammy Award-winning vocalist Samara Joy will become the new Creative Chair for Jazz, succeeding jazz musician and bandleader Herbie Hancock who has held the position since 2010. Internationally renowned artists and longtime LA Phil leaders, Hancock and Adams will be honored with the respective titles of Creative Chair for Jazz Emeritus and Creative Chair for New Music Emeritus, joining Zubin Mehta, Conductor Emeritus.
Daniel Harding said, “One of the many things that drew me to Los Angeles was the opportunity to work with extraordinary artists from many fields and backgrounds alongside an orchestra that has always been willing to take risks. The LA Phil has a remarkable history of questioning conventions, exploring new ideas, and finding new ways to connect music with people. With this creative team and our wonderful orchestra, we will build on that spirit together, respecting the extraordinary traditions we have inherited, but never allowing ourselves to be limited by them. The breadth of knowledge, talent, curiosity, and creativity in this team is astounding and thrilling. I can’t wait to see what we can create together.”
Each newly appointed Chair brings a distinctive vision to the LA Phil’s broad spectrum of programming. Adès has a decades-long history with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, not only as a composer but also as a guest conductor at Disney Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. With this appointment, Adès will now advise the LA Phil on commissioning activities, and the groundbreaking Green Umbrella concert series, which will be celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2027. Estrada will elevate Latin music traditions across the LA Phil’s venues, deepening the organization’s longstanding support of Latin artists. She will also continue her work with YOLA and collaborate with guest artists, helping advance the LA Phil’s commitment to a more inclusive and expansive musical landscape. Joy brings a new generational voice to the conversation around jazz performance, curation, and artistic innovation. In this role, she will oversee the annual jazz series across the LA Phil’s venues while guiding educational initiatives that connect artists, students and audiences through the evolving traditions of the artform.
Noltemy said, “Today marks the culmination of a yearslong vision to bring together an extraordinary group of innovative and inspiring artists who will shape the LA Phil’s future. As stewards of Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and The Ford, we have the responsibility and opportunity to serve audiences across three iconic venues, each with its own artistic identity and possibilities. Our new artistic leadership team brings us a remarkable breadth of perspectives and strengths across disciplines, allowing us to imagine new forms of presentation, build unexpected collaborations, and create experiences that challenge, inspire and engage audiences. Perhaps most important of all, this team will amplify the wide range of voices, cultures and genres in Los Angeles.”
Previously announced members of the artistic leadership team, led by incoming Music Director Daniel Harding, are Diane and M. David Paul Artistic and Cultural Laureate & the Jane and Michael Eisner Founding Director and Conductor Laureate of YOLA (Youth Orchestra Los Angeles) Gustavo Dudamel, Judith & Thomas L. Beckmen Creative Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, Ellen and Arnold Zetcher Conductor-in-Residence Anna Handler, Composer-in-Residence Joe Hisaishi, Artist Collaborator Emmanuelle Haïm, Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra Thomas Wilkins and Conductor Emeritus Zubin Mehta. With their fellow artistic leaders, they will create projects and programming across the LA Phil venues at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and The Ford, bring their vision and guidance to YOLA and imagine new ventures for collaboration and cultural exchange.
“For years, the Los Angeles Philharmonic has pointed the way to how a symphony orchestra can thrive both creatively and artistically in our time,” said John Adams. “It’s been my privilege of the past 17 years to serve as Creative Chair for New Music and help guide the orchestra’s unique artistic philosophy which sets the standard for daring and its boldness. Over the course of my residency, I’ve had the opportunity to introduce a new generation of young American composers whose music has stirred the imagination of the Philharmonic’s audiences and proven emphatically that, for all the challenges that our country’s culture faces these days, the locus of creativity for new music is here in America. I leave my position with hope and confidence that the Philharmonic, through its subscription programming and its extraordinary Green Umbrella series, will continue to show to the world how it’s done."
"My time as Creative Chair for Jazz has been filled with memorable collaborations and countless opportunities to share jazz’s ability to exchange ideas across generations. I am proud of the work we’ve done together and look forward to Samara leading us into a new chapter of audiences enjoying all that jazz can bring,” noted Hancock.
Adès said, “Some of the most thrilling nights of my musical life have included conducting the LA Phil in Walt Disney Concert Hall and hearing the orchestra bring Dante to life. These experiences showed me that nothing is too ambitious here, and that the audience comes ready to be surprised. I’m honored to join Daniel, Esa-Pekka, Gustavo and this remarkable group of artists in imagining a wildly creative musical future that could only happen in Los Angeles.”
“Latin music is not a single sound. To me, it is the soul of an entire continent, an immense and profound richness woven together across generations, with the power to transcend any border,” noted Estrada. “Los Angeles is a city built upon these Latin American stories, stories that have enriched cultures around the world. To me, the LA Phil represents an extraordinary space to tell, celebrate and honor them. As Creative Chair, I want to explore and delve deeper into the infinite beauty that runs through our history, build bridges between generations and create new spaces for the voices of artists who are expanding, transforming and reimagining the ways we tell the world who we are.”
“It is an immense honor to follow Herbie Hancock in this role,” said Joy. “Over the course of his career, his creative vision in music has inspired generations of musicians and shown that impact stands the test of time when you put your love of music above all else. With this opportunity, I’m excited to showcase my love for jazz at the Hollywood Bowl and Walt Disney Concert Hall. I hope to bring the Los Angeles audience a one-of-a-kind musical experience that might give them a chance to fall in love with the music just like I did.”
I'll note that it would be great if they had more than one woman (Handler) in a classical music leadership position, but nobody in this mix has a great record in that capacity beyond Salonen and Dudamel's various conducting fellows.
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