The hunt is over!

If you remember from my previous blog, I said that a job announcement would have to wait until after June. Well, as fortune would have it, I am way ahead of schedule!

After three months of taking interviews both in person and over the phone for all kinds of positions in all sizes of orchestras all over the country, it turns out I did not have to look beyond the walls of Heinz Hall. I am happy to announce that starting July 12th, I will return to the Pittsburgh Symphony as their Director of Corporate Support & Special Projects. This incredible position combines the responsibilities of overseeing the corporate fundraising campaign with the diversity of supporting selected special projects as they arise.

I could not be more excited about this job. Here, I will have to opportunity to dig in and build stronger relationships with the top corporations in town; keep my head in the “strategic thinking” clouds with special projects; continue to work with and learn from incredible staff, musicians, and board members; remain close to Larry Tamburri, one of my many mentors throughout this vastly rewarding year; and most of all, bust my behind for one of the best orchestras in the world and all the wonderful music it represents. On top of everything, I will be returning to my city of birth as will my sister, who will begin PhD studies in the Engineering and Public Policy Program at Carnegie Mellon University in the fall. What more could I ask for?

My appointment to the Donor Relations department here at the PSO is actually one of several recent announcements. As I briefly mentioned in previous blogs, there has been a good deal of turnover in the department since my arrival three months ago. Joining me in seizing this great opportunity to boost Donor Relations at the PSO are Mary Ellen Miller, Vice President of Donor Relations (my new boss) and Brian Skwirut, Director of Foundation and Government Support (my counterpart in Foundations/Government). Leslie Wild Swensen, the current VP of Donor Relations, will switch fundraising gears and focus on high-profile projects such as tour sponsorships and capital/endowment campaign development as the new Vice President of Resource Development. Together with the rest of the great Donor Relations staff, we will do our part to fuel the PSO well into its future. You can check out a press release on subject here.

So what now? After finishing out my last two weeks as a Fellow at the PSO, Edgar, Kevin, and I will spend a week attending the last of three leadership sessions conducted by John McCann accompanied by the League’s annual Conference in Washington D.C. where we will hand the Fellows torch (and maybe a blog) to next year’s crew: Lisa, Marc, Mi Ryung, Rachel, and Vanessa. After Conference, I officially drop off the grid for three weeks before starting as a new man at the PSO on July 12th.

That is the big news for now. Stay tuned for at least a couple more blogs before I round this year out as an American Symphony Orchestra League Management Fellow.

A kid-sized week with the Pittsburgh Symphony

This past week, aka week 37 of the season, was without a doubt, a unique week to be a Fellow in Pittsburgh. Long before I had arrived in March, Suzanne Perrino, our Vice President of Education and Community Engagement (E&CE) at the PSO, had contracted my brains and brawn to lend a hand with this program-heavy week in her department.

For one week, I put most of my other projects on hold and became a full-fledged member of the E&CE department. On Monday, I observed PSO Principal Trombonist Pete Sullivan and Resident Conductor Daniel Meyer as they traveled to Carnegie Mellon University’s Cyert Center for Early Education. At the Center, dozens of pre-kindergarten kids waved their hands in the air as Dan taught them how to conduct and giggled as Pete described and demonstrated the plunger mute. Over the course of one year, these lucky kids will have four consecutive weekly visits from five to six PSO musicians thanks in part to E&CE’s Service Exchange program where musicians can donate services that translate into extra vacation time.

On Tuesday, about 1,800 second grade kids from around the region filed into Heinz Hall to “Meet the Orchestra” for a concert designed especially for them, complete with visuals and interaction with conductor Dan Meyer. You should have seen the buses lined up on Penn and Liberty. It looked like the streets of Pittsburgh had flooded yellow!

Then, on Wednesday, it was payback time as the Cyert Center kids from Monday visited the Hall. They listened (and waved “hi” to Pete) as the orchestra rehearsed for the final Fiddlesticks concert of the season (read on for details). Additionally, Suzanne, Lindsay (Manager of E&CE), several interns, and I manned themed rooms throughout the hall as the kids colored musical pictures, played in a pretend orchestra, toured the Hall, and of course, had cookie & juice breaks.

On Thursday and Friday, I helped compile materials and prepare for the PSO’s Summer Strings Camp program, Community Side-by-Side Event, and Fiddlesticks concert. Then, on Saturday, Fiddlesticks (a giant cat) and Lucas Richman led the final Fiddlesticks Family Concert of the season. The concert theme, “Musical Celebrations around the World,” introduced a couple of new instruments to a packed Heinz Hall of kids and their parents. One hour before the concert, the lobby areas were bustling with demonstrations of the African Djembe, Chinese Erhu, and several other exhibitions. Fiddlesticks the cat is so popular that kids lined up for over an hour after the concert just to get his and Lucas’ autographs!

Beyond simply learning more about the dozens of programs led by the E&CE department, this week was a great opportunity to reflect on the importance of music education, especially for kids, and what role professional orchestras ought to play in the lives of these little folks. I am grateful to Suzanne and Lindsay for prying me away from my other projects to better learn these important lessons over the past week.

Google Maps + Craigslist = Future Fellow Stress Reducer

One of the biggest challenges of life during the Fellowship is finding housing for 2, 7, 14, and 16 weeks at a time. Any Fellow from the past few years can tell you what a help craigslist.com has been in finding that perfect place, sight unseen, at a reasonable price. (Craigslist, for those of you not up to speed, is an amazing site that essentially acts as a public classifieds forum for dozens of cities around the world.)

It was only a matter of time before this happened but kudos to Paul Rademacher for designing the first webpage that combines the apartment searching utility of craigslist with the sleek and sexy new Google Maps (see my other two posts). OH YES, you need to check this out (http://paulrademacher.com/housing/).

Enter your city and price range and BAM a map appears with pins located on posted openings as well as a table listing details and links for more info. One more click and you can see a satellite image of the area!

If only this were available when I was looking for a place in LA last fall I might not have had to live in a hotel for 3.5 months. In retrospect, at least I have the story to laugh at right?

Thanks to my sister for passing on this site. Congrats to her as well for being accepted in Carnegie Mellon’s doctoral public policy program, to begin this Fall.