Melissa Riesgo (’16)

Melissa Riesgo inherited her passion for the arts from her parents, who are both musicians. She grew up in the city of Belfast, Maine, playing piano and flute, taking ballet, and constantly performing in local theater.

Melissa graduated from the Arts Administration Program in 2016. Currently, she works as the Administrative Coordinator for Composition & Theory, Music Education, and Musicology & Ethnomusicology in the School of Music at Boston University. She also serves as the Interim Managing Director for the Lorelei Ensemble, a professional women’s vocal ensemble based in Boston. She and her husband are both members of the choir at Trinity Church Boston.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your artistic background before you joined the Arts Administration Program.

Growing up, music and theater were a huge part of my life, and I was always interested in the arts. I came to Boston originally to go to school at Boston University, where I majored in flute performance. I was struggling with such a narrowly focused major, and in my second year I switched to a double major in Music and Italian Studies. I thought I might go into musicology for graduate work but instead took some time off after graduating to work, explore, and figure out what was the right fit for me.

I talked to some friends who had done the Arts Administration program to learn more about it. I had not considered Arts Administration before, but in becoming more familiar with the program and the field, and through volunteering with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, it seemed like the right fit for me.

2. How did your studies at Boston University help you focus on a particular skill set or open you up to new ideas about your career?

I grew a lot academically, personally, and professionally through the program. I think that meeting all of the other classmates and seeing the different backgrounds that people came from helped me become more confident about what I had to offer and what was important to me. It is a special thing to connect with other people your age that are in the same stage of life career-wise.

I found all the classes extremely useful; they gave me a good foundation. The Arts Administration program at Boston University is not too specific in terms of the curriculum. The program provides a great, solid foundation to work in the nonprofit world. There is enough variety of classes to choose from so that you can focus on what you are interested in.

3. How would you describe a usual day at work and what do you like the most about your job?

What I like the most about my job is the variety of tasks that I get to do. I don’t like a monotonous routine or doing the same thing every day. At this job, I exercise a lot of different skills. I support the faculty and students for three of the departments in the School of Music, so I’m constantly communicating with a lot of different people on many different levels. My tasks range from planning the course schedule each semester to booking travel, assisting students with registration, and managing the budget.  So, the variety is my favorite part.

Outside of my full-time job, I work for Lorelei Ensemble. There is no physical office, so we primarily communicate via email or Skype and meet up in coffee shops. I am currently serving as the Interim Managing Director. My role has shifted throughout the two seasons I’ve been with them as the organization has grown and needs have changed. I started out doing their marketing, which was great as I had not had a lot of prior experience in that. I’ve also gotten to do a bit of development work, and now work very closely with the artistic director to negotiate contracts and artist fees for future bookings. It’s been great professional development to have on the side.

4. Would you like to share your internship experience with our readers?

I did an internship at the end of my degree in May 2016 with the Handel and Haydn Society. I bridged development and community engagement, which was a unique combination. I think internships are really useful and I wished I had taken advantage of these in my undergraduate studies because they help enforce what you are learning in the classroom and how it translates into the real world. The combination I had helped me better understand how departments connect and serve the organization as a whole.

5. Could you describe a recent accomplishment in your career, large or small, that felt meaningful to you?

Finishing graduate school was probably my greatest accomplishment in the past three years in terms of my career. It felt so much more meaningful than my undergraduate degree, partly because I paid for it myself and it was all of my own drive and ambition – not because it was simply the “next step” in my schooling. I was working full-time and it was very difficult at times for me to push on because of all of the things I had going on. It feels really good to have that behind me.

I had some smaller accomplishments at my internship with the Handel and Haydn Society. I was given a lot of responsibility, which was wonderful. I had some accomplishments development-wise, like speaking with patrons at events and trying to recruit people to support the organization. Those were the things that were challenging but satisfying.

My latest accomplishment was this past fall, when I was an extra in the Boston Ballet production of Le Corsaire. I hadn’t done something like that in a long time, and it was thrilling to do. The theater is something I am really passionate about, and now that I am done with school, I am hoping to find time to do more things related to performance.

6. Would you like to share more about your experience performing with the Boston Ballet?

It was such a cool experience because I had never performed at a place like the Boston Opera House. I grew up dancing and acting, but never on a stage like that! It was really neat to be so close to the dancers, to share the stage with them, to wear a beautiful costume, and just to observe everything around me. It was fun!

From an arts administration perspective, I got to see how everything works backstage. For instance, many of the stage hands and costume workers are union employees, which means that they have to abide by certain contracts and regulations. Therefore, breaks were managed very carefully so that they got their allotted break time, so we often had to stop in the middle of rehearsals to allow for this.  It was interesting to see all the logistical things that you don’t always think about. It’s a huge operation.

7. Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

In five years, I hope to be working at an arts organization with a mission that inspires me and that I feel passionate about. I would like to work at a performing arts organization, hopefully in Boston because I plan to stay here. I also hope that I have things outside of my work that satisfy my own performing desires.

8. If you were to find a replacement for yourself, what qualities and qualifications would you look for in an applicant?

For my job at BU and Lorelei Ensemble, I would certainly look for someone that can multitask and jump from one thing to another quickly, someone who has a lot of energy for the organization and the mission and a willingness to try things, and someone who is creative and not scared of making mistakes. I think it’s very important in the arts to never lose that creative problem-solving mindset. Something I really learned from the program was to never stop asking why we do something the way we do it and to not be afraid of changing things. Trying new things is one of the surest ways to grow and build your organization. These qualities are important.

In terms of working with other people, there are a lot of exotic personalities in the arts. It is important to be able to be a chameleon and know that you cannot talk to everyone the same way.

9. How do you stay up-to-date on issues in the industry?

I don’t think I stay up-to-date on issues as well as I should. I used to read news articles regularly while I was in school, and I had some of the periodicals preset on my browser so I could pull them up. I have to work on that!

One thing I do is that I get the Boston Globe delivered to my home on Sundays and read the arts section. I am also on the email list for different things, like Opus Affair. I try to go to meetup groups when I can because that’s another kind of networking event where I can talk to other people and see what they are up to. I also get emails from Arts Boston. I think being involved with Lorelei Ensemble helps me stay up-to-date as well.

10. Any advice to our prospective students who wish to join the program?

This is a great program for anyone looking for a very practical, useful degree to work in the arts. It is like getting a business degree for nonprofits and arts management. The faculty is great about connecting us with the city and taking into consideration what the student-specific goals are because everyone’s path is so unique. Compared to the other programs, I would say that the program at BU is one of the best in terms of giving you that solid foundation for your career and also giving you a great network to go out into the world with. When I graduated, I felt like for anything I wanted to do, there was someone I could call and ask for advice.

11. Any advice to the current students of the Arts Administration program?

Connect with your colleagues as much as you can and get to know your classmates. I started the program taking one class at a time, but it really made a difference to take two classes at once and to see my classmates regularly and to stay in touch with them.

Think about each class and what you want to get out of it. This will make it more enjoyable and the work more enjoyable. Also take advantage of all the different events that are going on. Attend the events and concerts that you care about. That helps you be more connected.

It’s a great program that attracts a lot of wonderful people. I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Interview conducted by Sameera Palkar