Panel Discussion V – Cultivating a Diverse and Inclusive Tomorrow
MODERATOR:
Dr. Kaitlin Bove (Director of Instrumental Ensembles, Pierce College)
PANELISTS:
Dr. Anna Edwards (Music Director, Seattle Collaborative Orchestra)
Angelica Durrell (Founder and Executive Director, INTEMPO)
Sarah Williams (Director of New Works & Creative Producer, Opera Philadelphia)
ANNA EDWARDS’ musical career progression as a violinist, educator, and symphony conductor has been inspired by her commitment to core values of high-quality musical performance, development of musicians and composers through music education, and community engagement. Currently, Edwards balances her time between conducting in the Pacific Northwest, serving as a guest conductor/clinician across the country, and developing young musicians through instruction and collaboration with professionals in concert settings. The 2020-21 season marks the ninth season for Edwards as Music Director of the Seattle Collaborative Orchestra, seventh season as Music Director of the Saratoga Orchestra, and fourth season as Music Director of the Pacific Northwest Conducting Institute. In 2018-2019 Edwards led the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra as Interim Music Advisor and Conductor.
Angelica Durrell is an Ecuadorian-born violinist, educator and social entrepreneur. She is the Founder and Executive Director of INTEMPO, an intercultural organization that strives to make classical music and native instruments relevant, accessible and inclusive through innovative youth development and community engagement programs. Durrell was a guest concertmaster of the Ecuadorian National Conservatory Symphony Orchestra and served as a faculty member of the Chamber Music Institute for Young Musicians in Connecticut. She is a recipient of the Sphinx Organization’s inaugural MPower Artist Development Grant, and served as the Assistant Dean of the Sphinx Performance Academy at Oberlin Conservatory in Ohio and Roosevelt University in Chicago. Her recent TEDx talk has been acclaimed for creating institutional awareness and action towards cultural equity and representation. Angie holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Violin Performance from the University of Connecticut.
Sarah Williams is an international producer who in 2020 was named one of Philadelphia Business Journal’s Women of Distinction. In 2019 Sarah was named among the top 30 Professionals of the Year by Musical America in which they said, “she has a well-earned reputation as a powerhouse of fresh ideas and a savvy commissioner of New Works.” She curates, explores, and has a strong commitment to the development of creative works of the highest artistic aesthetic, with a specialty in identifying visionary artists, fostering deep collaboration, and highlighting the imagination. OPERA magazine describes her work, in large terms, as “expanding on the traditional demographics of opera’s creators and practitioners as well as its audiences”.
Sarah is the Director of New Works and Creative Producer at Opera Philadelphia and when she arrived, the company had not produced a world premiere in almost three decades. She has since cultivated thirteen world premieres, making the company an industry leader in producing new opera.