University of Washington doctoral candidate Lorin Green, a flutist and arts community leader who studies with Donna Shin, is one of only five students from across the country to be selected to join the League of American Orchestras’ newly created Student Leadership Council. The student council, the first in the League’s 81-year history, is intended to help the New York City-based service organization integrate the voices of young people into its work and thereby support the growth of student engagement within the orchestra field.
“It has so often been proven to me that young people hold the answers about the future,” said Simon Woods, the League’s President and CEO, in a statement announcing the appointments. “Not only do they bring creative thinking and fresh ideas, but they also view the world through the lens of fairness and equity, which is so vital for our field. They will be the next generation of orchestra musicians, staff, audience members, donors, and volunteers, so we need to be listening to them now if we are to future-proof our field for the coming generation.”
During her one-year term, Green and four other student council members are tasked with contributing their ideas and perspectives in quarterly meetings and assuming leadership roles in areas such as membership growth, marketing and recruitment, conference programming, and advocacy, all with an aim toward building inclusive pathways for a new generation of diverse and creative professionals to enter the orchestra field and flourish as leaders.
Green, whose work and education has been directed toward amplifying the voices of the underrepresented within all fields of music and art at large, is well-positioned to be an effective leader in this new role. Active as a flutist, educator, and administrator, she recently was named executive director of Seattle early music organization Sound Salon (formerly Byron Schenkman & Friends), which programs inclusive and diverse performances inspired by European traditions of the 17th through 19th centuries, but informed by 21st-century perspectives. As the 2022-23 Seattle Arts Fellow for the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, she was vital in reviving and leading programs including SSO's Prison Visits Program and its Community Stages Fund, an initiative to increase access to creative space by underserved populations. Currently, she is extending her community-building work at Seattle Symphony as the organization's Community Relations Manager.
As a cohost of Relative Pitch Podcast, Green engages in conversations centered around accessibility, representation, and innovation within the music field. Her chamber ensemble, Elucidate Duo, is a flute and trumpet duo highlighting works by POC, women, and other underrepresented composers to aid in the diversification of the classical music canon.
"I am excited to continue my work of advocating for the perspectives of youth and historically underrepresented and excluded communities," Green said recently. "The work that I plan to do with the League aligns with my continued personal mission in to make the arts more accessible and equitable to all."
A graduate of Kennesaw State University (Bachelor’s in Flute Performance) and the University of New Mexico (Master’s in Flute Performance), Green is in her second year of study at the University of Washington, working as a teaching assistant and teaching courses in music appreciation, chamber music lab, and flute studio class. She also performs with the UW Wind Ensemble and will join the group on its March 2024 tour to Korea.
"Lorin Green is truly an extraordinary individual," said Professor Shin. "In addition to her brilliance as a flutist-performer, she is a natural born leader with a strong vision and ability to execute her ideas. Through her courageous advocacy work, Lorin has become a recognized leader in local and national arts communities, addressing challenging issues centering on diversity, equality, and justice issues. I am amazed and excited by Lorin's multiple levels of excellence as a flute performing artist, arts administrative leader, and advocate for social justice."