Fisher Center at Bard
Annandale-on-Hudson, NY
US

DESCRIPTION

OVERVIEW

This summer (June–August 2026), Bard SummerScape returns with a vibrant season of dance, theater, opera, music, and the beloved Spiegeltent. Presented by the Fisher Center at Bard, this celebrated multi-arts festival takes place in person on Bard’s idyllic 1,000-acre campus, featuring performances in the stunning Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center.

The Development Intern works as a member of the Fisher Center’s fundraising team to assist the organization in meeting its contributed revenue (fundraising) goals. This work is done primarily through cultivation and stewardship activities that support and grow the Fisher Center and Bard Music Festival’s individual giving programs during Bard SummerScape, the most active season for the Fisher Center.

The Development Intern reports to the Associate Director of Development to provide support to the full Development Team. The Development Intern is also in regular contact with the Fisher Center’s Administrative, Executive, Audience & Member Services, and Producing departments, as well as staff of Bard College’s Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs, including the Special Events team. This job is ideal for those seeking to learn about arts administration and build skills through a broad range of experiences and relationships.

This is a seasonal position from June 1 through August 18, non-exempt, paid hourly at a rate of $16 per hour, depending on experience. Hours will average approximately 30 hours/week.

This position requires local residence during the dates listed above. Housing is provided as needed, beginning one day prior to the employment start date and ending at 10am on the day after the employment end date, and includes a single bedroom and shared amenities. Employees will have access to three (3) meals per weekday and two (2) meals per weekend day on campus during the residency period. Should campus dining agreements or options change from the time of the agreement, an equivalent per diem will be provided.

Please note that room and board arrangements may differ for current Bard College students.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist with special events, including supporting communications, on-site logistics (set-up and breakdown), RSVP tracking and day-of guest management, and other event planning tasks around SummerScape and Bard Music Festival performances

• Help with individual giving-related activities, including staffing dedicated member areas at in-person performances, encouraging visitors to become annual supporters of the Fisher Center or Bard Music Festival, assisting with the distribution of member benefits and items for donor cultivation and stewardship, and serving as an additional point of contact for our current and potential donor base

• Use Tessitura, our customer relationship management software, to look up patron information, generate attendee and development reports, enter research on ticket buyers, and help with any other data-based projects

• Complete data tracking and analysis projects in support of donor prospecting and grant reporting

• Perform office duties such as keeping office inventories, taking notes in meetings, documenting information in Confluence, and supporting official Fisher Center mailings to patrons and the general public alike

• Other projects as assigned

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

EXPERIENCE

• Basic administrative or customer service work is ideal

• Proficiency with Google Team Drives and Docs and Microsoft Office is preferred

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong written and verbal communication skills and superior attention to detail

• Eagerness to learn and speak about Fisher Center programming, Bard College, and the performing arts with a wide range of audience members

• A strong work ethic and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances

• Ease of working both independently and closely with other team members

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Interest or background in the performing arts is highly encouraged

• An undergraduate, pre-professional, or equivalent experience in fundraising and/or administration is preferred but not required

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Combination of office and event work, including sitting, standing, and moving supplies, as well as nighttime and weekend responsibilities

• Direct, face-to-face contact with a large audience and donor population

• Fast-paced, relationship-driven professional environment

LOCATION

Bard’s beautiful 1,000-acre campus is situated on the east bank of the Hudson River in Annandale-on Hudson, New York. Community life is defined by numerous cultural and recreational opportunities in the surrounding historic Hudson River Valley and by proximity to New York City. Nearby towns and villages include Rhinebeck, Tivoli, and Red Hook, New York.

TO APPLY

Please apply via the online application link.

Applications for this position are due by February 15, 2026.

For any access-related requests, questions, or issues with the application form, please contact [email protected].

Bard College is an equal opportunity employer and we welcome applications from those who contribute to our diversity. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, mental or physical disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, familial status, veteran status, or genetic information. Bard is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation for all individuals in employment practices, services, programs, and activities.

