^{PHOTO: CHRISTINA GANDOLFO}

Sel Kardan
President & CEO
The Colburn School of Music

As President and CEO, Sel Kardan leads The Colburn School and its academic units which serve more than 2,000 students in music and dance from early childhood development to post-graduate studies. His vision for Colburn is distinguished by his commitment to the school’s continuum of education, providing a place where students of all ages and skill levels can develop and thrive. Since becoming Colburn’s president in 2009, Mr. Kardan has overseen the creation of new academies for pre-college musicians and pre-professional ballet dancers; has grown Colburn’s role as a cultural and educational resource in the Los Angeles community by expanding community engagement initiatives, need based scholarships, and free and low cost performances; and has developed local, national, and international partnerships emphasizing access to the institution’s educational and performance excellence. Most recently, under Mr. Kardan’s leadership, Colburn has embarked on an ambitious building project. The Colburn Center, designed by Frank Gehry, will add state-of-the-art performance venues and spaces for learning to the Colburn campus and enable the school to expand its mission of presenting programs for the public.