Marin Alsop, one of the first women to helm a major American orchestra, offered another form of leadership at Abravanel Hall last week as she received a prestigious award that in years past has gone to prominent figures like Leonard Bernstein, John Williams and Yo-Yo Ma.
As she received the Gold Baton, the highest honor awarded by the League of American Orchestras, Alsop spoke of taking risks, being creative and championing inclusion.
“Our industry is facing seismic shifts: audience behavior, cultural relevance, financial pressures, equity and access — all converging,“ she said in her acceptance speech on June 11, which was shared via email with the Deseret News.
“The temptation is to retreat. To cling to what’s familiar. But history doesn’t go backward. And neither should we,” she continued. “If we are brave — if we see clearly and act boldly — this upheaval can spark a more vibrant, inclusive, and impactful era for orchestras."
Alsop delivered her galvanizing speech during the opening session of the League of American Orchestras’ 80th national conference — the first time the organization has met in Utah.
For the trailblazing conductor, who was music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra for 14 years, receiving this recognition in Salt Lake City was especially fitting due to her history with Maurice Abravanel.
Here’s a look at Alsop’s connection to Abravanel and the Utah Symphony, and some of her key points on moving the orchestra industry forward.
Marin Alsop honors Maurice Abravanel
Alsop said receiving the Gold Baton award at Salt Lake City’s Abravanel Hall was “especially emotional” due to her family’s “deep connection to Utah.”
Her father, Keith Lamar Alsop, was born in Murray, Utah, and began his career at the age of 17 with the Utah Symphony, per The New York Times.
At the start of her speech, Alsop recalled how Abravanel himself gave her father his first job playing with the symphony, where he doubled on violin and bass clarinet. That appointment from Abravanel — who conducted the Utah Symphony for 32 years — sparked a lifelong career for her father that would go on to inspire his daughter.
“Maurice also gave my dad the courage to pursue his musical dreams, and decades later, Maurice became my mentor, alongside Bernstein at Tanglewood,” Alsop said. “One couldn’t hope for a greater role model than Maurice, a profound musician and compassionate human being.”
Orchestras at a critical crossroad: ‘When we widen the circle, everyone benefits’
Alsop — who is currently the chief conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, among a number of other appointments — said orchestras are facing a critical crossroad as they strive to stay culturally relevant and financially afloat.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned on the podium, it’s that moments of crisis can also be moments of possibility,” she said. “They push us out of autopilot and help us take risks we might not otherwise take.”
Inclusion, Alsop said, is key to ensuring orchestras thrive and not just survive.
Her own path to the podium wasn’t easy, she said.
“When I began, the idea of a woman leading a major orchestra was unthinkable,” she said. “There were no role models, no pathways and few open doors.”
The conductor said she hoped her appointment at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, where she served as music director from 2007-2021, would help create similar opportunities for other women. But during her 14 years in that role, she said, JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, was the only other woman to hold a top-tier position.
Alsop launched the Taki-Alsop Conducting Fellowship more than 20 years ago to help bridge the gap and offer women mentorship and opportunities that were lacking when she was starting out (Jessica Rivero Altarriba, the assistant conductor of the Utah Symphony, was a 2024-26 Taki Alsop Fellowship Award recipient).
“When we widen the circle, everyone benefits,” the conductor said. “To ensure the vitality of our art form, inclusion must be systemic — not symbolic. Equity isn’t charity — it’s creative necessity."
‘Beethoven and TikTok aren’t enemies’
Orchestras, which thrive on the power live music has to bring people together, also face a challenge in an an increasingly fragmented and digital world, Alsop said.
“We’re not just presenting concerts — we’re building community, sparking empathy and reminding people of their shared humanity," the conductor said.
To continue in that effort, Alsop said, orchestras need to embrace both tradition and innovation — not choose one over the other.
“That doesn’t mean compromising quality. Beethoven and TikTok aren’t enemies,“ she said, noting that orchestras should use the digital tools at their disposal. ”A streamed rehearsal can spark curiosity. A video can open a lifetime of discovery.
“In times of uncertainty, the most dangerous thing we can do is play it safe,” Alsop continued. “Yes, challenges are real. But shrinking back, clinging to nostalgia — those won’t save us. Courage and vision will. The courage to take risks, try new ideas, and believe that orchestras are not museum pieces — they are urgent, evolving cultural forces."
What else happened at the League of American Orchestras conference?
A primary focus of this year’s conference, held in Salt Lake City from June 11-13, was the role music plays in improving mental and physical health, the Deseret News previously reported.
Opera star Renee Fleming, who is a leading advocate for the connection between music and health, was the keynote speaker for the opening session.
The renowned soprano previously came to Salt Lake City several years ago to speak on this subject. In that speech, she shared how childhood music instruction can be beneficial for a child’s developing brain — especially in the areas of the brain responsible for processing sound, language development, speech perception and reading skills, the Deseret News reported at the time.
She also noted that music plays a role in social cohesion, helping to form connections and bonds between people.
The connections between music, medicine and science are real and proven, Steven Brosvik, president and CEO of Utah Symphony/Utah Opera, told the Deseret News ahead of the League of American Orchestras conference.
“While we fully acknowledge that we’re not surgeons, we’re not curing cancer, we’re not researchers, we do know that bringing people together for a live social experience, listening to music, really does impact people’s lives in a positive way,” he said.