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Down home in Nashville at the Tessitura conference

posted by Amelia Bird on Sat, Sep 6, 2008
in School of Theatre

Whew! Opening a season always makes everyone around here very busy, but this week I haven't had a moment to breathe. This week has been crazy because I am catching up--last week I was away in Nashville for the Tessitura conference.

Tessitura?!

Tessitura is a software program specially designed for nonprofit performing arts organizations. It does everything from ticketing to development, and with some adaptation, education, which is where I fit in. Last week was a four-day conference held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, where Tessitura users from theatres, operas, symphonies, and more gathered to network, learn about the software, and see some great bluegrass at the Grand Ole Opry.

There we were, only five of us from Berkeley Rep, lost in the crowd of over 1,000 theatre geeks and computer nerds. At first, the conference seemed overwhelming. Where to go? Which sessions to go to? Who to sit with at lunch? Megan, our communications manager, and I went to our first session together and were both scribbling madly to write down all the great ideas for using Tessitura to market to specific groups of people. The first night, we were treated to a fancy opening night ceremony at the local symphony hall, which was beautiful. Megan was brave enough to join the Tessiturian chorus, which entertained us with a few pieces, all Tessitura-themed. Puns abounded.

As the conference continued, my brain seemed to become almost completely saturated with information. In addition to more technical presentations, there were discussions about issues that arts organizations face, like training new employees or how to use to technology to build a younger audience base. As each day ended, I would look at my growing binder full of ideas and wonder how I was going to lug it on the plane home, let alone implement all of these new ideas.

Luckily, the conference organizers also provided some time to have fun. One night, they got tickets for all 1,005 of us to go to the Grand Ole Opry, which was quite an experience. The acts ranged from some old-style Texas bluegrass to an older-than-dirt solo performer who sang a little, but mostly told dirty jokes. The last night, we took over the Wild Horse Saloon, where we drank whiskey and beer so we could gather the courage to learn to line dance.

On the final day, it was hard to say goodbye to all the great people I had met. It was so great to meet people that were doing the same type of work that I was doing, and have a chance to get inspiration, and maybe even commiserate a little about paying back student loans while working at a nonprofit. Still, I was excited to get home. I was looking forward to some fresh California produce, and all those phone messages and emails that I knew I was getting back at work were starting to weigh on my mind.

Now that I'm back, things are so busy here with Target® Teen Night coming up, and fall classes starting September 22, it hardly feels like I was gone at all. Implementing all the ambitious goals that the conference inspired is going to take some time.

And I've already forgotten all the steps to the line dance we learned.