Arts Administration Students Get Work Experience at Local Organizations

CCM is partnered with the University of Cincinnati’s nationally ranked Lindner College of Business in one of the few MA/MBA graduate Arts Administration programs in the country. We train future CEOs and senior managers of nonprofit arts institutions by giving our students real world experience at local and national arts organizations.

Applications are now open for fall 2017 admissions into the program. In the past six years, 100% of arts administration graduates have found jobs in their field. Many go on to leadership positions in small and large organizations, while others launch their own nonprofits. While enrolled, students have multiple opportunities to gain real-world experience through internships and graduate assistantships. This year, two first-year students are balancing school work with internships at local organizations — the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra and concert:nova. Below you can read about their experiences so far.

Stephanie Calascione | First-year Graduate Student in Arts Administration
Graduate Assistant for the Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra

Stephanie Calascione.

The Cincinnati Youth Symphony Orchestra is my new home. I am the current CCM Graduate Assistant for the CSYO and it has been an amazing opportunity for me. The CSYO is under the umbrella of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and consists of the younger Concert Orchestra and the upper Philharmonic Orchestra. My main role within the organization is the active librarian for both orchestras as well as the general operations and personnel administrator for the upper orchestra.

Being a part of the CSYO is a perfect opportunity to experience a little bit of everything in an organization. Although it is linked to the CSO, the youth orchestras seem to operate separately from the major orchestra. This, in part, is attributed to the very small education staff through the CSO that focuses specifically on the youth programs. It is also attributed to the fact that it has its own budget, programming, schedules, personnel and equipment. I have the opportunity to interact with the employees of the CSO and communicate with the CSO musicians.

Growing up, I was a part of the Colorado Youth Symphony Orchestra; this background has given me perspective into how important this program is to kids. Going to a rehearsal every week to play advanced repertoire is imperative to the musical growth of a child. For some kids, this orchestra could be their only opportunity. For others, it is an opportunity to further their musical capacity. For everyone, it is a time each week to make music in an enriching environment with friends.

This experience has affirmed my love for orchestras and enriched my enjoyment of helping today’s youth. I’ve gained useful experience in operations, production, personnel management and librarianship. Expanding my professional connections by communicating with the CSO staff and musicians to get them involved with the CSYO and has opened the door to many opportunities in the future.

Deborah Stevens | First-year Graduate Student, Arts Administration
Internship: Administrative Intern for concert:nova

Deborah Stevens.

For the 2016-17 school year, I’m serving as an Administrative Intern for concert:nova, a small chamber music organization that creates innovative and collaborative classical music performances. My duties span a variety of administrative areas, including donor solicitation and acknowledgment, email marketing blasts, grant writing and reporting and box office management. With an undergraduate degree and several internships in theatre, this has been my first opportunity to work with a music organization. It has allowed me to broaden my horizons to different art forms, and to utilize the skills I am learning in the classroom.

concert:nova is known as “Cincinnati’s Music Lab” because of its artist-driven collaborations that create multidimensional performances. Seeing these performances evolve from concepts to artistic experiences and knowing that I have contributed has been incredibly rewarding. concert:nova’s first event of the season was a caffeinated collaboration with Deeper Roots Coffee, inspired by composers who loved coffee. It featured a myriad of musical selections — from Bach’s Coffee Cantata to “Taylor the Latte Boy” — all interspersed with narratives about the history of coffee. Running the box office, I had the opportunity to connect with the attendees of this event and hear the overwhelmingly positive things they had to say about the performance.

Another exciting aspect of concert:nova’s programming is their educational program, Next:Generation, which gives music students at local universities, including CCM, the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial skills in order to pursue a career in music. This year concert:nova is expanding its educational programming to include more community engagement events. In mid-October, it held the first of a series of free Late:Night events targeted at young professionals. An experience in synesthesia, it featured solo instrumentations of Berio works paired with wine. With complimentary admission and wine tasting, this event was successful in bringing in students who otherwise may not have attended a concert:nova performance, due to time, cost or other constraints.

concert:nova is such an innovative organization, and I am delighted to join it this season. Working there has given me the opportunity to see how a musical organization runs, an experience I would not have undertaken were it not for the Arts Administration program. I am gaining invaluable knowledge in grant-writing, marketing, communication and non-profit administration — skills that will prepare me to work in any art form.

The deadline to apply to CCM’s Arts Administration program is Dec. 1. Learn more about the program online at ccm.uc.edu/theatre/arts_admin.