Two Collaborative Pianists Walk Into a Bar . . .

Among musicians, personality stereotyping is rampant. Whatever traits driving someone to choose say, the tuba, combined with quirks enabling excellence in the tuba, ultimately form a set of idiosyncrasies that are often, um, mocked. There aren't that many stereotypes about pianists, though, and I have yet to find anything for collaborative pianists/accompanists. After jotting down tendencies I've noticed, I realized they weren't really traits as much as weird learned behaviors, probably significant only to those familiar with the CP 'breed'. I've observed several pianists who tend to:

• Unconsciously cue entrances with a head gesture, sniff or deep breath
• Constantly rearrange sheet music to eliminate page turns
• Possess strong opinions on the 'use of plastic music protectors' debate
• (females) Often opt to yank one's hair back in an 'I-don't-have-time-for-this' ponytail
• Experience total glee upon discovering the IMSLP database
• Possess multiple music binders, toted in something the size of a suitcase with wheels
• Eat meals in bar form
• Wear engagement and wedding rings on a neck chain
• Maintain a strong affection for 44 oz caffeinated drinks
• Easily keep a straight face if a singer has forgotten their lyrics and begun scatting German
• Possess advanced photocopier skills
• Regularly agree to some piece or performance that is diabolically intricate or really inconvenient, then kick themself for saying yes
• Notice that 90% of male CPs specializing in vocal music are straight and married to a singer, or are gay

Sometimes I wonder about my own quirks, such as the tendency to:

• Keep a small, piano-friendly, crook-necked lamp (and extension cord) in my car
• Bring an empty 3-ring binder, 3-hole punch, scotch tape and highlighter to juries and auditions
• Keep a metronome in my purse at all times
• Suffer from recurring nightmares that I'm handed new music 20 minutes before a performance

Clearly, pianists just don't make good joke material. We'll probably never find out how many collaborative pianists it takes to screw in a light bulb. I did like this joke, however, which plays on the know-it-all nature of pianists:

A pianist and singer are rehearsing "Autumn Leaves" for a concert and the pianist says:

"OK. We will start in g minor and then on the third bar, modulate to B major and go into 5/4. When you get to the bridge, modulate back down to f# minor and alternate a 4/4 bar with a 7/4 bar. On the last A section go into double time and slowly modulate back to g minor."

The singer says: "Wow, I don't think I can remember all of that."

The pianist says: "Well, that's what you did last time."

Related article: Musician Racism

Collaborative Piano Opportunities for High School

Credo Summer Program - string rep and piano

Eastern Music Festival

Interlochen High School Piano Summer Program - vocal rep, chamber music, piano

Green Lake Chamber Music Camp

Hartwick College Summer Music Festival

Heifitz International Music Institute

Hotchkiss School Chamber Music Summer Program

Icicle Creek Chamber Music Institute

International Music Institute and Festival USA

Killington Music Festival

Kinhaven Chamber Music Workshop

Lamont Summer Pre-College Academy

Lebanon Valley College Summer Music Camp

Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival

Madeline Island Music Camp - strings and piano

Mansfield University Piano Chamber Music Camp

McDaniel Summer Orchestral Camp

Meadowmount Summer Program

Midwest Young Artists Summer Music Festival - Chamber Music Workshop for Strings & Piano and Young Musicians Chamber Music Camp

Mimir Chamber Music Festival

Music in the Mountains

NYU Steinhardt The Art of Solo and Collaborative Piano - college prep, chamber music

Perlman Music Program Summer Music School

Piano in the Pines at Stephen F. Austin State University

Portland Summer Chamber Ensembles and PSE Orchestral and Solo Performance Program for String Players and Pianists

Sierra Academy of Music Chamber Music Unbound

Tanglewood Young Artists Piano Program

University of Wisconsin, Whitewater Collaborative Piano Camp

Washington National Opera Opera Institute - vocal rep and piano

Collaborative piano for high school students sounds a bit strange, but it is a great alternative to keep a talented (yet burnt out on solo rep) student from quitting altogether. A growing number of summer opportunities for young pianists are available. All of the following study collaborative piano to some degree:

Apple Hill Summer Chamber Music Workshop

BIMA at Brandeis University

Bowdoin International Music Festival

Bravo! Institute - string rep and piano

Musical Theatre and Music Directing

Musician Wages.com is a great site in general, but I wanted to call attention to this article about musical theatre performing and music directing, Tips for the Piano-Conductor by Dave Hahn. It's rare to find actual written advice about the field, so I appreciate when professionals take the time to write about what they've learned through trial-and-error. Enjoy!

