Lacey M. Huszcza

Las Vegas entertains in so many ways, but it’s the music that conjures that feeling of excitement in the millions of people that visit our city, as well as those that are proud to call it home. From the breathtaking synchronized playlist of the Bellagio Fountains and the adventurous and inspirational soundtracks of Cirque Du Soleil, to must-see headliner concerts and our very own Philharmonic, music is the heartbeat of Vegas.  Nobody knows that better than Lacey Huszcza, pronounced (HOO-shuh). “I’m thrilled to be in my first six months as Executive Director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic.  The best thing is that I get to work with fantastic musicians and a wonderful artistic mind in Music Director Donato Cabrera and with so many Las Vegans,” she beamed. “I have the joy of collaborating with other arts and community leaders, as well as talking with donors and subscribers that are moved by the music. So often I get to help awaken possibility in other people.  That is where the magic really happens.”

Music has always been a part of Huszcza’s life, so it was inevitable that she would gravitate to a career where she could nurture her passion. “I grew up in Colorado, and like a lot of people, played piano and then started playing in my school band.  I was a French Horn player, and I loved participating in music of every kind. I played in youth orchestra, in my high school jazz band, and in our wind ensemble.”  One of her favorite activities was to help coordinate the annual Music & Blossom Festival in her community. “I was in high school, so my coordination related primarily to the band competitions, but the festival had a parade, jazz band competitions, an arts and crafts fair, a carnival—it had everything! I loved how the whole community was a part of it.  It brought people together, drove tourists to town and highlighted what made our city special.”  Several years later when Huszcza was about to graduate from college and had determined that a career as a professional musician wasn’t for her, she found an internship at the Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, which is where her career path was solidified. “I worked with the fundraising team and learned the importance of donations and improved my skills in that area,” she said. From there Huszcza moved to L.A. and began working with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and helped fundraise, create events and put a spotlight on the artists, all while getting her MBA at Pepperdine University to ensure she had the business background to one day run an orchestra. She and her husband Dan, a freelance trumpet player whom she met while at the University of Colorado Boulder, moved to Vegas last year to begin her adventure with the Las Vegas Philharmonic.

The LV Phil’s mission is to inspire a lifelong appreciation of music through performances and educational experiences that will enhance the lives of residents and the culture of the city. Over the last twenty years, the LV Phil has performed more than 150 concerts and youth concert series and has served over 250,000 students. This May, the Philharmonic will present the Season Finale concert, “Ode to Joy”, performing Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (which drew inspiration from the French poem titled Ode to Joy) & Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. “I am excited that I get to lead the Las Vegas Philharmonic into the future and contribute new dimensions to its legacy,” says Lacey. “I believe that art done well creates a space for emotion and expression of that emotion. Art can lift us up or help us sit back in thought. Art can provide clarity or create questions that make us think deeply about ourselves and our surroundings. My good friend and conductor Jeffrey Kahane once said that for an orchestra to truly fulfill its highest potential, it must be an ‘instrument of the community’, and that is my hope for the Philharmonic in Las Vegas.”

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