[Harp-L] Subject: Re: How to make it as a musician on Broadway

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Whether or not you're as much of a Streisand fan as I am, her European tour  
is leaving room for many New York musicians to find employment.  
 
Interesting article from The New York Times Online about jobs in the music  
biz here in New York:  the pay scale, filling in vacated orchestra spaces,  and 
just why one musician gets chosen over another.  Dependability,  personality, 
who you know, and getting along well with others all being cited  among the 
reasons for a musician to be chosen to fill a spot.  Who'd a  thunk it?   ;)  
However, no harp content.
 
Elizabeth
 
 
"June 16, 2007

Streisand Tours, and New York Musicians  Cheer 
By _DANIEL J. WAKIN_ 
(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/daniel_j_wakin/index.html?inline=nyt-per) 
 
Thank you, Barbra. 
_Barbra Streisand_ 
(http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=112652&inline=nyt-per)  is touring Europe with a 58-piece  orchestra 
composed mostly of the cream of New Yorkâs freelance musicians. Itâs a  sweet gig 
for the players. But beyond that, the tour has created a mild economic  boom 
for the pool of musicians left behind. 
Many of the Streisand musicians are regulars in Broadway shows like âThe Lion 
 King,â âLegally Blondeâ and âThe Color Purple,â as well as in the 
_American Ballet Theater_ 
(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/american_ballet_theater/index.html?inline=nyt-org)  Orchestra, the 
_Brooklyn Philharmonic_ 
(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/b/brooklyn_philharmonic/index.html?inline=nyt-org)  and the 
_Westchester Philharmonic_ 
(http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/w/westchester_philharmonic/index.html?inline=nyt-org) . 
With their absence, somebody has to substitute. And that means opportunities  
for others, especially younger musicians or players who have yet to crack the 
 regular lists of contractors. 
âI was thrilled,â Alison Zlotow, a violinist, said of having received a call 
 to play with the Brooklyn Philharmonic tonight. âAs a diverse freelancer, 
this  is just the golden opportunity for me. I love playing with a symphony, and 
itâs  really hard to get symphony jobs.â 
Ms. Zlotow is one of several substitute violinists for Saturdayâs  
performance. At least two Brooklyn violinists are off with Ms. Streisand. 
The job is also a financial break for musicians like Ms. Zlotow, 29, who  
graduated from the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston two years ago and  
was a finalist for a regular position with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. She  
cobbles a living together by playing at weddings, on church jobs and in concerts 
 with the new-music group the International Contemporary Ensemble. She is 
also in  the backup band for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.  
âIâm making ends meet, barely,â she said. âBut I am surviving.â 
Ms. Streisandâs tour begins in Zurich on Monday. She moves on to Vienna,  
Paris, Berlin, Stockholm, Manchester, Dublin and London, where she gives her  
final tour performance on July 25. There are three to five days between each  
concert, just part of the cushy conditions that make this a plum assignment for  
the orchestra players, who left on Sunday.  
Pay approaches $3,000 a week, rising to three times that for some principal  
players, said Michael Keller, the tour contractor. Travel and lodging are paid 
 for, and the musicians receive a $65 per diem. (A weekly salary on Broadway 
can  typically be around $1,500.) The audiences will be huge; the colleagues, 
expert;  and the itinerary, a touristâs ideal. 
âItâs a dream tour,â said Mr. Keller, who is also one of the main 
contractors  for Broadway shows. 
A look at the Streisand effect, which is especially welcome as the size of  
Broadway orchestras has declined over recent years, sheds light on New Yorkâs  
freelance system, perhaps the most vibrant in the country, along with that of  
Los Angeles.  
Shows rely on contractors to help fill musiciansâ chairs. Most are former or  
current players with a knack for organizing and making contacts. Music 
directors  and orchestrators can also have a say in hiring for musicals. Permanent  
positions in part-time classical orchestras are often filled through 
auditions,  but contractors organize substitutes and extra musicians when needed. 
Mr. Keller said he had a database of 2,500 names. He picks dependable, expert 
 musicians whom he has hired in the past, he added, and often consults with  
principal players to fill out sections with members who can blend and get 
along  musically and personally.  
The Streisand orchestra consists mainly of personnel he hired for Ms.  
Streisandâs American tour last fall.  
âHad another contractor been given the assignment, I dare say the makeup of  
the orchestra would have been substantially different,â Mr. Keller said. 
Once in a show or orchestra, musicians often need subs. Most take on multiple 
 jobs and teaching to make ends meet, and scheduling conflicts are common. In 
the  summer many take off for festivals. Usually players find their own subs 
from a  network of colleagues and acquaintances.  
Michael Boschen and Keith OâQuinn are both busy freelance trombonists,  
friends and sometime section-mates. Mr. Boschen said Mr. OâQuinn had often  called 
him to substitute. When Mr. OâQuinn was called away on the Streisand  tour, he 
asked Mr. Boschen to fill in for performances of âLegally Blonde.â 
âI guess he must like my playing,â Mr. Boschen said. âMy experience of  
subbing on Broadway is, there are a lot of different reasons people call you.  
Personally, I always hope itâs about the playing first, and the personality  
second, and being professional and responsible as well.â 
Indeed, personality is often cited as a reason behind a contractorâs choice,  
giving rise to charges of favoritism. Musicians seen as difficult may get 
fewer  calls. Some suggest that union-minded players suffer. 
Subbing is also a chance to establish a reputation, which can lead to a  
permanent job. That is how Mr. Boschen said he had been offered a position in  the 
orchestra of âThe Full Monty.â He said he would have liked to do the  
Streisand tour but would have been torn. He had set aside time in June to be  with 
his daughter, born on May 7.  
He said he had tried to waste little time second-guessing why a contractor  
had chosen another trombonist over him. âWhen I start to feel insecure about  
something,â he said, âI go practice.â 
For the tour Mr. Keller tapped many of the musicians in the pit orchestras he 
 has put together. So nearly the entire violin section of âSpamalotâ â four  
players â and a trombonist need to be replaced. âLegally Blondeâ is sending 
two  violinists, a trombonist and a French horn player. Other shows making 
their  contribution to Ms. Streisand include âThe Drowsy Chaperone,â âWicked,â â
Avenue  Q,â âHairsprayâ and âThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.â 
The American Ballet Theater orchestra lost a half-dozen of its regular  
substitutes to the tour, said Matt Dine, the principal oboist and contractor.  They 
include two of his best mandolin players â actually, violinists who double  
on the instrument â just as the ballet is presenting âRomeo and Juliet,â which 
 has key mandolin parts.  
âIt is an opportunity to use people you wouldnât normally use as much, which 
 is nice, and itâs an opportunity to find new people,â Mr. Dine said. 
Jon Taylor, the contractor for the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Westchester  
Philharmonic, said he had had a difficult time finding substitutes for both.  â
Any number of them have said to me, âGee, I canât do that concert, Iâm away  
with the Streisand tour,â â he said. âThe good thing about New York is there 
are  terrific players to replace them  with.â





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