Great Expectations
While a student I took my first audition for the purpose of funding my graduate school auditions and, in all honesty, there was a period during which it felt as if I was taking them because I “had to get a job”. Seven years after finishing my “formal” (meaning institutional) training, my thoughts have changed dramatically and this is due to having been exposed to people who have not only secured but have also maintained positions in some of the world’s greatest ensembles.
My greatest concerns NOW are how to maintain the balance of meeting my expectations, the expectations found in any ensembles in which I play, and the “other demands” of life while staying the course.
There were also no expectations of what winning a job would be; luckily, every situation has been somewhat different. There are, nevertheless, things to contend with, including the differences in playing in an opera/ballet orchestra and a symphonic ensemble, the latter including the challenge of learning what can seem to be an overwhelming amount of music in a very short amount of time. Having done both, I do have to say that I am, even now, still somewhat stunned at the amount of music that one is required to know and play well! The only solution that I have found for myself has been first and foremost to keep my “foundations” secure, meaning to keep a regular routine of playing scales and other exercises. Secondly, it is important to really take the time to know all of this music well: this can, of course, result in the first year on the job seeming like a continuation of the many hours spent in the practice room. It is only with accepting that reality, while at first feeling a loss of “freedom from the tyranny of the small closet”, that I have been able to manage everything effectively.
Regarding playing in the ensemble itself, I’ve found it necessary to remember that orchestral playing IS indeed ensemble playing and should be approached with the same reverence that one has when playing chamber music – someone likened this to “being at the front of the wave”. With violin sections being filled with very competent players, it is important to also remain flexible, and it can take some time to finding the balance between maintaining one’s “identity” – that being one’s own expectations and standards – while really becoming a member of a section and an ensemble when playing.
Having studied at Rice and spent two years in “boot camp”, that being the New World Symphony, I do feel that have been adequately prepared for orchestral life; nevertheless, I also think that “today’s musician” should have, in addition, to orchestral repertoire classes and audition preparation seminars, some real exposure to or involvement in the administrative side of the industry. Programs like the Master of Music in Orchestral Performance at the Manhattan School of Music and the similar program at Roosevelt University include these aspects of the business in their programs and it would be wonderful to see more programs like those in other parts of the country: knowing the challenges involved in securing funding, negotiating contracts, etc., in addition to being enlightening, is also beneficial in that it helps to remove the barriers between musicians and management that seem to have plagued our industry for years.
With the losses of the 2002-2003 season (San Antonio, Savannah and Colorado Springs Symphonies, Tulsa and Florida Philharmonic Orchestras, Houston Symphony Strike), it is safe to say that yes, the environment IS different than it was years ago. As musicians we can no longer see “the job” as “a job”: the aforementioned programs (and I am not writing as a recruiter as I have not been involved in them) are helpful in that musicians going into the business, through knowledge of the “deeper aspects” of the business, are able to see themselves as true “stakeholders” in the survival of the industry. I certainly hope that this is the case and continue to learn what I can.
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