The panels and keynote of the event explored risk and reward on several levels, from marketing risks taken by symphony orchestras, to the artistic risks of commissioning new works, to the financial risk management offered by insurance companies, to the physical and emotional risks of presenting in areas of armed conflict around the world. Choreographer and artistic director Edward Villella launched the event with a keynote speech outlining a lifetime of risks and rewards, from taking ballet classes in Queens, to breaking away from George Balanchine, to launching a new ballet company in Miami.
Nobody wants safe.
Everybody wants risk, where there's reward at the end of it. Don't be afraid. That theme of constant risk carried through the conference's concurrent daytime sessions, which followed several tracks of discussion. Producer David Frantz suggested that such practices challenge traditional producers by increasing labor costs, raising the standard of marketing against corporate conglomerates with media ties, straining the pool of artistic and production talent, and blocking major theaters to road shows and competitive content. John Harbison, Tod Machover, and Param Vir joined moderator Nicholas Muni of the Cincinnati Opera to explore the art form's current popularity.