Paid to play - Summer Gigs and Opportunities, Updated

(Hey, I've updated this in 2015, check it out)

Here are some places for collaborative pianists to spend their summers getting experience and/or paid. Summer stuff only, in this list:

Chamber/Instrumental:
Aspen - Collaborative Artist Program

Aspen - Contemporary Ensemble Fellowship*

Banff Centre - Collaborative Piano Internship

Castleton Festival Orchestra

Chamber Music Northwest Young Artist Fellowship

Eastern Music Festival hires collaborative pianists for instrumental accompaniment, must be 21 to applyInterlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Instrumental accompanists

Hot Springs Collaborative Piano Apprenticeships

Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School and Festival

Meadowmount hires string accompanists - send resume & repertoire list (violin-viola-cello only) to gagnona@uncsa.com

Music Academy of the West - Instrumental Fellowship

Norfolk Chamber Music Session Fellowships

Summer Chamber Music Festival is a four-week chamber music program for string players and pianists aged 18-26

Tanglewood - Instrumental Pianist Fellowships

Texas Music Festival Fellowships

University of Nebraska-Lincoln - Chamber Music Institute Fellowships

Opera:
Ash-lawn Opera Festival hires one or two accompanists every summer

Aspen - Opera Coaching Fellowship Program

Atlantic Music Festival Fellowship Program (I think this is an opera gig . . . )

Banff Centre - Assistant Coach/Repetiteur

The College Light Opera Company hires two rehearsal accompanists every summer
CoOPERAtive program at Rider University has a training program for singers and collaborative pianists

Crested Butte Music Festival - Assistant coaches

Glimmerglass
Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'

Merola Opera Program

Music Academy of the West - Vocal Fellowship

Oberlin in Italy - Accompanist Apprenticeships

Opera in the Ozarks hires one or two rehearsal accompanists every summerOpera New Jersey - coach/accompanist apprentice

Opera North - hires pianists

Opera on the Avalon - art song and opera

OperaWorks Summer Intensive Program for coaches

San Francisco Merola Program

Tanglewood - Vocal Pianist Fellowships

Wolftrap Fellowships

Vocal - Art Song:

Asolo Song Festival & Institute for Song Interpretation (Italy)

Baldwin-Wallace Art Song Festival

Franz-Schubert-Institute - summer course for singers and pianists

Songfest - for singers and pianists
Vancouver International Song Institute

Musical Theatre:

Bowling Green State U Huron Playhouse

Intermezzo has a 'Festival Orchestra Program'

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Musical Theatre accompanistsKalamazoo Civic Theatre hires accompanists

Surflight Theatre - Musical and Music Directing Internships

West Virginia Public Theatre occasionally hires summer rehearsal accompanists

Choral:

Berkshire Choral Festival has a paid Apprentice program for accompanists

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 Choral accompanists

Dance:

Interlochen Summer Arts Camp hires 4-5 dance pianists each summer

Etc:

Valleyfair Amusement Park hires keyboardists for summer shows - the rep is R&B, rock and kid stuff (in other words, easy $$)

!!!*Fellowships are [mostly] free

Holidays and Musicians

I pried my fingers loose from the keyboard somewhere around 12:15 am, Christmas Day. My digits are not throbbing - my brain, however, is. The holiday season is great for musician's bank accounts: churches offer services practically 24 hrs a day, holiday parties need background noise and choral concerts all use pianists in their celebration of the season. The holiday season is not so great for musicians on a personal level, however, in the sense of actually enjoying the season. In regards to the actual repertoire, there are only so many times one can play Silent Night, Joy to the World and the Hallelujah Chorus without wanting to torch the music. Even listening to Christmas music becomes a chore when it is usually done out of necessity to learn certain arrangments, sometimes resulting in a strong aversion to hearing ANY Christmas music. Parties are attended so often as a working musician that attending an actual holiday party for pleasure becomes a foreign concept*. On the academic side of things, it is jury time (singers and instrumentalists use pianists to accompany these tests) as well as a popular recital month. Then there are the students recording CDs for colleges and festivals, as well as other odds and ends of non-stop fun and excitement. This is why many musicians celebrate 'the holidays' in January. By sleeping.

*I actually managed to attend a party this year - and upon entry, immediately recognized the song played by the pianist as Webber's 'Music of the Night'. I had a good sympathy chuckle, as Phantom (or Cats, or Evita, etc) is crowd-pleasing, easy to play, and fills time. A.L. Webber should be named the patron saint of cocktail music filler.

Careers for Pianists, Part III: Oh, the Places You Can Go!

A previous blog named professional performing to be the 'least likely career path' - a hard fact facing the majority of classically trained pianists. Similar to the soprano and guitarist glut, the ratio of excellent pianists to performance opportunities is unfortunately lopsided. So those hell-bent on performing have to to think outside the box to get onstage. Here are several classical musicians who have come up with unique approaches to carving out their own opportunities.

Shaking up the Dead Composers (and a Few Live Ones)
Pianist Sarah Rothenberg, artistic director of Da Camera, has a series of chamber music and solo piano programs on fascinating subjects like the romantic spirit shared by Baudelaire and Chopin or the history and culture of St Petersburg. The Post-Classical Ensemble performs both new and old music, incorporating folk song, dance, film or commentary into their performances. Their recent festival, 'Interpreting Liszt' included an illustrated piano concert featuring Liszt piano solos, Petrarch and Dante poetry and art by Raphael and Michelangelo. The Ensemble for the Romantic Century, formed by pianist Eve Wolf, shows incredible creativity in its approach to giving chamber music concerts. Their website says it all, so I suggest perusing their archive of past programs.

