If you are dying to make an orchestra and were trying to follow my blog, you were probably frustrated because I fell off the face of the earth for a while. Well, your patience has paid off. Today's lesson is a big one.
Lesson 2: Don't start an orchestra (or any other non-profit corporation) 6 months before the worst recession in 70 years. It seems like a no-brianer, but I really didn't see it coming.
An orchestra, as I pointed out before, is a business, a non-profit organization, also known as a charity (legally known as an IRS 501c3 organization), just like a museum, church, or private university. All charities operate on the good graces of generous people. An orchestra is an expensive venture that really doesn't create a lot of money. Because of the sheer size of the ensemble (up to 100 musicians!), productions costs are high, and "earned income" (ticket sales) do not cover 1/4 of the expenses. Private philanthropy is necessary. Even large museums that charge $20 for entry and have thousands of visitors, and private universities that charge $30K a year in tuition and have thousands of students, rely on donations and private philanthropy top stay afloat, fund new programs, build and expand their facilities, and compensate their employees appropriately.
So when an economic crisis hits, those of us who work for non-profits get nervous, even scared. In the last 3 months, dozens of orchestras and opera companies all over America have canceled concerts, laid off employees, and cut programs; many have gone out of business altogether. Even the mighty Metropolitan Opera in NYC (annual operating budget approx. $200 million) is tightening its belt and canceling its most expensive productions this season.
For me, the effects of the recent disastrous downturn in the economy were immediate and terrible. In October, the Astoria Music Society (NYC), of which I am the music director, got it's public funding cut. individual donations were down 65% from the same time last year. Ticket sales suffered. Audiences shrunk. Our income was slashed dramatically. Our future concerts were put in jeopardy. The board of directors held an emergency meeting to decide what to do. We decided to do something a little silly: we'd explain to the public at large that we're running out of money, then we'd ask everyone we know to make a small donation - $10 or $20.
Also in October, the newly formed Round Rock Symphony (TX), of which I am the music director, was trying to launch it's inaugural season. As the first concert date approached, the staff and board of directors realized we were not going to have enough money in hand to hold the event. What would we do? We decided to perform the concert, not knowing if it would be a financial catastrophe or not.
Here's what happened:
In NYC, music-lovers responded loudly. Many people I never imagined donating money made small gifts. Dozens of people donated $50 or $75 or $100. A handful donated $200, $500, or more. Many of the orchestra members themselves made donations. They saved our Holiday concert!
In Round Rock, a large, enthusiastic, and generous crowd of music-lovers showed up for the Round Rock Symphony's Inaugural Concert. Ticket sales alone nearly covered the expenses for the concert, but after the concert, as they left the venue, many audience members stuffed cash or checks into a donation jar at the box office. These people demonstrated that they loved music so much that they wanted this orchestra to succeed, despite the current economic times.
The lesson to take away from these anecdotes is this: music-lovers are more generous than we think. An honest appeal to good people will often yield unexpected good results. And don't start an orchestra in the middle of a recession.
To make a small donation to the Astoria Music Society, click here.
To make a small donation to the Round Rock Symphony, click here.
Information and discussions for conductors, musical leaders, and music lovers.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
How to Make an Orchestra (part 1.b.)
A little update: I just got off the phone with the new concertmaster of the Round Rock Symphony. It was an exciting conversation with a wonderfully talented violinist, and I am so happy this person accepted the position. Now to contact the others....
Thursday, October 2, 2008
How to Make a Symphony Orchestra (part 1)
Making a symphony orchestra is difficult. A symphony orchestra is not just a large body of musicians who are trained experts who work together as a finely-oiled machine; an orchestra is also a non-profit organization. A non-profit organization is a business, and starting a business is hard work. You need to form the business. You need to incorporate the business. You need to file for IRS recognition as a not-for-profit incorporation. You need patience, an entraprenurial spirit, an address, a phone number, business cards, a website, a staff, a place to rehearse, a performance venue, a marketing plan, and a lot of business sense. You also need money.
I'm involved in the founding of the Round Rock Symphony, a brand-new professional orchestra in the Austin, TX, area. The amount of paperwork involved is staggering. The effort required to raise awareness and operating funds can suck a person's energy dry. Because an orchestra involves so many people (a few adminstrators, a board of directors, dozens and dozens of musicians, hundreds of fans, etc.), the time one must invest in communicating with everyone is absolutely shocking. But there is one daunting task that cannot be overlooked - auditioning an entire orchestra.
