Who is Classical Voice of North Carolina (CVNC)?

Classical Voice of North Carolina (CVNC) publishes CVNC.org, an online arts journal. CVNC began in Raleigh in 2001 after Triangle newspapers reduced their classical music coverage or abandoned it all together. Today, CVNC.org is a major statewide cultural voice and – in many locations – the sole source of feedback for artists and organizations from Wilmington in the East through the Triangle and Triad to Asheville and Charlotte in the West.

CVNC.org website includes:

  • Calendar of 6,500 music, theatre, and dance performances and art exhibits from 1,000 presenters each year.
  • Reviews and Features documenting 325 or more music, theatre, and dance events each year
  • Blog of current NC arts news including announcements of new leadership at major presenters to the loss of North Carolina’s greats

What is the CVNC Next Generation of Arts Intern Program?

CVNC established the Next Generation of Arts Intern Program in 2009 to address the loss of qualified cultural journalists across North Carolina. Since then, students in multiple NC regions have participated. These students have been so successful that CVNC has engaged several as regular writers after graduation.

Interns work directly with CVNC‘s Intern Coordinator to ensure that their CVNC.org writing meet high professional standards. Their reviews also go through the same rigorous levels of fact-checking and technical editing applied to all other reviews published by CVNC.

What Are the Advantages for Students?

Students accepted into the intern program will:

  • Develop arts criticism skills, particularly for reviewing performances
  • Receive one-on-one encouragement and coaching from CVNC editors and senior critics.
  • Have bio included alongside CVNC‘s other writers. Their reviews remain online in the CVNC.org archive, currently containing over 9,000 articles. This may constitute a permanent portfolio of their written work.
  • Are provided with two tickets to events assigned for review. Those assignments are determined through a cooperative process between the writer and the Assignments Editor.
  • Learn about the vast array of arts programs across NC.
  • Receive small payments for reviews.
  • All with the expectation that the skills developed here may open opportunities for supplemental income in the future and also facilitate their development of their own marketing and promotional materials to enhance their careers.

What are the Advantages for CVNC?

This training has paid handsome dividends in terms of high quality and engaging reviews written from fresh perspectives. Several CVNC interns have subsequently been engaged as regular contributors. Others have had their reviews published in their local papers. Arts organizations also are benefiting from these students’ exposure to nonprofit administration. Some work for or have worked for chamber music presenters and theatre companies. One of CVNC’s own staff employees is a former intern. Several former interns have told us that their experiences with CVNC helped shape their entire view of the performing arts.

Who Can Participate?

Faculty from performing arts, journalism and English departments recommend to CVNC‘s Editor in Chief students who are:

  • College sophomores through graduate students
  • Majoring in performing arts OR journalism or English with minor in performing arts
  • Demonstrated strength or potential as writers

What Are the Requirements?

  • All CVNC writers agree to the organization’s Memorandum of Understanding before being assigned performances to review.
  • Submissions from all contracted writers (students and professionals) must meet CVNC‘s style guidelines. These address such issues as layout, content, formats, lengths, and more specific how-to instructions ranging from how to enumerate compositions by Old Masters to dealing with titles (foreign or domestic) of theatrical works.
  • All writers are expected to abide by submission deadlines.
  • To avoid potential conflicts of interest, all CVNC writers may not review events at their own institutions or where they have personal connections.

What’s the Next Step?

Faculty members should contact John Lambert, CVNC Editor in Chief at cvnc1@cvnc.org for more information or to recommend a student as a possible intern. Please include pertinent information about the student – major, strengths, and contact information. John will request a writing sample and conduct an in-person or phone interview.