Megan Rasmussen

One of the biggest growth experiences in my life was the 7-week internship with the Utah Symphony | Utah Opera during the Deer Valley Music Festival in 2024. As the front of house intern, I was responsible for coordinating volunteers, working the operations and stage management staff, and other front of house staff to ensure safe, organized, and enjoyable experiences for the patrons and guests.

This was my first time living completely on my own. I was thankfully provided with a small studio apartment in downtown Salt Lake, just blocks away from Abravenel Hall. This was the longest I’d ever lived outside of Cache Valley, my first experience living completely alone, and my first true experience working in an administrative position in the arts.

I loved it.

My internship was, up to that point in my life, both the hardest and best experiences. As a newly 21-year-old, I thought I probably had most things figured out going into it. I assumed I knew how organizations ran, the types of work that needed to be done, and the basic experience I would have. While I was not altogether wrong, I also got a lot more than I bargained for.

I was left in charge of all the volunteers during a concert night on only my second week. This meant I was the point of contact for all supervising staff, other departments, and stage management. I dealt with any issues that arose, and coordinated between areas and volunteers.

I learned early on how to speak loudly when training the volunteers at the beginning of each concert. This did not come easily to me as I am generally soft-spoken. I also had to challenge my fear of public speaking.

One experience that taught me so much about confidence and collaboration was the time that a volunteer showed up intoxicated. On this particular occasion, my direct supervisor was out of town. I had other staff supporting me as well, but communication was up to me. Some of our operations staff brought the issue to my attention after interacting with her. From this, I spoke with this volunteer’s supervisor, and approached her with the help of other Symphony staff to kindly ask her to attend the concert as a patron and end her time volunteering. This concession was due to her mother also volunteering, and was decided by me and one other front of house staff member. It was a long conversation, but we ultimately settled the matter without too much fuss.

Another experience that pushed me was when a very popular concert was delayed due to weather. The venue would not allow guests inside as there was lightning in the area, so lines of people stretched across the entire campus. It was also pouring rain. I helped our volunteers and staff address patron complaints and questions, selling rain ponchos, and supporting our ticketing office with the number of complaints they faced. It was a very wet and cold evening, but taught me a lot about patience and the power of empathy.

So many more memories and experiences changed my life that summer. My experiences there solidified in my mind my goals of working as an arts administrator. I loved the work, I loved the people, and I loved the music. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I have and the friends I made that summer.