Duane Hicks
Last year, Shannon Darby completed a Master’s degree in Community Music at the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Now she is getting to utilize what she’s learned as the Education & Outreach co-ordinator for the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Darby, the daughter of Deb Cornell and Bill Darby of La Vallee, heard about the job opportunity at the end of summer and applied for it like any other position.
The good news came in late September, when she learned she got the job, which she then started Oct. 20.
“I was very excited to be starting this job because it ties directly to what I studied in my Master’s of Community Music degree,” Darby said.
“I feel very lucky that I can be directly involved in something I am passionate about, especially when it is associated with a respected organization like the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra,” she added.
“The WSO has a remarkable education and outreach program as it performs for more than 35,000 students in over 300 schools per year through education programs both in the city and rural Manitoba,” Darby noted.
“I am thrilled to be part of such a thriving program.”
Darby said her job at the WSO is all about communication and co-ordination.
“I am involved in several different projects and it is my task to ensure they all run smoothly,” she explained.
“Since I started just over a month ago, I have helped to put on two ‘Concerts for Kids,’ several outreach ensembles visiting schools, day cares, and health care centres, and a large collaborative concert between the symphony and a school division.”
December also is going to be a busy month for her.
“I am involved in education Christmas concerts, helping to co-ordinate a holiday concert tour to rural Manitoba, and assisting with a performance of 100 tuba and euphonium players,” Darby noted.
“The education department is always planning way in advance so in addition, I am already working on projects which will take place in April and May,”
she added.
Darby said one of the biggest challenges has been learning to deal with mass amounts of e-mail—a new experience for her.
“It has been fun to get out of the office and watch the projects I co-ordinate in action,” she added.
“It is very rewarding to hear positive feedback from the audience, especially when children are experiencing orchestral music for the first time.”
Darby said having a position like this one has been one of her life goals.
“I am not sure if it is my ‘dream job’ because I have never really identified a dream job for myself,” she admitted.
“I always have goals for myself but since graduating from school, I have truly realized that you must embrace the opportunities which open up for you,” added Darby.
“I am really enjoying what I am doing at the moment but that ‘dream job’ could still be out there.”
Darby’s position with the WSO is for a one-year term, “though hopefully more opportunities will present themselves when that one year is up,” she noted.
Darby, who plays violin, clarified that she had not been playing in the symphony but has been putting her musical skills to use.
“The audition process to get into a symphony is quite competitive so I don’t have immediate plans to start auditioning—though you never know what opportunities will arise in the future,” she remarked.
“What I have been able to do is teach violin at their Sistema after-school string program,” said Darby.
“A couple nights a week, I am one of several teachers who visit an inner-city school to give lessons at no cost to the students.”
Darby also is enjoying living in the ’Peg.
“Winnipeg is a wonderful city to live in if you are interested in art and music,” she enthused.
“It really is a hub for artistic activity in central Canada.”
Darby got her Bachelor of Music degree in violin performance from Brandon University before attending the University of Limerick.
She then returned to Rainy River District, where she interned at the Rainy River Future Development Corp. and spearheaded several initiatives, most notably the inaugural “Harmony of Nations” Music Festival, this past summer.
