Things You Were Never Taught About Your Career in Arts Management
A New Series on Arts Professionals Breaking Through and Getting Ahead
Let’s be honest, sometimes navigating a career in arts management can be really tough. I used to think I was the only one frustrated by an industry full of things I was never taught in my musical training, not to mention the gatekeeping, sexism, racism, and a lot of unwritten rules. But now after about 20 years in this business, I realize how pervasive these issues are.
I know this because I hear it from my clients all the time. I hear it in the DMs people send me and in my inbox. I hear it when I meet people on the road speaking at events and conferences. A deep frustration and a feeling of being blocked or pigeon-holed, or not seen for all you bring is…kind of everywhere it seems, sadly. If that resonates, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault; more likely, there are things you were never taught about navigating a career in arts management and it’s holding you back.
Take heart though, because I’ve also seen first-hand people who have overcome the barriers to advance their careers in arts and culture. People who have learned and applied all kinds of research-backed career growth tools and skills—and subsequently sailed right past the hurdles that were previously holding them back. This idea of breaking through and building a career on your own terms inspired a new series I’m happy to bring you, starting with this post.
For the next three months, I’ll be sharing stories of arts professionals who overcame career barriers they faced and are crushing it now. All of these administrators and artists work in arts and culture at different organizations, in different roles, and live in different geographic markets.
They were also at different places in life when we first met: some younger and earlier in their careers, some more established and senior, and some, as you’ll see in future posts, that are everywhere in between. I’ve had the joy of working with them — they’re truly Uplevel superstars — and now they are generously sharing parts of their story with you. All so that you too, fellow arts professional, can know that 1) you’re definitely not alone in navigating this industry, and 2) that being seen as a leader no matter your place on the org chart and reaching your goals is absolutely possible.
Allow me to introduce you to this first group.
Rachael D., IT Systems CRM Specialist, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
The setup:
Sometimes people just love to put you in a box; in this case, the box office, that is. But Rachael knew she was wanting more. She actually loved her colleagues at the Nashville Symphony, where she worked in her first full-time role post-college as Assistant Box Office Manager, but “it wasn’t really what I envisioned myself doing,” she shared.
“The culture in the box office was so good,” she continued. But working directly with patrons was a self-described challenge and just not her cup of tea. Then covid hit, and her position was one of the many that were furloughed in 2020. “When I was brought back in 2021, my position had changed, and the whole department had been restructured.” She wanted to change teams but felt like she hit a wall trying to move roles internally.
“I felt like I couldn’t succeed with anything post-covid,” Rachael shared. “One of those things being moving departments within the Symphony. Even though I had experience at the organization and worked closely with prior employees in these roles, I still wasn’t being considered [for other roles]. It was a tough blow, and I was sure that my colleagues would only ever see me as a Box Office Manager.”
What happened:
Rachael was determined to advance her career and her leadership, so began looking at opportunities outside the Symphony. She knew she always had a very analytic way of thinking and was drawn to the CRM (customer relationship management) software she had been using, Tessitura. Over the years in the box office, she had acquired a fair amount of knowledge on how to use the CRM, and she wanted to lean into that skill set and analytical approach. She realized she wanted a role specializing in technology infrastructure, specifically with an arts organization using Tessitura.
But how do you break out of the pigeon-holed box of customer service if that’s mostly all you’ve ever done — or mostly how others see you?
Rachael had an epiphany on how to position herself in the job marketplace. Instead of thinking, “this is my first non-customer service job,” she told herself that’s actually not true. “In an IT role, I’m still providing customer service to people, but the only difference is now they’re my colleagues, not the general public.” She realized her background in customer service wasn’t a liability, it was an asset: “it allows me to serve my organization better by communicating clearly with my colleagues and meeting them on their own learning level.”
How it played out:
This excellent shift in her mindset and market positioning led to her landing a job as the IT Systems CRM Specialist at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Her new office was just one block down the street in downtown Nashville from her old office. “I’ve now been here for almost two years, which feels like a real full-circle moment, because I was an intern here during college.” Rachael had wanted to work at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum ever since her internship days, and she made it happen in 2022.
“I know I’ve always had this knowledge,” Rachael concludes, “but I feel more confident now…I know I’m able to bring a lot of knowledge to the table.”
“I was (and sometimes still am) nervous about being siloed into one department, or one field.” — Rachael D.
Tiffany C. , Conductor
The setup:
The impact Tiffany desires to have as a conductor is to make musicians feel seen. Just pause right there and re-read that sentence, because most conductors don’t make that kind of statement, let alone want it to define them.
