Ben Cadwallader is the new Executive Director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Before VSO, Ben was the Education Programs Manager at the LA Philharmonic. As the new Executive Director he wants to lead the orchestra to take more risks and think outside of the concert hall. The Vermont Symphony Orchestra has been part of its community for 81 years and continues to serve this community through its season of classical work, outreach programs, children’s concerts, composer residencies, as well as choral and chamber music concerts. 

Julia Lewis: What are the apps you use everyday, and why do you like them?

Ben Cadwallader: I absolutely love Flipboard. Aggregating content from news to social media feeds to favorite magazines in a simple, beautiful, easy-to-read interface is a perfect way to consume media. As a Wikipedia fanatic, I love Wikipanion too - similar to Flipboard, it puts Wikipedia articles in a simple and intuitive article format, easy to digest on a small screen. 

JL: Is there an app that has surprised you with its usefulness?

BC: Probably Waze. The real-time traffic data and smart route generation has saved me countless hours over the years. Especially during my years in Los Angeles... 

JL: If you could recommend one app to arts managers, what would it be?

BC: Flipboard. You can create "magazines" that automatically update with content that's directly relevant to your field, enabling you to stay in front of the conversation. 

JL: Is there an app you think developers should be working on?

BC: You know how with Yelp you can search for bars & restaurants in your area that fit within certain parameters? It would be awesome to have something like that for the arts. You could identify date range, specify interest (visual art, theatre, avant-garde, offers food/drink etc.), price range, geographic area, and see what's out there. Eventually adding OpenTable-like reservation functionality would be awesome too.