Julianne Akins

Julianne Akins

August 26, 2013
MBA student balances her time between earning her degree while pursuing her love of music

Julianne Akins said she was destined to pursue music. With a mother who is a professional flutist and father who is the principal tuba player in the Columbus Symphony, she grew up playing multiple instruments. While most might think she would pick the flute, after one year of music class in sixth grade she chose the tuba and hasn’t looked back since.

“I can still hear my mom in my head when I’m carrying around my 40 lb. tuba in heels saying I should have played the flute,” she said. “I enjoy the tuba though, it better matches my personality; aggressive, strong, laid back.”

After earning a degree in music performance with an emphasis in business at The Ohio State University, she joined her parents at the Columbus Symphony playing music and working in the office. While there she also began a student organization that connected the symphony with OSU, helping champion efforts to keep the symphony open when budget cuts threatened to close its doors.

“After some time in Columbus I realized I needed a fresh perspective. I wanted to have more impact while also keeping artistic considerations in mind,” she said. “I first fell in love with the symphony in Columbus, but since joining the Richmond Symphony Orchestra (RSO) I am very excited about the opportunities to connect with the community and work with younger musicians in a more meaningful way.”

Akins recently transitioned from operations manager to patron services and sales manager at the RSO. As operations manager she gained a greater understanding of how the orchestra works and managed a range of logistics, especially those pertaining to guest artists. In her role as patron services and sales manager Akins combines her background in music with her business knowledge to develop marketing and ticketing strategies for the RSO.

Working for a non-profit, Akins encounters her fair share of obstacles. “Resources are certainly a challenge with a small staff and budget. Every day so many engines are at work, everyone has ideas about how to improve the organization and how to relate the orchestra to the community. Trying to make all that happen efficiently and effectively is difficult but it is also a huge opportunity,” she said. “The arts are very fragile but it is exciting because there is so much potential. I always try to keep in mind that I am doing it all for the music.”

Akins is now able to supplement her background with what she is learning in The Richmond MBA. “The knowledge I have gained at Richmond thus far relates to all I am doing. I have begun learning the language of the people I am conducting business with and also about the strengths of well-run organizations. My professors and the courses constantly shake me up,” Akins said.

Akins just completed an analytics course over the summer, working on a project that she was applying to symphony data. “With an artistic background, I listen in one ear while translating it to my world,” she said. “I make a point to introduce myself to professors before the semester to explain my different way of learning and let them know to pass along any information that relates to non-profits.”

“I love being able to learn from and contribute to discussions and knowledge among my classmates,” Akins said. “We all come from such diverse backgrounds and I am enjoying building on my creativity with the business knowledge I am now acquiring.”

Akins looks forward to seeing more of the community at upcoming RSO events and is full of recommendations for first-time symphony goers. “Once we get people in the door they realize what an amazing experience it is,” Akins said. “It is definitely a cause worth fighting for and I am glad to be a part of it.”