On Being a Professional Musician

There have been some comments in the press lately, both locally and regarding the Jacksonville Symphony lockout, that bring into question what constitutes a "professional" (and with this, an implied "quality") orchestra. So now seems a good time to write about what the life of a professional musician is like.

How to Make a "Quality" Orchestra (or, Freelancing is Harder Than it Looks)

With the demise of the Florida Philharmonic, it's been a lot harder for professional musicians to make a living in south Florida. The FPO was the only source of full-time orchestral work. Musicians now try to make a living by piecing together work with several different groups. Here's what a typical job might pay:

Palm Beach Pops: $3,500
Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia: $5,700
Palm Beach Opera: $6,500
Florida Grand Opera: $13,000

The average annual salaries of South Florida orchestras range from about $2,500 to $13,000. Unfortunately, the schedules of the various orchestras often conflict with each other, so if you're lucky, you might be able to arrange bits and pieces to come up with $20,000 a year. Not enough to live off of in south Florida. So many musicians have to supplement their "professional musician" income by giving music lessons, teaching in the public schools, working at Starbucks.

And that kind of schedule effects quality. An orchestra sounds its best when all of its musicians can focus on making music...when they work with the same people consistently...when they work together every day. Playing a concert after teaching a full day in school so you can pay your bills and get health insurance has an effect. Playing a concert after being off for a week (or a 6-month summer break) has an effect. Playing with a different group of colleagues when you switch from one orchestra gig to a different one has an effect.

The FPO played as well as it did not just because it had great musicians (about 40 of those musicians are still here, playing in assorted orchestras), but also because they spent enough time together to develop relationships and learn how to work together, and because they could count on getting a steady paycheck every week. As a freelancer, I may overstretch myself by working 14 hours in one day because I know next week I may be temporarily unemployed.

And slowly south Florida will start losing its most talented musicians as they realize they can make a better living elsewhere. Over half of the former FPO members have already left town for that reason.