OFA Spring Break in NYC
On March 13, 2026, 12 Harvard College students and staff members headed out to New York City on a four-day arts trip over spring break.
The trip was a collaborative effort between the Office for the Arts and the Mignone Center for Career Success, with funding from the Harvard Club of New York Foundation, and allowed juniors and seniors to explore career paths in the performing arts.
Current students and alumni networked together at the Arts Alumni Mixer.
Alumni producer panelists at the Harvard Club of New York made time to mingle with students.
On the first day, students were treated to an arts alumni mixer at the Harvard Club of New York, where they were able to converse with a wide range of alumni about the arts at, and after, Harvard. Students found this to be invaluable, as it showcased various backgrounds and pathways to employment in the arts for them to consider post-graduation. Following the alumni mixer, the evening ended on a high note with a performance by The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and a meet and greet with Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez.
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Students and staff viewed The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra from the upper balcony.
Students got close to the action in the audience at Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.
The group was thrilled to meet Danilo Pérez after his performance at Jazz at Lincoln Center.
The second day kicked off with a tour of the Perelman Performing Arts Center, promptly followed by a matinee performance of Giant starring Harvard alum John Lithgow. After a brief conversation with Lithgow, the group met with another alum, this year’s Harvard Arts Medalist, Bill Rauch, at tech for Cats: The Jellicle Ball. Students were thrilled to see the behind-the-scenes of a Broadway production.
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At the start of day two of the trip, students gathered for a picture outside the Perelman Performing Arts Center.
Inside the Perelman Performing Arts Center, the group was treated to a behind-the-scences tour.
Alum John Lithgow ‘67 spoke with the students after his performance in Giant on Broadway.
Day three focused on dance, taking the group to the Brooklyn Ballet, an artistic home for several recent alumni of the College, where students watched a performance of the Brooklyn Ballet’s Soft Power. The fourth and final day explored post-graduate opportunities more broadly, starting with a tour of Julliard with several Harvard alumni, and ending with a Producer Panel at the Harvard Club of New York.
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On their way to tech for Cats: The Jellicle Ball, the group stopped for a quick photo in Times Square.
Members of the Brooklyn Ballet gathered with students in the Brooklyn Ballet’s performance space.
Allison Charney Epstein ’89, President of the Harvard Club of New York Foundation, introduced alumni panelists Megan O’Keefe ‘11, David Manella ’14, and Angel Hoyang ’22.
Students returned to Cambridge with a solid understanding of professional opportunities in the arts, and were inspired by all they had learned as they considered their next steps. For many, this opportunity created by the Office for the Arts, Mignone Center of Career Success, and Harvard Club of New York Foundation was the first bridge into professional spaces that had previously appeared allusive or inaccessible, opening a gateway of opportunities.
