'I studied the trombone at the Guildhall. You know how it is... you go there reckoning to become a star player. Then you find out there are seventeen other students all thinking the same thing.'

When that realisation struck home Peter Savory decided it was '...time to think further.' These days he runs the Academy of London orchestra, but the crucial bridge into the world of music administration came when Julian - an ex-Guildhall student himself - phoned the college one morning in 1988. The developing demand for his diary service meant he was on the look-out for his first full-time member of staff. 'My name was put forward' says Peter, 'even though my knowledge of the profession wasn't really more sophisticated than that of any member of the public. Immediately it was obvious that this was an enormously complex job - I'd say, even with Julian's intensive training, it took me a whole year really to get to grips with it - you need an intimate understanding of the mind of each Morgensterns client, so that when a Fixer rings you can make decisions on their behalf - musicians are all very different'. It was hell when I started!

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"You have to know when to say 'Yes' and when to say 'No'"

I absolutely loved the job.

'Working for Morgensterns could never be an exact science,' I was talking to Peter again, 'some musicians take the first job that comes in for a given date, others like to pick and choose. People often feel comfortable working with particular groups or orchestras, and that doesn't always mean they'll go for the most prestigious dates - they may just enjoy being in a musical environment that suits them. Some musicians keep their diaries religiously so that you always knew the Morgensterns version was up to date - others were a disaster!! And it's your job to have all this knowledge at your fingertips.' Both Peter Savory and Louise Wadley are in no doubt that the administrative grounding gained at Morgensterns has been of the utmost importance in developing skills which remain in everyday use where they now find themselves.

'From your contacts, you gradually build up a picture of how an orchestra works,' says Louise. 'One small example - soon after starting here in Oxford I had to cope with a crisis over some sheet music we thought we had, but didn't - I knew just where to go to find it at short notice. When I now myself act as a fixer I go about it in a clear, precise way, knowing how good systems work. Also, I've learned to see orchestras from the players' point of view as opposed to the management perspective.

For example, it's important that I make payments on the day of a concert because I'm aware of how often the cash is needed for paying the mortgage. If the orchestra isn't happy, then what am I doing here?!!

Peter points to the continuing value of having developed a feel for the profiles of different orchestras in his days at Morgensterns. 'Inevitably, you get to know the type of work each orchestra is doing - where they're going, which venues they have sewn up. So here with the Academy of London I've tried to see how we can offer something different and find our own niches. In 1994, for example, we became the first British orchestra to visit China for years and years. I certainly also feel I learned the art of lateral thinking at Morgensterns... to be quick, on the ball, and to find alternative ways of solving problems. And there's also the business of cultivating a good telephone manner - definitely not to be underplayed.'

Two new voices

'The advertisement I answered talked about managing the lives of over 350 musicians,' says Charlotte, 'It didn't actually mention the diary service!! But that was the right way of putting it. So much of the job is about understanding people, building up the confidence of clients, earning their trust by being efficient. The buzz you get when you've actually found that player for a session with half-an-hour to spare is tremendous! It's all a great introduction to the orchestral world.'

'I've found it all a real challenge,' adds Kerry. 'Perhaps the hardest thing is projecting yourself over the phone rather than face to face - you're selling the service every time you talk to someone. It certainly teaches you patience! And it's the best sort of training for any future job in the arts. Thoroughness is what it's all about - for example, we spend half an hour handing over from one shift to the next just to make sure the person coming on duty has been fully briefed about everything that's going on.'

"businesses have been forced to pull their socks up!"

'It was so vital to run efficient systems at Morgensterns' says Louise, 'and that has stood me in good stead here in Oxford - I don't panic about the little things. And, if I need a player at the drop of a hat, I know where I can find one!'

Andrew Green

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