Announcing the 2018-19 21st Century Artist Interns

By UMS

The 21^st Century Artist Internship program was developed to help prepare students for the new demands that working artists face in the contemporary marketplace. This highly competitive program is open to University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance students for the summer after their sophomore or junior years. Launched in the summer of 2014, the 21st Century Artist Internship program was developed to help prepare students for the new demands that working artists face in the contemporary marketplace.

In addition to generating outstanding creative work, today’s artists are also tasked with reaching potential audiences in innovative ways. They must be able to speak dynamically about their work and creative processes, provide interactive experiences for novice audience members, and transmit themselves and their artistry across rapidly changing media platforms. The 21st Century Artist Internship program provides real-world work experience and professional connections to young artists-in-training at U-M and a chance to practice these skills within the context of UMS’s programming.

For the first phase of their internship, the students will spend their summer working with a professional dance, theater, or music ensemble that UMS will present during the 2018-19 season. In phase two, the interns return to U-M to serve as a campus ambassador, educator, and marketer to support the ensemble during its visit. Each 21st Century Artist Intern earns a competitive stipend of $5,000 for their work, covering the costs of lodging, travel, and living expenses during the internship.

Meet the Students:

Bruna D’Avila, from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is a Theatre Performance major (Class of 2019) with a focus on Directing. She has been placed with The Office in New York, NY. The Office is the independent arts production company producing multi-media artist Carrie Mae Weems’s provocative new theater piece called Past Tense. Past Tense will be performed in the Power Center on February 15 and 16 as part of UMS’s International Theater Series.

Johanna Kepler, from Brookline, MA, is a Dance and Latino Studies student (Class of 2020). Kepler will spend her summer in Chicago interning with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Hubbard Street will perform two unique programs on UMS’s Dance Series on October 19 and 20 in the Power Center, including a new evening-length collaboration with Third Coast Percussion.

Allison (Allie) Taylor, from West Palm Beach, FL, is a Violin Performance and Communications Studies student (Class of 2019). Allie will travel to London this summer to work with the Philharmonia Orchestra, which comes to UMS for an orchestral residency that culminates in two public performances at Hill Auditorium on March 12 and 13. While in London, Allie will also intern at Askonas Holt, one of the world’s leading artist management firms, which represents a number of artists that UMS presents.

Kandis Terry, from Miami, FL, is studying Dance and Community Action and Social Change (Class of 2019). Kandis will intern with Camille A. Brown & Dancers, a New York-based company that produces work with a focus on historical and contemporary cultural, personal, and social justice issues. Camille A. Brown & Dancers will perform ink at the Power Center on January 26 as part of UMS’s Dance Series.