Author: bellac521

In these past eight days I feel like I have learned so much. Whether it be from my daily “Numbers Talk” with Kim where we go over how sales are doing and what we theoretically need to make to be in a good place (guys please buy Blinds Boys tickets), or Maria’s stories about her time with the symphony and over the cubical wall conversations, or watching everyone work the shows, I feel like I am really coming away from this with some amazing experiences. From the ins and outs of Excel and prospect  searching to my days at Summerfest interacting with the community, even to all the paper shredding, I feel like I have clearer perspective on what it is I maybe want to pursue one day.

The North Carolina Symphony is not simply a conductor and musicians (although important, yes) but a group of knowledgable, creative, hard working individuals that work behind the scenes all day to make sure the orchestra is able to put on shows that everyone can be proud of. So to 3700 Glenwood Ave., thank you so, so much for this experience.

Some highlights:

-Beth and the Orchestra Library

-A tour of the concert halls (very nostalgic – I forgot how much I love Memorial Hall)

-Parking in the wrong parking lot at Koka Booth 1000 miles away from where I should have parked and having to drag a 3000lb cart to the front entrance

-My goodbye fruit tart (Thank you Maria!)

And…

I finished the filing cabinet today!

Today was a slower day around the office. I worked some more on finding prospects and events to get into contact with, and made some phone calls to clients that won concert tickets. Around 11:30 I was tasked with going through and organizing the filing cabinets!!!! It was amazing to see all of the things that accumulated over the years, and I got to learn more about the accounts of sponsors and the importance of keeping almost all records on file (always keep W9 forms, I don’t know what they are used for, but Maria said they are really important so never throw yours away). On slower days it is harder to appreciate the work that I am doing, but it has truly given me a look into what a true office day is like and it has taught me that not every day is going to be super eventful but it is easy to appreciate a break from all the madness of concerts!

The NC Symphony’s marketing department is always looking for new ways to reach out to potential new clients, so today I researched upcoming events in the Triangle Area that the company can go to and find people that have a yet-to-be-realized love for symphonies. Events like festivals and art expositions were my main researching points but it was interesting to see how much goes on in the area where everyone holds common interests. Whether it be music or art or superheroes or beer, there is always something that connects us.

I spent my morning taking a trip down to Meymandi Concert Hall to tour the facility as well as take a peek into today’s rehearsal for the Patron’s Appreciation Concert. The Symphony, every couple of years, invites all of their subscribers and season ticket holders, as well as donors, to a free concert held at the hall as a thank you for their support. I was able to sit in for a couple of scores and it was really amazing to experience the music in a proper setting.

As a part of my integration into the symphony society, my supervisor had me meet with the orchestra librarian to get a better understanding of how everything works. At Meymandi Hall, in the depths of the basement, through seemingly a million doors and small corridors, Deb (the orchestra librarian) sits amongst thousands of scores that the symphony has collected over the years.

The Orchestra Librarian, I have learned, has one of the most important jobs of the NC Symphony. Deb not only delivers and sets up the musician’s music, but also deals with a plethora of copyrighting laws, the composers wants and 14 series of music to prepare for the upcoming season. She explained that the process of buying and/or renting pieces of music starts almost a year in advance to the time it is actually played. She deals with all of the companies selling the music and HAND WRITES all of the conductor’s and other musician’s markings into all of the other sets of music.

We talked about the history of written music and why some pieces can or cannot be purchased, as well as how the history of the U.S. has affected the music, the composers, and the direction of classical music itself. We talked about our mutual love of Duke Ellington and how she became the NC Symphony’s principal orchestra librarian. We talked about how she never thought she would be in the position she’s at today, that she always planned on playing percussion in an orchestra, but how ultimately she feels that everyone ends up where they are supposed to be in life. (<my favorite takeaway)

 

My Friday (and first Summerfest experience) with the Symphony was an all around chaotic experience. I started the day with my usual spreadsheet work and paper shredding until it was time to pack the cart (which is an extremely tedious process fyi) and head on over to Koka Booth.

After setting up our booth, my supervisor took me on a tour of the amphitheater. There is a whole downstairs with elevators and dressing rooms and tons and tons of sheet music! My duties included setting out booklets, taking pictures of the families that came, marking which tables were open, and picking “Picnic of the Week”. The annual Summerfest goers pack picnics with themes in hopes of winning a gift card from Lowes. After the many hours of running around, my feet hurt like crazy, but it was so worth getting to see the production that the marketing team had been talking about all week.  AND I did it all over again on Saturday 🙂

 

IMG_7079-18gu6lm

Today was somewhat of a slow day at the office for me, but it gave me the chance to really observe the work and chaos happening all around me. Between spreadsheets of revenues made from the past 2017-2018 season of concerts, I would overhear the conversations about the newest publications and what they need to be able to sell tickets. I learned the importance of less words the better as well as always having a target audience in mind. The NC Symphony, in hopes of finding better ways to sell tickets for the Summer Fest activities, focuses on finding deals and events for families, deals that discount the tickets to make sure the entire family can get out and enjoy the music. Over the sound of spreading papers in the copier room, I could hear the various conversations about what colors work well together and can create a more cohesive pamphlet to get people’s interest sparked for the upcoming season.

Tomorrow will be my first day working a Summer Fest Event, and although I am sure I will not be doing the most important tasks around the venue, I am excited to see how the community interacts and impacts the work done in the office.