Music is the Fountain of Youth

I really hope to stay on topic when it comes to this blog. If it's not germane to my students' education, I should probably post it elsewhere. But I know a little bit of ranting and storytelling can be educational, so...

One of my colleagues (colleague "A") in the Grant Park Orchestra, who is in his late 20's is preparing for an audition with another orchestra that offers full-time year-round (almost) employment. He's been pounding through the excerpts for everyone to hear, whether we want to or not. I'm not criticizing, it's the right mindset and the right thing to do, pre-audition. If you're going to win an audition, you have to be fearless and be able to play in front of other people at every opportunity. By the way, he sounds great, and I wish him luck.

Colleague "B",who is probably about 60, was somewhat amused by the youthful energy in this enterprise. He said to me quietly to the side, "Doesn't he make you feel old?" I couldn't respond. I was speechless. I was inexplicably confused by this question.

I'm in my late 40s. Lots of things make me feel old. Times change, new stuff gets invented, like the internet, cell phones...and people actually buy recordings of rap and ringtones quite frequently these days. But why should someone preparing for an audition make me feel old?

A little background: Colleagues A & B are both in the Lyric Opera, so neither one needs to worry too much if they don't fill their calendars with work after the Grant Park Orchestra season (10 weeks) is over. When I'm finished with the GPO season, I have my usual patchwork of employment from a dozen or so places, and most without guarantees of renewal. I don't want to get in a rant about how great they've got it over me. I'm happy with the kind of work I do throughout the year, but I am open to new opportunities. Also, I can't afford to play badly. When you freelance, a few bad concerts can kill a career. Even without musical inspiration,a lack of job security keeps me practicing.

I still play auditions. Actually, I've gone a whole year without taking one, but I successfully won a job with the Elgin Symphony 2 years ago. This was my 4th successful audition for Elgin (I'm bragging here!) in 4 tries. I've been in and out of this orchestra over the last 20 years, but I was always on to greener pastures. Times changed and Elgin got a lot greener. At the risk of embarrassing myself, I'm going to admit that I have taken over 60 professional auditions. I'm not including the college stuff, the festivals, and training orchestras like the Civic Orchestra. I can count on one hand the number of times I succeeded in getting the job. I wouldn't say I failed, because I learned so much in the process.

Hopefully, as I'm getting older, I'm getting smarter. I won't take an audition unless it's a better situation for me and I have a realistic chance of getting the job. Again, times change, and "situation" is the operative word. I'm not sure I want that job in Singapore anymore. I like to try new things, and in the last year I've been exploring the world of bass duets and bass quartets, as well as duets with violin, viola, and guitar. It's a big change of pace from orchestral, solo, and straight ahead jazz combo playing. I wouldn't say it's out of my comfort zone, but it does take a lot more personal and artistic responsibility to make it happen. I may actually have to get on the phone, ask someone to play, pick out music, arrange parts, and find gigs!

Ever since I've been able to consider myself a professional musician, I've always been fascinated with the lack of age barriers in serious music. I have to remind myself that art music is entertainment for the educated, so I should still smile and bow at the right times. There are plenty of youthful bands out in the pop music world. But serious music, such as jazz, classical,(even theatrical music) emphasize sound over appearance. Veteran musicians help the young guys with their experience, and the new guys usually have some incredible chops to contribute. Even on a break, I've found it quite easy to shoot the breeze or even grab lunch with people that are older than my parents or as young as my kids. We do the same work together, and I get a glimpse of what it's like to play and love music for a lifetime. If I still like doing this after 20 years, I'll probably like to do it for 20 more. I hate to admit this, but some things get harder to do as you get older. I can't practice for 4 hours and play 2 rehearsals in the same day. I can't run a mile under 7 minutes anymore, either(it depends on how many miles I'm running). But the quest to do something new, or something old better than before, is what makes it all worth it. Sometimes I don't get paid for my best efforts, but as long as I can make ends meet playing down beats for someone, I'll never feel old.