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Sonja Thoms, Founder
OrchestraCareers was created by Sonja Thoms. Sonja's love for orchestras began in high school, when she played in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra. She studied oboe at Eastman School of Music (BM 2003) and Rice University (MM 2005) with the dream to be in an orchestra one day. It wasn't until after graduate school that Sonja discovered a career in Orchestra Operations would be a perfect fit. Now, Sonja has over 15 years of experience working in Orchestra Operations for professional orchestras (Pittsburgh Symphony 2006-2014 and Nashville Symphony 2015-present). In addition to her current role as Vice President of Operations at the Nashville Symphony, Sonja is committed to mentoring those interested in orchestra careers. She has developed effective internship experiences in addition to personalized coaching, educational resources and group presentations. In 2018, Sonja created an innovative class for Belmont University's Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business called "The Business of Orchestras". Sonja uses coaching to help each person discover, strengthen and showcase the value they can bring to the work of orchestras. OrchestraCareers has become a community where students and professionals can gather, building relationships that equip and challenge each other.
Brianna Owens, Marketing Manager
Brianna Owens is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. She has a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry, and a minor in Recording Industry. Her main expertise is in social media marketing. She has worked with the Tennessee Philharmonic Orchestra as their Marketing/Media Intern, and was previously the Social Media Coordinator for Rising Tide Music Press, a company publishing print works by Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian composers. She has also worked with Naxos of America. Brianna landed her Orchestra Career in October 2021, and now works as the Digital Content Coordinator at the Nashville Symphony!
Sarah Davidson, Content Advisor
Sarah Davidson is currently an undergraduate student at Middle Tennessee State University majoring in Music Industry with a minor in Not-for-Profit Management. Her interest in orchestral administration began in the fall term of 2018 when she had the opportunity to assist her youth orchestra in organizing the music library and the making of promotional materials. Since then, she has worked with Intersection, a professional contemporary music ensemble, as their Marketing Intern. As she pursues a career in orchestra administration, she looks forward to working as a Content Advisor for Orchestra Careers!
