Editor, Performance Magazine
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
190,000 circulation/season
Issued in fall, winter and spring with up to three editions each
Performance Magazine is the program guide given to Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) concert attendees. Program notes and artist bios are compiled and edited for each event. Also included are feature stories about musicians, composers and directors, highlights from the organization, upcoming events, advertisements and donor and staff information.
Content
As editor I oversaw production of the magazine where I sourced, compiled, edited and wrote copy for several feature stories, including composer and musician features, donor and community outreach spotlights, program notes and artist bios.
I contributed photography as well as design concepts as needed for the best possible finished product.
Throughout the year, I also produced dozens of inserts and stand-alone programs for unique performances and concert series outside of the standard season.
Collaboration
Production of the magazine included working closely with DSO executives, important donors, prestigious DSO musicians, international artist management companies and an independent program notes annotator to produce approved content.
Each issue was reviewed by a majority of the DSO’s departments before being finalized for publication. We often did at least two rounds of revisions, where I managed edits from more than 10 departments for the 50+ page magazine.
I also worked with three Detroit-based companies, including Skidmore Studio for cover designs, Echo Publications for layout and production and Design Scholar for an overall redesign of the magazine.
Planning
I worked with Echo Publications and Design Scholar on budgeting a schedule for the year. As this was only one aspect of my role in communications at the DSO, it involved a combination of preparation and fast-paced timelines to complete each issue of the magazine in time for the first concert included in the program.
Careful planning went into determining how the season’s concerts would be split among each issue and edition of the publication, based on many factors including printing needs, event timing and juggling several other projects.
I loved seeing the many essential details come together to form one cohesive, well-designed magazine each time we produced a new issue. There is nothing like the satisfaction of seeing your efforts come together in a nice package that will enhance someone's knowledge and experience each time it is picked up and read.
