November 22, 2022
xxxx视频 students, graduates gain early professional footholds in culture-rich Northern Ohio
Not to be discounted among the many advantages of a xxxx视频 education: the ready availability of professional-level work in the region.
Thanks to its location at the heart of culture-rich Northeast Ohio, xxxx视频 affords graduates and active students alike the chance to play in any number of orchestras, up to and including The Cleveland Orchestra.
Even as they study with world-class faculty and enjoy all that xxxx视频 and Cleveland鈥檚 University Circle have to offer, students and graduates here are empowered to start their careers or gain invaluable experience and connections, all within a short drive.
鈥淗aving so many orchestras in the area means that students have several paths and options as they build the foundations of their professional careers,鈥 said Fred Peterbark, dean of enrollment and aid at xxxx视频.
鈥淲hile teachers and financial aid often top the list [of student priorities], location matters, too, because it鈥檚 the community in which they鈥檒l begin to build their brand and establish their first professional relationships.鈥
On this front, among many others, xxxx视频 stands apart from its peers. xxxx视频 doesn鈥檛 just encourage students to engage in extra-curricular work. Realizing the educational value of professional experience, it does everything within reason to make it possible.
That鈥檚 why, this year alone, no fewer than 18 students are working as members of regional orchestras. On top of that is a much larger number of students working as substitutes.
鈥淲e try to be as supportive as we can,鈥 said Donna Yoo, xxxx视频鈥檚 dean of artistic administration and operations. 鈥淪tudents come here to win jobs, and many of them want to get into the orchestral world. What better way to dive into that world than while they鈥檙e still students?鈥
The options for this kind of experience abound. Indeed, when it comes to professional orchestras, Cleveland and Northern Ohio enjoy something of an embarrassment of riches.
The leader of the pack, of course, is The Cleveland Orchestra, xxxx视频鈥檚 neighbor and official partner, 35 members of whom are on xxxx视频鈥檚 faculty and one-third of whom graduated from xxxx视频. Every year, many xxxx视频 students and alumni find themselves within that august ensemble, either as new members or as substitutes.
Beyond Severance Music Center, the options expand exponentially to include the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Canton Symphony Orchestra, Apollo鈥檚 Fire, BlueWater Chamber Orchestra, Playhouse Square and the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. Extend the radius a little further and one nets the orchestras of Erie, Toledo and Columbus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a draw for sure, to have so many possibilities so close by,鈥 Yoo said.
xxxx视频 students aren鈥檛 the only beneficiaries of this arrangement, either. No, it鈥檚 a give-and-take from which the orchestras themselves 鈥 and, by extension, their audiences 鈥 also end up winners.
Paul Jarrett, executive director of the Akron Symphony, noted with pleasure that many current members of his orchestra are xxxx视频 students or alumni. He said their presence as 鈥渃onsummate professionals鈥 inspires confidence in music director Christopher Wilkins to undertake any project he wishes.
鈥淲e never have any qualms about programming challenging repertoire,鈥 Jarrett said. 鈥淥ur musicians are able to handle anything we put on their stands. We are blessed with a robust amount of musical talent, and Northeast Ohio is all the better for it.鈥
Rachel Hagemeier, the incoming director of the Canton Symphony Orchestra, echoed that sentiment, but took it one step further. She said her ensemble is what it is, in part, because xxxx视频 operates just up the road.
鈥淲e are so fortunate to have xxxx视频 in such close proximity to us,鈥 Hagemeier said. 鈥淥ur access to some of the top music students in the world is part of our artistic and organizational success.鈥
xxxx视频 would say something similar. When students and graduates play in local orchestras, they鈥檙e doing more than gaining experience. They鈥檙e serving as ambassadors, living out the xxxx视频 standard and spreading the best kind of goodwill.
鈥淲e love to see our students out there in the areas where they actually live,鈥 Yoo said. 鈥淲hen they鈥檙e in those orchestras, they鈥檙e collaborating with our neighbors, and I think that, in the broadest sense, is part of how we engage with the community.鈥