In a few sentences, what does impact mean in the context of your work?
Impact at a music school like CIM is first and foremost about empowering our students to make a difference in the world, which we do by grounding our curriculum in three learning goals. The first focuses on their musical development, the second on professional and entrepreneurial skills, and the third on their capacity to make thoughtful decisions artistically and personally. Beyond our studios and classrooms, CIM’s impact includes serving local audiences and the wider field by planning distinctive, compelling experiences that draw together individuals of differing backgrounds around music. Our Perspectives series presents some of classical music’s most imaginative artists; in addition to a concert appearance, they spend time in residence with our students, which we hope inspires them to think boldly about where their careers might take them. Via performance partnerships with area organizations ranging from the Cleveland Museum of Art and Cleveland Museum of Natural History to numerous local schools and senior centers, student ensembles can hone their musical chops while also learning how to engage with the public in varied settings.
What aspect of your work process do you focus on most day-to-day, and why?
Most days I’m focused on people and relationships. Whether it’s our students, faculty, staff, or partners, I strive to help them access resources, embrace opportunities, mediate challenges, and connect with the people and programs that will help them best fulfill their dreams and potential. My work includes standing meetings and forums that bring together stakeholders across roles and functions; listening to and incorporating a diversity of perspectives and feedback into decision-making; and developing policies, budgets, and other tools to ensure programs and practices operate in alignment with CIM’s strategy, mission and obligations.
Is there an innovation, new initiative, or new approach that has impacted, enhanced, or otherwise expanded/improved your organization’s work in recent years?
Where do I start! We keep investing in our facilities, most recently through the renovation and reimagination of Kulas Hall, our primary music venue, set to re-open on October 3, with Carlos Miguel Prieto conducting the CIM Orchestra and Gabriela Montero performing her Latin Concerto. The refreshed space will offer our students and the many community partners who access the venue with expanded acoustic, technical, and logistical possibilities. I’m particularly excited that the first piece that will be heard will be Woodland Songs for voice and orchestra by CIM alumnus Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate; the suite will be presented serially across six concerts in the 2025-26 academic year and the ways we are thinking about leaning into the hall’s technical and spatial properties will represent how Kulas Hall can reinforce CIM’s vision of being the future of classical music. We are also continually reviewing and improving our general education curriculum to ensure that our students are not only growing as virtuoso musicians but are also prepared for the realities of sustaining a top-echelon music career over decades. Popular new offerings include Engaging and Serving Communities, Musical Entrepreneurship, Critical Issues in Music, Performance Psychology, Music and Medicine, and our CIM 360 wellness program. In their own way, each blends theory with practice to provide our students with a combination of the technical foundation and the firsthand experience needed to understand the topic at hand.
How do you balance mission-driven work with the need for financial sustainability?
For many years, CIM was overly dependent on tuition. Over the past decade, we’ve built our fundraising capacity, securing some of the largest gifts in CIM history – including those supporting the Kulas Hall renovation – and more than doubling our Annual Fund. Building ties between donors and students, so patrons can see firsthand the difference their donations make while young musicians learn the critical skills of engaging thoughtfully and authentically with arts supporters, drives financial sustainability and reinforces the supportive culture we strive for at CIM. On the expense side, we continually review course and program offerings to ensure they align with our learning goals, degree requirements, and enrollment, responding when necessary to reinforce our mission and advance educational quality.
Outside of CIM, do you have any other leadership roles?
I’m a co-founder and now the Board Chair of BLUME Haiti, which empowers Haitians to strengthen their communities through the unifying and transformative power of music education. We support 60+ music schools across the country and have developed a cohort of Haitian music teachers, administrators, and instrument repair techs who are creating sustainable ecosystems around music in cities and towns across the country. The news focuses on the extraordinary challenges Haiti faces right now, but our focus is on thousands of young people who find sustenance in the joy, beauty and resilience music provides them. We have an amazing executive director and program team in place, so as Board Chair, I’ve prioritized helping BLUME Haiti grow with intentionality and urgency to meet the opportunities and needs of the moment, while expanding our circle of advocates and funders in the States.
In what ways do you see the role of arts leaders transforming in the years ahead?
I think we will see a continuing shift from prioritizing the ability to manage the internal operations and personnel of an organization, to the ability to navigate the external opportunities, challenges, and networks needed for the organization to thrive. I like to say that there is no shortage of great organizations that nonetheless wither or disappear. The organizations that last are those that make themselves indispensable, meaning the ability to demonstrate essential value to a community – a need that is ever-present rather than a one-time task – is one of the most important skills an arts leader can possess. I also think the successful arts leaders of the future will take the time to understand the promise and pitfalls of AI and begin to experiment mindfully and nimbly with its applications and capabilities.
About Scott Harrison | Executive Vice President and Provost, Cleveland Institute of Music
Celebrated as a leader with “imagination and ambition” by the LA Times and “a pioneer in the use of digital technology” by the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Scott Harrison has established a reputation as one of the most creative minds working in music today. He has secured millions of dollars in funding for artistic, educational, and community-focused projects at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in partnership with Detroit Public Television, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in partnership with the USC Thornton School of Music and Inner City Youth Orchestra of LA, Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra, and Louisiana Philharmonic. As executive vice president and provost at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Harrison has strengthened relationships and expanded CIM’s footprint among its key partners locally and nationally; launched the Academy (CIM’s reinvigorated approach to comprehensive musical training for youth); created the Perspectives Series to bring classical music’s most dynamic performers to campus; is infusing the curriculum with courses designed to meet the needs of enterprising young performers; and has made several transformational faculty appointments to serve the evolving and diverse needs of CIM’s students. Deeply committed to arts education as a right and a believer in the power of cultural diplomacy, he is board chair of BLUME Haiti, which supports music education and leadership development for more than 5,000 Haitian students annually.
About Cleveland Institute of Music
The Cleveland Institute of Music empowers the world’s most talented classical music students to fulfill their dreams and potential. Its alumni command hallowed stages across the globe as soloists, opera leads, chamber musicians, and ensemble members; compose meaningful, award-winning music; produce Grammy Award-winning recordings; and are highly sought-after teaching artists, administrators, and thought leaders. CIM’s faculty likewise hail from around the country and across the world, giving students “The CIM Advantage” as they embark on professional careers. The school’s increasingly diverse collegiate and pre-college student bodies benefit from access to world-renowned visiting artists and abundant performance and outreach opportunities, and from the rich curriculum offered by CIM’s partner, Case Western Reserve University. A leader among its peers, CIM is the largest presenter of free performances, masterclasses, and community concerts in the Midwest, hosting hundreds of events each year on campus and at locations regionwide, including Severance Music Center. Explore cim.edu to learn more.
