Arts management leader Anwar Nasir ’06 will deliver the 2023 convocation address to bachelor’s and master’s degree candidates of Syracuse University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA) at the college’s convocation ceremony on Saturday, May 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the JMA Wireless Dome.
Nasir, who earned a bachelor of science degree from VPA’s Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies, is the executive director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) in New Orleans, where he ensures the fulfillment of the LPO’s longstanding mission to transform people and communities through music while helping to craft the next stage in the organization’s growth.
Prior to joining the LPO in July 2021, Nasir was the chief revenue and advancement officer for the Omaha Symphony, where he established the vision and strategy for relationship management and led the public relations and revenue generation teams for the organization. During his tenure, he helped the organization launch its first creative rebrand in more than a decade, retool its subscription packages to increase paid capacity, launch a centennial anniversary season and introduce a new music director.
Nasir has been named an emerging leader in the arts and culture space by the League of American Orchestras and Arts for LA. He also serves as co-chair for the League of American Orchestras’ Equity, Diversity and Inclusion working group for staff of color and the Professional Development Committee of the International Ticketing Association and has been selected to the Tessitura Network’s inaugural Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion Advisory Committee. He is also the co-founder of the Black Arts Leadership Alliance, formed to support African Americans in pursuing and developing careers in arts management.
A former professional dancer, Nasir has held leadership positions with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Hollywood Bowl, Atlanta Ballet and Philadelphia Workforce Development Corporation. In 2018, he was one of 12 selected for the League of American Orchestras’ prestigious, year-long Emerging Leaders Program, which is widely considered the orchestra field’s premier program for cultivating the potential of rising professionals.
An in-demand speaker, Nasir has presented at several national and international conferences on topics as diverse as integrating technology in customer experience; inclusion, diversity, equity, and access; data-backed decision-making; patron acquisition and retention; social media; and professional development/career transitions.
Nasir is a member of VPA’s Young Alumni Council and was the subject of the Syracuse University story “An Impressive Repertoire” in 2021.