I Got Grand Rapids!

Every professional musician has had “that” happen to them.  You somehow find yourself in a random conversation with a stranger and the subject of profession comes up.  You sheepishly let slip that you are a musician……… a professional musician………….. a professional classical musician……. and you get “The Look.”

Surprise.  Fear.  Wonder…….. especially wondering why you don’t have 2 heads and hair like Beethoven.

“You mean, you make a living playing classical music?”

Yes, it’s true.  This is a reflection of how a certain disconnect between musicians and their locality, our society in general.  The larger the orchestra the more one can be removed from society in general, mainly because your life is wrapped up in The Über-Orchestra that you belong to.

In “smaller” orchestras?  The connection between you and your peeps is that much more important.  You have a much, much smaller margin for error.  If your organization is perceived in the community as being even more elitist than normal you have a huge mountain to climb if you ever get into trouble.  In this day and age it is vitaly important that these smaller ensembles work diligently at keeping a personal relationship with the community at large.

And then there are my friends in the Grand Rapids Symphony.  I am so bloody proud of them for this video.  This is exactly the type of outreach that organizations need to keep doing, and it is especially important to point out that the musicians of the GRS did this themselves.  Someone there was smart enough to figure it out and put it in motion.  Watch and enjoy.

4 thoughts on “I Got Grand Rapids!”

  1. Excellent Post!
    I’ve always found it easier just to go for the jugular and say “I’m a conductor.” If that conversation then heads off in the direction of trains, I’m always entertained. If I say “I’m a clarinetist”, we usually go to the odd look you mentioned, followed by “where do you teach?”

    It’s that oddness that keeps this kind of exchange entertaining. . .

  2. Here in Germany, professional musicians are not as extremely rare as in the USA, so I never had that “2 heads” reaction. Being professional musician is generally seen (by people that are not generally “square”, that is) as something exciting and quite a demonstration of skills. So if you “admit” your profession in company, you know beforehand that for the next hour you’ll have to talk about your job…

    From the square people, my favourite experience was a former classmate, well-educated, whom I met after many years: “Wow – I’d like to have such an easy life, too – being allowed to play music all day, and even getting money for it.”

    Concerning outreach: do You know the flashmob video of Copenhagen Phil, Bolero at Copenhagen Central Station? It’s my personal favourite in that field. Because of clothing and choreography, the musicians are recognized as normal citizens; and they win by the power of music. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrEk06XXaAw

    By the way, Bill – Your videos are _quite_ good for connecting to the audience, too. As an example, I remember “arrival at Lyon”: a face beaming with joy, telling how great it is to be in France, looking forward the rehearsals – instead of being “cooool” and pretending that this would be daily routine, as most conductors would. People can clearly see that You personally value what You do, that fun is involved, and that You’re honest to them. Which in turn gives much credibility to Your concerts. Kudos to You for that!

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