“In the last several years, Amazon has expanded its efforts so employees with artistic streaks have more creative outlets,” writes J.P. Mangalindan in Tuesday’s (12/19) Yahoo Finance. “ ‘Last year, one of our oboists looked through our employee directory and looked through people’s interests, particularly in classical musical instruments, and he just sent out this massive email, asking “Hey, who wants to start an orchestra?”,’ recalls Beau Curran, a technical account manager on Amazon’s digital music operations team and an oboist in the Amazon Symphony…. To Curran and Amazon Symphony conductor Fred Clarke’s surprise, about 200 employees expressed interest in the group, with 80 instrumentalists now rehearsing weekly on-campus and performing at least twice a year…. [The company] opened up its large employee meeting center on-campus for the groups to perform their winter concert. The joint performance drew over 500 people and raised more than $18,000 in donations and ticket sales for Mary’s Place, a nonprofit that operates a shelter for homeless families…. The Amazon Symphony and [the a cappella group] Vocally Self-Critical follow other efforts by Amazon over the years, including the Expressions program … that let Amazonians express themselves in different ways, from crochet night to snow globe-making classes.”
Posted December 21, 2017
