2026 Music Leadership Forum: Strengthening Bonds Across the Sector
The American Musicological Society will hold its second annual Music Leadership Forum on Saturday, 12 December 2026. A hybrid event to be held at New York University, the day-long seminar, “Music Leadership Forum: Strengthening Bonds Across the Sector,” will gather leaders in music studies, the performing arts, education, philanthropy, and nonprofit management to share, learn, and connect. Featuring workshops hosted by an impressive roster of experts, the Music Leadership Forum will offer opportunities for professional development and networking for attendees working on music research, performance, outreach and education programs within a variety of professional contexts.
The Music Leadership Forum will offer ways to:
- Make allies across the music and education sector that connect university departments, performance organizations, publishers, archives and museums, and nonprofit organizations
- Build ethical cultures and communities of interest within and beyond your organization
- Strengthen the ecosystem for all music, arts and education organizations
The specially discounted registration price for annual meeting attendees is $100.
Registration
Annual Meeting Attendees
Attendees of the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting may register to attend the Music Leadership Forum using the annual meeting registration form. Those who have already registered for the annual meeting may register for this seminar by completing the special event registration form below. The specially discounted registration price for annual meeting attendees is $100.
General Admission
If you would like to attend the forum and do not plan to attend the 2026 AMS Annual Meeting, please purchase your ticket using the following button. Tickets are $125.
Program & Schedule
More information will be shared as it becomes available.
Registration (8:30 a.m.–9:00 a.m. ET)
Welcome Remarks (9:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m. ET)
Icebreaker / Coffee Meet & Greet (9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. ET)
Coffee Break (10:15 a.m.–10:30 a.m. ET)
Breakout Session 1 (10:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. ET)
Presenters:
Bradley Strauchen-Scherer, Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art Department of Musical Instruments
Topics: Private/public sector collaborations; exciting programming for the public
Lee Bynum, Distinguished Lecturer, Director of the Graduate Program in Arts Administration, City University of New York
Topics: Building partnerships; ethical management cultures
Lunch (12:00 p.m.–1:30 p.m. ET)
Attendees are on their own for lunch
Keynote (1:30 p.m.–2:45 p.m. ET)
Presenter: James Shulman, President, Rockefeller Archives
Topics: Leadership for the public good; fostering diverse learning communities; digital publishing
Coffee Break (2:45 p.m.–3:15 p.m. ET)
Breakout Session 2 (3:15 p.m–4:45 p.m. ET)
Presenters:
Katie Wagner, Executive Director, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
Topics: Legal issues affecting musicians; mutual support
Melissa Ngan, President/CEO, American Composers Orchestra
Topics: Collaborative advancement; connections between scholarship, publishing, and performance
Reconvene for Shared Reflections (4:45 p.m.–5:30 p.m. ET)