River Jensen
Internship Synopsis
During the spring semester of 2026, I pursued two internship opportunities in venues local to Traverse City, Michigan.
Full Cord @ Milliken Auditorium w/ Visuals by Super Nuclear
Both positions revolved around live sound reinforcement with a focus on mixing. The two internships were each separately housed at Milliken Auditorium, and The Alluvion. Each internship took place between January 1st and May 1st of 2026.
I worked with each resident sound engineer directly and learned to use their consoles, and all of the venue’s equipment (mics, video cameras, lighting, ect.), across several shows in each venue.
The goal was simple: get great experience working inside treated rooms with high-end PA systems, nice consoles, large signal chain, lots of gear, and so on. Mixing experience was strongly preferred when possible. I also sought to expand lighting, video, and networking hardware knowledge.
MILLIKEN AUDITORIUM
Adjacent to the Dennos Museum Center, located on NMC’s main campus, Milliken Auditorium is a 367-seat concert hall that hosts a myriad of events and performances, including their seasonal concert series. From hosting events for local artists and organizations, to booking nationally recognized acts, Milliken Auditorium plays a significant role in shaping the arts and community in Traverse City.
READ ABOUT MILLIKEN AUDITORIUM
Most Important Skills I Gained:
System Signal Flow
Operating within a large signal chain spread out over hundreds of feet requires understanding each step of processing being done between your performer and audience. Not only did I seek to understand all aspects of the digital signal processing being done by the console, but also all of the steps of amplification and DSP set within the venue’s installed system.
Dynamic Lighting
During my time in Milliken I also sought to better grasp the means and methods used to control lighting fixtures during a given performance. I see audio and visuals as both being key components to the ultimate goal of live sound engineering: making the artist(s) sound & look as good as possible. Thankfully, during my time here, I have become fluent in both in the process.
Concise Stage Design
Beautifully, artists and bands I’ve worked with inside of Milliken Auditorium most always advance their stage plots. Having everything set, and only make subtle adjustments as needed, is such a wonderful bit of collaboration. Taking creativity into account when designing a functional, good-looking stage that is safe to operate within, is another of my key takeaways.
My extreme gratitude goes out to Maria Ulrich, resident sound engineer at Milliken Auditorium, for making these experiences incredibly valuable and informative for me. Without her, I truly wouldn’t have half of the knowledge, experience, resume, and opportunities that I do today.
THE ALLUVION
“Alluvion”, in French, refers to the material a river deposits as it flows and reshapes its banks. As the venue is situated on the Boardman-Ottaway River, it’s name suggests each performance leaves something behind—layer by layer, building a lasting musical landscape. The Alluvion itself is a 180-seat capacity venue, featuring many artists who bring eclectic performances from all over the globe.
READ ABOUT THE ALLUVION
– (Jazz/Improvisation/Guest Painter) – Jazz 4 All Thursdays from 1.22.2026 to 4.16.2026
Getting to work inside The Alluvion was a once in a lifetime journey that I would not have traded anything else for.
I greatly appreciate everyone I worked with in there for making the experience so valuable and memorable.
Special thanks to Tiff Falls, who taught me as much as she could as often as she could, and ran me through the entire game from top to bottom, which I won’t forget. Huge thank you’s also go out to Paxton, Will, Matt, and Jeff. <3
Thanks as well for offering to put me on the guest list for life!
Most Important Skills I Gained:
Mixing in an Intimate Space
One of the most fun & challenging parts of working in a room this size is that everything you do is heard. Critical listening and intentionality are of upmost importance. Audience members being seated directly around the stage also gives precedence to lifting up more delicate dynamics that need to be amplified by the in-house system.
Broadcasting & Recording
The Alluvion also features a control room adjacent to their listening space. This area is used for switching multiple PTZ cameras, creating a separate mix of live audio, and both are sent to a live broadcast. Multi-track recording is also being done back here during all shows, the broadcast feed is also stored locally, and then sent to artists.
Venue Operations
My most impactful takeaway from working here was observing all of the hard work, effort, and collaboration being done on all fronts to keep the venue running like clockwork. Here, artists and enthusiasts of all ages and backgrounds can gather to create shared experiences, which is exactly aligned with what I want to support.
River Jensen 