A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
posted by James Reel
As part of its triage effort to stop our orchestras from hemorrhaging audiences and donors, the American Symphony Orchestra League has taken the bold step of—changing its name! Beginning this fall, the professional association and advocacy group will be called the League of American Orchestras. According to a press release issued yesterday:
For the past three years the American Symphony Orchestra League has been engaged in an intensive planning process, more comprehensive than any such effort in the League’s 65-year history, involving extensive consultation throughout the orchestra field and beyond. From that process a strategic direction and implementation plan have emerged that will enable the League to transform itself to better assist orchestras with the innovation, training, research and development, leadership, and advocacy they need. The League of American Orchestras name fits in with this broad new vision of a revitalized and re-energized League.Certainly, the League’s image will improve with the abandonment of an acronym—ASOL—that looks and sounds like “asshole.” In contrast, “League of American Orchestras” makes one think of a band of comic-book superheroes. Now, that’s how to appeal to a younger audience.
