Katie Kelly, 29, still remembers the moment she decided she wanted to devote her career to music. Now a classically trained trumpet player, she was playing in her eighth grade honors band in Memphis, Tennessee, when after the performance the crowd stood up, applauding with big smiles.
Inspiring people through art makes her feel the same way.
“Being able to bring people in and invite people online and in real life, through social … (to) our concerts, is the real life embodiment of that for me,” Kelly said.
After earning a master’s degree in music – trumpet performance from Texas Christian University, Kelly started working for the Fort Worth Symphony in 2017. She now works as the senior manager of communications. When she isn’t working at the symphony, Kelly maintains a private trumpet lesson studio and teaches students at Burleson Centennial High School. She is also hosting people at the under 40 nights at Amphibian Stage.
Making people feel welcome is key to bringing younger people to the arts, she said. She thinks about the barriers people might consider to attending events such as the symphony, like money. Money was a barrier to Kelly’s family, growing up as middle class.
“I have to think about myself in the shoes of families and younger individuals who don’t necessarily have the resources, and if they have them, they aren’t sure this is where they want to spend those resources,” she said.
Amphibian Stage is an example of an accessible space, she said. Kelly went to see Amphibian Stage’s production of “The Hollow” last year and said she was impressed with the production, the accessibility of parking and the reception after the show. Soon after she became an under 35 member – an option she said is good for people who are getting into their careers and are starting to have disposable income.
Amphibian Stage is an example of an accessible space, she said. Kelly went to see Amphibian Stage’s production of “The Hollow” last year and said she was impressed with the production, the accessibility of parking and the reception after the show. Soon after she became an under 35 member – an option she said is good for people who are getting into their careers and are starting to have disposable income.
Evan Woods, marketing director at Amphibian Stage, invited Kelly to become an ambassador for their under 40 community night after seeing her post about “The Hollow” on social media. The community nights are an opportunity for like-minded individuals to meet together of certain demographics. Woods describes her as extroverted and bubbly with a knack for translating complicated topics into something relatable and simple. Enjoying art and many other facets of Fort Worth is a communal experience, he said.
“And Katie is just sort of like an instrumental part of that community,” Woods said. “I think she really brings out the part of people that want to step out of their comfort zone and really like to engage in a deeper level with the art that’s being made in Fort Worth.”
Part of creating community, Kelly said, is making sure people don’t feel alone or approaching them with empathy. She engages the new faces, or people who’ve been around a long time.
“I’m always trying to meet them halfway. So that empathetic approach is, ‘Hey, I see you, I see that maybe you’re feeling tired, maybe you’re feeling worn out. I’ll meet halfway or wherever you are,’” Kelly said.
Buddy Bray, the instrumental keyboard at the Fort Worth Symphony, said Kelly has the kind of personality that makes itself known. She is fun and full of energy, has passion for the symphony and relates to them as a musician herself, he said.
He thinks Kelly has a role in bringing younger people to the symphony because she is still young, and the language she uses on social media to draw people in.
“She wants you to love it because she loves it, and it’s almost like there’s something that she wants to share,” Bray said. “She’s not trying to appeal to people’s sense of exclusivity or elitism. She’s trying to appeal on a more basic level, which is come look at this, this is great.”
