The Life of an Orchestral Musician

A dream for many music conservatory students is to become an orchestral musician. The industry has changed dramatically over the past few decades but there are still plenty of orchestras and possible job openings. But what is it like? What are the hours, the demands, and even the general lifestyle?

The sad thing is that there are very few jobs in North America that pay a living wage for an orchestral musician. The competition for these jobs is extremely fierce and you will often audition with hundreds of other possible candidates for a single position. Despite the dozens of orchestras around the country, most of them have become part-time jobs. In order to support themselves; a lot of orchestral musicians turn to teach or freelance performance to supplement their income.

As for the full-time positions in orchestras, you must be ready to compete against hundreds of other musicians at every single audition. It might sound discouraging but for a lot of musicians since just making it to the quarterfinals of an audition is a monumental achievement. A lot of success really relies on knowing how to audition. Just because you’re a great musician doesn’t make you great at taking auditions.

By and large, the people who end up getting jobs with orchestras have made a career out of auditioning. All of these musicians must be willing to travel to any available auditions and spend the majority of their time learning and being instructed by coaches on specific repertoire. This can be incredibly expensive and time-consuming; all of these musicians must have a system of support in order to work for their goals. Whether it’s teaching or performing freelance, these musicians must find a way to support their passion beyond just auditioning and practicing.

So what is the life of an orchestral musician like? Well even though it can be very glamorous and incredibly fulfilling, it’s a very demanding job. You have to remember that there are literally hundreds of other people that would jump at the opportunity to have your job; this means you have to keep yourself in top-notch condition. Even if you have time off from the orchestra you will have to practice every single day to stay in shape and learn your parts.

While it’s incredibly challenging to find and keep a job in an orchestra it can be richly rewarding. Many people spend their whole lives in pursuit of this and never actually achieve full-time success. Sometimes the freelance and part-time work are all they will achieve but it’s nothing to scoff at. Getting paid to play music is a complicated endeavor and it can truly take a lifetime to achieve success. But for a musician, it is the path to take.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729

Orchestra Conductor Jobs Via Jooble:
https://jooble.org/jobs-orchestra-conductor