Angelica Cortez

Angelica Cortez (she/her) is a Los Angeles-born arts leader working at the intersection of music, education, and justice. She is excited to become the Executive Director of the Suzuki Association of the Americas in January, where she joins a long legacy of educators who believe in the fundamental power of music education and its ability to impact the lives of young people. She served as Interim President and CEO of El Sistema USA, where she collaborated with member organizations across the country who provide music and youth development programming to young people who often face barriers in accessing music education. She led fundraising efforts, strategic partnerships, programming, and managed the general operations of the organization. She has worked for the Los Angeles Philharmonic on YOLA, Gustavo Dudamel’s signature program offering music education and academic support to 1,500 young people in Los Angeles and across the country. She was responsible for the launch of YOLA National programs, which included annual Symposia for administrators and educators, music festivals and college support for young people, and several national and international tours. Angelica was selected as one of eleven fellows for Sphinx LEAD (Leaders in Excellence, Arts, & Diversity), a two-year leadership program designed to evolve the industry land scape by empowering the next generation of executive leaders. She is an active speaker, educator, and consultant, recently connecting with students at Cornell University, University of California Berkeley, and University of Southern California. Angelica has degrees in trumpet performance and teaching from University of California Davis, Longy School of Music, and Bard College. Outside of her work and healthy obsession with music, she loves writing, cooking, running, reading, and her community.