The Setting the Stage Guest Speaker Series features industry experts sharing their advice, insights, and experience to help MSM students advance their careers.

Each school year The Center for Career Readiness & Community Impact (CCRCI) produces dozens of informative Setting the Stage panel discussions and guest speaker appearances. A range of music professionals and entrepreneurs, including many MSM alumni, share valuable career information. Past workshops are listed below.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS – Fall 2026 – Spring 2027

OCT 27 | TUES | 12:00PM – 1:50PM
Building a Balanced Career
(Room 612)

  • Guest Speaker Ramón Carrero-Martínez (BM ’19, MM ’21), Principal Viola of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Section member of the New Jersey Symphony, and Viola Faculty at Purchase College’s Conservatory of Music (SUNY), will lead a workshop exploring how musicians can build a balanced career portfolio. Drawing from his training at the Manhattan School of Music and his experiences performing with ensembles including the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Connect, Terra String Quartet, and Exponential Ensemble, Ramón will speak on how he built his career and lead a broader discussion on finding professional stability, balance, and happiness.
  • Presented as part of ME 2600.OP, Career Essentials for the Orchestra
  • Students not enrolled in ME 2600.OP must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

OCT 28 | WED | 10:00 – 11:50AM
What Comes Next? Practical Foundations for Launching a Touring Career
(Room 109)

  • Join Tim Mar, COO & Director of Artist Strategy at Concert Artists Guild, for a conversation on the tools and strategies essential for building a sustainable touring career in today’s marketplace as a chamber musician — and how to maximize your time as a student to prepare for the road ahead.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500.OC, Practical Foundations for Music Careers
  • Students not enrolled in ME 1500.OC must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

OCT 29 | THURS | 2:00PM – 3:50PM
Stop Explaining and Start Connecting
(Room 516)

  • Through online content and interactive live shows, classical pianist Daniel Anastasio is bringing general audiences into the expression of classical music in a new way. Find out how personal values, presence, storytelling, public speaking, and deep preparation all work to grow your audience, garner more attentive listening, and provide career opportunities.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500.PN, Practical Foundations for Music Careers (Piano Section)
  • Students not enrolled in ME 1500.PN must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

NOV 5 | THURS | 2:00PM – 3:50PM
Sustaining a Creative Career: Longevity, Balance, and Mindfulness in Music
(Room 516)

  • Osaka-born and New York-based pianist Erika Dohi (MM ’10) joins us to share insights on how to navigate the evolving music field while maintaining a sustainable and fulfilling practice. She’ll explore balancing creative vision with freelance work, preventing burnout, prioritizing mental health, cultivating healthy relationships, and integrating mindfulness, efficiency, and real-world connections into a long-lasting artistic life.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500.PN, Practical Foundations for Music Careers (Piano Section)
  • Students not enrolled in ME 1500.PN must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

NOV 18 | WED | 10:00AM – 11:50AM
Regulating Performance and Audition-Related Stress
(Ades Performance Space)

  • Guest Speaker Ulises Calatayud (practitioner and teacher of Meditation, Breathwork, Yoga Philosophy + Asana) will help MSM students of all disciplines develop strategies for relaxation, focus, and self-regulation specific to performance and audition-related stress.
  • Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500, Practical Foundations for Music Careers.
  • Students not enrolled in ME 1500 must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

NOV 20 | FRI | 10:00AM – 11:50AM
Regulating Performance and Audition-Related Stress
(Ades Performance Space)

  • Guest Speaker Ulises Calatayud (practitioner and teacher of Meditation, Breathwork, Yoga Philosophy + Asana) will help MSM students of all disciplines develop strategies for relaxation, focus, and self-regulation specific to performance and audition-related stress.
  • Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500, Practical Foundations for Music Careers.
  • Students not enrolled in JC 2732 must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

NOV 20 | FRI | 12:30PM – 2:20PM
Regulating Performance and Audition-Related Stress
(Ades Performance Space)

  • Guest Speaker Ulises Calatayud (practitioner and teacher of Meditation, Breathwork, Yoga Philosophy + Asana) will help MSM students of all disciplines develop strategies for relaxation, focus, and self-regulation specific to performance and audition-related stress.
  • Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and bring a water bottle.
  • Presented as part of ME 1500, Practical Foundations for Music Careers.
  • Students not enrolled in ME 1500 must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

DEC 1 | TUES | 2:00PM – 3:20PM
Creating the new musical Penelope
(Room 609)

  • Join us for a discussion with musical theatre writer Alex Bechtel, who will discuss the creation of his musical Penelope, which recently won the Richard Rodgers Award and released a cast album, not to mention its productions in London, at the Edinburgh Fringe, and all across the US.
  • Presented in collaboration with JC 2732, MT Songwriting.
  • Students not enrolled in JC 2732 must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

DEC 3 | THURS | 4:00PM – 5:20PM
How It All Works: Maybe Happy Ending Stage Manager on Jobs in the Theater
(Mikowsky Hall)

  • Join us for a discussion with Broadway stage manager Justin Scribner as he explains who does what and how it all works.
  • Presented in collaboration with MT 0200, MT Freshman Seminar.
  • Students not enrolled in JC 2732 must RSVP to attend by clicking here.

PREVIOUS WORKSHOPS – Fall 2026 – Spring 2027

SEPT 29 | TUES | 12:00PM – 1:50PM
Making the Case: Turning Musical Ideas into Action
(Room 612)

  • Guest Speaker Rachel Hauser, Principal at Hauser Consulting, will discuss how musicians can develop, articulate, and build support for their own creative ideas, as well as advocate for themselves throughout their orchestral careers.
  • Presented as part of ME 2600.OP, Career Essentials for the Orchestra

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