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.

Making Things Better in South Florida

There's enough work in south Florida to support two full-time orchestras. Problem is, most of the work is happening simultaneously, and we can only be at one gig at a time. Every orchestra wants to stake out its own territory and demand that musicians give their $5,000-a-year job priority to the exclusion of any other group. And that just makes things worse for everyone. We need to expect that local organizations will work together to minimize conflicting schedules. We need to expect that the performing arts centers will make time available in their halls so that when one organization changes its schedule to accommodate another they still have a venue available to perform in.

South Florida finally has a classical music station again. South Florida can also have a vibrant, world-class symphonic community, but if we don't nurture it, it will find some more fertile community to take root in.