South by Southwest (SXSW) 2022 Conference was composed of panels, discussions, meetups, and keynote speakers. The focus of the conference was the intersection of popular music with the “classical” world. There, William attended sessions on mental health, maintaining authenticity, touring alternative venue spaces, and more. In addition to attending sessions and panels, he also made a point of connecting with the people around him. He met people from Syracuseall the way to Norway, thus showing the variety of the people he was meeting. The Special Opportunity grant allowed William to attend a conference that was out of his comfort zone and meet people all over the world and explorevarious facets of the industry.