Morgensterns, a brief history

Morgensterns is a booking agency for freelance orchestral and session musicians.

"As with a concert agency for solo performers, Morgensterns holds clients' diaries so as to give orchestral fixers the swiftest response to inquiries - although it is company practice to leave the final decision over whether to accept profered work with the musicians themselves." Andrew Green (from an article about Morgensterns in Classical Music Magazine)

Starting from a base of 30 musicians in 1983 Morgensterns now holds diary details of over 400 busy musicians working with freelance orchestras and session fixers around the UK. How did it all start?

"After studying at the Guildhall School of Music, where Julian ran the Contemporary Music Society and acquired a taste for administration, he managed the newly-opened bookshop at the Royal Festival Hall. While at the RFH he was responsible for the idea of setting up the RFH Foyer Music series which continues successfully today. -"It was in 1982, when Julian found himself at a loose end, that a contact from his RFH Foyer Music Booking days suggested he should run a diary service for musicians. 'What's that?' was his initial reaction.

His friend, the bassoonist Christopher Gunia (that's Christopher on the left!), explained that the possibility of missing out on future engagements was a constant worry for busy performers often away from home."When a harassed orchestra manager, or 'fixer', fails to reach the player of his choice, he or she will naturally find an alternative. If, however, the musician could refer the fixer onto Morgensterns then it would be to everyone's advantage.

"With help from the Tower - Hamlets - Small - Business - Advisory - Bureau, Julian was able to research into to practicalities of setting up a Diary Service. Research showed that only a small number of orchestras can afford to offer their players contracts. Most orchestras only come together for a limited number of concerts each year and they draw on the same relatively small pool of freelance players - hence the need for Morgensterns Diary Service. Morgensterns job is to contact the players whenever engagements come in. "Having started Morgensterns with a nucleus of 30 players in 1983 Julian now looks after over 400 musicians - many who have risen to key positions in the British Orchestral world." Alan Road (from an article about Morgensterns in the Daily Mail)