I recently completed a two month internship in the operations department of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra. I was fortunate to work under the supervision of Ms. Sue Klick, director of operations. Having lived in Pennsylvania and attended HSO concerts for many years, I was drawn to this opportunity to learn more about how this organization functions.
The period from May to July focused on preparing for five free summer concerts. There were a variety of staff briefings to review important tasks and make sure work was delegated evenly. I routinely typed summaries of these meetings to email to the staff. My tasks included creating travel direction sheets and labeling venue maps, calling and emailing police and ambulance services, crafting online hotel and bus surveys for musicians, onsite operations involving signs, parking, equipment management, setup and cleanup, audience interaction and assistance, preparing guest artist and conductor talking points, and typing important letters and documents concerning commissioners and sponsors.
I was also privileged to work with other directors including Jeff Woodruff and Gloria Giambalvo. We attended off site meetings including at the Harrisburg Forum to review projector and screen specs and a potential stage expansion in anticipation of future film and ballet related events. I also attended the Mayor’s address at the city government building to promote the symphony and summer concerts. I worked closely with Curt Rohrer discussing graphic design, marketing and outreach to different communities and produced a flyer for our premier concert at Reservoir Park in Harrisburg.
Mark Hunsberger also discussed the symphony’s role in funding school programs and youth symphony opportunities for young children, which I incorporate into a letter I drafted for the board of education. These unique opportunities helped me better understand that the symphony’s audience extends outside the concert hall as we try to engage and empower a wide variety of individuals.
Under the supervision of parks and recreation director Larry Moore, I volunteered at the Dauphin County “Music & Wine Festival” at Fort Hunter Park in Harrisburg. The guest performer, stage, and site management gave me a “behind-the scenes” look at the leadership and planning of successful events that engage the community.
Other responsibilities included work in anticipation of the 2017-2018 concert season. This included creating spreadsheets of repertoire and instrumentation for each masterworks concert and hiring spreadsheets specifying rehearsal and concert orders, points of contact, and instrumentation and subbing needs. This provided an interesting view of how the operations department interacts with the artistic director’s decisions, as well as the implications of costs, schedule, and hiring for every repertoire choice.
The structure of the internship really brought out a variety of my skills and interests. I used my creativity and musical knowledge in the tasks I completed as well as my skills in communication and writing. In addition, the teamwork and collaboration between departments provided a sense of self-identity, as every staff member’s input was vital to the success of the whole organization. This was a very organic structure that prevented a feeling of isolation in my work. The organization’s flexibility with hours also enabled me to continue my repertoire and performance goals outside of the internship. The attention to details and reviewing of important documents and logistics has also transformed my perspective of organizing my own performances. I have tried to think holistically about all the different components that go into planning an event to create an immersive and multidimensional experience for my audience.
