Graduating Class 2023

Adriana Torres-Trinidad

Adriana Torres-Trinidad.

Fieldwork Placement: Arts Services Inc. 

Adriana Torres-Trinidad is a passionate and motivated visual artist who holds a BA in Studio Art with a concentration in Photography and a minor in Spanish from the University at Buffalo. Throughout her undergraduate career, she interned for artist John Opera and assisted with the development, editing, and printing of photographic work. During her graduate career in the Arts Management program, Adriana interned at the C. Stuart and Jane H. Hunt Art Gallery in Downtown Buffalo where she was able to experience firsthand how to run a commercial art gallery from its conception. She has also had the opportunity to work as a docent at the Lipsey Architecture Center and intern for Alleyway Theater, both located in Buffalo. During her second year in the masters program, she became a graduate assistant for the Center of the Arts on campus. Her work with diverse communities, as well as her own experience as a Latina, emphasizes her commitment to providing welcoming and inclusive environments for artists, as well as advocating for marginalized artists. 

Jordan Walker

Jordan Walker.

Jordan Walker graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a B.A. in Arts Management and a minor in Music Business. During her undergraduate studies, she completed internships with TEDxSUNYPotsdam and A Far Cry, a string orchestra located in Boston, MA. Currently, Jordan is working at the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra as their Development Assistant. With an interest in audience development in the classical music sector, Jordan is excited to pursue her M.A. in Arts Management at the University at Buffalo.

Katie Kovacs

Katie Kovacs, a native of Buffalo, NY, is currently a first-year graduate student at the University at Buffalo. She is majoring in arts management while also continuing to study bassoon. She is a recent graduate of Baldwin Wallace University where she received a bachelor's degree in music performance with a minor in English. She has studied with Martha Malkiewicz, Marisa Esposito, Jonathan Sherwin, and Mary Kay Ortolano. She is a member of the American Legion Band of the Tonawandas and the UB Symphony Orchestra.  She is passionate about sharing her love for bassoon and has recently started her own studio teaching bassoon, oboe, and clarinet through Matt’s Music in North Tonawanda, NY. She also is an avid reed maker and sells her own reeds to bassoonists of all levels.

While a passionate performer, Katie hopes to expand her expertise into the field of arts management. She is a student assistant at the UB Anderson Gallery, where she hopes to learn more about museum management and educational outreach.  Outside the arts, Katie loves cooking, yoga, and beekeeping with her Dad, who maintains 12 hives for Katie Bee Honey.

Lili Stern

Lili Stern.

Lili Stern was born in Budapest, Hungary and graduated from the University of Theatre and Film Arts Budapest (SZFE) with her B.A. in Applied Theatre. At the age of 16 Lili created her own dance company called A-LIST. She actively works as a choreographer, dancer and theatre-maker. She is interested in participatory and interdisciplinary projects in the field of art, management and pedagogy. She is determined to popularize dance through different mediums and events all over the world. Lili spent her internship at SIN Arts Centre in Budapest, where she learnt about management, art mediation, helping emerging artists and creating advocacy groups in the arts scene.  With a special interest in modern music, contemporary dance and theatre, Lili is pursuing an M.A. in Arts Management.

Qinyang Zhi

Qinyang Zhi.

Qinyang Zhi graduated from Sichuan Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting and Hosting Arts. She has interned at the National Art Museum of China, ShangRao TV Station and ShiKe Media Studio. While studying at Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Qinyang participated in many extracurricular activities. She joined the Sports and Entertainment Department of the school student union and assisted in hosting the activities. In 2017, she participated in the Chengdu Strawberry Music Festival as a volunteer. In the same year, she was one of the volunteers in the United Staffs’ Chinese Culture Tour - 2017 - Beijing. In 2019, she volunteered in Sichuan Conservatory of Music's 80th Anniversary Music Concert. During her stay in Sichuan from 2018 to 2019, she had been fully committed to volunteer work at the Chengdu City Concert Hall. Qinyang is now studying Arts Management at the University at Buffalo. The area she is interested in is the arrangement and exhibition in the museum and the relationship between the audience and the curator.

Rebecca Costanzo

Rebecca Costanzo.

Rebecca Costanzo graduated from New York State University at Buffalo with a BFA. She also earned independent scholarships to study in Greece, France, and Japan where she served as an American Ambassador for the Arts to children and peers.

