Great Expectations

Q. Which issues give/gave you the greatest concern as you enter(ed) the audition circuit?

A. I’d have to say general preparedness. Of course we all think of hours and hours spent in the practice room playing the excerpts over and over again – and in these terms, I feel like I have the tools to conquer the audition situation should I chose to enter the circuit again. (I should also add that my choice not to be a part of the circuit may have something to do with my “concerns”. More on this later I’m sure…)

Q. What do/did you expect a professional job to be like and if applicable, how accurate were those expectations?

A. To be fair, I was ushered into an orchestral position while I was still in school so I had the opportunity to have both perspectives – student and professional. As an apprentice fellow within the orchestra, I naturally wasn’t a part of any decision-making process or voting for example. So, as a member of an orchestra I never had the opportunity to share my voice at that ownership level. Though as a student this was a great opportunity to learn about all aspects of the orchestral career. I should also mention that as part of this fellowship I was required to work in the office at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra in the departments of Educational Outreach and Special Events. So, given the well-roundedness of these positions together, I gathered a wealth of perspective as a student.

However, on the flip side, as a part of the Mellon Orchestra Forum 2002-2003 through my affiliation with the Orchestral Studies Program under Ray Ricker and James Undercoffler at Eastman, I was able to participate as a “fly on the wall”. I can’t share my opinions without referring back to the incredible perspective I gained from that experience. As I observed break-out sessions, role-playing exercises and open-ended discussions led by psychologists, conflict-management experts where in most cases the mostly strong and open-minded members of a orchestra (most of them the heads of committees and long-time members of their organizations) were generally frustrated with the lack of compromise within the hierarchy of the orchestral musician-management-board structure – I was shocked and concerned to say the least.

Q. Do you think the professional environment within orchestra musicians as it exists today is much different than 5/10/20 years ago?

A. I can only assume that it is with my limited experience and age. But, in the past five years I’ve seen many orchestras “buying out” the tenured players for younger, more enthusiastic additions. This leads me to believe there must be a new energy at some level. I also know that as some orchestras newly find themselves in financial trouble, musicians seem to have more of a voice in the fate of their organization – and surely this voice is a result of the general evolution of the American symphony orchestra itself.

Q. Do/did you feel your academic training adequately prepared you for the realities of orchestral life?

A. I count myself lucky to have attended the Eastman School of Music at a time when the Institute for Music Leadership was in its infancy and was still the “Arts Leadership Program”. These were times when Eastman was one of the few if only music schools committed to preparing its graduates for a reality-based career in the music business. The focus was slowly shifting from playing the perfect Paganini Caprice and interpretation of Brahms and Schubert sonatas to preparing orchestral excerpts and the first movement of a concerto for a chance to be a member of an orchestra. It seems like even then some teachers were still resisting – as if we were all destined to become soloists or give up in the process (only the strong survive!!).

Even more forward thinking, though, was the focus on what we would do AFTER we won the audition. Or even, (gasp), what we would do if we didn’t win one! As I continued, my studies began to focus on the real dynamic within the organizations we were trying to join, who the audience was and wasn’t, what the role of an orchestral musician was in a community – and even more challenging a concept: how to approach and manage disputes and friction within the organization itself.