Graduate Student Britney Alcine to Attend Eastman Leadership Academy in June

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Britney Alcine, a graduate student studying orchestral conducting in the UMass Amherst department of music and dance, has recently been awarded a full scholarship to attend the Eastman Leadership Academy in Rochester, NY from June 23 thorugh 26. The event is hosted annually by the Eastman School of Music, one of the foremost conservatories in the nation. The Leadership Academy offers promising young musicians the chance to take part in immersive learning activities and workshops on topics such as innovation in the arts, application of entrepreneurial thinking and business skills, and crafting a personal mission. Admission to attend the Academy is highly competitive; only 25 students from across the country were selected to take part this year.

Alcine is currently in her second year of studying conducting under Morihiko Nakahara at UMass, where she frequently conducts the UMass Symphony Orchestra and assists with teaching undergraduate conducting and with the UMass Marching Band. A leader outside of the classroom, Alcine has also helped to found the Music Department Equity Group, a student-run organization dedicated to fostering an equitable environment for all within the UMass music program. She is currently the assistant conductor with the Eureka Ensemble in Cambridge, Mass. In 2015-16, Alcine was chosen as the Conducting Apprentice with the New York Youth Symphony, where she studied with Maestro Joshua Gersen and premiered works for chamber orchestra. She has also served as music director of chorus and recorder ensembles at the elementary school level.

A native of New Jersey, Alcine grew up performing in a variety of ensembles including pit orchestras, marching bands and choirs. Her primary instrument was viola, but she also has experience playing flute, percussion and various brass instruments. As a conductor, she looks to bring this wide experience to the podium at every opportunity.

During the Leadership Academy, Alcine is looking forward to meeting other young professionals and discussing how they can display leadership within the music community. She says, “I try through everything I program and teach to connect to the experiences of everyone involved, from the musicians I conduct, to the listeners we play for, and the communities we serve. I believe this opportunity to participate in the Eastman Leadership Academy will give me more applicable ways of making that connection.”