From intern to emerging musician: Lydia Reece’s journey in marketing and music

Posted on: 7 November 2024 by Lydia Reece (BA Hons History with Popular Music 2022) in 2024

We recently reconnected with Lydia Reece, a recent graduate of Music and History, to hear about her inspiring career journey from Artistic Administration Intern at The Tung Auditorium to her current role as Marketing Assistant at marketing and publicity agency, One Fell Swoop. Alongside her growing career in marketing, Lydia is also making waves as an emerging musician and songwriter.

Tell us about your time at the University studying Music and History. What skills and experiences did your degree give you?

I studied at the University for three years and got a first-class degree in Music and History. I loved studying at the University, it was a really huge part of my life and gave me a gateway into the music industry. 

My skills and knowledge of the industry have developed from the lectures, workshops and tuition I received. I studied Music Performance and got a Diploma in my first instrument, my voice. I learnt about how the industry works fundamentally; marketing yourself as an artist; composition and songwriting; and mainly, developed a network of musicians around me which has been intrinsic to my development over the last five years. The University and The Tung Auditorium also provided me with some fantastic contacts and I owe my career to the experiences and opportunities that I've been given.

Tell us about your role as Tung Artistic Administration Graduate Intern. What did you gain from the role and what were the key benefits of having The Tung Auditorium as a student?

In 2023, I was successful in my application of the Artistic Administration graduate internship role at The Tung Auditorium. This was a 12-month position that gave me a whole wealth of experience in the music industry as well as a huge advantage when applying for industry work. My role involved planning and facilitating the effective delivery of concerts in The Tung Auditorium, communicating with artists and promoters, confirming tech / production requirements and programming a diverse, high-quality roster of artists for the Lunchtime Concert Series. 

I also gained valuable experience within the Marketing & Technical departments of the Tung and I learnt from a fantastic team of experienced professionals. The Tung Auditorium also supported my career as a musician, featuring me on my own lunchtime concert within the series to a packed out audience of 400 people - one of the best experiences I've had to date. 

As a student, The Tung Auditorium only opened halfway through my third year, but I still had the opportunity to perform in there as a student. It provides a fantastic state-of-the-art space for all types of Performance, but particularly Classical musicians, which is really important because I think that these types of spaces are often quite limited or not always available. It's also an amazing space for studying live sound and technology, working with the highest quality equipment and systems.

Tell us about your current role. How did you land the role and what's a typical day like for you?

I work at One Fell Swoop, and my role is 'Marketing Assistant'. As my internship was coming to an end, I saw the job posted online and thought that I was really well suited to role and had the relevant skills from my internship as well as the passion for the business and the music industry in Liverpool. 
One Fell Swoop provide a host of marketing / PR / communications and events services to a wide range of clients in Liverpool's arts, music and culture scene. One Fell Swoop also work with a lot of diverse art across the city, like Africa Oyé, Milap Indian Arts, LUMA Creations, Arab Arts Festival and more.

I love the variety in my workload. A typical day involves working with lots of different clients, which is so fast-paced and exciting, and as an avid music listener, working with African, Indian, Latin American (and others!) arts and culture is so interesting. 

I also think that my Marketing role is so beneficial to my work as a musician, as I have developed amazing working relationships with key contacts in the music industry and there's so much opportunity to network.

Do you have any advice for students wanting to pursue a similar role to you?

If you want to work in the music industry, it's all about making the most of the opportunities around you, or even creating those opportunities yourself. If you're at university, I'd definitely advise to get involved with as much as you can. Go to workshops, join societies, meet people. Or even, make your own society! Make your own network; you can create these opportunities for yourself if you are open and enthusiastic. 
I'd also try to get as much industry experience as possible, see if there are any work placements or part time jobs in the industry. I learnt the most from working industry professionals and being in that environment.

You’re an up-and-coming artist, can you tell us about this? Do you have any advice for students with similar ambitions?

I am an artist, musician and songwriter and I have just released my debut album. I manage my own music independently, have released original music globally and have been performing in Liverpool for over five years, as well as other places like London, Manchester, Bristol and Wales. 
Being a musician and a songwriter is hugely important to me - particularly performance and live music. I love releasing music and connecting with my audiences and I have the most supportive band, session musicians and co-writers who I met at university on my music course. Three years later, we are still creating music together and enjoying what we do. 

If you're an aspiring musician, artist or songwriter, you need to surround yourself with people who you can work with, people who support you and your art - collaboration has always worked the best for me. I think that's also the beauty of being in a city like Liverpool, where music is around every corner and the city is super friendly. This also goes for performance opportunities... literally just ask! There are so many independent venues that are looking for upcoming artists and want to give people those opportunities.

Thank you to Lydia for sharing her successful career journey so far. As part of her album launch, Lydia will be performing at District in Liverpool on the 12 December, promoted by Parrjazz. You can purchase tickets here.

Watch Lydia talk about her role at the Tung Auditorium 
Earlier this year, we spoke to Lydia about her role at the Tung Auditorium: