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SubCategory Archive (tags): ‘Orchestra’

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Orchestra 101: How to Get Fired

PUBLISHED: December 15, 2009, John Ericson

There are many more topics that I could cover in this series, but to conclude the articles already planned I must end on a somber note, on the question of how to get fired from an orchestra. As I often tell students, there are two ways to lose a job if you are tenured into [...]

Orchestra 101: Chairs

PUBLISHED: December 12, 2009, John Ericson

As I began working on a final article for this series I realized I had missed an important topic that to a pro seems really obvious but may be off the radar for many readers, the topic of chairs. As in types of chairs and also when you can (or should) be in them before [...]

Categories: Sub-categories:
Orchestra, Orchestra 101

Orchestra 101: The Money Question

PUBLISHED: December 11, 2009, John Ericson

Early in this series I was asked the question how much money can you make playing in an orchestra? Players in top orchestras do pretty well. There is in every orchestra contract an amount specified that is the minimum annual salary. The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra has the highest minimum salary and all of the following [...]

Sub-categories:
Opera, Orchestra, Orchestra 101

Nutcrackers Past and Present

PUBLISHED: December 8, 2009, John Ericson

Sunday afternoon I heard an excellent performance of an extended suite of selections from The Nutcracker performed by the ASU Symphony Orchestra on their annual Holiday Concert. Hearing them brought back a few good memories of Nutcrackers past. I performed The Nutcracker every year I was in Nashville with the exception of the year my [...]

Orchestra 101 Special Edition: What Conductors Think About Horn Players

PUBLISHED: November 24, 2009, John Ericson

Horn players think a lot of things about conductors. They are our bosses, make a lot more money, and can generally make life hard for us if they choose. But what do conductors think about us? At an unguarded moment? Kenneth Woods is a British conductor with a fine blog. We at Horn Matters do [...]

Orchestra 101: Leave

PUBLISHED: November 22, 2009, John Ericson

While I know some of the topics in this series have pointed to negative things you may find in an orchestra, this one is about potentially one of the best things you may find if you win a full time job in an orchestra in the United States. The leave policies can be fairly generous. [...]

Sub-categories:
Orchestra, Orchestra 101

It’s Not Easy Being Green – or Stressed Out

PUBLISHED: November 20, 2009, Bruce Hembd

The response and comments to “Are All Professionals Kind of … Jaded?” have been eye-opening and enlightening. My hope is that in opening this dank can of worms and sharing these insights, it might be better understood how to reach some kind of mental balance, or at the very least realize when things are out-of-balance. [...]

John Ericson & Bruce Hembd
on the French horn, brass related topics, and the field of classical music.