Phillip Gainsley's Podcast Phillip Gainsley

Simon Woods brings more than 30 years of experience working with orchestras to his leadership role as president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras.Simon is known throughout the world of classical music as a highly trusted mentor and advisor to orchestra management professionals.His leadership includes regular columns in professional periodicals about the future of orchestras, as well as lectures and speaking engagements at conferences and orchestra boardrooms around the country.  I was fortunate enough recently to host a panel discussion with him on the subject of the presentation of classical music.Prior to joining the League in 2020, Woods served as CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic; he was interim executive director of the Grand Teton Music Festival, president and CEO of the Seattle Symphony, chief executive of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, as well as serving the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Born in London, England, Woods earned a degree in music from Cambridge University and a diploma in conducting from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. He currently serves on the boards of Astral Artists and the Performing Arts Alliance.

Marc A. Scorca joined OPERA America as president and CEO in 1990. Under his leadership, OPERA America has become one of the most respected arts service organizations in North America. Its membership has grown from 120 opera companies to nearly 4,000 organizations and individuals, and its reach extends to 80,000 annual visitors at the National Opera Center and over 83,000 subscribers across digital channels worldwide.Marc has administered over $20 million in grants and prizes to opera companies and artists for audience building, business innovation, civic practice, co-productions, and the development of new work. Due in large part to his contributions to the organization, OPERA America was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame in 2013.Marc has served as a member of the U.S. delegation to UNESCO, an officer of the Performing Arts Alliance, and on the Music Advisory Boards of Hunter College (CUNY) and the Curtis Institute of Music.

Philippe Quint, violinist, was born in Leningrad (St. Petersburg today) and trained in the United States at the The Juilliard School, earning both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree.  He made his solo debut at age nine while studying at Moscow’s Special Music school for the Gifted.  He earned top prizes in music competitions around the world, and his recording of Korngold’s Violin Concerto ranked in the top 20 on Billboard’s Classical Chart in its first week of sales. He benefited from coaching sessions over time by the famed violin teacher, Dorothy Delay and Itzhak Perlman.  His recordings range from the works of Charlie Chaplan to Felix Mendelssohn.  

Ann Morrison was Mary Flynn in the original 1981 production of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Merrily We Roll Along, directed by Harold Prince, for which she won the 1982 Theatre World Award.  More than 40 years later she remains remembered for that role, but she has done so much more since then, including her one-person show she is currently revising, to take on the road.

Stephen Hamilton, the “concert touring organist,” has been prominent on the American organ scene for over 40 years. The New York Times wrote of Hamilton’s performance of the Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor: “Hamilton, as organist at the Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal) obviously knew the instrument’s sonorous capabilities and brought them powerfully to bear in a rousing account.” Throughout his distinguished career, such consistent critical reviews have earned Hamilton acclaim as a thoroughly engaging and popular personality and has firmly established his reputation as a leading and much sought-after virtuoso.  An avid educator, Stephen was Professor of Organ and Chairman of the Fine Arts Division at Virginia Intermont College in Bristol, Virginia, from 1972 to 1986. In New York City he served on the artist faculties of Hunter College, Manhattan School of Music, and Queens College.  On Sunday, April 28, and 4:00 p.m. Stephen will perform on the Mander organ at St. Ignatius Church on Park Avenue, New York City.

GRAMMY® Award winning Classical Producer of the Year, Michael Fine is one of the top classical recording producers in the world.  But he also has been active in artistic planning for major orchestras world-wide. He formerly was vice president of artists and repertoire at Deutsche Grammophon, the first American to hold the post of artistic director of the 100 year-old label.  Michael remains active as clarinetist with engagements at Festival Mozaic in California and the Tongyeong Music Festival in South Korea.  And, he is an active composer, with his compositions premiering in the United States, France, Spain, and Cuba where he served as composer-in-residence for the first Habana Clasica Festival. Michael has produced hundreds of recordings for numerous prominent labels and he’d probably be the first to tell you that he  could not have done it all without the contribution of his wife, Tamara.