More than 150 alumni and guests from HBS Association of Southern California and the Harvard Club turned out on January 5 for the Aronson Cello Festival’s presentation of a concert by Cellist Ben Hong of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and two short films by Emmy-winning Los Angeles filmmaker Ty Kim (MBA 2000).

The program took place at the Colburn School, a performing arts school in downtown Los Angeles.

“We opened with my film about Ben Hong, who is an extraordinary, world-class artist,” says Kim, currently the Board Chairman for the Aronson Cello Festival (ACF).

Filmmaker Ty Kim (MBA 2000) chats with Cellist Ben Hong before the show. (photos by Sabrina Kim)

Cellist Ben Hong performs at the Aronson Cello Festival concert for the HBSA of Southern California.

Filmmaker Ty Kim (MBA 2000) chats with Cellist Ben Hong before the show. (photos by Sabrina Kim)

Cellist Ben Hong performs at the Aronson Cello Festival concert for the HBSA of Southern California.

The ACF honors the memory of cellist and teacher, Lev Aronson, a student of the virtuoso Gregor Piatigorsky. Aronson survived the Holocaust and later became principal cellist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and a teacher to a new generation of renowned cellists. One of his last students, Brian Thornton of the Cleveland Orchestra, launched the ACF to honor his teacher.

Kim’s film tells the story of Hong, a child prodigy who left his native Taiwan at the age of 13 to study the cello at the Julliard School in New York and later studied with the acclaimed soloist Lynn Harrell (also a student of Lev Aronson) at USC's Thornton School of Music. “That makes Ben a third generation artist influenced by Lev Aronson's legacy,” says Kim.

After the film, Hong performed selections from Beethoven and Schumann, followed by another short film by Kim, about the life of another Aronson student, cellist Mitchell Maxwell.

Hong concluded the concert with the theme from “Schindler’s List” by John Williams, and a selection from Debussy.

“It was deeply moving and so well-received,” says Kim. “Lev Aronson’s story is about the enduring power of music, and how one person who turned darkness into light can make a difference. The program was a very ambitious, thoughtfully realized performance, and at the end, there was not a dry eye in the place. It was transcendent.”

Kim, who organized the event for the HBSASC, says he was thrilled to see “the huge presence of Harvard folks” in the audience.

“I’m so grateful to the Harvard community for all of the support,” he says. “So many people came up to me afterwards to conveying their gratitude and joy.”

A cellist himself, Kim is an award-winning filmmaker who honed his storytelling craft working closely with Mike Wallace and Ed Bradley at CBS News/60 Minutes. In addition to the films presented in the show, he recently completed the documentary feature "A Cellist's Life" about the 60-year musical journey of Lynn Harrell, which includes a supporting cast of Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, John Williams, André Previn, and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

Human Capital Management expert Kevin Sheridan (MBA 1988) (far right, standing) enjoys a light moment during his talk at the HBS Club of Chicago's NSIG Breakfast Club.

Human Capital Management expert Kevin Sheridan (MBA 1988) (far right, standing) enjoys a light moment during his talk at the HBS Club of Chicago's NSIG Breakfast Club.

HBS Club of Chicago alumni and guests welcomed Kevin Sheridan (MBA 1988), a human capital management expert and NY Times best-selling author of Building a Magnetic Culture, as the featured speaker at its monthly North Shore Interest Group (NSIG) Breakfast Club gathering on January 9.

“Whether you’re a startup or an established corporation with 5 or 5 million employees, the needs are the same. The number-one priority among C-suite executives is talent attraction and retention,” says Sheridan, who guides companies on best practices for employee engagement. “I’ve run three companies myself, so I use a lot of storytelling in my talks, sharing what I’ve learned from my own mistakes in addition to the research.”

According to NSIG Breakfast Club organizer Carol Barnett (MBA 1990), the talk attracted an audience with a wide range of experiences and perspectives, with MBAs from the 1960s through to more recent years.

“We had a highly engaged group and a very good dialogue,” says Barnett. “It was a kind of career therapy for some in our audience. We enjoyed a very constructive conversation.”

Sheridan’s talk focused on recruitment marketing and specifically encouraged any organization seeking top talent to deploy a range of technological tools such as AI-powered chat bots in social media, data analytics to enhance candidate experience, and rewards to employees who refer successful hires.

For nearly 30 years, Sheridan has been a high-level Human Capital Management consultant and expert on the topic of employee engagement and magnetic leadership. He has consulted for some of the world’s largest corporations, and has earned several distinctive awards and honors. His newest innovation, PEER®, is consistently recognized as a long overdue, industry-changing, innovation in the field of employee engagement. He is also the creator of HR360™, which won Human Resource Executive magazine’s “HR Product of the Year” award.

Sheridan is a regularly featured presenter at HBS, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), the Human Resources Management Association of Chicago (HRMAC), Society of Human Resources Professionals (SHRP), Monster.com, The Human Capital Institute, the American Hospital Association, and The British Museum.

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