Tiffany cares about artists’ psychological safety, overall company culture, and musician morale more than any other artist I’ve ever met. Or more accurately, she doesn’t just care, she studies and practices these things regularly. She’s an alum of Seth Godin’s altMBA program. She participated in a global leadership development cohort run by Forefront. And she also authors a blog called Conductor as CEO, where she takes ideas from other industries and shares how they apply to arts leaders.
This breed of thought leadership on and off the podium is so often missing and yet so desperately needed in classical music. And despite — or maybe because of — that, she shared, “I had trouble finding like-minded people who were in the arts industry.”
“At times I felt alone, unseen, and unwanted,” she continued. “I didn’t feel confident that I could make an impact on the industry with my thought leadership. I felt like I was unable to make any progress in my career as an artist. I wasn’t able to do my best work because I didn’t feel like I belonged and felt like I had to prove myself constantly.”
Tiffany further shared that she had trouble gaining visibility as an artist and wanted to find a way to authentically position herself through thought leadership. But she ultimately feared no one would resonate with her work and desire for impact.
What happened:
When we met, Tiffany had a cushy job teaching conducting at the university level. Usually for musicians, one of the most coveted gigs you can have is teaching at a college or university. Enjoy a stable income, show up and impart knowledge on the next generation, be positioned as the expert to everyone around. A lot of folks spend years trying to land these jobs, and yet Tiffany was hungry to move the other way, from academia to bigger professional ensembles, in order to make the impact she sought: helping professional musicians under her baton feel seen and heard and expand her thought leadership and visibility. Like most high performers, she was driven and focused.
The interesting thing was that gaining ground and visibility was working outside the arts. The blog readership was growing considerably, opportunities to speak and teach had increased, and the invitations to the leadership programs like the ones mentioned above kept coming. Tiffany realized these were good results, especially if similar opportunities could manifest in classical music.
Instead of focusing on what wasn’t working, she doubled down on what was. Tiffany began to focus her writing even more. She stopped trying to “fit in” with the narrow stereotypes of who or what a conductor in classical music used to be, and started living more boldly her brand of what a conductor could and should be today. She kept writing, showing up more and more as herself, and became even more intentional about how to position herself online — the way she wanted to be. With a brand nobody else had or has. Conductor as CEO.
The thought leadership that seemed to be living in a vacuum in classical music turned out to be a superpower. One that began to attract like-minded people to her.
“I didn’t try to be everything to everyone,” Tiffany reflected. “I am now confidently serving…people who I know resonate with my work. This confidence and increased sense of self-worth helped me show up more authentically, which feels quite empowering.”
How it played out:
Niching down is what allowed Tiffany to go big. “I’ve not only been more confident about continuing my thought leadership, I have also been able to move my profile forward as an artist, having been engaged as a conductor by major institutions.” The plan to move from academia worked. Recent engagements include Chicago Lyric Opera, Washington National Opera, and others. Her work stands out because it goes well beyond the baton, and it’s led to gaining some greater visibility across the opera space.
“Before I wasn’t able to network professionally within the arts industry,” Tiffany recalls. “I am able to do that with a bit less friction now…trusting that there must be some people out there who would resonate with my work.” On behalf of every artist and administrator who you’ve made feel valued and seen (including this administrator right here), thank you for not selling your desires short. Classical music deeply needs what you are bringing to the work of a conductor, and we all benefit from your platform — the one onstage and the one online — in service to this mission.
“I didn’t try to be everything to everyone. I am now confidently serving people who I know resonate with my work.” — Tiffany C.
Yvanna M., Director of Operations, Vancouver Symphony School of Music
The setup:
One of the things nobody really teaches you in the arts is how to manage others. It’s not part of any staff onboarding or training (at least none I’ve ever heard of); it’s certainly not part of anyone’s artistic training; and it’s not something that’s explicitly taught at industry conferences or convenings.
So in 2022, when Yvanna was relatively new to her senior staff role, having just recently been promoted to Director of Operations, she felt like she was suddenly playing a game of whack-a-mole. “In trying to be omniscient and have a hand in all things, I was over-extending myself,” she recalls. Yvanna wanted to ensure she was being a supportive leader and elevating her team, but at the same time she felt it was a struggle to just keep her head above water amidst an overwhelming workload.
“It was unsettling to feel like there were things that were not getting done, and systems that needed improvement,” she observed. “And I did not have breathing space, space to reflect, and to be more strategic.”
