March 9 Arts Management Career Fair Is One-of-a-Kind in Midwest

In recent years, colleges and universities around the country have begun combining the application of business skills with their music, arts and theatre programs in an effort to provide students with more options and increased career opportunities following graduation. DePaul University, a leader among several Chicago-area institutions that have followed this route, instituted its first music management program more than a decade ago.

DePaul’s current Performing Arts Management Program was re-launched two years ago through collaboration among DePaul’s music, theatre and business schools. Under the direction of Alan Salzenstein, a veteran arts administrator, theatrical producer, entertainment attorney and arts educator, the updated program prepares students for a wide range of careers in not-for-profit arts management and administration, the recording industry, radio and related fields. “This curriculum provides students the skills to bridge the worlds of art and commerce, giving them the know-how to successfully enter the marketplace after college in an increasingly complex world,” according to Salzenstein.

One of the highlights of the program is an annual “The Arts and Entertainment Career Fair,” coordinated and sponsored by students in DePaul’s Music Business Organization (DMBO). The widely-attended event, which will be held March 9 this year, is open to students from any university who are exploring internships or entry-level job opportunities in the music and entertainment industries. It is one of the only career fairs of its kind in the Midwest and attracts students and exhibitors from the city and beyond.

Among the exhibitor booths this year are The Metro Club, Victory Records, Aware Records, Infinity Broadcasting, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, ABC and ESPN radio and the Ravinia Festival. Guest speakers include Terri Hemmert, radio personality from WXRT; Jim DeRogatis, rock critic from the Chicago Sun-Times; and Joe Shanahan, owner of Metro Chicago, among others.

The eighth annual career fair will be held at the DePaul Student Center, 2250 N. Sheffield Ave., from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free of charge. For information, call DMBO at 773/347-1177.

The fair allows students to network with and learn from industry insiders as well as apply for internship and job openings at top Chicago companies and organizations. The event is part of DMBO’s mission to “stimulate interest among, to promote opportunities for, and to educate students regarding all areas of the music and entertainment industries.”

Graduates of DePaul’s Performing Arts Management Program receive a comprehensive education that prepares them for careers in orchestra, symphony, opera, dance and theatre organization management; commercial music and recording industry management; artist representation; music publishing and distribution; product merchandising and concert promotion. In addition to the rigorous audition process and core curriculum required of all students in DePaul’s undergraduate music program, those in the Performing Arts Management Program take courses in accounting, statistics, economics, marketing and management. Internships are also part of the program, with students working at the Lyric Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Music Festival, EMI Records and various other independent music labels and radio stations. Students who complete this program receive a bachelor of music degree with a concentration in performing arts management and a minor in business administration.

Salzenstein brings more than 20 years of experience in arts management to the program leadership. A Morton Grove resident and Chicago native, he was founding executive director for the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights, director of the MBA Arts Management Program at Roosevelt University, and managing director of many Chicago area arts organizations including Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park, Chicago’s Pegasus Players, Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace and Halsted Theatre Centre. He produced the League of Chicago Theatres’ “SHOWTIME 2002!” honoring longtime Chicago Tribune chief theatre critic Richard Christiansen, as well as several Joseph Jefferson Awards ceremonies. He has held board positions as an officer with the League of Chicago Theatres, the Producers Association of Chicago-area Theatres and the Joseph Jefferson Committee. Salzenstein also has been active with Theatre Communications Group and the Chicago Bar Association, and he has been a frequent speaker or moderator on arts management panels.