A Glimpse Behind the Curtains of the Music World's Biggest Stages
As both a violinist and orchestra administrator, Julia Rhyne gets to see what it’s like on stage and behind the scenes at venues like the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
Julia Rhyne, a College of Charleston Honors College senior majoring in music with a violin concentration and double-minoring in arts management and German, is experiencing something that eludes many performers: By the time she graduates, she will have played at both the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
“Playing in a big hall is something most student-musicians think is reserved for professionals, so it was particularly special for us to get the opportunity,” says Rhyne of her experience performing at the Kennedy Center with the College of Charleston Orchestra in 2023. “We got to play ‘Charlestonia,’ which is jazzy and embodies the Charleston spirit and was nice to bring with us.”
The opportunity came through the generosity of patrons of the College’s orchestra and Department of Music, Frank and Peggy Oldham, who – together with the College’s orchestra conductor Yuriy Bekker – have worked to create life-changing experiences for students and increase the distinction of the orchestra.
After the ensemble’s success at the Kennedy Center, the Oldhams and Bekker set their sights on Carnegie Hall. And now, in February 2025, Rhyne and the 70-person orchestra will travel to New York City to perform in one of the most well-known musical venues in the world.
“Every musician dreams of playing at Carnegie Hall because it is so well known,” says Rhyne. “For me, the experience is extra special because, as the co-concert master and orchestra administrator, I get to see the people working behind the scenes and learn their marketing tactics.”
This is Rhyne’s second year as orchestra administrator for the College of Charleston Orchestra, where she has worked on marketing and social media posts, as well as provided communication between the orchestra and Bekker. The experience has given Rhyne more insight into the complexities of a successful performance, from managing the performers to marketing the event.
The role builds on Rhyne’s past marketing and social media internship with the Berlin Philharmonic. Thanks to the Tap and Jean Johnson Travel Abroad Scholarship, she was able to intern in Berlin, Germany – an experience that affirmed her plans to move to the administrative side of the music industry after graduation.
“My time interning with the Berlin Philharmonic was a very eye-opening and exciting experience for me,” says the Greenville, South Carolina, native. “This was my first-ever marketing internship, and I was able to strengthen my social media skills as well as build on my ability to connect with a target audience on social media. I also had the opportunity to attend the Waldbühne, or ‘forest stage’ concert, which is the season finale of the Berlin Philharmonic’s season every year in a massive, open-air theater in Berlin. I had the pleasure of going behind the scenes before the concert and gathering content for social media, and this was so much fun!”
Rhyne is currently leveraging that hands-on experience at a local nonprofit, the South Carolina Bach Society, where she uses her social media skills as a marketing intern.
Between her internships and her two years as the orchestra administrator for the College of Charleston Orchestra, Rhyne has accumulated the skills, experience and connections she needs for an exciting future. She feels especially privileged to have formed a professional relationship with Bekker, who also serves as the concertmaster and artistic director of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.
“He has helped me build connections within Charleston and dip my toes into the music scene here, and I will be forever grateful,” she says. “Being in the orchestra under his direction has also shaped me into a better orchestral musician, as he has given me the chance to sit as concertmaster and assistant concertmaster alongside Payton Lee, senior music major at the College. I hope to use my new knowledge of personnel management, organization and marketing in my future career of orchestral management and/or marketing.”
Bekker, who has been consistently impressed by Rhyne in the four years he’s known her, is certain she’ll have a successful career.
“She has a bright future ahead, excelling as a talented violinist who is deeply dedicated to her craft,” he says. “As an orchestra administrator, Julia is a hard worker, great communicator, responsible and diligent. She understands both the musical and administrative sides. I am confident that we will hear many accolades about her future achievements both with the violin and as an orchestra administrator.”
