To get your foot in the door...

SELL YOURSELF

To do this effectively you'll need a good understanding of the workings of the orchestral world, so find out how fixers make booking decisions: for example, a fixer in a fix relies on recommendations from section principals for new players - thats why good contacts are as important as playing your instrument well. Work can also result from chance meetings - diaries out back stage and 'by the way are you free for a Messiah next Tuesday?'

GATHER INFORMATION
Concert going, for example, keeps you up-to-date with what's happening in the profession. It gives you the opportunity to see which orchestras you'd like to work with, and offers you the ideal opportunity to make contact with colleagues back stage - just part of the process of developing your career.

GAIN CONTACTS
During your first year out of college teachers can give you a lot of help, so take advantage of any advice they can pass on - tell them, for example, who you would like to play to: they may be able to suggest ways of approaching colleagues.

YOUR CV
Always have a well-presented CV to hand, and don't wait for auditions to be advertised before approaching orchestras. If a member of an orchestra knows your playing, and is willing to act as a referee, send the fixer a letter with your CV enclosed and name your colleague as a reference - this is an excellent way to gain an introduction.

THE FIRST 10 YEARS

Please visit our performance graphs page for information about orchestras booking through Morgensterns

Text of a talk by Julian Morgenstern to young members of the ISM

During my final term at the music college, almost 15 years ago, we had our one and only careers lecture - that was the extent of help that students were offered then! There were three panellists, an orchestral player, an orchestral manager and someone from the BBC (this sounds like the beginnings of a bad joke!). They applied themselves to their task with messianic fervour, 'it's tough out there and only a few of you are going to make it; the rest of you? well you can forget it!' Great, we all thought, that's just the sort of positive thinking we needed after three years hard work!

The climate has changed a lot since then and the importance of post-graduate guidance is widely recognised. The RAM for example have Janet Snowman as their research officer to help guide students through their first year out of college and the recent BBC/Arts Council review of National orchestral provision identifies a number of areas in which post graduate support can be further improved.

Despite these changes it's still obvious, from the constant stream of inquiries that we receive, that there remains a need for practical advice about how to break into the orchestral profession. My suggestions are based on 10 years working with both young and established orchestral musicians.

BE PREPARED
Two themes run through the advice that we offer. The first is 'be prepared' to make the most of all opportunities that are cast your way, however humble they may appear at first. A last minute Messiah in the Styx? Accept it! Don't turn it down because you've played the piece too many times - you never know who you are likely to meet on the date!

PUT YOUR SELF IN THE OTHER PERSONS SHOES
Secondly, when confronting the question of how to develop work opportunities always 'put yourself in the other person's shoes'. A simple example of this relates to your choice of referee.

We've seen many CV's that include references from famous musicians on the principal that it is likely to impress. Our experience is that, when it comes to orchestral work, nothing could be further from the truth. The fixer's world orbits around the musicians that she or he works with, so a reference from any member of their orchestra, preferably one of their principals, will have a far greater impact than any highfalutin testimonial from a musician with whom they have no contact.

THE SESSION FIXER
A second example of 'putting your self in the other person's shoes'. We are often asked by clients 'how do I get into the session world?'. Session fixers have their reputations on the line at every session they book. Every minute of a session can cost £100s of pounds and they need confidence that their musicians will deliver the goods. i.e. that they'll arrive on time, they'll get on with their colleagues, that they will be competent to work in what ever circumstances they are presented with, with a click track for example, or with difficult music to sight read, or conversely with extra-ordinarily simple music to play, music that can lead to unacceptable lapses in concentration.

Now, imagine yourself in the role of a session fixer and you'll understand why they are unlikely to take a risk and book musicians that they don't know. Session fixers start in business with a list of tried and trusted musicians and when they expand their fixing list it's usually through recommendation from within their repertory company. So, sending out CVs to session fixers is unlikely to generate work. Success in the session world depends far more on the reputation you gain in the business and on the contacts that you make.

