John Coate has been lucky enough to begin developing a career in arts management since he graduated from the UNO School of Music with a degree in Music Technology in December 2020. After working briefly as a temp with the Omaha Symphony, video switching for their digital initiative, he was a sound engineer and prop designer for the Highlands Playhouse in the Smoky Mountains of Highlands, North Carolina.

After a lovely summer living in Highlands, John came back to Omaha as an audio/visual tech for Midwest Sound and Lighting, working there for a year. In the fall of 2022, he found a new home on staff at the Omaha Symphony, now in a full-time capacity. For two and a half seasons, he worked as the Orchestra Stage Manager until becoming the Operations and Production Manager in early 2024. The rest, as they say, is history.

Currently, John is still at the Symphony as one of two Operations Managers and married his fiancée, Madi, this past October! He also still plays the fiddle in a local indie band, Tag Along with fellow School of Music alum Taylor McCormick, and released an EP in the fall of 2024.