A small orchestra has anywhere from 18 to 30 members, and a large orchestra could have a hundred or more musicians. The Round Rock Symphony will be a medium-sized orchestra of 40-46 musicians for its first concert, but in order to hire the best 40-46 musicians in Austin, one must audition and interview hundreds of talented players.
When the formation of the Round Rock Symphony was announced, I was buried in over 250 requests for auditions. Of those requests, I was able to accommodate only 160 or so players. I had to find a venue (thank you Bachus Conservatory!) and a panel of musical experts willing to listen to auditions with me (thank you Garrett Keast, Jon Babcock, Brett Bachus, and Joseph Baird). Then I had to schedule a time to listen to each of those 160 musicians demonstrate their abilites on their instruments. The audition process took weeks to organize, but the actual auditions required 5 entire days of listeing to and interviewing musicians (9:00 am-7:30 pm). OK, listeing to well-trained musicians all day is not unpleasant - it's much easier than roofing or waiting tables - but it's still exhausting work.
I jokingly referred to this process as "Orchestra Idol," but it was in reality nothing like the TV show on which that joke was based. The Austin area is rich with talented musicians. I heard dozens of hornists, dozens of flutists, dozens of cellists, dozens of everything, all excellent musicians. As I listened to each player making beautiful music, I took careful notes, listing to the tone quality, rhythmic acuracy, intonation, articulations, dynamics, phrasing, expression, artistic interpretation, and adherence to the composer's other subtle markings. After listening to them all, I realized I had a big problem on my hands.
A week ago I wondered: "How on earth am I going to find 40-46 great musicians to play together in the Round Rock Symphony?" Today, I am wondering: "How on earth am I going to pick just 40-46 musicians?" What do I tell the other 114-120 talented players they didn't make the cut? It's a terrible dilemma, because I want to work with all of them!
Alas, I must spend the next 3 days reviewing my notes and making tough decisions, disappointing 3 musicians for each musician I accept into the ensemble. It's not fun, but the result will be a fantastic and nimble orchestra, capable of turning a bunch of little black dots on paper into soul-feeding music, the highest form of human artistic expression.
More later...
I'm involved in the founding of the Round Rock Symphony, a brand-new professional orchestra in the Austin, TX, area. The amount of paperwork involved is staggering. The effort required to raise awareness and operating funds can suck a person's energy dry. Because an orchestra involves so many people (a few adminstrators, a board of directors, dozens and dozens of musicians, hundreds of fans, etc.), the time one must invest in communicating with everyone is absolutely shocking. But there is one daunting task that cannot be overlooked - auditioning an entire orchestra.A small orchestra has anywhere from 18 to 30 members, and a large orchestra could have a hundred or more musicians. The Round Rock Symphony will be a medium-sized orchestra of 40-46 musicians for its first concert, but in order to hire the best 40-46 musicians in Austin, one must audition and interview hundreds of talented players.
When the formation of the Round Rock Symphony was announced, I was buried in over 250 requests for auditions. Of those requests, I was able to accommodate only 160 or so players. I had to find a venue (thank you Bachus Conservatory!) and a panel of musical experts willing to listen to auditions with me (thank you Garrett Keast, Jon Babcock, Brett Bachus, and Joseph Baird). Then I had to schedule a time to listen to each of those 160 musicians demonstrate their abilites on their instruments. The audition process took weeks to organize, but the actual auditions required 5 entire days of listeing to and interviewing musicians (9:00 am-7:30 pm). OK, listeing to well-trained musicians all day is not unpleasant - it's much easier than roofing or waiting tables - but it's still exhausting work.
I jokingly referred to this process as "Orchestra Idol," but it was in reality nothing like the TV show on which that joke was based. The Austin area is rich with talented musicians. I heard dozens of hornists, dozens of flutists, dozens of cellists, dozens of everything, all excellent musicians. As I listened to each player making beautiful music, I took careful notes, listing to the tone quality, rhythmic acuracy, intonation, articulations, dynamics, phrasing, expression, artistic interpretation, and adherence to the composer's other subtle markings. After listening to them all, I realized I had a big problem on my hands.
A week ago I wondered: "How on earth am I going to find 40-46 great musicians to play together in the Round Rock Symphony?" Today, I am wondering: "How on earth am I going to pick just 40-46 musicians?" What do I tell the other 114-120 talented players they didn't make the cut? It's a terrible dilemma, because I want to work with all of them!
Alas, I must spend the next 3 days reviewing my notes and making tough decisions, disappointing 3 musicians for each musician I accept into the ensemble. It's not fun, but the result will be a fantastic and nimble orchestra, capable of turning a bunch of little black dots on paper into soul-feeding music, the highest form of human artistic expression.
