Other Stuff
This presentation has focused mainly on the challenges of getting going as a conductor, but there are a great many other aspects to the job that I'd love to talk to you about. Here are some topics which you might be interested to chat about, presented to you here in a range of disgusting colours.
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What a normal day might look like Spoiler: there is no single way a day looks - but there are a few different 'states of being' as a conductor that have their own rhythms and their own traps. The politics of getting work Thorny topic. What are the non-musical factors that contribute towards why one person gets work and another doesn't? Let's put a log on the fire and discuss it, if you like. The 'Gap Of Fear' between the beat and the sound This caught me out for years. You may be faintly (or very!) aware of it - it's the lag between you feeling the impulse of your beat, and then the sound arriving late. For you, as conductor, it may feel very weird, but to the orchestra it will feel completely natural. When does the gap of fear manifest itself? How can you survive? The wider operatic process What goes on, and why. What's even the point of opera? |
The fact you are running a small business It's remarkable how little help there is for the fact that, as a sole trader, you are responsible for good business management, your business being you. How I mark up scores Everyone develops their own house style of what works for them, but I have a few hacks that work well for me which I can share. The role of agents in the classical music industry What agents do is fairly misunderstood. What can you expect? Is it essential to have one? What are the pros and cons? Using your own set of parts What happens regarding orchestral parts, and why would you use your own set? When shouldn't you? Languages Working on operatic texts sung in languages other than English, and rehearsing in countries where English is not the native language. What to do? |
I'm really looking forward to chatting in the Zoom Meeting on Tuesday 31 Mar, 14.30 - 16.00, about these or any other matters that you'd like to bring up!