Grad tapped for prestigious orchestra fellowship

A 2007 U-M graduate aims to be among the new generation of arts management leaders reshaping the nation's orchestras and cultural landscape in the next decade.

Carolyn Nishon, an English and psychology major shown with New York Philharmonic president Zarin Mehta and junior Liz Stover, has been chosen for the American Symphony Orchestra League's management fellowship program. (Photo by Ken Fischer)

The American Symphony Orchestra League has announced that Carolyn Nishon, an Okemos resident, is among five recipients of its annual management fellowship program. The highly esteemed program includes a year of intense study and hands-on experience, working directly with some of the nation's most venerated and successful orchestras.

More than 160 fellows have participated in the program since its inception in 1980. Of those, 75 hold key leaderships positions in American orchestras, including 28 former fellows who serve as executive directors.

Nishon, 21, an English and psychology major, was the youngest of 18 finalists. During the past year she has served as executive director of Michigan Pops Orchestra, the only student-led and student-directed orchestra at U-M.

"The awarding of this fellowship is so telling of the education that I have received at U of M, and how I learned to creatively communicate and connect with others," Nishon says. "My career goals are centered on the idea of musical community—cultivating and nurturing connections between the musicians and the audience members in and out of the concert hall."

The fellowship begins this summer with recipients working as orchestra managers at the Aspen Music Festival. Then, each fellow is assigned to one of three orchestras, where he or she will participate in a range of management responsibilities, and receive mentoring by senior orchestra executives.

During these challenging financial times for orchestras, there is a pressing need for visionary leaders who can balance artistic integrity with bottom-line realities while finding innovative ways to expand audiences, says Henry Fogel, president of the New York based American Symphony Orchestra League.

"The league is committed to fostering and supporting the development of new generations of leaders in the performing arts," he says. "Working directly with top executives and administrators at orchestras all over the nation, the fellows gain unmatched insight into the challenges and rewards of a career in arts management."

In January Nishon attended the annual conference of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters along with University Musical Society President Kenneth Fischer. UMS is among the preeminent arts presenters in the country.

"Carolyn has achieved one of the orchestra world's most coveted awards," Fischer says. "Her innate talent and leadership abilities prepared her well for the incredibly tough competition. It's a tremendous achievement for a great young woman who will be running one of the top orchestras someday."

Other recipients this year are from Carnegie Mellon University, the Cleveland Institute of Music, State University of New York-Stony Brook and the Cincinnati Ballet.