Emmy winner Marcy Carsey, named one of the 50 greatest women in radio and television, is partner and co-founder of the largest and arguably one of the most successful independent studios in television history, Carsey-Werner. The Carsey-Werner Company is responsible for, among others, The Cosby Show, Third Rock from the Sun, and Roseanne. Ms. Carsey is a part-time resident of Santa Barbara, and owns the folk art store in Summerland. As a student, she played piccolo, and became a major donor to the Music Academy of the West in 2008.

As the third president in Music Academy history serving from July 2004 to August 2010, NancyBell Coe presided over a series of ambitious campus efforts, including the renovation of Hahn Hall prior to the start of the Academy’s 2008 Summer School and Festival. The Academy’s stature had grown steadily, resulting in a record number of applications for its 2009 Summer School and Festival and increased national notice for its programmatic offerings.

A graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts, NancyBell Coe began her lengthy career in classical music administration as a staff member of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra from 1978 through 1985. Prior to being named president of the Music Academy, she served as artistic administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School from 1999 through 2003, and as manager and general manager of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1990 through 1998. NancyBell went to Cleveland from the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where, between 1986 and 1990, she served as administrator of the Philharmonic Institute (a summer professional training program), orchestra manager, and general manager.

Jeremy Geffen, who for the past 12 years was director of artistic planning at Carnegie Hall, is now the executive and artistic director of Cal Performances, the arts producer and presenter at the University of California, Berkeley. At Carnegic Hall, his responsibilities included program planning and development, as well as the creation of a wide range of audience education programs. Prior to his appointment at Carnegie Hall, Jeremy was vice president of artistic administration for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra (2005–2007) and artistic administrator of the New York Philharmonic (2000–2005). In addition, he worked for the Aspen Music Festival and School as associate artistic administrator from 1998 to 2000. During that time, he also taught courses in music at Colorado Mountain College, hosted a weekly classical music radio show on KAJX, and became the Aspen Institute’s youngest-ever moderator, creating and leading the seminar The Marriage of Music and Ideas with Dr. Alberta Arthurs in February and March 2000.

Jeremy served on the advisory entities for both the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two and the Avery Fisher Career Grant. He has also served as an adjudicator for numerous auditions and competitions, including the jury of the 2015 Honens Prize, 2011 Wigmore Hall / Kohn Foundation International Song Competition, the nominating jury for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music, and Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. In addition, he chaired the nominating jury for the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music.

A native of Cape Town, South Africa, Jeremy was raised in Newport Beach, California. While pursuing a bachelor of music degree in viola performance at the University of Southern California, Jeremy developed problems with his right hand that led him away from performance and into artistic programming, which combines his curiosity for and love of the breadth of the classical repertoire, as well as the artists who bring that repertoire to life.

Mr. Geffen was a viola fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 1993 and 1994.

Gregg Gleasner is the President of GleasnerMusic, an independent artistic services firm offering leadership and guidance to orchestras, festivals, and performing arts organizations.

Acknowledged as an arts leader in the international cultural community, Gregg has spent thirty-five years in the classical music industry. In addition to his long association with the Music Academy of the West, Gregg has worked with numerous orchestras and art organizations including the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony, Houston Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra since forming GleasnerMusic in 2011. He has served four times on the Dublin (Ireland) International Piano Competition jury.

Gregg served as Director of Artistic Planning for the San Francisco Symphony from 1991-2011. Partnering with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, he implemented an artistic vision which has been recognized throughout the world as singular and unique. Prior to San Francisco, Gregg was Vice President and Artists’ Manager for eleven years at Columbia Artists, New York.

Ara Guzelimian has served as Artistic Director of the Ojai Music Festival since 2021, and previously served as Provost and Dean of The Juilliard School from 2006-2019, where he worked closely with the President in overseeing the faculty, curriculum and artistic planning of the distinguished performing arts conservatory in all three of its divisions – dance, drama and music.

Prior to these appointments, he was Senior Director and Artistic Advisor of Carnegie Hall (1998 – 2006). He previously held the positions of Artistic Administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado (1993 - 1998), Artistic Director of the Ojai Festival in California (1992 - 1997), and Artistic Administrator of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (1986 – 1993). He currently serves on the Music Visiting Committee of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City.

Mr. Guzelimian has lectured at the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Easter Festival, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Jerusalem Music Center, where he was on the faculty of the 2000 International Chamber Music Encounter, led by Isaac Stern. He is editor of Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (Pantheon Books, 2002), a collection of dialogues between Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said.

In September 2003, Mr. Guzelimian was awarded the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his contributions to French music and culture.

Mark Newbanks serves as managing director of Fidelio Arts Limited, a London-based, worldwide boutique agency specializing in artist management, touring, and the development of media projects. The company’s current artist roster includes Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lionel Bringuier, and Yuja Wang. Mr. Newbanks previously worked as an artist manager at Konzertdirektion Schmid, served as general manager of the Camerata Academica in Salzburg, Austria, and oversaw concert productions for IMG Artists in New York, among other positions. Immediately prior to founding Fidelio Arts Limited, Mr. Newbanks served as a senior artist manager, director, and board member for Askonas Holt Limited, London.

Chad Smith has served as President and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 2023.

Previously, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, a role held for four years, at which he worked in close partnership with Music & Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel to establish and advance several of the most impactful orchestral programs of the 21st Century. During this tenure, Smith led the LA Phil’s artistic and business teams to propel record financial growth year-upon-year and invest in visionary programs to foster a culturally diverse talent pipeline and expand new audiences.

Smith began his career in 2000 at the New World Symphony, working closely with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.  Smith is a trustee of the New England Conservatory, an advisory board member of the Music Academy of the West, and a member of the Executive Committee for the Avery Fisher Artist Program. He also served as Artistic Director for the 2020 Ojai Music Festival. Smith, 51, grew up in Pennsylvania, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Tufts University. He earned both Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Vocal Performance from the New England Conservatory.

Tracy K. Smith was born in Massachusetts and raised in northern California. She earned a BA from Harvard University and an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. From 1997 to 1999 she held a Stegner fellowship at Stanford University. Smith is the author of four books of poetry: The Body's Question (2003), which won the Cave Canem prize for the best first book by an African-American poet; Duende (2007), winner of the James Laughlin Award and the Essense Literary Award; Life on Mars (2011), winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; and Wade in the Water (2018). In 2014 she was awarded the Academy of American Poets fellowship. She has also written a memoir, Ordinary Light (2015), which was a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction.

In June 2017, Smith was named U.S. poet laureate. She teaches  at Harvard University, where she is a professor of English and of African and African American Studies and the Susan S. and Kenneth L. Wallach Professor at the Harvard Radcliffe Institute. She also hosted American Public Media's daily radio program and podcast The Slowdown, which is sponsored by the Poetry Foundation.

Patrick Spence is a seasoned technology and corporate executive. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Sonos from 2017 to 2025, following his tenure as President and Chief Commercial Officer beginning in 2012.

Before joining Sonos, Patrick spent over 14 years at RIM (now BlackBerry), where he held a variety of leadership roles, including Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. During his tenure, he oversaw sales channels and regional marketing operations across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Patrick played a pivotal role in RIM's exponential growth, as the company scaled from $50 million in revenue to over $20 billion and grew its workforce from 150 to more than 17,000 employees.

In recognition of his achievements, Patrick was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2007, a prestigious program honoring the country’s most accomplished young leaders.

Patrick holds an Honors Degree in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, Canada.