SKILLS

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What I bring to the table

Self-starter with a commitment to excellence

  • Whether presenting events to the public or writing a memo, I aim high. Projects don’t have to be perfect, but they must be done well, consistently. Presentations must be polished and seamless and above all, they must reflect well on the institution.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with a customer service focus.
  • Vision, creativity and innovation coupled with real-world pragmatism.
  • Able to see the big picture and the details needed to mount events, or produce documents, successfully.

Experience and Passion — in particular, a passion for bringing classical music into the lives of ordinary people … anywhere, anytime

  • Keep it real: Bring a user-friendly mindset to classical music.
  • Program notes tailored for specific audiences, local interests.
  • Public speaking to civic and social organizations.
  • Teaching music appreciation at the college level.
  • Meet-and-greet marketing table set up at every event I sponsor or work on behalf of another presenter. You can learn a lot about your listeners — what they like or don’t like about your organization or the concert experience — by just saying hello. You can also drum up a lot of interest in upcoming events by telling folks what’s going on! And if you don’t have what somebody’s looking for, you’ll still make a friend for your ensemble if you can point them in the right direction.
  • Program to meet an audience halfway. I might geek out on a night of nothing but hard-core classical music, but if I want my first-time listeners to become regular followers, I try to make sure every concert I book or promote has something accessible to casual listeners. Creating easy entry points in the experience helps make classical music more welcoming to newbies, and since our audience is always “older and dying off,” doesn’t it make sense to bring in some young blood now and then? I think so. How do I do it? By stacking the deck in my favor.
  • Run benefit concert series in Northern Colorado and in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to provide music students the opportunity to perform works they want to learn while raising money for worthy local causes. Examples? Concerts in Greeley, Colo., and Cheyenne, Wyo., to help survivors of the Batman theatre shooting (2012); six weeks of brown bag concerts to help the hungry and homeless in Northern Colorado (2013, 2014); Christmas Day concerts at food banks or homeless shelters to bring holiday music to underserved audiences (annual event).

Professional training … and not just in music

  • Excellent planning and organizing skills. Outstanding written and verbal communication skills. Award-winning designs, promotions that sell tickets.
  • Well versed in AP style; Chicago/Turabian style guidebooks; and academic writing.
  • Can easily adapt writing style to meet audience or publication needs.
  • Fast and accurate. Can write copy or produce graphics on deadline.
  • Facility with technology. Curiosity about, and ease with, new technologies.
  • Comfortable in both Mac & PC environments.
  • Management level / analytic experience with Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, WordPress, Ticketmaster.
  • Extensive design background using Quark. Practical skills in Photoshop, Illustrator, In-Design, and various other desktop publishing packages.
  • Website design / page management skills in WordPress.
  • Solid skills in Microsoft Office Suite, Powerpoint and academic packages such as D2L, and Blackboard.
  • Advanced degrees in performance, arts management and music history/literature; as well as 20+ years in orchestra management, marketing and concert production.

Doing my part to make the world a better place

Keeping it real means you put your money where your mouth is. To that end, I have created and managed not only single events, but whole concert series, when I saw doing so could make a difference. I booked halls, found performers, set up rehearsals and then ran operations, fundraising, marketing, and promotions for benefit concerts as if I were doing it “for real,” as in, for a job. Along the way, I’ve raised a lot of money for local causes, music schools and historic preservation — on my own time, on my own dime. Results? Try these on for size:

  • $20,000 in cash and in-kind donations — Music at the Mansion — a series of nine benefit concerts on behalf of the Wyoming Historic Governors’ Mansion restoration fund drive. (2005-2006)
  • $30,000 in ticket sales; $10,000 in grants and private donations — A Classical Cajun Gumbo, a benefit concert featuring Doug Kershaw (“The Ragin’ Cajun”) and the UNC Symphony Orchestra on behalf of the 25th anniversary of UNC’s Western States Honor Orchestra Festival. (2008)
  • 625 pounds of canned goods for the Weld County Food Bank donated by audiences at 16 events during the summer of 2014. A donation of this size was unexpected at that time of year, and the timing could not have been better: Weld County was hit by massive flooding that fall, leaving homeless shelters and community outreach organizations desperate for food for not only their regular clientele, but the general public as well. (2014)
  • $1.5 million dollars raised for the restoration of Wyoming’s Historic Governors’ Mansion over a period of five years, working as a full-time volunteer. I lobbied the Legislature, wrote grant proposals, put out fundraising appeals, and asked key people for money. After the house was restored, I organized and hosted a First Family Reunion so all of Wyoming’s former governors and their families could take part in the grand reopening along with the public. (2005)

And finally …

  • Honesty, candor, diplomacy. Able to speak truthfully, yet kindly, to anyone — peers, audiences, funding agents, and the general public – under ordinary circumstances but I excel when others are stressed or a project is in chaos. Crisis management PR a particular strength.