Meet Don Jones | Entrepreneur, Pianist & Accompanist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Don Jones and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Don, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
We are not driven by the desire to bring in inordinate amounts of money or pay ourselves salaries not commensurate with other arts organizations. The three of us who founded AIMT have other jobs that we rely on to pay our bills. Once you remove financial gain from the bigger picture, it is easy to focus on JUST the art form and how we can advance musical theatre. Need a super niche class for advanced musical theatre performers? No problem. I even host free “open door” evenings where singers can come and sing through some music with me for 15 minutes and I give them feedback. Additionally, we are in a city that is truly lacking in musical theatre education for professionals. I think these two things combined really give us an edge when it comes to education and it will do the same as we roll out our other programs like showcasing new theatrical works.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I was trained in classical piano at Interlochen Arts Academy and New England Conservatory. I quickly pivoted to musical theatre after realizing that there was nothing I liked more than being at a piano teaching a cast the vocals of a show, working with a pit band/orchestra and putting it all together for performances. I played piano for my first show when I was 16 and never looked back. Now I have music directed and/or conducted 121 different productions mostly in New York, but also throughout the Northeast and in Atlanta.

The life of a musician or artist is not usually easy. There were certainly some ups and downs. In fact, after the financial crisis of 2008, there were a lot more downs than ups. And that’s when my wife and I decided to move down to Atlanta (where her family resided) and get our MBAs. A musician with an MBA is not a typical combination. I used my newly found business acumen to open The Studios Brookhaven, a performing arts company for kids through high school age. From there, I went on to create The Atlanta Institute for Musical Theatre, with my fellow Board members, Kristine Reese and Greg London.

I’d love for the world to know that we are veteran theatre professionals who are especially passionate about sharing our knowledge with actors who may not be receiving the training that they need. We are also passionate about advancing theatre in general and we will be announcing our “new works” program very soon. Beyond that, we have a few more exciting things planned for Atlanta musical theatre!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Since we are a theatre organization, I would want to show any friend of mine the vibrant arts scene in Atlanta. From our larger theaters like City Springs and Alliance Theatre to our smaller but just an important theaters and companies like Synchronicity and Actor’s Express. But by far my favorite place in Georgia is the North Georgia mountains. I’ll take a quaint afternoon in a town like Clayton anytime. The dichotomy that Georgia has from its vibrant city life with abundant arts and nightlife to the rural areas where you can get away from city lights and listen to nature is truly one of a kind.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to give a shoutout to all of the theatre organizations that have given me a place to study, train and become a better industry professional. I have worked around the country and I value each experience. The cumulative effect of the time I’ve spent as a rehearsal pianist, accompanist and music director have made it possible for me to create a world-class organization, with the help of a couple others who probably feel the same way about their background. The theatre industry is a small niche in our large world, but the folks it is comprised of are simply some of the best people I know.

Website: www.atlantaimt.org

Instagram: @theaimt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089063775201

Image Credits
Not Applicable