How can two organizations grow stronger together? Santa Fe Symphony Executive Director Emma Scherer shares the story behind a nonprofit merger built on creativity, courage, and community—showing how collaboration fuels growth far beyond the stage.
Santa Fe is home to a thriving creative ecosystem, including 1,500+ nonprofits shaping culture and opportunity across Northern New Mexico. In 2024, The Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association made a bold decision to merge—combining programs, staff, and missions to build a more sustainable path forward. In this powerful talk, Executive Director Emma Scherer candidly shares what it really takes to embrace growth: navigating unexpected hurdles, cultivating a creative mindset, and leading with values over ego. From the human side of merging to the business case for collaboration, Emma reveals how community partnerships, patience, and shared purpose can turn one plus one into three. This talk is a resonant invitation for creatives, leaders, and teams to rethink growth—not as an end goal, but as a practice we cultivate together.
About the speaker
Growth & Harmony: The Symphony of Change
Santa Fe is home to 1,500+ nonprofits, employing 14,000+ New Mexicans and impacting the local economy with over $2 billion in annual revenue. Two such organizations found their best path forward together: The Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association. After merging in 2024, they were able to expand their reach, grow their programs, bring on new staff, share vital resources, and improve long-term sustainability. But mergers come with many unexpected hurdles. Learn more about how The Symphony embraced growth, change, and learned to think creatively, tackling challenges together through the merger.
Emma Scherer is the Executive Director of The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra & Chorus. A resident of Santa Fe off and on since 2013, she returned in 2021 to lead The Santa Fe Symphony. Previously, she held development and operations roles at Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Dramatists' Guild Fund. Over the years, her experience has included fundraising, strategic planning, budget management, board development, and more. She currently sits on the board of the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce.
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CCA | Muñoz-Waxman Gallery space
1050 Old Pecos Trail Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico United States 87505
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Crashmurderbusiness
Exodus Ensemble
Chatter North
City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development