More later...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Gargoyle Garden Closes
The fifth and final performance of Jeff LaGreca and Allen Schulz's Garoyle Garden was last night. It was the best performance yet and we had a huge, enthusiastic audience to share it with! As the music director for the show, the performances were relatively easy; once the cast and band knew the music, all I had to do was show up, give a few cues, and play one blistering heavy metal guitar solo about 1/3 of the way into the show (a little-known secret of mine is that before I became an orchestra conductor and composer of "art music," I wanted to be a rock star - I suppose I exposed some of my 1980s musical tastes and inclinations during that 3-minute guitar solo).That's me on the left!.jpg)
Like I said, the performances were pretty easy for me. The rehearsal period - that's another matter altogether. First, we learn notes, rhythms, and words. Then we add the next level of musical finesse - dynamics (volume), balance, and articulations. This process is not easy, but when it's accomplished, we really get subtle and work to unify phrasing ideas, musicality, and that special je ne sais quoi that separates a good performance from a great performance (I'll rant some other time about the overuse of the word "great" in reference to performances).
In this case, the cast was amazing. They learned the music very quickly and memorized it shortly thereafter so Jeff LaGreca (writer and stage director) could make the show happen from a dramatic point of view. I should mention that I had to leave NYC for 2 weeks right in the middle of the rehearsal period (egad!), and Allen Schulz, the composer and my dear friend, handled the musical rehearsals deftly in my absence - well, no one knows the music better than him! When I came back to NYC, I was pleased to find that the show had evolved very quickly in my absence.
Some of the cast member are old friends of mine and colleagues whom I've worked before (Elizabeth Mondragon, Allan Gillespie, and John Taylor), but others were new to me. I also had the opportunity to work again with one of the most talented new-music pianists I've even met, Laura Barger, and the talented percussionist Chris Graham (for the first time). Needless to say, it was a pleasure to work with consummate professionals, whatever their relationship to me.
After 6 weeks of rehearsals and preparations, and 2 weeks of performances, it was great fun to give the show it's last performance with reckless abandon in front of that very generously enthusiastic audience. Allan Gilespie ("Chimney Man") hosted a party at a great bar in the Village called Wicked Willie's, and that's always fun ("And the dances continued throughout the night," to quote Jeff LaGreca's great lyrics).
After 6 weeks of rehearsals and preparations, and 2 weeks of performances, it was great fun to give the show it's last performance with reckless abandon in front of that very generously enthusiastic audience. Allan Gilespie ("Chimney Man") hosted a party at a great bar in the Village called Wicked Willie's, and that's always fun ("And the dances continued throughout the night," to quote Jeff LaGreca's great lyrics). 
I am very happy that the show was such a hit, and I'm especially happy for and proud of Allen Schulz and Jeff LaGreca (picture to the left) for writing such a great show and bringing it to fruition in such a high-profile way as getting it in the NYC Fringe Festival (it was called one of the six shows not-to-miss). Amazing work, buddies. Some reviews:
But when a project that you've invested so much time energy and emotion in comes to a close, you can't help feeling a little sad. The cast and crew become very close when they spend so much time together in such a short amount of time, and you hope sincerely that you see each and all of them again soon. Sometimes you do. Sometimes you don't.
If you're a musician - or any other type of performer - you spend a lot time and energy bringing things into the world, giving life to things that previously were only blots of ink on paper. When a project is finished, you can't help feeling like you've given a part of yourself away. But the beautiful thing about being a musician is that there's another project right around the corner, and the long list of things you've given yourself to, the things that you've created in your lifetime...well those things make you the artist and the person you are.
If you're a musician - or any other type of performer - you spend a lot time and energy bringing things into the world, giving life to things that previously were only blots of ink on paper. When a project is finished, you can't help feeling like you've given a part of yourself away. But the beautiful thing about being a musician is that there's another project right around the corner, and the long list of things you've given yourself to, the things that you've created in your lifetime...well those things make you the artist and the person you are.
So, now that I've given a big chunk of myself to Gargoyle Garden, what's next? Well, I'm re-orchestrating and arranging a piece of music I wrote about 10 years ago - a full ballet - for a performance in the spring, I'm organizing a fundraising event and concert in Round Rock (TX), a series of concerts in New York City, and a run of Nutcracker with the Moscow Ballet this fall. And of course I've got my cats, my bicycle (I've become a full-fledged bike nut), and my wife to think of. There are plenty of things and people to give myself to, and I'm grateful that there's a lot of me to give.
Thanks to Rebecca Bratspies for the great photos!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Gargoyle Garden is a hit!
