Turner Sims at Highfield hosts incredible concerts and events almost every day of the year. Katie Harding and Chrystalla Ioannou made up the intern team at Turner Sims from January 2016 – January 2017. We asked them to look back and reflect on the last year:
Katie: When asked for my top three favourite moments as an Intern at Turner Sims I was left flummoxed as to how to sum up an entire year; because so much happens in a year!
One event that stands out is; són’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Robin Browning (the Artistic Director) asked if I would be interested in working on, not only the programme, but the marketing side of their family concert; a Midsummer Night’s Dream. I spent the day contacting schools, local family cafes, playgroups and the like, asking for their interest in the event, and then spending nearly an hour in the foyer of Turner Sims counting leaflets and putting them into envelopes; okay, that probably sounds dull, but for a person who loves organising, I found it the entire process deeply satisfying.
My second ‘highlight’ of the year, is not one specific event, but a culmination of a number of them. The workshops, lectures and fayres. Wanting to take marketing modules as part of my degree, but not really being able to, I found it a great way of finding out more. Beginning with a lecture about marketing, to marketing students, then an afternoon of talks and workshops with Louise Coysh (Director of Arts & Culture, University of Southampton) to do with Arts at the University, to manning the stall at Fresher’s events. It was these sorts of opportunities – where I got to meet a variety of people from across the ‘Arts’ spectrum, and learnt practical skills, that I will be forever grateful for.
The last one is writing a blog post. Having blogged on and off for a number of years, it’s something I’ve always been into, but something I’ve never had the chance to take seriously. Blogging has allowed me to write about something that really interests me in a way that isn’t as strict as a 10,000 word research project – thankfully, I don’t have to reference anything in this article!
I know this is only meant to contain three points, however, I feel like this point needs to be mentioned. I have built so many connections over the last year; not only within Southampton University, but within the entire classical music scene.
It’s scary to think that in less than 6 months I’ll have to look for an actual job – I just hope it’s even half as good as this one!
Chrystalla: A year ago, I started my internship with Turner Sims. This experience provided me with precious knowledge in music management, including soliciting advertising and drafting texts, designing programs and contributing to the print and digital marketing strategy. I had the opportunity to enhance my work ethic and the experience encouraged me to follow a career in the arts. The most important thing, besides knowledge and experience, is that I had the chance to meet great people in the work place. The staff were always willing to help and guide me to successfully complete tasks. I want to thank everyone at Turner Sims for providing me the opportunity to boost my work experience and for all their support and encouragement along the way.