In the late 90’s, Rebecca employed the idea of Cultural Engineering while working at Buffalo City Hall’s, Buffalo Art Council and Buffalo Place on special projects to embolden the arts and help lay the foundation for bringing artist’s lofts and site-specific art projects to downtown. Late Commissioner Joe Ryan inspired her to explore the non-profit world on a national level. After a few years working locally, she accepted a position at the largest arts advocacy organization in America, Americans for the Arts, (AFTA) in Washington, DC. Rebecca's AFTA experience paved the way for the rest of her career, inspiring her to invest in the promotion, protection, and fostering of artists. She then relocated to NYC to gain expertise in the commercial gallery and secondary markets. 

Rebecca rose to Senior Art Advisor for a major, blue-chip, gallery based first in Soho and then in Chelsea, NYC. She then launched and directed the gallery’s expansion in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. After almost a decade of working in the gallery arena during the rise of the Asian, South Asian, and Middle Eastern Contemporary art-fair scene, and actively working in the national and international art-fair circuit, Rebecca began her own independent advisory company. 

Rebecca seeks to build upon her business experience and work with forward thinkers and creative excellence to earn a master’s degree in Arts Management. Her main focus will be on curatorial and exhibition studies with a humanitarian lean, while exploring new frontiers in promoting and connecting art and culture online. 

Riley Nahlik

Riley Nahlik.

Fieldwork Placement: Arts Services Inc.

Current Employment: Chorus Operations Assistant at Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus; Front of House Coordinator at Alleyway Theatre; Freelance musician

Final Project: The Labor Equity for Arts Sector Employees Policy: An Analysis of Current Standards in Arts Personnel Funding and Charitable Support for Arts Workers

Bio:

Riley Nahlik (he/him) is an arts manager with experience in event production, performing arts and ensemble management, and social media management. A rising arts manager in WNY, Riley has held positions with the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus, the Department of Music at UB, Alleyway Theatre, and National Concerts. He also interned for Arts Services, Inc., working with them to redefine and reestablish arts advocacy goals in the WNY region and beyond. Before moving to Buffalo, Riley worked for the Dean of the College of Fine Arts and the Center for Performing Arts at Illinois State University, and for the International Competition for Collegiate A Cappella.

Riley is the recent recipient of an M.A. in Arts Management at the University at Buffalo, where he researched the intersection of arts and politics, ensemble management, and non-profit advocacy. His graduate research revolved around the efficacy of modern fair labor practices in the arts. Riley graduated from Illinois State University with a B.A. in Voice Performance. A classically trained tenor, he has performed roles in Dido and Aeneas , Gianni Schicchi, Il barbiere di Siviglia , and more.

Ruixin Qing

Ruixin Qing.

Fieldwork Placements: Alleyway Theatre (Development Assistant), The Cluffalo Institute (Marketing Assistant), Pan-China certified Public Accountants (Financial Accountant Intern), Beijing Wulun International Auction Co., Ltd., (Auction Assistant), Beijing Jiayu Jingzhun Media Ad Co., Ltd (Financial Accountant Intern)

Final Project/Thesis: "Reflections of Resilience," curated arts exhibition for 54th NeMLA (Northeast Modern Language Association)

Bio:

Ruixin Qing is a graduate student at the University at Buffalo, where he is currently pursuing a Master's in Art Management. He earned his Bachelor's degree in Accounting from the Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics. Ruixin has diverse work experiences, including roles in accounting and arts management, spanning companies from Pan-China certified Public Accountants to Alleyway Theatre. He has a strong interest in the intersection of arts and technology, especially the influence of new media on traditional art. He also organized a TEDx event at Jiangxi University and curated the first Arts Exhibition for the Northeast Modern Language Association. With skills in Quickbooks, Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, Python, AI prompt writing, and accounting professional software, he is a multifaceted individual with interests in visual arts content making, narratology in video game art, archery, jogging, and artificial intelligence.

Shane Phillips

Yuling (Elaine) Song

Yuling Song.

Yuling (Elaine) Song graduated from Nanjing University of Finance & Economics with a bachelor’s degree in ACCA(The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants).  As a management student before, Yuling has her internships mostly in Marketing field in brand companies like Warner Bros, Pepsico China, and Inditex, she also had internship experience in 4A Advertisement Agencies like Dentsu and Ogilvy. Yuling is currently pursuing a M.A in Arts Management for the University at Buffalo, where she is particularly interested in the application of marketing and PR in arts industry.