Chapter Director

Owner and Founder - Lesley Jennings Arts Management I Manager Free State Youth Orchestra I Bloemfontein Chapter Director During my career as a self-employed entertainment coordinator and arts administrator, I have been contracted by the Free State Symphony Orchestra to manage their youth orchestra and the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State as a project administrator. I have had the pleasure of working with some really amazing talent. The experiences gained have been invaluable and, more importantly, highly enjoyable and satisfying. There is nothing quite like organising a successful concert, knowing that, in some way, you were responsible. Largely self-taught and with eight years of music administration/coordination under my belt, there have been some memorable experiences. I have interned for the South African National Youth Orchestra and continue to volunteer for their courses when I have time, these are the biggest concerts I have been a part of coordinating aside from the courses themselves. I continue to work with youth orchestras as they link into my passion to develop and empower the next generation of musicians. I have also had the pleasure of managing a local band, who have achieved remarkable performance goals in their two years together as a band, I am humbled to be able to work so closely with these musicians to realise their goals. Being self-employed lends itself to the need to overcome problems and learn new skills very quickly. As a result, my skills range from basic instrument repair, talent management through to budgeting and project management.