Rachel Gauntlett

Rachel Gauntlett graduated from Humber's Arts Administration & Cultural Management program in 2015 and, just a few months later, is already working as the Operations Manager for Canada's only full-sized contemporary orchestra.

"My primary job in that role is to administer Esprit Orchestra’s annual concert series. A large majority of the pieces we perform are world premieres (meaning the music has never been performed publicly before); saying it’s exciting to be the first audience to hear each premiere is an understatement. You should come see for yourself!"

Rachel's interest in music began long before her time at Humber - before starting her career as an Arts Administrator, she completed two degrees in cello performance. Her performances have been broadcast on CBC radio and have taken her to Lincoln Center in New York City.

"New York is one of my favourite cities in the world, and being in such a beautiful and iconic concert hall was thrilling! It was nice to go back to my cellist roots for a brief moment."

One of the real strengths of Humber's Arts Administration & Cultural Management program, according to Rachel, is that it allowed her to work with creative minds from many different art mediums.

"The thesis project (also referred to as the Capstone project) taught me a lot about what it takes to successfully plan and implement a project. I, along with a group of talented and brilliant women in the program, launched a street art project and accompanying gallery exhibit called The Street Talk Project. It was a lot of work but ended up being an extremely rewarding experience."

We look forward to hearing more from Rachel, both as a performer and as a driving force behind the Esprit Orchestra!

Find out more about Rachel on her website, Rachelgauntlett.com, follow her on Twitter @rachelgauntlett, or connect with her on LinkedIn by searching Rachel Gauntlett.