Nelsonville Music Festival 2023

The Nelsonville Music Festival, or NMF, is an annual four-day music festival with artists performing on multiple stages and a focus on community engagement and sustainability. Led by School of Media Arts and Studies (MDIA) school director Josh Antonuccio and associate professor Andie Walla, a team of students from the MDIA attends the festival every year to record and produce the live music and interview sessions, which are distributed by WOUB Public Media as The Sycamore Sessions.

“It’s an extraordinary learning experience, one that yields invaluable lessons during production, as well as resume-ready skills for future prospects,” Antonuccio said. “All students are credited in the distribution of each episode of the Sycamore Sessions.”

Click on each photo below to read how OHIO students create this one-of-a-kind showcase of regional and national musical artists.

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“Overall, this experience really helped to show me how much teamwork, communication, and dedication it takes to pull together a magical weekend for both musicians and those who love to experience live music. … I highly recommend this experience for anyone seeking to gain hands-on learning opportunities regarding live entertainment, and especially as a way to engage with utterly amazing music.” -Senior Faith Caplinger

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“Students will remember this experience and the community values for years to come after college.” -Andie Walla

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“The biggest thing is applying classroom skills in the field, when there are real consequences at stake. … Whether it is technical shooting decisions, intersecting with artists and management, or recording audio multi-tracks, all of it has an impact on the end product we are distributing; not to mention they are working in an environment with large crowds in attendance.” -Josh Antonuccio

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“It surprised me how homey it felt to all the people experiencing and listening to the music. You could see that they were in their element and this kind of festival and music really brings people together—kids and adults.” -Scarlett Fried, sophomore 

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NMF operates on “Zero Waste” principles, aiming to divert 90% of materials used during the festival to be reused, composted, or recycled. 

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“Problem solving skills are huge at NMF. In a studio, or classroom space, things are setup for you in a controlled environment. While at NMF, we have to deal with running over a thousand feet of cable and how to run it so it's not in the way of the audience. We might have to get a ladder and go up in the trees with cables.” -Andie Walla, associate professor of instruction, School of Media Arts and Studies

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Nineteen students from the School of Media Arts and Studies worked at the festival this year. In addition to production credit for the sessions distributed by WOUB Public Media, they gain pre- and post-production experience in the months before and after the festival as well as an internship credit. 

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“Participating in the Nelsonville Music Festival Sycamore Sessions opened my eyes to the world of live sound. I got hours of hands-on experience handling gear, working the sound board, and asking questions to industry professionals.” - KJ Mueller

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“Through my time in Nelsonville, I was able to learn the basics of stage management, live sound mixing, signal flow for music festivals, and what it means to work for a touring company. It also showed me how meaningful the instruction I received in my classes was and how committed Ohio University staff is to the success of their students. Overall, I had a great time at NMF and am grateful for the experience.” -Sophomore Robert Schrembeck

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“The best part of my experience at the Nelsonville Music Festival was stepping out of my comfort zone on something I had never done before and really loving and enjoying it. It was a great experience with great people and I would definitely do it again!” -Scarlett Fried

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“It was so inspiring to hear about such young artists traveling all over the country to come play at this beautiful campground. It was also super fun to hear about the day in the life of the artists (if they were currently on tour, heading to more shows/festivals after Nelsonville.)” -Faith Caplinger

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“This course opportunity hardwires resume-experience directly into the course outcomes, allowing for students to come away with production credit on a popular nationally-distributed performance series.” -Josh Antonuccio