Louise Herron
What was your first job in the performing arts?
My first job in the performing arts was in a small contemporary performance group called Boston Musica Viva. I was their only employee, they specialised in contemporary music, and I loved it.
Who has been the most influential mentor or figure in your journey, and what did they teach you?
There were two, actually. The first was Peter Pastreich, President of the San Francisco Symphony. I was a 26-year-old hippie, but he saw the possibility, gave me a job and mentored me. He had the greatest set of managerial skills I have ever seen, and he was the one who set me on my path.
But the other person who deeply influenced me was Esa-Pekka Salonen. He entered my life at just the right time, expanding my artistic perspective through his relentless intellectual curiosity and willingness to challenge conventions. Our friendship, and my entire relationship with music, was completely transformed because of him.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Do not quit playing.
What advice would you give someone starting out in the industry?
Don’t get a master’s in arts administration. An MBA, alright. But my advice is to try and get a job right away. If you can get a job at a major symphony orchestra, it’s like going to graduate school
What’s one unexpected skill you’ve picked up during your career?
To wake up early.
What’s always at the bottom of your to-do list?
Doing interviews like this one!
What’s your favourite inspirational quote?
“All’s fair in love and fundraising.”
If you weren’t working in the performing arts, what would you have been?
I can’ really imagine doing anything else in my life. But probably, I would have become a politician. A wildly unsuccessful one!
