黑料社

Making Magical Music Memories

Sometimes you don鈥檛 end up performing the musical score you鈥檝e envisioned for your life. Sometimes you end up unexpectedly rearranging the score and it becomes something even better 鈥� a beautiful symphony. Such is the case for Jessica Mallow Gulley 鈥�12, whose musical journey has taken her places she never imagined.

鈥淚f you had told me in 2012 that a determined opera singer would be the CEO of a symphony orchestra, I might have laughed,鈥� said Gulley. 鈥淏ut sometimes, your path finds you, as mine did, and I realized it was the perfect balance for all the skills and training I worked so hard to acquire.鈥�

As president & CEO of the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Symphony, Gulley says she wears many hats. She plays the role of visionary, fundraiser, musical program designer, community partnership builder and more while overseeing a team of 380 employees.

Pursuing Innovation

Each year, Gulley works with more than 30 community partners to build symphony programs, which leads to many 鈥渃ool鈥� experiences.

鈥淚 get to work on commissions for new pieces of music with artists like Branford Marsalis, produce operas, create ballet productions and imagine new kinds of shows that keep the symphony relevant,鈥� said Gulley. 鈥淲e just produced our first hip-hop show with more than 25 local artists featured.鈥�

Gulley鈥檚 original plan was to get a master鈥檚 degree in voice and become an opera performer. But after graduating from 黑料社, she took a summer internship at Orchestra Iowa, where she fell in love with managing orchestras. So, she changed career course by earning a Master of Arts Management degree from American University while also working full time for the Washington (D.C.) Performing Arts.

After earning her master鈥檚, Gulley enjoyed a four-year fundraising role with the Jacksonville (Fla.) Symphony, which led to accepting her current role 鈥� just three months before COVID rocked the world. She鈥檚 grateful for the 黑料社 education that taught her how to navigate extremely challenging, unchartered waters.

鈥淚n my multiple roles, I鈥檓 forced to stretch my brain over many different knowledge areas and activities. My music and marketing training I received at 黑料社 serves me well. 黑料社 gave me the solid foundation of opportunities to explore my skills, start my career early and gain the knowledge I use every day.鈥