For an orchestra musician, it's a life of few full rests
By Michael Adams
I can't tell you how many times I've had the following conversation:
"So you're a musician? What do you do?"
"I play viola in the Minnesota Orchestra.”
"Really! ... Is that a full-time job? What else do you do?"
What else? I shouldn't be surprised by cultural ignorance in a society that idealizes sports heroes,
rock stars and reality TV. But even though the Minnesota Orchestra is in the public eye nearly
200 times a year, who we are and what we do remains a mystery to most people. To that end I
offer, as a public service, everything you wanted to know about the lives of professional
orchestra musicians.
First things first: Not only is it a full-time job, but Minnesota Orchestra musicians play
about 165 rehearsals and 195 concerts a year. We nearly always work on Friday and Saturday
nights (many Sundays too), and don't have the same day off every week. Then there are the many
hours spent practicing at home preparing the music. During our busiest time - summer - we can
have up to three programs a week to prepare, each with just one rehearsal.
This makes time management one of our biggest challenges. All rehearsals are governed
by strict ground rules that apply to conductors, musicians and orchestra management alike. For
example, rehearsals are 2½ hours long and nobody is late. Ever. At exactly 10 a.m. the orchestra
tunes and the rehearsal starts. Precisely 2½ hours later, the orchestra stops. Even if we are in the
middle of a phrase, the rehearsal is ended.
Now 1 know what you're thinking: "That's so rigid! How can you just stop in the middle
of a phrase?" Paradoxically, from discipline comes freedom. Time management is so essential
that this rate serves us well, because it requires us to be more efficient, prepared and
professional.
One reason that the orchestra workplace has become so regulated is that in the old days,
conductors and managers had absolute power to hire and fire musicians, hold endless rehearsals
and dictate working conditions however they wanted. Musicians were pawns with little job
security or quality of life. It was usually a part-time job. Over many years musicians have
negotiated limits on conductors' tyranny and control. Consequently we have a far better quality
of life now than musicians 50 years ago ever dreamed of.
The hardest thing about my job is actually getting it. The competition for a job in a major
orchestra is fierce. Every year, more and more music students, from the best conservatories all
over the world, compete for the scant few orchestra jobs available. In the 30 or so largest
orchestras in this country, probably only two or three flute jobs came open last year, and about 15
to 20 violin vacancies. Anywhere from 75 to 300 candidates apply for each job. Winning an
orchestra audition is like winning the lottery - except the lottery will make you rich.
There is one constant in the lives of all musicians: STRESS! Doctors who have studied
orchestra players onstage have recorded vital signs and stress levels that are close to that of air
traffic controllers. We sit in tight quarters, 2 to 3 feet away from four or five people (the same
four or five people) for hours and hours a week. It's a bit like working on a submarine.
Add to that the physical strain of playing as much as we do, and you get other
occupational hazards as well. Back and neck problems are very common, as are tendonitis,
bursitis and repetitive motion syndrome. Musicians are equal parts artists and athletes.
Oh, and one last thing. Do you know what a decent Stradivarius costs these days? One of
the largest burdens we face, especially the string players, is the cost of buying and maintaining
good instruments. Over the years, savvy investors have bid up the cost of great stringed
instruments to such a degree that most musicians can't afford them. Those who can spend years
paying off the instrument of their dreams. Others just struggle along with what they can afford,
and some careers are limited by the limitations of a mediocre fiddle.
The average market value of instruments owned by each Minnesota Orchestra musician is
about $96,000. For the string players alone, that figure jumps to a whopping $218,000 in
instruments and bows, per player. In my own case, I have been making the equivalent of an extra
house payment every month for 13 years to pay for my rather modest instrument, and lam finally
close to paying it off.
Oh, and that Stradivarius I mentioned? One sold at auction recently for $2.6 million. I
wasn't a bidder.
Michael Adams has been a member of the Minnesota Orchestra for 15 years. He is also the artistic director, with his
violinist wife Daria, of Music in the Vineyards Festival, held every August in Napa Valley, Calif. He lives in Edina.
References
Adams, Michael. “For an Orchestra Musician, It’s a Life of Few Full Rests.” Minneapolis Star
Tribune, 5 Dec. 2004.