Well, Allen Schulz and Jeff LaGreca have produced a hit in their wonderful family-oriented opera/musical theater piece Gargoyle Garden. The first show on Saturday was great, and the Sunday show was even better. And we had a great crowd both days! I'm very happy for those guys, but I'm also proud to be a part of it all. I also get to play electric guitar in a little tribute to Slash - something I don't do very often.
One of Jeff's buddies made a documentary about the making of Gargoyle Garden, and you can see it on YouTube if you follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIU9m7TtXHs
After the Sunday show, Allen's sister (who was in town from California) hosted a post-show party for the cast and crew at a gorgeous Upper West ide penthouse overlooking Central Park. It was a beautiful night with fine food and drink and great company. I stood on the balcony of that multi-million dollar condo thinking, "I should live more like this..." It was really wonderful.Three more shows to go! If you're in NYC, come check it out! You better buy tickets in advance, as the New York Times named it one of the 6 shows you can't miss!
Dates (click for tickets):
More info: http://www.gargoylegarden.com/
Bye!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Gargoyle Garden
I'm excited to post my 2nd entry (okay, I know I took a very looooooong time between the first and second posts). I've been working hard on a new show, a musical called Gargoyle Garden that is part of the NYC Fringe Festival (it's a big deal). The show is about a boy (Edgar Allen Densmore, that's him on the left) who meets some friendly gargoyles. It's more complicated than that, but you'll have to see it yourself if you want to know the whole story. The music was composed by my very good friend Allen Schulz, and the script was written by the funny and talented Jeff LaGreca (of Minimum Wage Burgerboy fame), who's also directing the show. My role as music director of the show is a lot of fun, and I am very proud to be a part of it. The show is family friendly, so if you're in NYC in the next 2-3 weeks - and especially if you have kids - come check it out. The first shows are this Saturday, Aug 9, 7:45 pm, and Sunday, Aug 10, 5:30 pm, at 45 Bleeker Street. For the complete schedule, tickets, and more info, click here.
Besides Gargoyle Garden, I'm working very hard on looking for more musical work. I've been so busy this summer and will be quite busy in the coming concert season, but there's always room for more music in my life. I'm also working hard planning a September 30 fundraiser for the Round Rock Symphony (my Austin-area orchestra), and the October 10-11 season-opener concert for the Astoria Symphony (my Queens, NY-based orchestra). Both events are extremely important to my mission and the missions of those two organizations.
Wish me luck!
Monday, June 30, 2008
My first blog. This has to be good.
I've never blogged before. Since everyone's started blogging, I thought I'd start, but I imagined my first blog would represent a momentous, life-changing moment for me. I thought I'd discuss aesthetics, the importance of art in life, or perhaps the spritual development of the world as it pertains to music. I imagined I'd philosophize, theorize, and put forth some incredible ideas about how music, art, sprituality, and life feed off and sustain and strengthen one another. I'd have to come up with some pretty amazing words to do that, and I'd spend some serious time reflecting and meditating upon my first blog entry. It would have to be good, or it wouldn't be worth reading.
Here I go...
I broke my pinky toe tonight. I carelessly walked into a doorframe and broke it. I've stubbed my left pinky toe approximately 7,591 times in my lifetime and never broke it until tonight. It hurts. I went to the hospital. They X-rayed it, then taped it to my No. 4 toe, gave me a giant foam shoe and two crutches, and sent me home. That's it.
I'm mad because I can't ride my bike for a while. I'm mad because this foam shoe looks rediculous and I have to conduct The Marriage of Figaro on Thursday night. I'm mad because I could've taped my pinky toe to its neighbor myself--I didn't need to go to the hospital and waste 3 hours for that. It throbs a bit. I'm irritable. I feel stupid for walking into the door.
That was my first blog...interesting.
Here I go...
I broke my pinky toe tonight. I carelessly walked into a doorframe and broke it. I've stubbed my left pinky toe approximately 7,591 times in my lifetime and never broke it until tonight. It hurts. I went to the hospital. They X-rayed it, then taped it to my No. 4 toe, gave me a giant foam shoe and two crutches, and sent me home. That's it.I'm mad because I can't ride my bike for a while. I'm mad because this foam shoe looks rediculous and I have to conduct The Marriage of Figaro on Thursday night. I'm mad because I could've taped my pinky toe to its neighbor myself--I didn't need to go to the hospital and waste 3 hours for that. It throbs a bit. I'm irritable. I feel stupid for walking into the door.
That was my first blog...interesting.
Next time I'll discuss music or at least something more sustaining than my pinky toe.
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