Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2011-01-30 04:42
Hi Rachel,
I am in an ensemble that functions much the way you envision. It consists of roughly 40 - 45 wind and percussion musicians.
The group has been in existence for about the past dozen years. The director is paid, but all others are volunteers, and there is a dues each year of about $60 per person, to pay the director and buy music and pay rent, etc. We use donated rehearsal space and borrow the large percussion. There is an elected board which is the governing body, although virtually every non-routine decision is put to the membership for input and approval.
Membership is not by invitation, but by audition, and the expected standard of musicianship is quite high. However, the auditions are not particularly publicized, so entrance ends up being pretty much by invitation to sit in for a concert cycle, and then an invitation to audition if both you and they wish to formalize your relationship with the group -- sort of like getting tenure. There are the occasional "off the street" auditionees, but not many.
"Tenured" vacancies in the larger sections -- trumpet, clarinet, flute -- are very few, but use of substitutes for any given concert is widespread. This has become an issue for some of the longer-term members -- they feel that if you are an auditioned member, you should participate unless there are unusual circumstances, and that leaves of absence have become too frequently taken. It seems that people who can't participate for a period of time don't want to re-audition, or don't want to take the chance that there would be no vacancy if/when they want to come back, so they just go on extended leaves. I have been with the group for two years, and am still meeting tenured members that I have not met before.
Rehearsals are as you have outlined, 4 - 6 rehearsals with the specific goal of a particular performance, and then time off between performances. For example, we had two concerts before the holidays this past year (starting rehearsals in September), and then were off for the last week of November and the entire month of December. We have two concerts scheduled for this Spring, and then three in very quick succession scheduled for June, before breaking for July and August.
I've also got a newly-established quintet going -- to be addressed in another post!
Susan
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