HOW TEAMWORK AND PASSION FOR MUSIC LED TO THE FIRST VIRTUAL NELSONVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL:
February 5, 2021
HOW TEAMWORK AND PASSION FOR MUSIC LED TO THE FIRST VIRTUAL NELSONVILLE MUSIC FESTIVAL: Featuring Student Lydia Sander and Director Josh Antonuccio
Lydia Sander, a senior at 91视频 and an intern for the Nelsonville Music Festival, and Josh Antonuccio M. Ed., Executive Producer for the Nelsonville Music Festival and 91视频 Director of Media Arts and Studies, stood in awe. The music washed over them, chills running up and down their arms. They were at the Ridges, previously known as the Athens Mental Hospital, filming the first musician, Lisa Bella Donna, for the virtual Nelsonville Music Festival. It was the first time they and the other interns had heard live music in months.
Lydia and Director Antonuccio were working to ensure that the Nelsonville Music Festival was online this year, debuting on August 21st and 22nd, 2020. This would be the first ever , so teamwork was key.
At first, the festival, presented by Stuart鈥檚 Opera House, was cancelled. However, Director Antonuccio had just produced an online awards ceremony. So, he thought to himself, why don鈥檛 we utilize the production expertise of students, graduates, and faculty to put on the festival? Director Antonuccio had been talking to colleagues, students, and graduates towards the end of the spring semester when he found out that 鈥渢hey were just dealing with a loss of internships and jobs.鈥 He helped develop paid internships for students and graduates, like Lydia.
Lydia first heard about the internship opportunity through the Center for Entrepreneurship. She had originally thought that an internship would be impossible this year, so she said, 鈥淲hen this opportunity presented itself, and knowing that I was nearby鈥攃ould be a part of it鈥攚as very excited.鈥
This summer, Lydia worked alongside many other interns. Her roles were to help with logistics and scout locations to record performances, like Lisa Bella Donna鈥檚. She tackled the internship head on.
Lydia came prepared: she is a student in the Honors Tutorial College pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a certificate in Entrepreneurship. She is a member of the 91视频 Experiential Learning Student Advisory Board, the Music Teachers National Association, and the 91视频 Presidential Leadership Society. Lydia also plays piano for the 91视频 Women鈥檚 Ensemble and plays the harp. Being involved in so many organizations means that Lydia had to work with many different people.
Lydia reflected, 鈥淭here鈥檚 something special about learning how to work with other people, especially in the music realm.鈥 Learning how to work with others positively affected her internship ability. Director Antonuccio agreed: 鈥淪he was great.鈥
Director Antonuccio, along with others, like Tim Peacock, the Executive Director of Stuart鈥檚 Opera House, devised a plan to find artists that would be willing to play for the virtual festival. They started by going through old rosters of past and potential artists, figuring out who they could shoot on-site and who might have to send in a pre-recorded performance.
Of all of the performances that could be shot on-site, all but one were recorded outside. They even made an effort to showcase different areas of the Athens and Nelsonville region that were lesser known. Lydia said, 鈥淲e went to Aethelred Mural鈥 We went to the Ridges for another one of the productions. We did one at Stuart鈥檚 in the Nelsonville Square.鈥
When Lydia, Director Antonuccio, and the other interns recorded the first set, they knew this festival would be special. Director Antonuccio described it, 鈥淚 was, like, completely overwhelmed with emotion.鈥 When Lydia first heard the live music, she said, 鈥淏eing able to hear live music again was, of course, really, really wonderful, even if it wasn鈥檛 in a traditional setting.鈥
And it wasn鈥檛 in a traditional setting. Because they were filming in person, everyone had to be cautious to follow strict guidelines. Microphones were sterilized between sets, on-site workers had to be aware of who they had been with before coming to work the next day, they had to do no-contact thermometer checks at the start of every shoot, and each person was assigned to carry certain equipment. Director Antonuccio said, 鈥淎t any point, we could all be shut down.鈥
Each day was a new challenge. The stress of current events hung in the air. Director Antonuccio described it, 鈥淚t鈥檚 like when you walk into a kitchen and then you smell something cooking, and it鈥檚 just in the air. Like, that stuff was just in the air the whole time.鈥 This meant that some days were really productive, whereas other days were emotionally exhausting, and they needed to take a break. That鈥檚 an important aspect to teamwork鈥攌nowing when your team can overcome the exhaustion and knowing when it is best to try again tomorrow.
When it all came down to it鈥攊t was worth it. On August 21st and 22nd, the virtual Nelsonville Music Festival aired. Immediately, Director Antonuccio, Lydia, and many others heard back about the virtual audiences鈥 experiences. Just like Lydia and Director Antonuccio when they heard live music for the first time in months, audience members had a similar experience.
The music connected them. Whether you were in your bedroom, in the kitchen preparing dinner, or in the grass outside, they were all listening to the same music. This community is a team, and through music, we will get through this together. Students told Director Antonuccio, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know I needed this to happen.鈥
Whether it be filming events, following guidelines, or even experiencing live music together鈥擫ydia, Director Antonuccio, and the rest of the Nelsonville Music Festival team worked together to create the first ever virtual Nelsonville Music Festival.
