5 (this is a big one)
Email People
This is the element of getting work that took me the longest to do, and it is the thing I most regret not doing. Write to introduce yourself to people.
I laboured under the misapprehension that this was somehow cheating, or getting in the back door, and that if I were truly good enough, I would be found and off I'd fly into the stratosphere. I don't know where this idea came from, but it was utter garbage. This is, for better or worse, how it works, and if you don't take part in this ludicrous game, there will be other people who are less deserving than you are, who do it and will get the opportunities ahead of you.
So what do you write, and what sort of tone should you strike? Here is a very rough template:
This is the element of getting work that took me the longest to do, and it is the thing I most regret not doing. Write to introduce yourself to people.
I laboured under the misapprehension that this was somehow cheating, or getting in the back door, and that if I were truly good enough, I would be found and off I'd fly into the stratosphere. I don't know where this idea came from, but it was utter garbage. This is, for better or worse, how it works, and if you don't take part in this ludicrous game, there will be other people who are less deserving than you are, who do it and will get the opportunities ahead of you.
So what do you write, and what sort of tone should you strike? Here is a very rough template:
Dear [----------]
I thought I'd write to introduce myself: I'm a conductor who has recently graduated, and am just beginning to take my first steps into the profession.
I'd like to ask if there would be any opportunities to come and observe some rehearsals, and possibly to meet you for a chat, if you have the time? It would be great to ask some advice from you, as I'd love to be considered for [Assisting / conducting] opportunities [depending if you're writing to an opera house] in future, if there were any projects at some point further down the line that you thought would be suitable.
I have attached my CV here so you can see the things I've been doing recently.
With very best wishes
[----------]
I thought I'd write to introduce myself: I'm a conductor who has recently graduated, and am just beginning to take my first steps into the profession.
I'd like to ask if there would be any opportunities to come and observe some rehearsals, and possibly to meet you for a chat, if you have the time? It would be great to ask some advice from you, as I'd love to be considered for [Assisting / conducting] opportunities [depending if you're writing to an opera house] in future, if there were any projects at some point further down the line that you thought would be suitable.
I have attached my CV here so you can see the things I've been doing recently.
With very best wishes
[----------]
Of course, you should tailor this so it sounds like things you would write, rather than things I would write. But the key thing is to be friendly, not overly-formal, but nice and matter-of-fact, and relatively brief.
TOP TIP: if people in positions of hiring conductors cannot offer you work (and they almost certainly can't), they can make themselves feel better and more important by offering their advice (he typed into the presentation, pompously offering his advice). People lovvvve to be asked for advice.
Emphasising how working there as a conductor or assistant conductor at some point in the future takes the pressure off the person you're writing to, and makes it clear you are not expecting anything from them straight away.
If you have a performance of something coming up, you could invite them to that, but the chances are they won't come to it before having met you.
This suggestion of emailing people applies to Education departments of orchestras and opera houses, as well as the main companies, of course.
Plot-Twist
Expect a whole lot of nothing back. I'm serious. If you're prepared for that reality, your mental health will fare much better. But this is how it goes - the people in the positions of hiring conductors get 20 of these emails a week, and so mostly they do not reply. There are some absolutely lovely heroes in some of these positions who make it a point of honour to always reply to such unsolicited approaches, even if it's just to say "I'm sorry, we're not in a position to help at the moment, but please stay in touch". But mostly you'll get no replies. It can feel like yelling into the void. Nevertheless, persist.
So in a few months' time, or especially if there's some new news in your career that can be a prompt for it, write to them again.
TOP TIP: don't make any reference to the fact they didn't reply to you before, just go with something like: "I thought I'd update you on..." and then politely find out again if there might be any opportunities to drop in and introduce yourself in the near future...
(Please don't think I'm excusing the fact that these emails go unanswered, or saying it's okay for them to not reply. Failing to dignify a person's honest approach with even a brief answer is just rude, and it's not okay. But the reality is that most of these emails do go unanswered, and pointing out their lack of reply doesn't help.)
Any reasonably socially functioning person will recognise a point when the frequency of these follow-up emails becomes badgering. That's not productive either, so maybe wait until there's some other bigger development to let them know about.
Expect a whole lot of nothing back. I'm serious. If you're prepared for that reality, your mental health will fare much better. But this is how it goes - the people in the positions of hiring conductors get 20 of these emails a week, and so mostly they do not reply. There are some absolutely lovely heroes in some of these positions who make it a point of honour to always reply to such unsolicited approaches, even if it's just to say "I'm sorry, we're not in a position to help at the moment, but please stay in touch". But mostly you'll get no replies. It can feel like yelling into the void. Nevertheless, persist.
So in a few months' time, or especially if there's some new news in your career that can be a prompt for it, write to them again.
TOP TIP: don't make any reference to the fact they didn't reply to you before, just go with something like: "I thought I'd update you on..." and then politely find out again if there might be any opportunities to drop in and introduce yourself in the near future...
(Please don't think I'm excusing the fact that these emails go unanswered, or saying it's okay for them to not reply. Failing to dignify a person's honest approach with even a brief answer is just rude, and it's not okay. But the reality is that most of these emails do go unanswered, and pointing out their lack of reply doesn't help.)
Any reasonably socially functioning person will recognise a point when the frequency of these follow-up emails becomes badgering. That's not productive either, so maybe wait until there's some other bigger development to let them know about.
Also
Email conductors whose work you admire, and ask to come and shadow them for a day, or sit in and listen to rehearsals. Watching people work in rehearsals is really an excellent way of making your own practice better, both by seeing what really works, and by seeing what really doesn't. I learned a huge amount in my time at the LSO by watching conductors come in and really piss the orchestra off.
Similarly, expect a whole lot of silence, but you might get a reply saying 'please contact this person at this orchestra who is looking after that for this project'.
Email conductors whose work you admire, and ask to come and shadow them for a day, or sit in and listen to rehearsals. Watching people work in rehearsals is really an excellent way of making your own practice better, both by seeing what really works, and by seeing what really doesn't. I learned a huge amount in my time at the LSO by watching conductors come in and really piss the orchestra off.
Similarly, expect a whole lot of silence, but you might get a reply saying 'please contact this person at this orchestra who is looking after that for this project'.