26 QMYOU / Graduate Interview
Interview with Jennifer Orr
Deputy Orchestra Manager at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra ( RSNO )
JENNIFER COMPLETED HER MA in Arts and Cultural Management at QMU in August 2014 and has been working full-time in her role as the Deputy Orchestra Manager at the Royal Scottish National Orchestra ( RSNO ) since September 2013 . Completing most of the course during the 2012 / 13 academic year , she then transferred to studying part-time alongside working for the RSNO to complete the final research module .
The RSNO is a professional symphony orchestra and as one of Scotland ' s National Performing Companies , it has a responsibility to reach , engage and inspire people with classical music throughout Scotland .
Jennifer is part of a small team at the RSNO whose main aim is to ensure the busy schedule of orchestra activities , such as rehearsals , concerts , tours , educational outreach programmes and recording sessions all run smoothly . This requires the thorough planning and executing of logistics to get the musicians , soloists , conductors and all the musical instruments and equipment to the right place at the right time .
Jennifer ' s main responsibility , however , is to recruit and manage the freelance musicians that are required for each project . These musicians might provide cover for vacant positions in the orchestra or for people on leave . Sometimes musicians need to be recruited who play a specialist instrument or more musicians may be needed if a certain piece of music requires it . At times , there could be up to 30 freelance musicians required each week so this is often a complex process which combines a number of different aspects of management . Fortunately , areas including people management , human resources management , project management and financial management were all part of Jennifer ’ s course at QMU .
Immediately before studying at QMU , Jennifer worked in the cultural sector at the National Museum of Scotland and had experience in high-end customer service and hospitality . However , with an undergraduate degree in music performance Jennifer was keen to find employment in the performing arts sector and hoped that further study would help make this transition between jobs possible .
What made you chose QMU ?
I had been applying for work within the arts management sector but had little success as most jobs required relevant experience of working directly in the sector . The course at QMU offered a work placement module which allowed me to gain invaluable experience working for an arts organisation . The practical element to each of the modules appealed to me as the assignments were based on real , life-like tasks that you would find as part of a job in the arts . For example , completing a real funding application , putting together a marketing plan for a new arts event , and analysing current arts policies or strategic plans .
The course covers such a variety of different topics that it gives you a thorough introduction to each key aspect of managing an arts organisation . My main interest was in the classical music industry and the flexible nature of the course allowed me to tailor my individual assignments to this area whilst still gaining a holistic understanding of the arts and cultural sector . I met the course leader and some of the teaching staff at an open evening and found they are all still actively involved in various areas of the arts and cultural sector which meant that the content of the course was current , relevant and forward thinking . During the course there was also valuable contact with arts management practitioners , some who led parts of the course or came in as guest speakers , as well as the personal experience and knowledge shared by QMU staff .
26 QMYOU / Graduate Interview