Meet Kelly Levstek

 

I’m a 22-year-old 5’ 1” blonde woman that just happens to have a passion for live sound and the world of live music production. As a young child, I have always been interested in music. I was a choir geek for many years and still enjoy the music and unity of choirs. Towards the end of high school, I realized that I had a real passion for music and I wanted to be involved, but not performing on center stage but rather behind the scenes and running sound was what I really wanted to do.

In my high school drama club, I was  Head of Sound for “Our Town”. For the play, my crew of two and I were in charge of recording the sounds and going through sound libraries for all of our effects. Through this production, I realized my passion.

After high school, I attended Capital University where I learned about all sorts of aspects of the music industry and recording arts in the Music Technology program. Through my time at Capital, I found that I really liked all the hands-on stuff such as soldering, setting up equipment, and learning the ins and outs of equipment. I had one class in the program that covered aspects of live sound and after that, I was hooked.

In my junior year of college I attended the Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, OH. I was also required to have an internship after the workshop for the rest of the semester. I searched for a while and I was lucky enough to become an intern for  Eighth Day Sound. I worked in the Eighth Day Sound Workshop during my internship. I learned so much about the live industry and production through that experience.  It was completely hands-on and fast-paced. I loaded and unloaded many trucks, but I also learned all about the equipment used in the live sound realm, how to build racks, and how to test and repair equipment and cables. I also learned that it takes an army to run a show on and off the road. From building the show to getting it out on the road, to running the show, and then bringing it home, it takes so many hands and hard work to make a production successful. It was amazing to be part of something so big and have a hand in making a show run smoothly. I also really enjoyed the camaraderie among the crew. They all were really friendly and eager to help me learn. It was a great environment and I knew it was the perfect place for me.

After my internship, I was more determined and convinced that I would have a career in live sound. When I graduated from Capital University, I was offered a full-time position for Eighth day as a shop tech. I graciously accepted and now I am beginning my professional career and ready to have some fun adventures on and off the road.

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