It’s 7:55 pm and you are settled into your seat in the balcony at the concert hall. The lights are about to dim and then you will be transported into a world of pure, powerful orchestral sound. A concert can be a magical and transcendent experience, and there are many people working hard every day behind the scenes to make that magic happen.

If you’ve ever wondered what goes on backstage at a North Carolina Symphony concert and just what it takes to present over 150 great performances every year, then please join us for our new initiative this season –we will present a class as part of Duke University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute called “How a Symphony Works: The Mechanism Behind the Music.”

In every session we’ll focus on a new topic that will help participants understand how we bring great performances to concert-goers and a solid foundation in music education to students. We’ll talk about what it takes to run the North Carolina Symphony and we’ll also discuss relevant topics throughout the orchestra industry today. There will be a new instructor for each session, including North Carolina Symphony conductors, musicians and staff members. (Both Grant Llewellyn and William Henry Curry will be among them!) Our instructors are creative and seasoned pros who will bring a wide variety of perspectives and teaching styles to the classroom. Don’t miss it!

Here is a sample of just a few of the topics we’ll discuss and the instructors you’ll hear from during the semester:

Whose Music is it Anyway?
Grant Llewellyn, Music Director

Artistic Administration 101 and How to Program an Orchestra’s Season
Scott Freck, VP for Artistic Administration and General Manager

The Nerve Center and the Invisible Musicians: The Orchestra Library and Librarians
Deborah Nelson, Principal Librarian

All You Need is Love … and Good Marketing
Suzanne McKeon, VP for Audience Development

The View from the Stage: Who are all those musicians, what are they doing, and how did they get there?
David Lewis, Orchestra Personnel Manager and Principal Tuba

The Business of the Arts
David Chambless Worters, President and CEO

“How a Symphony Works: The Mechanism Behind the Music” will take place on Mondays at 11am on Duke’s campus. Registration is open now and ends on August 17th. For more information about how to register, please call the Institute at 919.681.3476 or visit www.learnmore.duke.edu/olli/courses/membership.asp.