Inspiring Boldness Speaker Series, Featuring Deborah Borda, President and CEO of the Los Angeles Philharmonic

She not only heads up the largest symphonic organization in the United States, but she also runs a youth orchestra group for underserved students throughout the Los Angeles region. Her commitment to leadership and innovation has characterized her progressive outlook on the role of orchestras in the 21^st century. This morning, she delivered an inspiring talk to our eager girls about following one’s passions and achieving gender diversity in society.

 

Head of School Jacqueline Landry introduced Ms. Borda with a poignant statement: “Music is everything that war is not.” Further elaborating on that thought, she said, “In today’s conflict-driven world, the beauty and harmony of music has the power to heal, and to bring disparate groups together.” Ms. Borda’s career has centered around this goal of achieving both musical and interpersonal harmony through diversity and open dialogue. Her approach encourages teamwork, prioritizes active listening, and inspires growth.

 

Ms. Borda began her talk by providing students with a glimpse into her background: she, too, came from an all-girls education. During her time at Bennington, an all-womens college, she found her voice, confidence and purpose. Indeed, many of her most important life choices were informed by her college experience where the women were the school leaders, decision-makers, and innovators. As a professional musician in her mid-twenties, Ms. Borda was struck by how few women served as conductors of orchestras. With this newfound passion for gender equality in mind, she joined the management side of the business, with the goal of impacting and improving a field for which she was passionate.

 

As she rose through the ranks of some of the largest and most respected orchestral organizations in the country, Ms. Borda had her eye set on becoming the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a major orchestra. After several detours in smaller cities, she eventually become the president of the New York Philharmonic, the oldest and most traditional orchestra in the country. Noticing that most of musicians at the New York Philharmonic were white males, she helped implement a policy of blind auditions – judges have to purely listen to the candidate without first seeing their race or gender until after a hiring decision is made. This policy resulted in a sharp increase in the hiring of female musicians, and the rule quickly spread to orchestras throughout the country. Today, as the CEO and President of the largest orchestra in the country, The Los Angeles Philharmonic, Ms. Borda prioritizes diversity and innovation; and it shows:  her orchestra is consistently 50% male and 50% female.

 

Ms. Borda’s advice for our girls is to take advantage of the changing landscape and boundless opportunities for women across all sectors. Arguing that we live in a time of incredible change, tomorrow’s female leaders must believe that anything is possible. Boldness is completely necessary, and it is equally important to stay true to one’s authentic self. Marymount students must ask themselves the complicated questions of “who am I?” and “what difference do I hope to make in the world?” Armed with an authentic set of values, our girls can tackle any challenge and make a real difference in the world as leaders. Ms. Borda advised, “in order to predict the future, you must invent the future yourself.”

 

When asked by Valory Banashek, ’17, what pieces of advice have been most important and helpful in her life, Ms. Borda stressed the importance of both resilience and risk-taking. “You’ll never do the things you don’t try,” she said, “and you must stick with your passions and goals, even when nothing seems to be working out.” In answering a question from Sage Strieker, ’17 about how to help others overcome gender biases, she said, “you must call people out on their biased language and understandings.” It’s all about starting conversations and bringing issues of inequality into awareness. “Truly,” she told the Marymount community, “the only way to move past divisiveness and conflict is to communicate with people who are different from you.”

 

The Marymount community thanks Ms. Borda for her wonderful and inspiring journey. We are humbled and honored by your story, advice, and grit.