Welcome to Notes from Civic Music Association

Welcome to the first post of Notes from Civic Music Association. I will be providing an inside look on the daily happenings at Civic Music Association and sharing information about our upcoming concerts and events. I hope you will join me in discussion and leave feedback.

I love meeting CMA patrons! At each concert I try to say hello to as many people as possible, but between managing our guest artists and all of our wonderful volunteers, it is quite difficult. For those of you I have not yet met, please allow me to tell you a little bit about myself.

I grew up in Indianola where I was introduced to my first love of the arts...opera! I remember very vividly Opera Iowa visiting my elementary school for a performance of "Sid the Serpent" where we got the chance to sing side-by-side the opera singers. Needless to say, I was hooked! I started singing and went on to major in Vocal Performance and Music Business at DePauw University.

During an internship with the New York City Opera, I was introduced to arts education. It was amazing to see lives being changed simply by experiencing and participating in the arts. It was then that I decided I wanted to blend my love of music with education.

My first professional position was with the Lyric Opera of Kansas City as the Assistant Director of Education followed by six years as the Director of Education for Opera Columbus.

About three years ago, my husband and I decided to return to Iowa (a return for me, a new beginning for him) to start a family. I decided to accept a position at Simpson College as the Director of Government and Foundation Support in order to sharpen my fundraising skills. I was beginning to realize I wanted to be an Executive Director of an arts organization, and knowing how to fund raise is a must!

My lucky day came along almost two years ago when I heard about the Executive Director position at Civic Music Association. What a gift it has been for me to be back in my home state bringing the arts and education to the community!

One of my biggest priorities is building community awareness of Civic Music Association. I honestly can't believe how many people do not know about this wonderful organization. I hope you have seen and/or heard us in the media recently as we doubled our marketing campaign this season.

Where do you NOT hear about us? I would love to hear your ideas on how to spread the word even more.