Years after earning two associate degrees in music and theater from Howard Community College, Janelle Broderick is now director of the college’s Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center.
Broderick, 43, earned a bachelor’s degree in administrative science and American studies, an interdisciplinary study, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
She has lived here for about 24 years and considers herself an honorary Marylander. She left her hometown of Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 1999 and she never looked back.
Broderick met her current husband, Aaron, while a student at Howard Community College. Twenty years later, the couple has three daughters in middle school, each appreciating art in their own way, Broderick said.
“Our house is full of music and stories,” she said. “We love our Howard County community for the opportunities it provides for residents of all ages, especially young families.”
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When not working, Mr. Broderick is active in the music ministry at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Glenwood, where he enjoys directing and performing whenever time allows.
We asked her a few questions about her time in college, the importance of theater education, and upcoming productions to keep an eye on at HCC.
I was fortunate to spend the majority of my career at HCC. I worked part-time when I was a student, and this fall will mark 20 years since I became a full-time employee. When the Horowitz Center opened in 2006, I was offered the facility manager position. My role has grown with our program over the years. As director of the Horowitz Center, I am pleased to work with our resident producers and campus and community partners to foster a season of engaging arts and cultural experiences for students and community members. In addition to arts events, the Horowitz Center hosts numerous university and community meetings, conferences, and fundraisers. Like most administrators, my role includes managing budgets, grant writing, scheduling, and working with the public relations and marketing teams. Ultimately, I see my position as one of support, leading the operations team and coordinating the needs of approximately 250 events each year. I am a team of theater technology and audience services professionals who work to ensure that the Horowitz Center is a place where students, faculty, guest artists, and community members can enjoy their experiences onstage and backstage. It’s an honor to work with such a great team. Or in the audience.
As a part-time faculty member at HCC, I worked in the college’s music lab, hosted gallery receptions, served as a summer theater camp counselor, and worked as a stage manager and house manager. These experiences have provided me with a unique and intimate understanding of each of the areas the Horowitz Center supports, even before we broke ground on the Center. I’ve held a variety of jobs outside of HCC, but I believe that Walt in Orlando and his year at Disney World laid the foundation for my approach to work here. This experience taught me the importance of prioritizing the guest experience. As an educational institution, our guests include students, faculty, staff, and community patrons, and their experience with us is not limited to time spent in our galleries or theaters. As a center, we have the opportunity to shape their experience from the moment they make contact with us, whether by phone, lobby or website. I approach each challenge with this mindset every day. How can you ensure a positive experience for all stakeholders?
Some of my favorite memories are from my time as a student at HCC, which is one of the reasons I believe in the importance of HCC’s work. I know firsthand the impact we have on students’ lives, and I’m honored to be able to play even a small part in providing that opportunity for others. HCC’s outstanding faculty deserves praise for their academic foundation and the hands-on learning opportunities they provide to their students. It’s great to hear from students who have gone on to achieve their educational and professional dreams and how inspired they are by their HCC faculty and guest artist mentors. I was also moved by the comments from customers who said they were moved by the performance and learned a lot from it. My favorite moments are the conversations between patrons after the show. When an audience member comes to see a play that explores a difficult topic and says, “I had never thought of it that way,” we feel that perhaps we have made a contribution to education. When I see guests leaving the recital hall moved to tears by the beauty of the music, I think, “That’s what we came here for.”
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Most importantly, we want people to know that the Horowitz Center exists and that we are here for everyone in our community. As a place of education and production, the Horowitz Center provides opportunities for community members to become involved in the arts as patrons and students. With three performance venues and two art galleries, he welcomed over 30,000 guests to his venues last season and has room for even more. Through a combination of residency and partnership programs, the 2023-2024 season will feature performances and exhibitions for audiences of all ages, presenting the work of students as well as regionally and nationally recognized artists. to introduce. Our two galleries are open daily from 9am to 9:30pm with free admission and parking is always free.
Higher education institutions welcome the exchange of ideas in the pursuit of deeper understanding. Visual and performing arts offer a unique way to approach that pursuit through storytelling and the sharing of different art forms. Whether in a gallery or a performance venue, audiences are invited into a world where they can see the experiences of others through a new lens. Patrons may leave with an appreciation for new genres of music or a fresh perspective on life experiences different from their own. We provide an environment where guests can deepen their understanding of humanity through exhibits, concerts, lectures, ceremonies, plays, and more that express a variety of human stories.
We have some really fun events this year. Later this month, our concert series will feature guest his artist concerts featuring traditional Indonesian music and dance. The concert will be held at Monte Avalo Recital Hall on Friday, October 27th at 7:30 p.m. Next month’s theater program incorporates Indonesian movement and percussion in an adaptation of the classic play Medea. The production will be performed at the Rouse Company Foundation Studio Theater from November 16th to 19th. The previous weekend, November 10th and 11th, the Smith Theater will host its annual Dance Showcase, showcasing the work of students, faculty, and guest artists. In February, our gallery will once again welcome Linnea Poole, a Baltimore-based visual artist whose multimedia works express notions of identity. This exhibition will run from his January 15th to his March 22nd. We have more events planned for this fall and spring, so check our website for the latest information. www.howardcc.edu/horowitzcenter.
Arts education can enrich student development in countless ways. Students who take music, drama, and dance classes gain confidence in front of an audience, and their public presentation skills are transferable to their future careers. Training rooted in storytelling, visual and performing arts also helps students build the ability to see the world through the eyes of others, which in turn helps them develop healthy relationships with others both personally and professionally. I can. Similar to team sports, the practice of art is an inherently collaborative process that creates the next generation of leaders who can appreciate different perspectives that lead to valuable decisions in the workplace. The benefits continue.
HCC’s Horowitz Center exists at the intersection of two industries that have traditionally relied on gatherings: the arts and education, which is exactly what we have been unable to do during the pandemic. Although 2020 hit us hard, I was inspired by our faculty and staff’s energy and creativity to adapt. Like many educational institutions, we focused on online courses and livestream production. We have also introduced an online art gallery experience. We’ve learned that we have the ability to reach audiences that we can’t meet in person. In response to the pandemic, we have chosen to continue with some virtual services that work well in that format.
There are so many options in our backyard that it’s hard to choose. If I’m heading out of the Howard County area, my go-to place is the Woolly Mammoth Theater in Washington, DC. There’s nothing I love more than walking into a venue with no expectations and experiencing a new story. At Woolly Mammoth, we’re sure you’ll find something you’ve never seen before.
