Wheeling Symphony Visits WPHS To Highlight Jobs in the Arts

photo by: Joselyn King

Wheeling Symphony Orchestra Music Director John Devlin shares a moment with Parker, the therapy dog a Wheeling Park High School, prior to a talk with students there Tuesday morning.

Wheeling Symphony Orchestra Music Director and Conductor John Devlin told a group of hIgh school students that jobs in the arts aren’t always about just “playing the violin.”

Devlin and other employees from the WSO spoke to students at Wheeling Park High School about careers in music and the arts, and how there are many opportunities not just on stage but in marketing and organizing efforts.

Devlin encouraged them to have outside interests, and that these enrich their artistic efforts.

“Sometimes if you have a goal in your life – like ‘I want to be a professional violinist’ – you get encouraged to focus solely on that thing,” Devlin said. “If you are successful and you get a degree in violin… everyone you are competing against for jobs has that same degree.”

What makes you unique and interesting are the things you do outside that main interest, he noted.

“I don’t try to shut off the other interests in my life,” Devlin continued. “I like food – and that became part of an orchestra I founded that paired food and music.

“I love nerdy stuff like Harry Potter, ‘Lord of the Rings’ and video games and stuff. Now we have a movie series at the symphony where we are going to conduct music from the Harry Potter movies.”

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” In Concert – where the movie is shown with live musical accompaniment – is set for Jan. 18 at the Capitol Theatre.

Karin Butyn, public relations director for Ohio County Schools, organized the student meeting with the symphony employees to show them there are local opportunities for arts careers in Wheeling.

Among those students attending were “collegiate” level musicians, as well as students from art, speech and debate disciplines.

“A lot of times we get stuck in our head, ‘If I want to work in this field I have to go to PIttsburgh, or I have to go to Cleveland, or go to Columbus,’” Butyn said.

“This group of people in front of me has made a living in the arts in Wheeling.”

Gail Looney, director of foundations and government relations, orchestra librarian, and plays the flute and piccolo in the symphony. She previously was a music teacher in Ohio County Schools.

She went to West Virginia University, and received her first degree in music education. Her flute playing earned her a scholarship, and she continued toward a second degree in education administration, then a third in public administration.

“I also work to raise money (for the symphony),” Looney added. “If you have an orchestra or any type of organization, you absolutely have to have money to do that to pay the musicians and staff.

“I write grants, and writing skills are extremely important…,” she explained.

Lauren Baker, customer service manager, is a WPHS alumnus who attended West Liberty University with the initial intention of becoming a teacher. She switched her major to communications after earning a minor in music, and this led to a career in arts and administration.

Baker explained she works with donors and subscribers to the symphony, and manages their accounts. She set up the ticket system to sell tickets, and partners with the marketing department to strategize ideas to promote sales.

Sadie Varlas, marketing and communications manager, also is a WPHS graduate. She said she changed her major three times while at WVU.

“Keep that in mind when you go to college,” she told the students.

She started in music education before deciding later she wanted to teach theater. Then she switched to English and secondary education.

“Then I decided I didn’t want to teach at all,” Varlas added. In the end, she achieved a master’s in English from Duquesne University.

She described herself as “the storyteller of the orchestra.” She writes of the behind the scenes happenings of the orchestra, takes photos, and oversees the organization’s social media communication.

Devlin said he started out as a clarinetist.

“You master an instrument first, then you transition to conducting,” he explained. He achieved both master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Maryland.

Devlin said while he is an artist with the orchestra and its conductor, he only spends about 2% of his time actually conducting.

“The other 98% is creating a story that Sadie can tell, and Laura can sell tickets to,” he continued. “I am there to make sure the art is compelling enough to engage the community.”

Sonja Thoms, executive director, played oboe when she was in high school and wanted to be in an orchestra.

“Then I realized I was that student who was always organizing somebody else, and I found an internship that turned me into an orchestra manager because there are always people working backstage,” she explained.

She also was an athlete, and she noted this taught her to be a team member.

Thoms oversees the staff and works with Devlin to oversee programming and determine the orchestra’s place in the community.

“It’s really about creative problem solving,” she said.

A third WPHS graduate, Jason Sivert , works as operations and education coordinator for the symphony. He wasn’t involved in music when he was in high school, but he did enroll at West Liberty University with the intent of learning to record music.

“When I got there, I had to learn how to play an instrument,” he said. “I started learning percussion, fell in love with it, and ended up having a performance major later.”

Sivert became involved with steel drums, and moved on to Appalachian State University “where they have a really good steel drum program.”

When he graduated, he didn’t know a job in operations with an orchestra existed.

“My whole job is to take everything everybody is working on and connect the dots. I’m organizing it all, and making sure it happens,” Sivert said.