Office of Communications

Conservatory Communications

Working exclusively with the Conservatory of Music, the conservatory communications team promotes Oberlin’s artistic and intellectual excellence on a regional, national, and international scale.

We promote the conservatory through stories that feature conservatory faculty, resident artists, students, alumni, and donors. We also promote the conservatory’s events and activities to the campus community and throughout Northeast Ohio.

The team is responsible for these six areas:

  • Publications
  • Public and Media Relations
  • Events Promotion
  • Marketing Communications (print, online, and broadcast media)
  • Promoting live streaming, broadcasting, and recordings
  • Maintaining current information and providing engaging content on the conservatory website and social media platforms

Oberlin Arts Guide

The Arts at Oberlin guide, focusing on the Artist Recital Series and other cultural offerings at Oberlin, is mailed and distributed each summer throughout Northeast Ohio, to the campus community, and to alumni and parents of current students. 

Event programs are distributed at Artist Recital Series concerts and other signature events.

View the Arts Guide online

Conservatory Admissions

Conservatory admissions publications—viewbooks, invitations, and swag—coproduced with the conservatory admissions staff, are mailed to prospective students and music educators.

E-news pieces are sent to targeted lists for event promotion and admissions purposes.

Oberlin Music Label

Releases on Oberlin Conservatory’s commercial recording label, Oberlin Music, features select recordings generated by conservatory faculty. Recordings are available on CD and digital music channels worldwide and are distributed by NAXOS.

Browse Oberlin Music Label

The conservatory communications team assists with planning and publicizing large-scale events held on and off campus. We interact with reporters, editors, and broadcast journalists on local, regional, national, and international levels to:

  • Keep the media informed about news and select events from Oberlin
  • Assist members of the media who contact the office with requests for interviews, photographs, video, or background information about faculty, students, and guest artists.
Marketing Communications

The conservatory communications team creates a yearly marketing plan for the conservatory in consultation with admissions, the conservatory dean, and divisional chairs.

Ads for the conservatory appear in newspapers, journals, magazines, program books, websites, and on broadcast media outlets.

The Oberlin Conservatory live streams about 300 concerts every year from seven venues on campus. These concerts are broadcast at the time of the performance and are not currently archived.

To arrange a concert for live streaming, contact the Conservatory Audio Office at conaudio@oberlin.edu .

Making CONnections

The Office of Conservatory Communications also presents a student-produced and student-hosted weekly radio show. Making CONnections airs on WOBC 91.5 FM and online at www.wobc.org .

Two additional radio stations—WWFM in the tri-state area of New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania and WCLV in Northeast Ohio—regularly broadcast programs curated and submitted by the communications office. These include recordings of Oberlin’s live performances and Oberlin Music CDs.

The communications team manages and produces content for the conservatory website and its social media presence across an evolving set of platforms: including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, and SoundCloud.

A rotation of feature stories and select upcoming events, with photography and video content, makes this the most visible source of information for prospective students, parents, alumni, students, faculty, and the media.

Browse conservatory online platforms:

The Office of Conservatory Communications regularly directs media and patrons to Oberlin’s online calendar of events. The Concert Production office maintains this calendar of events. Send email to ConPro@oberlin.edu.

Faculty and students should schedule concerts and recitals through the Concert Production office at least one month in advance of events and with as much information as possible.

For promotional support from the Office of Conservatory Communications, we require:

  • One month notice for a one-time event
  • Two months notice for public-facing festivals and residencies
  • Faculty members sponsoring these events should contact the communications office as soon as they have a signed contract. Required information includes date, time, venue, program, and artist/presenter biographies and photographs.