Mike Epstein: On Taking Risks & Following your Passion This month, Project Jumpstart interviewed Jacobs School jazz alumnus, Mike Epstein, who serves as president of his self-started and fast-growing booking agency, Mike Epstein and Company, where he promotes award winning musicians. Mike Epstein and Company currently represents thirteen artists encompassing a wide variety of styles including… Read more »
Angela Brown: On Creating Your Own Path Congratulations to alumna Angela Brown, Project Jumpstart’s Entrepreneur of the Month for October. This month, Project Jumpstart interviews Jacobs School alumna, soprano Angela Brown, who was a recent recipient of the IU Distinguished Alumni Service Award. Angela is an in-demand artist all over the world, with performances at… Read more »
Nicholas Hersh: On Working with a Major Arts Organization This month, Project Jumpstart sat down with recent Jacobs School grad, Nicholas Hersh, who recently completed his first year as the Assistant Conductor of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. In February, Nick made his subscription debut with the BSO when he stepped in for indisposed guest conductor,… Read more »
Chris Botti: On Pursuing a Career in the 21st Century The phenomenally successful and deeply soulful trumpeter Chris Botti is Project Jumpstart’s Entrepreneur of the Month for August. Chris recently spent time talking with Project Jumpstart about his life as a student in the Jacobs School of Music, early career moves, and what it takes… Read more »
MusAid: supporting music institutions in developing countries around the world, with donated instruments and volunteer teaching programs MusAid, a project run by Jacobs School of Music alumnus Kevin Schaffter, current student Maria Romero, and a few friends, has blossomed into a deeply inspiring international organization with a vision of “a global community where artists from… Read more »
Emergent. Relevant. Opera… written, performed, and produced by Jacobs School of Music students! New Voices Opera was founded in 2012 by Chappell Kingsland to produce his doctoral thesis project Intoxication: America’s Love Affair with Oil. Since then, the organization has grown into a full student-run company that premieres two operas each year and trains young professionals… Read more »
By developing a professional life that combines performance, scholarship and collaborative leadership, Jacobs School alumnus and conductor Eric Stark has established himself as a leading choral-orchestral specialist. He is currently director of choral activities at Butler University and artistic director of the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir. Project Jumpstart recently caught up with him to discuss trends… Read more »
Musicologist, published writer and researcher, editor, small business owner, entrepreneur, and Jacobs Alumna! With extensive research published in peer-reviewed publications, such as the Journal of the Society for American Music, Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop, and the Journal of Popular Music Studies, Amanda Sewell is a musicological force. She’s also a highly motivated entrepreneur and has… Read more »
Forward-thinking Baroque musicians, ensemble leaders, entrepreneurs, and Jacobs School of Music alumni! For the past three decades, Ingrid Matthews and Byron Schenkman have blazed an extraordinary trail in the early music world by co-founding the internationally recognized Seattle Baroque Orchestra in 1994 and emerging as leading soloists, chamber musicians, music directors, and recording artists. They… Read more »
Internationally Renowned Vocal Jazz Conductor, Educator, Pianist, and Arranger Meet Steve Zegree, Project Jumpstart’s December Entrepreneur of the Month! Dr. Zegree is the Pam and Jack Burks Professor of Music, director of Singing Hoosiers, and director of the Down Beat Award-Winning IU Vocal Jazz Ensemble I. Between teaching, performing, arranging, holding clinics, writing books, recording albums,… Read more »