Ashley Scott may have been born and raised in Atlanta, but she has quickly latched on to the music community in Williamsburg.
Scott has signed on as the new executive director of the Williamsburg Youth Orchestras.
WYO was founded in 1995 as a place for local children to play and learn in a full orchestra setting. The program has grown over the years to include a string orchestra and chamber music program for younger musicians, as well as a summer music festival.
Scott learned of WYO when her husband was transferred to Fort Eustis and she started searching for a job in the region. The listing caught her eye, as the organization was looking for a leader with a balance of administrative and musical skills.
It was a combination suited well to her talents. With degrees in viola performance and orchestral conducting, Scott has traveled the country with her husband building music education programs. Some she fostered from scratch, like the Georgia Youth Symphony Orchestra that doubled in size between its first and second season under Scott, and others where she worked to develop more robust programs.
“The timing was also rather perfect,” she said, with her husband starting June 30 and WYO looking for a new director to begin July 1.
Just one week into her position — and still in the moving process — Scott was impressed to discover how well-supported WYO is in the area. She pointed to the many grants, musical partnerships and arts commission support that allow the group to succeed.
“There’s nothing more inspiring to me as a music director and as program developer than to get involved in a community where people know the value of arts,” she said.
Scott is not daunted to start anew in Williamsburg with a different job in an unfamiliar place.
“I like adventure,” she said. “I like trying to new things. I like meeting new people. … I was excited to begin this new adventure.”
Easing any doubts has been a smooth transition process. Scott is taking over from Sarah Glosson, who stepped down after serving as executive director since 2010 to complete her doctoral dissertation through a William & Mary fellowship.
Scott said she had nothing but kind things to say about Glosson, along with the president of the board of directors Susannah Livingston, for their willingness to answer questions and serve as a resource.
As she gets to know those who have shaped the organization, Scott is eager for the chance to shake the hands of the board members and interact with children and their parents.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know these people who care about the arts, and education, and the music so much,” she said.
Scott said she has already witnessed the example the set and the depth of their legacy, and cannot wait to build those relationships further.
In her role as executive director, no two weeks for Scott will be the same. Working from a home office, she will help to organize rehearsals every week and serve as the main hub of communication for the group.
She is also responsible for keeping the main goals of WYO — providing music education and performance opportunities — in focus amid the many nuts and bolts of maintaining a youth orchestra. Between the chores of arranging carpools and cataloging sheet music, Scott wants to ensure the goal of developing young musicians remains foremost in mind.
“Hopefully I will have the skills and communication ability to transfer that to the rest of the organization, that we can really build these kids and help them become better musicians and better citizens,” she said.
To learn more, visit the WYO website.
