Great Expectations
Q. Which issues give/gave you the greatest concern as you enter(ed) the audition circuit?
A. My greatest concern is failure. I have the skills and the training, if I fail in this endeavor I only have myself to blame. On the other hand music is a wide open field. I have the ability to create a career and life out of whatever opportunities come my way.
Q. What do/did you expect a professional job to be like and if applicable, how accurate were those expectations?
A. I can’t really say that I have any set expectation for a professional job. I’ve heard many stories from colleagues and teachers, both good and bad. I suppose that as long as I get to play for a living instead of heavy manual labor, of which I’ve done my share, will be reward enough. That is an idealistic point of view, but it is currently the one I have. I think that idealism keeps us going through the difficulties that music and the music business throw at us.
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 have no basis to answer that question. My only experience with a professional orchestra has been limited to a ROPA level orchestra with a limited budget and performance season.
Q. Do/did you feel your academic training adequately prepared you for the realities of orchestral life?
A. I think that by attending a school where the first emphasis is on approaching a professional level of performance I have a better starting point than most of my colleagues However, you never see the whole picture until you’re in the middle of it.
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