The Innovation Studio @ NOI+F is an ongoing collaboration between UMD’s Academy for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and NOI+F. This program began in 2017 to experiment with the concept of “reimagining the future of the orchestra.” Though the form of the work changes each year, we strive to work in a way that is collaborative, human-centered, experimental, and innovative. At its core, the Studio aims to bring a spirit of joy and radical collaboration to our work at the Festival as we bring designers, fellows, and audiences together to imagine possible futures.
The Innovation Studio at NOI+F:
Fosters innovation mindsets and practices by creating spaces for people to come together across disciplines to experiment and learn from and with each other
Explores the hunch that for orchestras to be relevant in the future it takes a village: investment in staff, community. To make the orchestra of the future we need everyone participating.
Creates ways for participants and partners to engage in the work in different ways depending on their time, interest, expertise, and goals
The Academy for Innovation & Entrepreneurship cultivates the innovator and entrepreneurial mindset inside of students, researchers, and professionals through design thinking, lean startup, and team-based experiential learning in order to creatively tackle the world’s toughest problems.
The University of Maryland’s National Orchestral Institute + Festival brings together aspiring orchestral musicians from across the country for a month of dynamic music-making and professional exploration. Chosen through a rigorous, cross-country audition process, these young artists present passionate and awe-inspiring performances of adventuresome repertoire at The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center and in the College Park, MD community.
Image by Geoff Sheil