Kimmie Sabio - Interview
In front of the red light … with kimmie sabio! Watch the Full Interview here.
Kimmie’s journey began with what she calls "maybe a crazy idea" – starting graduate school at the New England Conservatory during COVID-19. Like many music students, she had been told that orchestral performance was the pinnacle of classical music achievement. "Everybody told you that this is all you could ever want to be, and you believe that that's all you could ever want to be," she reflects.
But the pandemic created an unexpected opportunity for introspection. Without the ability to experience full orchestral works until nearly her final semester, Sabio made a startling discovery: she didn't miss it.
This philosophical tension – between musical expression and technical perfection – became a defining moment. Kimmie found herself struggling with the audition process's emphasis on conformity, where success meant playing "as correct as you think those other people have decided it's correct." Her dual degree in music and philosophy (which she jokingly calls "two useless degrees") had prepared her to grapple with such existential questions about art and authenticity.
Discovering Opera's Comprehensive Art Form
After graduation, with the traditional orchestral path no longer appealing, Kimmie found herself drawn to opera – "the art form I've always loved, because it's all of the art forms at once."
When a position opened at Boston Lyric Opera as Artistic coordinator, Kimmie embraced what she describes as "the everything everywhere, all at once of an admin job where you're like one day I move a keyboard. One day I make a contract."
The Philosophy of Arts Administration
Now serving as Artistic Operations Manager at Boston Lyric Opera, Kimmie brings her philosophical training to bear on the complex challenges of running a major arts organization. BLO employs over 400 artists annually and operates across four or five different theaters in Boston – a logistical puzzle that requires both strategic thinking and empathetic leadership.
Since orchestra members work across multiple organizations, Kimmie actively seeks feedback about what other companies do well. "If another orchestra in this area is like nailing one aspect of how they interact with you, tell me what that is. So I can be better for you guys."
Even mundane decisions like venue selection become exercises in community-centered thinking. Acknowledging that "nothing is gonna be easy to park at in Boston," she focuses on solutions that serve the greatest number: "If it's centrally located, most people could take the T... can it help the most people? Great? And that's what we're gonna roll with."
Balancing Innovation and Tradition
Working in what Kimmie calls the "seemingly antiquated industry of classical music," she's witnessed BLO's efforts to think outside conventional programming boxes while maintaining financial sustainability. The challenge facing all nonprofit arts organizations is balancing artistic risk-taking with the need to attract donors and sell tickets.
Recent programming at BLO has become increasingly community-driven, which Sabio sees as crucial for 21st-century nonprofit success. Like many arts organizations, BLO has felt the impact of recent grant funding cuts, though Kimmie notes that some partner organizations were hit harder. The challenges have only reinforced the importance of community engagement and financial stability.
Creating Space for Musical Exploration
Despite her full-time administrative role, Sabio maintains an active performance career, teaching trumpet at two schools with approximately 35 students, performing in musicals (including a recent production of "The Prom"), and continuing her freelance work.
Most significantly, she founded the Fort Point Free Music Collective, a concert series dedicated to improvised music. The inspiration came from her studies in Contemporary Musical Arts (CMA) at NEC, a program that explores the vast musical territory between classical and jazz traditions.
After graduation, when she couldn't find venues for this kind of music-making in Boston, her solution was characteristically direct: "Why don't I just like invite all my friends here? And we just do this."
The series operates out of the Midway Artist Studios, the same government-subsidized artist housing that houses BLO's offices. What began as an experiment – "maybe no one comes, maybe a lot of people come" – has grown through word of mouth into a vital part of Boston's creative music ecosystem.
Kimmie’s story illustrates the evolution of 21st-century musical careers. She has created a portfolio career that allows her to engage with music from multiple angles: as an administrator ensuring hundreds of artists can do their work, as an educator nurturing the next generation, as a performer exploring both traditional and experimental repertoire, and as a community organizer creating new spaces for artistic expression.
"There's something about this being very homegrown," Sabio says of her collective, "and people want to contribute, and people want to... some people want to play."
As classical music continues to evolve in response to changing social and economic realities, voices like Kimmie’s – questioning, experimenting, and building community – point toward a future where musical careers can be as varied and creative as the artists who pursue them.
