Carolyn Cantrell is the founder of the Cowford Social Club and corporate and group sales manager for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.
HOW DO YOU LIKE WORKING AT THE SYMPHONY?
“It’s really great. It’s a wonderful place to work especially considering the level of interest from so many people, businesses and organizations around the city.”
YOU MEAN ATTENDANCE?
“Well, yes. We offer a high-quality cultural event and the people of Jacksonville are responding. We’re also getting a lot of corporate support.”
WHAT IS YOUR ROLE?
“I am the group sales manager. That means that I meet with local businesses or any group that wants to support the symphony and we work out ticket sales, group rates, box seats, special events and any other details surrounding working with us. Often companies want to take clients to shows or local schools want to bring classes to study music. When they do, they call me.”
WHAT IS ‘OPUS’?
“That is the group within the symphony organization that brings young professionals together for concerts. We all meet for a pre-concert reception and then sit in a designated area during the show. I am in charge of growing and managing the membership for OPUS as well.”
DOES ‘OPUS’ STAND FOR ANYTHING?
“Everybody asks that. Unfortunately, no. It used to be Young Executives Supporting the Symphony (Y.E.S.) but we changed it. If you think of anything for OPUS, let me know.”
WHAT’S COMING UP AT THE JSO?
“The First Union Masterworks Series has music by Dvorak and Wagner and Verdi in the next few months. Blue Cross and Blue Shield sponsors the Pops Series. For that we’ve got a great mariachi band, swing music, the Grammy Award-winning singer Sandi Patti and Art Garfunkel this year.”
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK AT THE SYMPHONY?
There are 50 musicians and about 30 people on staff.
WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE YOU STARTED WITH THE SYMPHONY?
“I worked as a staff writer at the Daily Record for a while.”
ANYTHING ELSE?
“I went to work briefly for a local film production company called White Hawk Pictures in Riverside. Then I worked for the Trammell Crow Company as a marketing coordinator. Trammell is an international commercial real estate company headquartered in Dallas. After that, my father’s company, Cantrell Real Estate, hired me to do sales and marketing. They do real estate brokerage and appraisal in Jacksonville and they have an office in Ft. Lauderdale as well.”
HOW DID YOU COME TO THE SYMPHONY?
“I followed in my sister Barbara’s footsteps. She was working there in a few different areas and mentioned that they were looking for a group sales manager, so I applied. I’ve been here almost a year now.”
WHAT’S UP WITH THE COWFORD CLUB?
“We’re really growing. Our database is up to 650 people [those who receive e-mail updates] and there’s even groups starting to split off from the original organization. For example, there’s a Cowford Beaches Group that meets on Fridays. The original group still meets somewhere near downtown on Thursday nights.”
ANY PLANS TO GROW BEYOND THAT?
“Of course. Actually, I work in the special events group for Downtown Vision, a group that wants to coordinate more cultural and entertainment events downtown. We’re talking about Cowford joining forces with them to inspire a more vigorous nightlife. I am working with a task force made up of a lot of City Council employees to study how to most effectively pull that off.”
EDUCATION
She attended The Bolles School and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, where she was an English major with a creative writing minor.
RESIDES
“I just bought a house in Avondale. I was renting before that.”
STAYING ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY.
She also works with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and helped organize the “Single Greatest Night” fundraiser, which honors single people who help raise money for Cystic Fibrosis.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO RELAX?
“I’m a recent homeowner so that takes up a lot of time. Not that it’s relaxing. I have a new nephew who I like to play with. I also hang out with my yellow lab, Bonnie.”
— by Sean McManus