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ACSO Board News
Dear Friends,
 
Kelly Ruggirello
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the return of Kelly Ruggirello, executive director of the Long Beach Symphony, as Board President until the election of the next ACSO President. In the wake of Debbie Chinn's mid-term departure, the ACSO Board is grateful to Kelly for her leadership during this transitional year. We also want to thank Debbie for her many years on the ACSO Board of Directors and her time and commitment to our organization.
 
Kris Sinclair, executive director
It's Never to Early to Get a Room!
ACSO Annual Conference Hotel Registration is Open

 

Get ready for your 2016 Conference experience! Oakland Marriott City Center Hotel reservations are available now. Register here. Start planning your trip to the wonderful city of Oakland. Read the NY Times recent article by Freeda Moon, 36 hours in Oakland, California!  
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And just like NPR, it's our fall membership drive time!
 
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Things You Should Know

Read the latest post by Brian Taylor Goldstein about legal aspects of international touring. 

President Obama signed today, December 10, new education law that would increase arts education access. Read more. 
Up and Down the Scale
Wayne Cook, arts program specialist at the California Arts Council, announced his retirement. For 26 years Cook has been a leader of arts education, arts in corrections, and making arts accessible to all Californians. Cook will retire at the end of 2015.   
 
 
 
 

The Santa Cruz Symphony board of directors announces the retirement of executive director Jan Derecho, effective December 31, 2015. Symphony board president Dorothy Wise will act as interim executive director as part of the transition strategy, and recruitment efforts are underway. 
Under her stewardship, Derecho's career background in banking helped solidify the symphony's fiscal prowess. Jan is known for her community involvement, indelible wit and passion for music. 
 

Santa Rosa Symphony Board president Sara Woodfield announced that music director Bruno Ferrandis will end his tenure with the Symphony when his contract expires at the end of the 2017-2018 season. After 12 seasons as music director of the Santa Rosa Symphony, Ferrandis plans to build upon his strength as a versatile symphonic programmer to pursue an international role as a guest conductor.
 
 
Governor Brown has appointed Dana Gioia as California poet laureate. Gioia succeeds Juan Felipe Herrera who served in the position from 2012 to 2014. Gioia, 64, of Santa Rosa, has been the Judge Widney professor of poetry and public culture at the University of Southern California since 2011. He served as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts from 2003 to 2009. 
 
 
Dan Visconti, 33, the California Symphony's Young American composer-in-residence through 2017, has been awarded the prestigious Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation commission by the Library of Congress. Visconti was recognized and commissioned for his concerto for guitar and orchestra, Living Language. In addition to his appointment with the California Symphony, Visconti serves as composer and director of artistic programming at Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble.
 
Music Notes
As a result of the mass shooting in San Bernardino, the San Bernardino Symphony concert at the California Theatre has changed its "Home for the Holidays" program to conclude with Let There Be Peace on Earth, sung by the Loma Linda Academy Choir.  Read more. 

The Fresno Philharmonic recently announced the six candidates in the orchestra's music director search. Current Fresno Philharmonic music director Theodore Kuchar will complete his 15th and final season in May 2016 in order of appearance they are: Sameer Patel (assistant conductor, San Diego Symphony); Daniel Meyer (music director, Asheville Symphony and Erie Philharmonic); Alexander Mickelthwate (music director, Winnipeg Symphony); Aram Demirjian (associate conductor, Kansas City Symphony); Rei Hotoda (associate conductor, Utah Symphony); José-Luis Novo (music director, Annapolis Symphony and Binghamton Philharmonic)
 
Good News 
The San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory has a new collaboration with the La Jolla Music Society and will give its first performance on the La Jolla Music Society's San Diego Youth Symphony Series with Jinjoo Cho at Sherwood Auditorium this month. As part of a continued and expanded education partnership, La Jolla Music Society showcases the talented musicians of SDYS's highest caliber ensemble. 
Thank you to our partners:
     
Read More.  

T.S. and K.D. Glide Foundation
 
Our featured business partner:

BMI supports its songwriters, composers and publishers by taking care of an important aspect of their careers - getting paid. BMI supports businesses and organizations that play music publicly by offering blanket music licenses that permit them to play more than 10.5 million musical works. Both relationships save each time and money.
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