DEVELOPING CONTACTS
Back to basics! Your first bookings will usually come as a result of the contacts that you have made at school and music college, so talk to them to find out if they can see avenues for you to develop. Include teachers, student colleagues and career advisors in this process. Draw up a list of musicians you'd like to play to and see if your contacts can offer you introductions to these musicians; also find out if they can suggest musicians you have not thought of for you play to for advice and encouragement. The more people who know your playing the more likely you are to be successful.

I find it helpful to think of a career as a small business. You'll find that managing your career involves confronting all the issues that apply to any small business, from promoting and selling your 'product', to keeping accurate accounts for the tax man - your product being that high octane mix of personality and playing skills. It's this mixture that gives you your Unique Selling Point as it's known in current advertising jargon - namely those elements that differentiate you from the rest of your colleagues. So, when you find yourself despairing because in your opinion a less respected colleague has been given opportunities that you feel more deserving of, remind yourself, skill is not the only factor orchestras take into account when deciding who to book. Skill, personality, and who you know, can all be equally important.

LUCK
Luck also plays its part. Most often you have to make your own luck and the more you are out meeting people the more likely you are to bump into that lucky break. Think of those lucky musicians who were invited to join the English Chamber Orchestra or the Academy of St Martin's in their early years - they couldn't have expected these orchestras to grow into the world renowned orchestras that they have become today. But don't look at those musicians and think 'if only', because new orchestras are springing up all the time.

During our 10 years in business we have seen the emergence of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Opus 20, Age of Enlightenment, Prima Vera, Premiere Ensemble, Sinfonia 21, Matrix, Orchestra Revolutionaire et Romantique, The East of England Orchestra, The Guildhall String Ensemble and Eos to name but a few. Luck comes to those who take calculated risks and commit themselves to join new ventures with contemporaries and blaze a trail for other musicians to follow.

SURVIVAL
Stamina and health are essential - there's no point in having that lucky break if you are too ill to take advantage of it! Concert seasons can be very demanding and, as winter closes in, there are lots of vulnerable immune systems waiting to succumb to the latest flu virus. So, be terribly sympathetic if colleagues fall ill - just make sure that you are healthy enough to be available as a dep!! Of course opportunities are created by happier circumstances: a colleague, having accepted a new appointment, might have to dep out existing work.

Whatever the situation, you need stamina to stay the course and to wait for the opportunities that enable you to break into the profession. You also need to keep healthy and energetic, when all around are dropping like flies, because those are the times when you are likely to find your first bookings. My advice? Don't bungee jump or go North Sea diving until you are really secure in the profession.

REVIEW
Let me now review those elements that I believe will be instrumental in giving your career the best chance of success. Top of the list is ... Survival! Just like our primaeval caveman cousins, you also need food, shelter and a place to practice in! You'll also need to finance yourself, so during your early days try to take on work that is flexible enough to drop at a moment's notice - you want to be able to shoot off to last minute bookings, so consider teaching positions or part-time work in music shops, for example.

Secondly, understand how the profession works and remember that orchestral life can be like village life - every one knows what everyone is doing. Always be 'tactful', not 'servile', just tactful because you never know, the person you are politely criticising may just be a future fixer or section principal whose patronage you might one day appreciate!

Thirdly, develop a wide range of contacts - you never know who'll give you a helping hand. Remember that when a fixer has to make a decision it is usually a split second one, so make sure they have sufficient information to hand to justify booking you. If they require a referee select one they are sure to trust - another reason why you should take every opportunity to play to a wide range of established colleagues and not just wait for auditions.

If you feel uncomfortable about approaching these musicians just bear in mind that they themselves were once struggling musicians looking for ways to break into the profession.

Of course, when auditions are advertised go for them - even if you're not successful auditions offer you further opportunities to make new contacts.

So, while there's no way to guarantee success, if you're clear about what to expect from the profession, and if you can develop a strategy that incorporates some of the activities that I have referred to - those that you feel comfortable with - then you have given yourself the best chance of enjoying a successful and varied freelance orchestral and session career.

JM

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