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Re: professional oboists

Author: huboboe
Date: 2011-07-18 18:48

We went around in negotiations about length of ballet services and ended up with a contractual 3 hour service (paid at the same rate/hr), but that service started at 8:00, not when the curtain went up.

Once, with a show only a few minutes short of 3 hrs, one of our members with a critical part in the opening number got stuck in traffic. The show went one minute overtime and cost the ballet 1/2 hour of overtime for the orchestra, close to $2000. That shows the arguments on both sides of the negotiating table.

I can't comment on the terms of any group's contract beyond saying whether or not I could live with it, but for me the gating item was always whether the pleasure of playing a given job was worth the effort involved. I never felt I was being paid enough except for scale recording sessions and subbing in the big-time groups. I always made the majority of my income from other ventures; teaching, machining, janitoring, you name it.

The only folks making a living in classical music are the big ensembles. The second tier groups are struggling to stay alive and even the gig groups are under fire - look at Philadelphia.

And the conservatories turn out enough fine new players each year to fill all the vacancies 5 times over. Young players need to search other outlets for their talents. But it can be done. Google "WindSync" and see how a motivated group of fine players has a great new approach to the wind quintet concert presentation!

Robert Hubbard
WestwindDoubleReed.com
1-888-579-6020
bob@westwinddoublereed.com

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