Volunteer at the Festival
The Cleveland Thyagaraja Festival is organized entirely by volunteers, and we depend on community involvement to run the event in a smooth fashion.
If you would like to volunteer at the Festival, there are plenty of opportunities to do so. Read on for a sample of what we do, followed by instructions on how to sign up.
Volunteers have a variety of responsibilities:
- Transportation
- Drive artists, volunteers, and equipment between the hotel and the venue.
- Artist pick up / drop off at the airport
- Transporting Festival goods and supplies
- Food Service
- Transporting and serving food to artists, volunteers, and attendees
- Collecting donations for meals
- Stage Management
- Assist sound engineer and stage manager turn over stage between concerts, help with microphones, lighting, and recording setup
- Providing coffee, tea, and water backstage
- General Assistance
- Manage lines and participation order during individual singing
- Manage music competition sessions
There are a variety of other opportunities that come up during the event where volunteers step in and lend a hand. If you are available, you can probably find something to do.
Benefits to Volunteering
Besides bragging rights, as a volunteer you get to …
- add valuable volunteer hours to your résumé and/or college application (if you put in enough work, we'll even give you a letter attesting to your efforts).
- work with an incredible group of people who are passionate about the Festival, and fun to hang out with.
- peek behind-the-scenes at what it takes to run an event of this magnitude, and take home lessons for similar festivals in your town.
- Free food on the days you volunteer.
How to Sign Up
If you would like to volunteer at the Festival, please e-mail our volunteer co-ordinator Shankar Sundaram (shankar@aradhana.org) with the following details:
- Name
- Cellular phone number
- What days/time will you be available to volunteer?
- Do you have a valid driver's license that you can use to drive in Ohio?
- Will you have a car available while you are at the Festival?
- What languages do you speak/understand? (Some of our visitors do not speak English)
- Are there any specific skills that you would like to offer to us?
If you have any questions about volunteering, please do not hesitate to ask Shankar (shankar@aradhana.org).