1st Edition

Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras

By Samuel Cairnduff Copyright 2026
264 Pages
by Routledge

264 Pages
by Routledge

This book interrogates the widespread yet ill-defined use of "cultural leadership" in strategic plans, policies, and industry discourse. Despite its ubiquity, the term lacks clarity and cohesion in both theory and practice. Based on fieldwork with 20 artistic and executive leaders, Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras  uncovers a deeper uncertainty within... Read more

Acknowledgements
Author Note

Prologue: Prelude to Purpose 
Section I
Foundations and Frictions 
1 The Australian Orchestra Story—A History of Transformation
2 From Institution to Influence—Reframing Cultural Leadership
3 Foundations—The Leadership Question 
Section II
Voices from the Field 
4 Entering the Field—The Orchestras and Their Worlds
5 Defining Cultural Leadership—From the Inside Out
6 The Performance—Cultural Leadership in Action
7 The Social Question—Orchestras on Contested Ground
8 Barriers and Bridges—What Gets in the Way, and What Helps
Section III
Towards Organisational Cultural Leadership 
9 The New Model—Organisational Cultural Leadership (OCL)
CODA: Future Directions
Index

 

Biography

Samuel Cairnduff is a lecturer, researcher, and consultant in arts and cultural management, specialising in leadership in the performing arts. He teaches at the University of Melbourne, hosts the Decoding Cultural Leadership podcast, presents on ABC Classic, and leads RESONATE, a consultancy in leadership, strategy, and communications.