As many of you will have noted, we are advertising for an Intern. Although not the most glamorous job title, we are looking for a gap year student, graduate or someone looking to start their journey in the world of arts management. While, inevitably, they will prove their worth by a deft music stand manoeuvre at a critical moment, we hope that they will also learn a great deal by working with us for a season.
 |
| Quiet coffee moment before rehearsal at Greenwich |
Now on the other side of the proverbial table, I feel able
to comment on the usefulness of such a position because I started off my
career in a similar position. Working in artist management with some concerts and
festivals thrown in, I received enough money to cover approximately half an
M&S sandwich a day and never worked so diligently in my life. I lived for
six months with a very generous family of friends and
commuted with the besuited bankers, spending a couple of evenings a week tutoring a
lovely AS-level student to make some extra cash. At work, I learned extremely
rapidly about everything from how to use (and clean) one of those
complex-looking coffee machines to the ins and outs of contracts and A1 forms
(don’t ask). The six months flew by, in a whirl of after-work drinks, concerts
in some of the most prestigious venues in London – where the artist afterwards hugged
and thanked you for booking his taxi there – and a mind-alteringly improved
understanding of Microsoft Word.
Most crucially, I learned a great deal. Having already
worked in a different sector, I thought I knew how to be organised, how to
respond to emails and how to get the most out of a day at my desk. But here
were new challenges – working towards others’ proclivities and timetables,
answering the phone and the door (often simultaneously) and remembering that a
lack of attention to detail could mean a ferry for twelve singers heading in
the reverse direction to that which it was intended. Behind the glamorous
veneer of concerts, recitals and festivals, there is an underworld of less exciting overseas
travel logistics, tax, VAT, contracts, percentages and electronic diary management, which
is time-consuming and often complex. In the orchestral world, the challenges vary slightly but still include tight schedules and similarly tight spaces in
cathedrals, social media, publicity, printing, cataloguing and a wide range of admin tasks. It's a eye-opening introduction into something most of us never contemplated.
 |
| Typical concert-day rehearsal, in Bath Abbey |
Most importantly, though, you’ll be learning constantly –
surrounded by an experienced team of orchestral managers (ours also travel the world with artists as varied as Neville Marriner, Michael Buble and the Monteverdi
Choir), our projects manager Natasha who is also one of our wonderful oboists
(see her post here) and many more, your journey will be an informative and
enjoyable one. Highlights for me include days spent in some of the most
beautiful buildings our country has to offer, working with professional musicians,
the local community and schoolchildren all in the same day, and trying to find
extra chairs for our recent sold-out concert – I hope you find your own.
 |
| Our 13-14 intern James celebrating a place at Oxford with MD Kay |
Southern Sinfonia is offering a three days per week, ten
month voluntary placement in its small Administration and Management team.
Based in Newbury, Berkshire, the Administration and Management internship
offers the opportunity to gain experience of how a world-class and busy team
works, in the areas of orchestral management, education and participation,
artistic planning and administration. The successful candidate will work within
the main office, music library and in venues throughout the South of England,
working closely with a number of colleagues and musicians across the organisation. To apply, email julia@southernsinfonia.co.uk for a job description.
No comments:
Post a Comment