Creative Confidential with Bryan Tuk

Sheila Evans started out as a young musician, but later forged a career in the corporate world. During her corporate career, she began volunteering as a board member of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, and was eventually elected President of the Board of Directors. After serving as Board President at LOKC, Sheila later transitioned into the CEO's office at the Allentown Symphony.

Sheila shares her professional story and insights about running a non-profit, working in the arts space, and how to build a successful career.

Ricardo Flores is the President and CEO of The Greater Lehigh Valley Music Association (http://glvma.org/wp), which is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) dedicated to creating and delivering positive experiences through music, with a focus on honoring and developing youth. We were joined in the studio by two GVLMA board members, Erin Monie and Mimi Gloria. We discussed the challenges of being a startup organization in the arts space, the evolution of a startup into a mature business and a range of other topics.

Perhaps the most visible project the GLVMA produces are the Lehigh Valley Music Awards, which are now in their 17th season.

For more information on the LVMAs, click here: http://www.lehighvalleymusicawards.org/wp

Kassie Hilgert is the President and CEO of ArtsQuest. ArtsQuest is one of the largest arts non-profits in Pennsylvania both in terms of the scope and diversity of its programming. Kassie was named President and CEO of ArtsQuest in 2015 after joining the organization in 2008 as vice president of development.

Kassie discusses her transition from her position working at a global, publicly traded company to leading the region's largest and most diverse non-profit arts organization.

David Mickenberg has spent over 30 years as an arts administrator, and is currently the CEO of Allentown Art Museum. Prior to taking the helm in Allentown in 2013, David served as CEO of Taubman Museum of Art in Roanoke, Virgina for four years, and had also previously been director of university art museums at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and Northwestern University in Illinois.

David shares his views on the role of the arts in society, in public education, and how art museums can engage the community at large.

Whitney Peyton is a songwriter and rapper from the Philadelphia suburbs. Whitney is a self made performer touring the US and Canada, and single handedly built an audience through constant touring, performing, recording and social media outreach. In addition to being a talented performer, Whitney is a very astute business person and offers many lessons on what it takes to be self sufficient as a performer. For more information, check Whitney’s website out here.

Her new recording, Break the Frame, drops on January 5, 2016 and is available here.

Frank Smith is an accomplished photographer who picked up a camera at a very early age. Decades later, Frank’s passion for photography continues uninterrupted. Much of Frank’s landscape work focuses on the regional and local scenery including the Pocono Mountains and the historical sites of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. His travel and philanthropic photojournalism covers global themes, shedding light on cultural issues such as sex trafficking in Mumbai and regional corruption in areas including South Sudan and Haiti. Frank recently also traveled to and shot subject matter in Cuba and Mongolia.

You can learn more about Frank and view his work here: http://www.franksmithphotos.com

Diane Wittry is a frequent guest conductor of professional orchestras across the United States and in Europe. She has guest conducted include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Milwaukee Symphony, The San Diego Symphony, the Houston Symphony.

Diane Wittry is the Music Director and Conductor of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, PA.

As a teacher, Diane Wittry, is a frequent guest lecturer at Juilliard and the Curtis Institute of Music, as well as other Universities and Colleges.

Diane Wittry's first book, "Beyond the Baton - What Every Conductor Needs to Know" (Oxford University Press 2007) has become a standard required text for the orchestral conducting programs nationally. Diane just published a followup work, Baton Basics: Communicating Music Through Gestures (Oxford University Press 2014). Both are available through all online retailers.

Learn more about Diane here: http://www.dianewittry.com

Paul Harryn is many things: a painter, a musician, a traveler, and a freelancer who has been successful at building a life in creative work and doing it on his terms. His large scale paintings can be best described as abstract expressionist, but that is just one of the facets of his visual work. Paul works out of studios on both coasts: one along the Delaware River south of Easton, Pennsylvania and the other in Venice, California.

You can see Paul's work here: http://www.paulharryn.com

Eric Mintel is a well known jazz pianist and band leader in Philadelphia and eastern Pennsylvania. The Eric Mintel Quartet’s performance at the 2015 Allentown JazzFest was one of the highlights of the festival. Eric and host Bryan Tuk discuss Eric’s origins and influences as a musician, how Eric became one of a handful of people to ever perform for not one but two US Presidents at the White House, and how he approaches his craft and runs a successful performing ensemble. Eric’s website is http://www.ericmintelquartet.com

Stephanie Gardner is a writer and director for film and theatre. Past clients include Ellie Wiesel, Yale University, Urban Stages, and Miller Symphony Hall in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Her most recent film, “If I Had A Piano (I’d Play You The Blues)” has won Best of Show at the Greater Lehigh Valley Filmmakers Festival. Stephanie received an MFA in Dramatic Writing from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BA from The George Washington University. Stephanie and Bryan discuss the beginnings of her artistic journey and the discipline that is required to pursue a career in the arts. Stephanie’s website is http://www.thestephaniegardner.com