ABOUT THE FISHER CENTER

The Fisher Center is a premier professional performing arts center and a hub for research and education that demonstrates Bard College’s commitment to the performing arts as a cultural and educational necessity. To support artists, students, and audiences in the examination of artistic ideas, the Fisher Center develops, produces, and presents performing arts across disciplines through new productions and context-rich programs that challenge and inspire.

Home is the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, designed by Frank Gehry and located on the campus of Bard College in New York’s Hudson Valley. This world-class theater building will be complemented by a new studio building designed by Maya Lin, scheduled to open in 2026. More than 200 events and 50,000 visitors are hosted at the Fisher Center each year, and over 300 professional artists are employed annually. As a powerful catalyst of art-making regionally, nationally, and worldwide, the Fisher Center produces 8 to 10 major new works in various disciplines every year. The Fisher Center offers outstanding programs to many communities, including the students and faculty of Bard College, and audiences in the Hudson Valley, New York City, across the country, and around the world. Building on a 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders.

The Fisher Center was born from the Bard Music Festival, founded in 1990, which, for the first 13 years of its existence, occupied several spaces on campus, including a large tent. Each summer, the Music Festival focuses on the life, work, and influences of one composer, promoting new ways of understanding and presenting the history of music to a contemporary audience. When the Fisher Center and its two theaters opened in 2003, the summer festival expanded to include a fully staged opera, as well as theater and dance performances. The highly acclaimed opera program brings unjustly neglected works to the stage in major productions—often making their US debuts.

Through Fisher Center LAB, the Center’s acclaimed residency and commissioning program, artists are provided with custom-made support toward their innovative projects and their work has been seen in over 100 communities around the world. Resident choreographer Pam Tanowitz’s 2018 Four Quartets was recognized as “the greatest creation of dance theater so far this century” by The New York Times. In 2019, the Fisher Center won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical for Daniel Fish’s production of Oklahoma!, which began life in 2007 as an undergraduate production at Bard and was produced professionally by the Fisher Center in 2015 before transferring to New York City. Illinoise, a 2023 Fisher Center world premiere from artists Sufjan Stevens, Justin Peck, and Jackie Sibblies Drury, was recognized with a Tony Award for Best Choreography following its tour and transfer to Broadway.

The Fisher Center is home to several of Bard’s academic programs in the performing arts. Year-round, it hosts performances by the undergraduate Dance Program and Theater and Performance Program; the US-China Music Institute of the Bard College Conservatory of Music; The Orchestra Now (TŌN), a Bard graduate program that is training the next generation of classical-music ambassadors; and students at the Bard Conservatory, the first (and so far only) conservatory to require all its students to pursue a bachelor of arts degree in a field other than music in addition to their specialized music studies. As a hybrid institution, the Fisher Center brings together professional and academic art-making of the highest caliber, where student and professional artists work side by side, learning from each other and informing one another’s practices.

ABOUT BARD COLLEGE

Founded in 1860, Bard College is a four-year residential college of the liberal arts and sciences located 90 miles north of New York City. With the addition of the Montgomery Place estate, Bard’s campus consists of nearly 1,000 park-like acres in the Hudson River Valley. It offers bachelor of arts, bachelor of science, and bachelor of music degrees, with majors in nearly 40 academic programs, graduate degrees in 11 programs, nine early colleges, and numerous dual-degree programs nationally and internationally. Building on its 166-year history as a competitive and innovative undergraduate institution, Bard College has expanded its mission as a private institution acting in the public interest across the country and around the world to meet broader student needs and increase access to liberal education. The undergraduate program at our main campus in upstate New York has a reputation for scholarly excellence, a focus on the arts, and civic engagement. Bard is committed to enriching culture, public life, and democratic discourse by training tomorrow’s thought leaders. For more information about Bard College, visit bard.edu.

DURATION

Jun 1, 2026 - Aug 18, 2026

SALARY

$16.00 – $16.00 per hour

APPLY ONLINE

https://airtable.com/appR57NFMXrS8Q9Cx/pagrK0pGJZQQoVsss/form