Before I close ACSO's 2026 Annual Meeting, I want to say something simple and true. Thank you.

Thank you for the work you do. Thank you for the music you protect. Thank you for the communities you serve.

And thank you for allowing me the absolute privilege of serving as your ACSO President over the past two years. It’s been one of the great honors of my professional life.

Now many of you already know this about me, but I am unapologetically a child of 1970s and 1980s television. I’m an ABC after-school special kid. Carol Burnett. The Muppets. Wonder Woman.

One of the most important influences as I formed my ideas of the world at a young age was Schoolhouse Rock. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MP1wCSTWsc

Schoolhouse Rock, you might remember, was a series of short animated educational segments that aired on ABC starting in 1973. Created by ad executive David McCall and produced by David Wolper, the segments ran between Saturday morning cartoons and taught kids grammar, math, science, history, and civics through catchy songs and animation. McCall noticed his son could memorize song lyrics but struggled with multiplication tables, so he got together with Wolper and influenced a whole generation of people who are in leadership positions today.

Apparently, my generation needed cartoons to explain democracy, grammar, multiplication, and civic responsibility. Honestly, looking around America right now, I think we should bring it back immediately.

So, as I thought about my final remarks as President, I realized something.

Everything I believe about orchestras, leadership, community, advocacy, and belonging was somehow explained to me by animated television when I was 7 years old. And honestly? That still tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZ8psP4S6BQ

Now if you’re under forty, that clip probably felt educational and quirky. If you’re over forty, you just remembered sitting cross-legged on shag carpeting eating cereal from a bowl that absolutely should not have passed modern safety standards.

But “I’m Just a Bill” matters. Because advocacy matters. And this field cannot afford silence. We have to stand up for arts education. Stand up for public funding. Stand up for artists. Stand up for music as an essential civic good.

That’s why ACSO continues to advocate for increased funding to the California Arts Council.

It is why ACSO has been involved for several years in the statewide coalition behind the creation of the Performing Arts Equitable Payroll Fund, which just saw a reinstatement of $12m in this year’s state budget. 

And it is why ACSO participates in Arts Advocacy Day at the State Capitol every year and supports the work of CA for the Arts and encourages all of you to do the same. 

And here’s the truth. Nobody is coming to save the performing arts. We are that bill on Capitol Hill now, and we need to continue to stand up.

Now another thing this conference kept returning to was belonging. Who feels welcome. Who feels heard. Who sees themselves reflected in this work. And that brought me back to Schoolhouse Rock.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0ECdOmjP_U

"We the People." Not some. Not a few. All of us. A more perfect union. The general welfare. Liberty secured for every generation that follows. And our field is slowly, imperfectly, courageously growing into that understanding. Inclusion isn't about checking a box. It's about asking who feels invited in and who has a seat at the table. Music reaches people first. Before ideology. Before assumptions. Before fear. That's our superpower.

Our field still has real work to do. But I leave this presidency hopeful because I see people in this room willing to do it honestly and with heart.

And finally, after several days discussing resilience, burnout, budgets, staffing shortages, AI, relevance, fundraising realities, audience behavior, and approximately fourteen variations of the phrase "challenging landscape," I offer the most chaotic and delightful Schoolhouse Rock clip ever created.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAX7Vk3JEw

Honestly, that song feels exactly like orchestra management.

“Hooray!”

“Oops!”

“Darn!”

“Excellent!”

“HELP!”

All before lunch.

Listen, emotions matter. And music is joy. And sometimes I worry our field talks so much about survival that we forget to talk about joy. Wonder is part of the mission. Goosebumps are part of the mission. The standing ovations. The backstage laughter. The thrill of the tuning note before a concert begins. These moments resonate. That’s why we stay.

Before I close, I need to say thank you to the extraordinary ACSO Board of Directors.

Your wisdom, humor, patience, and partnership carried me through this presidency and through moments when the work felt very heavy. Thank you for believing in this organization and in each other.

And to ACSO’s Executive Director, Sarah Weber. Sarah, you are simply one of the best partners anyone could ask for. Smart. Steady. Strategic. ACSO is stronger because of your leadership, and I’m deeply grateful for your partnership and friendship. 

Thank you to the ACSO staff team who produced this phenomenal conference and work hard every day to support this orchestra community: Alex Opshal, Caroline Bamforth, Elly Khotim, Saira Thirunavukkarasu, Ian Tillman, and Erick Sariles.

And finally, I am thrilled to welcome Giuliano Kornberg as incoming President of ACSO. Giuliano brings intelligence, heart, curiosity, and deep commitment to this field. Please join me in welcoming him into this next chapter of leadership.

As I step away from this role, I leave with immense hope. Not because the challenges are gone. They’re not. But because I know who’s in the room. You are. The people here are creative. Resilient. Funny. Thoughtful. Determined.

And deeply committed to the power of music to connect human beings. That matters more than ever. So keep advocating. Keep inviting people in. Keep taking risks. Keep making room for joy. Thank you all for an unforgettable year. And thank you for the music.

"Darn! That's the end."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B2m3KOZbSI