UK ISC Students, Lexington Philharmonic Celebrate Partnership Anniversary

University of Kentucky integrated strategic communication students in the College of Communication and Information and the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra (LexPhil) celebrate the third anniversary of collaboration on a fall concert.

Allison Kaiser, executive director of the Lexington Philharmonic, said, “This is our third season working with Marc Whitt's event planning class, and our expectations are exceeded every year! This partnership is such a unique opportunity for students to see the immediate positive and lasting impact of their coursework in a real world setting.”

Students in ISC 471: Event Planning dedicate the entire semester to promote and execute a concert with the Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra. The past two years students have successfully promoted the orchestra's Candy Cane Concert for local families.

This year, students have a new challenge: to promote and execute the “Made in America” concert directly to students at UK and other regional colleges. The Lexington Philharmonic Orchestra will present “Made in America” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16 at the Singletary Center for the Arts.

Students in the course developed the idea of a Student Night with opportunities for college students across the Central Kentucky region to experience the joys of orchestral music. The students separated into three teams each with different responsibilities and opportunities for professional growth.

"This course has given us the chance to work with a professional client and taught us the importance of setting goals and having a motivated plan to achieve them,” Taylor Agathen, an ISC senior on the Pre and Post Event team, explained. "We have learned multiple aspects of event planning, but most importantly we have learned the value of teamwork in a results-driven environment."

Students are particularly excited to work on this concert because it is the first of three concerts this season that showcase the work of female composers. Composer Joan Tower’s work from which the full concert takes its name, “Made in America,” will be performed alongside popular works by Aaron Copland, Joseph Maurice Ravel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Katherine Wyatt, an ISC senior on the Ticket and Sales team, said, “The most exciting part of this project is having the chance to bring college students a new experience they may not have had before. As someone who remembers attending my first live orchestra event and being amazed, I hope this event can provide the same experience to students at UK, and overcome the barriers and perceptions associated with this type of event.”

This course is a win-win situation. Students gain real world experience working with a premier cultural nonprofit and Lexington Philharmonic benefits from an increased outreach to college students due to the students’ creative strategies.

Kaiser summed up why the Lexington Philharmonic loves working with ISC students, “We love the energy and excitement they bring to working with us! The student perspective is so valuable as we work daily to understand the perceived obstacles to engaging with live orchestral music.”

Students across campus are invited to the “Made in America” concert 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 16. Discounted tickets for students are $11 and can be purchase on Lexington Philharmonic’s ticketing website with the special code “studentnight.”