Music Society of the Future

the future is now.

In the spirit of Gustav Mahler — “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire” — the Music Society of the Future (MSF) is on a mission to empower visionary musicians and provide a platform to share their unique voices.

Board of Directors

MSF board of directors
Nikka Gershman: Founder, Executive, and Artistic Director
Nikka Gershman: Founder, Executive, and Artistic Director

Nikka Gershman is a flutist, composer, and Juilliard Kovner Fellow dedicated to expanding the canonical repertoire and collaborative endeavors at the highest level. Her passion for preserving history while championing innovation inspired her to found the MSF.

Elliot Lippy: Vice President of Artistic Planning
Elliot Lippy: Vice President of Artistic Planning

Elliot Lippy is a cellist, composer, and Juilliard Kovner Fellow. As a composer, he seeks musical syncretism, from Bach in 17th-century Germany to Prokofiev in Soviet Russia, with an emphasis on counterpoint. The intensity of expression lies at the core of his performance philosophy.

Zhenya Gershman: President of the Board
Zhenya Gershman: President of the Board

Zhenya Gershman is an artist and educator. She is the Founder of Zhenya’s Art Academy and Project AWE 501(c)3, and is a World Ambassador for Royal Talens. Her expertise in art history, research, and entrepreneurship provides a diverse curatorial perspective.

Johannes Fischer: Director of Research and Media
Johannes Fischer: Director of Research and Media

Johannes Fischer is a musicologist at the University of Hamburg, journalist, and violinist dedicated to deepening public engagement with classical music through research, criticism, and media. He brings an international perspective shaped by his German-American upbringing and experience as both a performer and writer.

Advisory Board

Advisory board
Elliott Forrest
Elliott Forrest

Elliott Forrest is a Peabody Award winning Broadcaster, Producer & Director. He can be heard on 105.9 FM WQXR, WQXR.org and WNYC in New York. Elliott is the Producer and Projection Designer for the national tour “An Evening with Itzhak Perlman” and the Michael Feinstein concert celebrating Judy Garland at 100.

Mike Greene
Mike Greene

Mike Greene is an American arts executive who served as head of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) from 1985 to 2002, and the president and CEO of Artist Tribe and myMuse. Under Greene’s leadership, the Grammy Awards ceremony grew from being syndicated in 14 countries to over 180.

Harry Maslin
Harry Maslin

Harry Maslin is an American record producer, recording/mixing engineer, and studio owner/designer. In the mid-1970s, he engineered No. 1 hits for Barry Manilow and Dionne Warwick & The Spinners. As a producer, his chart hits include David Bowie's "Fame" (US No. 1) in 1975 and "Golden Years" (US No. 10) in 1976, as well as seven singles in the Top 5 for Air Supply from 1980 to 1982.

Friends of the MSF

Joe Coresh, Epidemiologist, Founding Director of the Optimal Aging Institute at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Violetta Fiorino, Architect and Painter

Tina Miller, Producer, and Charles Miller, former VP of Digital Media at Madison Square Garden Entertainment, currently Immersive Entertainment Producer/Tech Startup Founder.

Robin Trento, Associate Director of Art Muse Los Angeles, and Research Assistant in the Department of Drawings at the J. Paul Getty Museum.

In partnership with project AWE, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to fostering education and the arts. Make a 100% tax-deductible donation here.