Meet Allie Summers
A native of North Vernon, Indiana, Allie van Wassenaer-Summers has spent over two decades working as an arts professional. Her career began at the tender age of nine, when she first joined her banjo-playing father Mike onstage as part of the "family band". This early exposure quickly developed into a lifelong love affair with the stage, leading Allie to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Violin Performance at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. During her time there, she studied with acclaimed violinist Larry Shapiro.
After graduating in 2011, she relocated to Nashville, Tennessee to strengthen her foothold in the music industry. She served as the house fiddle player for Tootsie's World Famous Orchid Lounge for five years while recording, touring, and collaborating with artists across North America. After launching her first self-produced album in 2015 with a successful Kickstarter campaign to support it, she realized her hidden talent as an administrator. To further explore this interest, she decided to return to academia.
Allie was accepted into Indiana University's prestigious O'Neill School for Public and Environmental Affairs - one of the leading arts management graduate schools in the country. During her time at IU, Allie deepened her studies around cultural policy, creative placemaking, and fund development with the WonderLab Museum and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, all while responding to the growing demands of her music career.
Leveraging her unique assets as both an artist and an administrator, Allie has provided marketing and fundraising support to institutions such as the Muhammad Ali Center, STET The English Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Green Hill Therapy, and Commonwealth Theatre Center. She is currently the Marketing & PR Manager at PENTATONE (one of the leading classical music labels in the world). Her international career as a violinist, cellist, and vocalist also continue to flourish with artists such as Michael Bublé, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Carrie Newcomer, Don Frank, Kees Prins, Paul de Munnik, JP den Tex, and Anneke van Giersbergen.
Allie currently resides in The Netherlands with her many houseplants and her beloved Siamese cat, Claude. She is happily married to Dutch-American violinist Diederik van Wassenaer (other half of 'Allie & Deets') and continues to offer her creative services internationally.