I recently finished interning with the Oregon Bach Festival, a world renowned music festival operating since 1970, right here in Eugene. The festival provides the highest quality music performances by world-class musicians, as well as educational opportunities for the community and classical music lovers alike.
Starting May through July, I was one of two development interns for the festival. My partner intern, Meredith, is pictured below with Pianist Thomas Lauderdale of Pink Martini. We made a great team and she was ever so thankful that I snapped this picture, what a great keepsake!
With so many things to learn in a relatively short amount of time, due to the performance schedule duration of three weeks, everything was accelerated. I assisted in the donor benefit fulfillment and coordination, reception and event management (my favorite), sponsorship implementation and strategic outreach to increase the donor base for the OBF. The rubbing elbows with wonderful people and lovely musicians was just an added bonus.
I really cannot say enough for the organization and its culture, it's something you have to experience to understand. You either love it or you don't. And I definitely do! It was a fabulous professional experience and a pleasure to be a part the record-breaking season. While I cannot be an intern next year, I will be faithfully attending concerts and popping in to see familiar faces. The 2013 season will be the final year for Artistic Director and Co-founder Helmuth Rilling, before Matthew Halls takes over; it will be one to remember.
I'll leave you with a photo of the 2012 Oregon Bach Festival interns, we rocked it. If you've never been to an Oregon Bach Festival concert, please add it to your summer bucket list for next year (June 28 - July 14) . The repertoire is changing to add more venues across Oregon and new styles, selling out concerts quickly- you don't want to miss it!
Photo: Jon Meyers Photography
Thanks for reading,
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