MEDIA RELEASE: Samuel Cairnduff releases Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras
MEDIA RELEASE
October 20, 2025
Samuel Cairnduff releases Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras
A landmark new study reframing how cultural institutions define leadership, purpose and public value
A new book from Routledge, Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras, by cultural management scholar, broadcaster and consultant Dr Samuel Cairnduff, will be released on Monday 20 October 2025.
The book interrogates the widespread yet ill-defined use of “cultural leadership” in strategic plans, policies and industry discourse. Despite its ubiquity, the term has lacked clarity and cohesion in both theory and practice. Drawing on fieldwork with twenty artistic and executive leaders, Dr Cairnduff explores how orchestras grapple with the tension between artistic tradition and civic expectation, revealing a deeper uncertainty about their purpose and place in society.
At the heart of Harmonising Cultural Leadership is a new conceptual and practical model of organisational cultural leadership, centred on purpose alignment, authentic social participation and stakeholder value creation. This model repositions leadership as a collective, institutional process rather than the preserve of individuals, reframing how cultural organisations engage with their audiences, artists and communities.
“This book is about reconnecting purpose with practice,” says Dr Cairnduff. “For too long, cultural leadership has been treated as a slogan rather than a framework for action. Orchestras and arts organisations have an extraordinary capacity to shape public life, but only when their artistic values, organisational structures and social responsibilities are in harmony.”
“Across the sector we are seeing renewed pressure for cultural institutions to demonstrate relevance, accountability and authenticity. This book invites a deeper conversation about how we define leadership, who it serves, and what it means to create social value through culture.”
Blending theory, case study and reflective analysis, Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras draws on Dr Cairnduff’s unique perspective at the intersection of academia, professional practice and media. It arrives at a time of significant debate about the role of cultural institutions in society and offers both a critique of the status quo and a roadmap for change.
About Dr Samuel Cairnduff
Dr Samuel Cairnduff is an experienced arts and cultural management professional, academic and consultant whose career spans performance, leadership and research across Australia and the United Kingdom.
Based in London for a decade, he founded and directed a cultural-sector PR and touring agency, producing and publicising concerts and theatre productions throughout the capital. His work included representing legendary artists such as Marvin Hamlisch, John Williams and Charlie Watts, producing stage shows including Patricia Routledge: Facing the Music and Fascinating Aïda at St James Theatre, and curating festivals at Kings Place. During this time, he was also the resident pianist at the Dorchester, Claridge’s and Savoy hotels, performing nightly to international audiences, and recorded a six-CD set of solo piano music, released worldwide by Silva Screen Records.
Returning to Australia in 2016, Dr Cairnduff was appointed Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Affairs at one of Australia’s state orchestras, leading audience development, branding and engagement strategy for more than five years. His work in the orchestral sector informed his doctoral research into leadership and public purpose in the performing arts.
Now an academic at the University of Melbourne, he teaches and supervises across arts and cultural management and media and communications. He has also held teaching and research positions at Monash University, RMIT and Deakin University, where his work explores cultural leadership, strategic communication and organisational ethics in the creative industries.
Dr Cairnduff is the Principal of RESONATE // Cultural Leadership, a consultancy providing communications and strategy services to major cultural institutions across Australia. He is also the creator and host of the podcast Decoding Cultural Leadership, produced with Limelight Magazine, featuring conversations with leading figures in the global arts community. In addition, he is a presenter on ABC Classic, where he writes and presents programs exploring the stories behind music, performance and culture.
He is an alumnus of the Australia Council for the Arts’ Arts Leaders Program and has served on numerous cultural and community boards, including Van Diemen’s Band and the Launceston Cultural Advisory Committee.
About the book
Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras is the first in-depth study of cultural leadership within Australian orchestras. It draws on interviews, policy analysis and industry case studies to expose the organisational challenges that inhibit cultural leadership and to identify pathways towards more inclusive and purpose-driven practice.
The book argues that cultural leadership must extend beyond individuals to become a shared institutional capability that connects artistic purpose with social responsibility. By doing so, it contributes original theory and practical insights to international conversations about leadership, governance and value in the cultural sector.
Harmonising Cultural Leadership in Professional Orchestras is available from Routledge and major online booksellers from 20 October 2025.
MEDIA CONTACT
Dr Samuel Cairnduff
Principal, RESONATE Cultural Leadership
samuel.j.cairnduff@gmail.com | 0401 396 755
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