Yvanna wanted to have less stress, more energy, and to be a solid leader to move her team forward. All of which seemed elusive if not impossible.
What happened:
Yvanna saw folks, including herself, who were busy, but not as productive as possible. She had no desire to jump ship though; rather, she was determined to grow in the role, expand her leadership and management skills, and find success at her current organization and with her current team.
She believed that getting off the spinning hamster wheel so many of us in arts management have felt at some point was possible if she could learn some tools to “cut through the noise, get a clearer sense of her relationships in the organization, and master how to get things done,” as she described it.
She realized the importance of lateral relationships — that these peer relationships need to be managed and nurtured, just like any other working relationships — and that working together across departments was going to be essential. “This engaged my colleagues meaningfully, and together we found it was ok to not ‘stay in our lanes,’” Yvanna shared. “I also put more focused energy into the professional development of the School of Music staff.”
How it played out:
Yvanna worked on building those important inter-department relationships with her director level peers, while simultaneously setting better boundaries around who does what on the team and the process by which things would get accomplished. She also continued to streamline communication among her department and pushed for her direct reports’ continued growth and professional development.
“I felt like I was able to advocate better for my needs and those of my team, and also to better see things from the CEO’s perspective,” Yvanna shared.
Fast forward two years to 2024, and the difference was palpable: “This past month, on a busy event weekend, I was able to take the weekend off and trust that the more junior staff members could take the lead and represent the school, running major off-site events and performances. I was very proud of the team!”
Yvanna met her goal of succeeding in her current role with her current team, brought order to the chaos she previously felt, and then life happened: her husband landed a new professional opportunity, for which the family decided to relocate. She recently wrapped up her time at the VSO, but felt like her six years there ended on a high note. Instead of using the relocation as an escape route, she was able to leave confident and proud of the work she and her team and the whole School of Music accomplished, in part because of her leadership — skills she knows she gets to take with her with wherever she chooses to go next.
“Realizing I’m suddenly one of the “old wise people” at the organization was very special, and I love helping my colleagues with their problems. But another big win — one that’s rather relevant to me now — is a boost in my sense of confidence and sense of vision. It’s helping me dive into the unknown without any panic.”
“I felt like I was able to advocate better for my needs and those of my team, and also to better see things from the CEO’s perspective.” — Yvanna M.
You Can’t Win a Game If You Don’t Know the Rules
One more time, there’s a lot in arts management career building — honestly, in building a career in any sector — that’s simply not part of most people’s training. The good news, as these three arts professionals have demonstrated, is that these once-secret skills can be learned, and more opportunities unlocked.
I’m so grateful to this group for sharing some of their stories and lessons learned, and I hope if you’ve read this far, you feel like overcoming barriers to grow your career in the arts is more possible than you thought before. Showing up as a leader that’s confident enough to be a little vulnerable is another skill this group has clearly mastered, and I can’t wait to introduce you to more folks just like them soon.
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And if you’re interested in more case studies and data-backed strategies to help grow yourself professionally and better lead your arts organization, order my book, Run It like a Business: Strategies to Increase Audiences, Remain Relevant, and Multiply Money — Without Losing the Art.
About the Author
Hailed as “the Steve Jobs of classical music” (Observer) and “Sheryl Sandberg of the symphony” (LA Review of Books), Aubrey Bergauer is known for her results-driven, customer-centric, data-obsessed pursuit of changing the narrative for the performing arts. A “dynamic administrator” with an “unquenchable drive for canny innovation” (San Francisco Chronicle), she’s held offstage roles managing millions in revenue at major institutions including the Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Bumbershoot Music & Arts Festival, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music. As chief executive of the California Symphony, Bergauer propelled the organization to double the size of its audience and nearly quadruple the donor base.
Bergauer helps organizations and individuals transform from scarcity to opportunity, make money, and grow their base of fans and supporters. Her ability to cast and communicate vision moves large teams forward and brings stakeholders together, earning “a reputation for coming up with great ideas and then realizing them” (San Francisco Classical Voice). With a track record for strategically increasing revenue and relevance, leveraging digital content and technology, and prioritizing diversity and inclusion on stage and off, Bergauer sees a better way forward for classical music and knows how to achieve it.
Aubrey’s first book, Run It Like A Business, published in February 2024.
A graduate of Rice University, her work and leadership have been covered in the Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, Thrive Global, and Southwest Airlines magazines, and she is a frequent speaker spanning TEDx, Adobe’s Magento, universities, and industry conferences in the U.S. and abroad.
