A conversation with Ben Folds on Orchestras as Symbols of Community

A Conversation with Ben Folds on Orchestras as Symbols of Community

Emmy-Award-winning composer, singer-songwriter, and pianist Ben Folds is joined by ACSO Board President and San Francisco Symphony Chief-of-staff Elizabeth Shribman in a conversation about the value and role of orchestras in today’s society, his commitment to arts advocacy and accessibility, the connection between orchestras and communities, and stories from his life and career. After the conversation, Ben will lead an interactive AMA ("ask me anything") session with the audience.

Widely regarded as one of the major music influencers of our generation, Folds' enormous body of genre-bending music includes pop albums with Ben Folds Five, multiple solo albums, and numerous collaborative records. His latest album, 2023’s What Matters Most, is a blend of piano-driven pop-rock songs, while his 2015 Concerto for Piano and Orchestra soared to #1 on both the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts.

An active performer, podcast host and New York Times Best Selling author, he is a longtime advocate for arts and music education funding and serves on the Board of the Arts Action Fund for Americans for the Arts. For the past two decades, Folds has shared the stage with some of the world's greatest orchestras, and is in his seventh year as Artistic Advisor to the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. He also launched a charitable initiative in his native state of North Carolina that provides free or affordable piano lessons to interested school-age children.

Sponsored by Priscilla and Keith Geeslin, with support from BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc.)

Connect with Ben on Instagram. Learn more about Ben Folds here.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown Soma, 50 3rd Street, San Francisco, United States