Where our interns have gone on to
Sophie, Events Coordinator November 2009 – June 2010
It’s hard to believe it was only just over a year ago that I was standing in my gown and mortar board, my certificate held proudly in one hand (and glass of wine clutched nervously in the other!), contemplating the "next step".
I can honestly say I have had the most amazing, surprising and challenging year and had so many incredible and memorable experiences. Following my internship with Salisbury Festival, I spent two months working freelance in Communications for creative events company Artichoke on The Magical Menagerie; a gigantic and beautiful carousel brought to the city of roundabouts as part of the new IF:Milton Keynes International Festival.
Since leaving Salisbury, I have been lucky enough to be constantly busy and, only one week after the project with Artichoke was complete, I started full-time working as Production Coordinator for London-based live music production company Serious.
I'm currently working on the London Jazz Festival with plenty more exciting projects in the pipeline. The office is great with a lively atmosphere, lovely people and too many cakes and biscuits in the kitchen (I'll need to join a gym soon!!); and the best thing is that I'm doing a job I love.
The experience I gained and people I met through Salisbury Festival not only gave me the confidence to go for the job I wanted, but the quality of the internship (along with extreme kindness and support from the Festival staff) benefitted me and my career in ways I couldn't have predicted.
Stephanie, Marketing & Box Office Coordinator January – June 2010
During the last month of my internship and since leaving the Festival, I have been rushed off my feet getting my own business off the ground. After a lot of hard work and thankfully few hiccups, I opened my new retail gallery Hawthorn Contemporary Arts and Craft in August, exactly 2 months after I finished in Salisbury. Hawthorn sells handmade and crafted work from local artists and emerging designers. I am committed to supporting the local craft industry and 70% of the work is made within 50 miles of the shop. I currently employ one other person and am hoping to expand into running workshops and events in the area.
My experience at Salisbury International Arts Festival gave me the drive and confidence to go ahead and follow my dream of opening my own gallery and I don’t think it would have been half as easy and well planned had it not been for the support and guidance from friends and staff at the festival. I am using skills learnt during my internship on a daily basis and the marketing skills I learnt have helped me promote the gallery successfully.
Katharine, Salisbury Food & Drink Festival July - September 2009
Well I've almost completed my first two months at the RPO. It's been hugely challenging but totally enjoyable. On my first day I couldn't even switch my computer on before I was whisked off to the Azerbaijani embassy to get some visas (a place I've grown very used to in the past month!).
But it's not all traveling to embassies and chatting up officials to get the last visa through in time for flights. I deal with creating tour schedules, getting second passports for musicians and the Bain of my life E101s (tax stuff) as well as a thousand other little jobs.
There a rumour that I'm going to be on the Orchestra's tour to Armenia at the end of September which I'm really looking forward to (what's the Armenian for 'Do you have another 3 music stands please?'). So, it's all been very exciting since leaving the festival and my other internships in the Salisbury area, and I certainly couldn't have got this far without them.
Anna, Events Coordinator November 2008 - June 2009
I am currently working as the Concert Administrator for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. I actually went on to work for a few more festivals before starting the job (October 2009), these included Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, Larmer Tree Festival and End of the Road Festival. I met a lot of fantastic people in Salisbury and I was able to use some of my contacts to find more festival work.
The CBSO is a great organisation to work for and I have come to learn that many of its employees have been involved with SIAF in one way or another (small world).
My main duties are: planning future season programmes in conjunction with the Chief Executive, Special Projects Manager and the Planning and Tours Manager; writing the orchestras schedules; liasing with artists and agents over travel and accommodation details; as well as looking after the guest conductors and soloists when they arrive in Birmingham. I am also in charge of the concert logistics which means liasing with local venues to ensure all technical arrangements are in place.
All of the work I do for the CBSO has followed on from the internship I had with SIAF. It certainly keeps me just as busy and I always have to think on my feet when disasters happen, like the recent volcano eruptions that stranded a number of my artists around the world.
I still enjoy Festival life and was really pleased to be able to pop back to Salisbury for the last Festival and I amlooking forward to returning to see the Festival in 2011 too!
I can honestly say that without SIAF I wouldn't have been able to get this job. Thank you Salisbury :-)
Gemma, Marketing Coordinator January - June 2009
After leaving the Festival I got a job as a Marketing Assistant at Oxford University Press. I market the online reference products list which is basically the arts, music and fashion resources.It's a lot different to the Festival as it is a publishing company and a much bigger organisation, but everything I learnt during the internship has been incredibly valuable.
My job includes sending e-campaigns, putting together marketing plans, artwork design, conference attendance, customer meetings...well lots and the internship was a great foundation for this! As the Festival team is quite small there is every opportunity to be involved in all parts of it, and you get a fantastic insight into how the organisation works as a whole to put together such a big Festival. It was a great starting point for me and I met some amazing people and learnt a lot.
I wouldn't be where I am if it wasn't for Salisbury Festival!