Why Join the San Gabriel Valley Symphony Board of Directors

The San Gabriel Valley Symphony (The SGV Performing Arts Association) is a performing arts ensemble dedicated to serving the San Gabriel Valley and the broader Southern California region through live music that meets people where they are, with a focus on contemporary repertoire from film, video games, and popular media rather than the traditional orchestral canon. Its work reflects a region shaped by strong Asian American and Latino cultural influence, alongside the broader mix of communities and immigrant experiences that define both the San Gabriel Valley and Southern California’s contemporary cultural landscape.

The  SGV Symphony contributes to a broader cultural entertainment platform that places live performance at the center of community life and brings music into the everyday spaces that define the region.

History

Founded in May 2025 as a special initiative of Arts Bridging the Gap, the San Gabriel Valley Symphony was established in living memory of the victims of the Monterey Park mass shooting, with a commitment to community resilience and the unifying power of live music. Its inaugural season featured four flagship concerts, including its debut performance at the Barnes Park Amphitheatre honoring the Monterey Park community, alongside more than twenty smaller performances presented throughout the San Gabriel Valley in partnership with local businesses and organizations. During this time, the Symphony also established a residency at the Mission Playhouse, further anchoring its presence in the region’s cultural life.

Through this work, it has rapidly built a broad coalition of artists, partners, and audiences, positioning itself as one of the fastest-growing cultural institutions in California and advancing a vision of the San Gabriel Valley as a leading center for arts and culture.

As a Board member, you help make that possible.

What your leadership supports:

A diverse, young organization. SGV Symphony is led and operated by a team of young people from the communities we serve. Your governance and leadership helps ensure that this generation has the infrastructure, resources, and institutional support to build something lasting.

A new cultural ecosystem. We are positioning the San Gabriel Valley as a cultural epicenter within Southern California — not just a place where arts happen, but a place that exports culture. Board members play a direct role in shaping that vision.

A community that defines SoCal. The SGV is Southern California. Its communities, its food, its music, its identity — these are the stories that define the region. We exist to amplify that.

Youth programs and the next generation. Through initiatives like the SGV Youth Orchestra, we are building a pipeline — giving young musicians in this community a path to see themselves in the arts and imagine a future within it.

AAPI culture at the center. SGV Symphony is one of the only orchestras in the country that centers AAPI culture as a founding principle — performing anime soundtracks, video game scores, and music that reflects the full breadth of what AAPI culture looks like today.

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