♪♪♪ On the road again... ♪♪♪

How time flies when you're having fun! My tenure with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra sadly comes to an end tomorrow, yet the memories and relationships I have made here will continue for years to come. When I found out that I would be working with the SDSO, I honestly had no idea what to expect - all of my previous experience was solely with larger-budget organizations. I was forewarned - pack warm clothes! Luckily, the weather was beautiful - in the 40's and 50's most of the time (except for that one extended weekend when it was an average of -25, not including the windchill). Weather aside, my time here has been wonderful.

There are four full-time employees on staff (Tom Bennett, ED; Linda Clement, Director of Development; Becky Simonz, Operations and Touring Manager; and Rebecca Breitag, Marketing Manager), and nine full-time musicians (one string quartet and one wind quintet) in the orchestra. The Music Director, Delta David Gier, is in his second season with the orchestra; he takes on the responsibilities of conducting and being a recognizable presence in the community.

From the comments I made in my last blog, I can still say that the connection this orchestra has with its community is absolutely outstanding. Tom has built a great organization in Sioux Falls during his 9-10 year tenure, and I have experienced first-hand the results of his time, patience, and dedication to the SDSO. The board members that he has recruited are fabulous - I can only hope that my board will willingly take such responsibility for the success of their orchestra!

My experiences here can be narrowed down to 4 categories: board, development, finance, and marketing. Not only did I have projects in each of these areas, but each category culminated in reports and presentations to their respective board committees, and included the executive committee and full board. Additionally, Tom asked that I make the stage announcements for three of the concerts, thanking the donors/concert sponsors from the stage. Lastly, I had the opportunity to attend weekly Toastmasters meetings with Becky (Thursday's at 6:30AM!) - a great way to develop confidence in your speaking and presentation skills. The impact of the experiences Tom provided me with are just now starting to fully sink in, especially as I review and evaluate this entire experience.

Alas, our final move to our last assignment is this weekend (some of us are getting a head start on Friday!). It is truly hard to believe how fast this year is progressing - and how little time we have left in this program! For all of those in the final interview weekend (next weekend, I believe), best of luck to each and every one of you. It was only just a year ago that the five of us arrived in New York City, not knowing what was to come in this year. This has truly been an adventure for each of us ... truly an experience that will last a lifetime.

Until my next post from Atlanta, here are links to our last orchestra assignments.

Lisa Dixon: The Boston Symphony
Marc Feldman: The Pittsburgh Symphony
Rachel Hermanson: The Atlanta Symphony
Vanessa Rose: The San Francisco Symphony
Mi Ryung Song: The Cleveland Orchestra