"For this year’s Musical America Professionals of the Year, we asked our readers to nominate 'key influencers.' These are the folks who are making a difference in our business, either by virtue of their position, their creativity, and/or their dedication—people about whom you could say, 'When they speak, we listen.'” - Musical America

"Mei-Ann Chen never misses an opportunity to try something new. During one Chicago Sinfonietta performance, for example, a Chicago-based punk marching band, Mucca Pazza, emerged from below stage wearing mismatched uniforms for Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. As a toy cannon shot confetti, younger listeners tried to grab handfuls. According to Chen, imaginative touches like these draw otherwise reluctant people to try classical music. 

Since 2011 Chen has led the Sinfonietta, an ensemble that
prides itself on inclusiveness and innovation in classical music. Under Chen’s guidance, last year the orchestra’s “Project Inclusion Conducting Fellowship” saw its first graduates secure assistant conducting posts at the Minnesota Orchestra and San Diego Symphony."
-excerpt, full piece via link below.