Admin TN
Ryan Fleur
President and CEO
Memphis Symphony Orchestra
Memphis, Tennessee
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Years in current position: 5+
Years in the field: 12+
Majors:
B.A. Economics, minor in business administration, Boston University
Additional Training:
Orchestra Management Fellowship program
Leadership training programs in Boston, Memphis, and Mellon
Foundation-funded Orchestra Executive Leadership Training Program,
Center for Creative Leadership
Career Path:
Program Administrator, Boston Ballet
Executive Assistant, New York Philharmonic
Executive Director, Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra
What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
The variety, the need for balance, the overwhelming need to constantly
delegate and focus on communicating a simple and clear message over and
over and over and over again.
What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
My time at Boston Ballet demonstrated the civic value of the arts. As a
pianist, I wanted to do what I was doing, but for music. The orchestra
field was the most receptive to my inquiries.
What was your first step toward an orchestra career?
After determining I did not want to go into international trade and
finance, I sought an internship in arts management, which connected me
with Boston Ballet. At the same time, I read What Color is Your
Parachute? and created my own job description.
What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
The Orchestra Management Fellowship was invaluable, but my greatest
learning experience was spending six years running a small-budget
orchestra in a setting where I could constantly make mistakes and learn
from those mistakes.
Any other advice?
It’s the hardest, most complex work you will do, but incredibly rewarding.
Molly K. Sasse
Executive Director
Chattanooga Symphony and Opera
Chattanooga, Tennessee
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Years in current position: 1
Years in the field: 30
Majors:
Undergraduate: Music
Graduate: Arts Administration
Additional Training:
Hundreds of seminars at conferences, especially on fundraising
Career Path:
Director of Community Arts and Touring, Tennessee Arts Commission
Executive Director, Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga
What are the most surprising, interesting or challenging aspects of your day-to-day work?
How many details there are that must all be handled at the same time!
What inspired you to work for an orchestra?
I have loved classical music from my childhood, thanks to parents who loved good music, too. I remember going to concerts as a youngster and reading the list of donors who made the concerts possible, and thinking how much I would like to make concerts possible myself. I majored in music in college with no thought of becoming a musician, and when I discovered arts management, I knew I had found my calling.
What were your first steps toward an orchestra career?
Graduate school in Arts Administration, which led to interesting internships, which led to real jobs. Although it took a while to get a decent job after I finished graduate school.
What advice would you offer to someone considering the orchestra field?
If you don’t truly love the music, go somewhere else. Take every opportunity you can, whether you get paid or not, to get as many kinds of experience as you can. Learn all you can about fundraising—a good fundraiser is probably more desirable to an arts organization than a good admnistrator. Take accounting and learn to read and understand financial statements and budgets.
Any other advice?
Don’t get too hung up on the glamour—most of the work is anything but glamorous.