Expressing Gratitude

Published August 7, 2026

Expressing Gratitude

by Scott Faulkner

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

I worried that this month’s Art Views entry might be an exercise in sour grapes, or at least disappointed grapes. 

A few weeks ago, the Sunday Reno-Gazette Journal ran a piece about the thriving orchestral scene in Nashville, Tennessee. It was a fine story, and I am happy that the good folks in Music City have the cultural offerings that they do. But it turns out we have a thriving orchestral scene here in the Truckee Meadows, and I couldn’t help but notice that the RGJ hasn’t covered our local performing arts scene much since its January 2022 decision to discontinue the weekly columns that Rosine Bena, Chuck Reider, Steve Trounday, and I had contributed for a decade. So, the RGJ/USA Today Network decision to run a piece highlighting the wonderful things going on in a state a couple time zones away stung a little bit. Although in 2022 it took me a minute to get over the decision to “fire” me and my fellow volunteer columnists, I am grateful that my disappointment and resentment are behind me and that I have been able to move on.

In our busy, chaotic, noisy, often unpleasant world, it can be easy to forget to remember the things for which we are grateful. With that in mind, I thought I would use this space to express some gratitude and spotlight a few organizations that have contributed greatly to who I am, professionally and personally:
 

PBS Reno

Almost immediately after the RGJ’s decision to no longer publish our columns, PBS Reno President & CEO, Kurt Mische, reached out to invite all four of us to continue what we were doing as a blog on the PBS Reno website. Four years later, Art Views is one of the few places that folks can get insight about area performing arts. In addition to Art Views, PBS Reno programs like ARTEFFECTS, Classical Tahoe, and the PBS Reno ARTS Podcast demonstrate the commitment to sharing and supporting the cultural life of our community. For this, Kurt and the PBS Reno team, thank you.
 

Reno Chamber Orchestra

In a year of tidy milestones for me, twenty-five years ago last month I embarked on my fourteen-year run as executive director of the Reno Chamber Orchestra. That experience formed me as an orchestra manager, and later teacher. During my tenure, we started the Nevada Chamber Music Festival, brought luminaries to the Nightingale Hall stage, and most importantly touched many lives with the intimate power of the chamber orchestra and chamber music ensembles.
 

The Reno Phil

And thirty years ago this coming November, I started my tenure as principal bassist of the Reno Phil. To see and be a part of the growth of this organization during this time has been remarkable. The way our community embraces this ensemble is a special thing that doesn’t happen everywhere. As I embark on my thirty-first season with people who are some of my dearest colleagues, friends, and family, I’m excited to see how the Phil continues to inspire, educate and engage audiences through diverse symphonic performances. I’m grateful to be a part of it.
 

League of American Orchestras

Finally, a word of gratitude for what the League of American Orchestras has meant to me and my career. Some of my closest friends and colleagues are in my life because of this remarkable association. As I have written in this space, early in my tenure as executive director of the Reno Chamber Orchestra, I attended the Essentials of Orchestra Management program in New York. It proved to be the most important professional training I would ever receive. Fast-forward to today, and I just completed my fourteenth year on the Essentials faculty, and my fifth as faculty director of this flagship program. How in the world the son of a forester from northern Idaho found himself at The Juilliard School teaching orchestra management to some of the brightest minds in our field, alongside some of our nation’s greatest teachers and leaders, is a pinch-me-worthy question I hope too many people don’t ask. Playing a role in this incredible 10-day experience is one of the great joys of my life.

I understand that I have a ridiculously charmed and privileged life, and I would do well to express my gratitude for it more often. To all who read this who have been a part of it through these organizations, I thank you personally for playing an important role. Ultimately, it is the people who make up organizations, and for these relationships I am most grateful of all.

Scott Faulkner is principal bassist of the  Reno Phil and the Reno Chamber Orchestra. He is faculty director of the League of American Orchestras’ Essentials of Orchestra Management program at Juilliard each July.

Remembering Lani Oelerich by Scott Faulkner — June 26, 2026

Performing with Yo-Yo Ma  by Scott Faulkner — May 15, 2026

Reno’s Spring Concert Season Is in Full Swing  by Scott Faulkner — April 3, 2026

Reno Phil and Reno Chamber Orchestras Concert Previews  by Scott Faulkner —February 20, 2026

Re: Solutions  by Scott Faulkner — January 9, 2026

AI vs. AI—Ayeyeye  by Scott Faulkner — November 28, 2025

30 Years of Music and Memories in Northern Nevada  by Scott Faulkner — October 17, 2025

Falling into Joy  by Scott Faulkner — September 5, 2025

Greetings from Lincoln Center in New York City!  by Scott Faulkner — July 25, 2025

Practicing Ikigai: “A reason for being”  by Scott Faulkner — June 13, 2025

A Milestone and Some Thoughts on Mission Statements by Scott Faulkner — May 2, 2025

Reno Chamber Orchestra & Reno Phil Blooming with Spring Concerts  by Scott Faulkner — March 28, 2025

The Architecture of Music by Scott Faulkner — February 14, 2025

Mr. Terris: A Remembrance by Scott Faulkner — January 3, 2025

‘Tis the Season by Scott Faulkner — November 22, 2024

League of American Orchestras by Scott Faulkner — September 6, 2024

Time in Music by Scott Faulkner — August 2, 2024

Ruth Lenz by Scott Faulkner — May 24, 2024

Exploring Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 by Scott Faulkner — April 19, 2024

The Meaningful Connection Provided by Music by Scott Faulkner — March 15, 2024