Olivia Porada (’17)

Olivia Porada graduated from the Arts Administration Master’s program in 2017. Olivia is the Academic Affairs Administrator at New England Conservatory. Read below for an interview about Olivia’s journey through the program.

You are working at New England Conservatory as the Academic Affairs Administrator: tell us more about what that position entails?
My position at New England Conservatory consists of managing the undergraduate and graduate Music Theory, Music History, and Liberal Arts departments. I work with the faculty, staff, and student workers within each department and college-wide to help make the academic programs run smoothly. My job requires me to be involved in every aspect of each department, whether it is planning events and concerts, creating and overseeing departmental budgets, supervising teaching assistants, tutors, and department assistants, and maintaining the website with current information and photos.

2. How does what you learned during you time at Boston University Arts Administration Program translate to your current position?
My current position involves many different aspects of arts administration and the Arts Admin program prepared me well for this work. I am able to draw from my experiences in Financial Management to help when I am proposing the budget for the next fiscal year. The Marketing class helped prepare me to create a successful and eye-catching website. Legal Issues taught me how to draw up an appropriate student worker contract. Every day I find myself using the skills that I learned in the Arts Admin program.

What are some of the challenges with your work?
I work with many different types of people on a daily basis. I think the biggest challenge at first was learning how to work effectively with each personality. I am very much a people person so I was able to figure this out fairly quickly, but it was a challenge at first.

As the Academic Affairs Administrator, what is the most rewarding part of your work and or working with the NEC?
The most rewarding part of my work is being able to see a concert or event come to life. I plan several events each semester for my three departments and they often take a few weeks to get the details confirmed. It is rewarding to see the hard work pay off and faculty and students coming together to have a good time.

If you were interviewing someone for your current position, what quality would you
look for most and why?
I would look for a candidate who has great communication skills. In this position, I am constantly working with many different people and am often the middle man between parties. Great communication skills are key in keeping each department running smoothly.

During your time in the Arts Administration Program at BU, what was one of your favorite classes, experiences, or topics you learned about?
My favorite class was The Arts in Barcelona course. One of the things that drew me to the Arts Administration program was the requirement to take a study abroad class. I had never been to Europe before and it was exciting to experience arts and culture in a place that was so different than what I was familiar with.

Since graduating (or while you were in the program) what has your journey looked like and how did you end up where you are today? Has anything unexpected happened along the way?
Boston University opened up so many doors for my career. Through BU, I was connected with Boston University Tanglewood Institute, a premier summer training program for aspiring, young musicians. BUTI offereded me the opportunity to learn and grow in many different ways. I held several positions with them throughout my time in the Arts Admin program and was able to really explore my art administration passions. I never expected to find such a strong network of people during my time at BU and thanks to those relationships, I was given the tools to succeed and be where I am today.

 If you have experienced any setbacks, what did you learn from them?
The biggest setback for me was the stress in finding a job. Going into the program, I only worked part-time and many of my colleagues were working full-time. I put a lot of pressure on myself to find a job, but I was applying for positions that I wasn’t fully ready for yet. I had many interviews, but it took quite some time to nail down a job. It was important for me to continue learning and continue applying because I knew the right thing would fall into place. I also learned that the Arts Admin program is designed for many different kinds of people. It is okay to not have a full-time job in the program. As long as you are working towards your goals, you are on the right path.

Do you find that you are able to balance the administrative side of the art world with your artistic side? Is there any advice you can give on maintaining both?
Maintaining the life of an administrator and artist is certainly a balancing act that I am still working on. As an opera singer, I take bi-weekly lessons and get involved as much as I can in local performances and choirs. It is hard to balance, however, when my administrative life takes over with events and meetings. Each day, I am working toward a better balance. The best advice I can give is to not give up on either passion. It can be difficult at times, but it is important to push through and make it work the best you can.

If you could go back in time and give advice to yourself while you were in BU’s Arts Admin program, what would that advice be?
I would definitely tell myself to get more involved earlier on. In the beginning of the program, I was quiet and kept to myself. I never hung out with people after class. My second year, I was more involved and even became the Vice President of AASA. Instantly, I made more friends and was able to create a network that I didn’t have my first year. Two years in the program goes by fast and it is important to be involved right from the start.

What do you consider to be one of the most important aspects of working as an arts administrator today?
The most important thing in today’s world is to advocate for the arts. Advocate for yourself as an artist and advocate for the world why the arts are important and crucial to our lives. We as arts administrators have to be the voice for the arts and make sure the arts are constantly at the forefront of every discussion.

Interview by: Samantha Lovewell, Graduate Assistant