Pour into a Mixer, Hit Blend
A lot of classical musicians have found a niche as contemporary music chamber artists. Excellent chamber groups like eighth blackbird, NOW Ensemble, Opus 21, Ahn Trio and Alarm Will Sound are of a new breed, skipping formalities, embracing theatricality and spontaneity. They avoid anything elitist or formal, intent on keeping an audience comfortable and entertained. Further oddities - chamber music tossed into bars, clubs and galleries by groups like the Chiara String Quartet, who perform modern and classical 'chamber music in any chamber'. One of their present projects: performing "Beethoven in Bars" in clubs across the country, featuring Beethoven quartets as well as new works. The Firebird ensemble performs regularly at a BBQ joint, and show a remarkable flexibility in their performance repertoire, including new composers, Schoenberg, jazz, Metallica and Jimi Hendrix. The Bang on a Can All-Stars embrace pop and jazz as well as modern classical - they have collaborated with artists like Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Sonic Youth. All of these groups regularly commission and premiere compositions, undertake residencies at Universities and perform programs of astounding eclecticism.

Unconventional, yet extraordinary
Taking the multiculturalism angle is the Silk Road Ensemble, presenting multimedia projects influenced by cultures from around the globe, and also including contemporary composers. They undertake residencies at Museums and Universities, hold workshops for students and teachers and hold cultural exchanges with musicians in areas like Baki, Azerbaijan. The eclectic group Time for Three - a self-described "classically trained garage band", is a violin-violin-bass trio that fuses bluegrass, classical, jazz and rock. And finally, check out classically trained players who have formed an electric cello band, Cello Chix, playing classic rock repertoire in bars (listen to them play Stevie Wonder on their website). Then there are the musicians who have jumped humanities' fence and joined the scientist's playground. They've combined classical or jazz repertoire with the sciences, taking their performance to the classroom, museum and concert hall.

Interdisciplinary, yet Extramusical
Biosphere 2 Institute fuses science with art and music with an Artist-In-Residence program. Present artist-pianist Simone Michado collaborates with ecologist Scott Saleska to present "Survival of the Sphere", a program about the Amazon rain forest that uses narrative, photography and Brazilian music. Further use of science as a springboard to perform: complement a solar energy event with music performed on solar-powered electric instruments. Performing at both Biosphere 2's Earth Day Festival and the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon, musicians Dr. Paula Fan on keyboards, Garrick Woods on cello and Michael Fan on violin (and composer) presented a "A Bright New World or Dr. Solera and the Fossil Fools", an educational musical 'solar fable' about the importance of solar energy. They also enlisted a jazz keyboardist to play thematically relevant tunes (Blue Skies, Here's that Rainy Day, etc) in between sets. Another successful venture is the ingenious alliance of scientist Harold Varmus and a jazz quintet, creating "Genes and Jazz" - a presentation relating the evolutions of the musical art form to genetic mutations, enhanced with computer imagery by Drew Barry. And finally, an interesting (but piano-free) music and science joint effort, Perpetual Motion: Revolutions in 17th Century. The performance combines period music sung by Galileo's Daughters and film with narratives on scientific and musical discoveries made in the 17th century.

Unprepared for Prepared Piano (or Shall we Juggle, as well?)
Performing avant-garde contemporary music, giving lecture recitals, dressing up music with eyecandy visuals or dragging a quartet into a bar may strike you as gimmicky. And you're probably right. But practically speaking - hey, they're employed. They are utilizing their years of training, engaging and retaining audiences, and performing repertoire that highlights their strengths. They've carved out their opportunities with talent, willpower, creativity and, of course, luck. So what do you think is your niche?

Next up: Careers for Pianists, Part IV: Living the Dream and Supporting it

Bonus info: more classically trained musicians, thinking in the present: Great Noise Ensemble, Kronos Quartet, VERGE Ensemble, ECCO, Matt Haimovitz, Maya Beiser and Christopher O'Riley, newEAR contemporary chamber ensemble, Ljova, Prism Quartet, Ethel

Dear 1999 . . .

This is my response to a Musicianwages.com group blogging event, written on the topic "If you could go back to 1999 and give yourself one piece of advice, what would it be?"

Dear 1999 self,

Right now you are 2.5 years into your undergrad collaborative piano program, and the skills you are gaining will mainly be useful for employment in academic circles. 'Great', you say, 'I want to stay in academia'. True for now, but in a few years you will realize that you have no interest in teaching, which in turn makes a professor position undesired, and a doctorate unnecessary. You will also realize that living in Nowhere, USA is the only way for you to occupy a full-time (yet untenured) Staff Accompanist position. Short answer to the above: no.

Now that I've wiped out your present career plans, here's the good news: opera, vocal and instrumental repertoire are only one aspect of an enormous range of possibilities in collaborative piano. Your future work ideal will be variety: variety in workplaces, in collaborative partners and in repertoire - so do yourself a favor and switch back to piano performance (or to the B of Arts track, if necessary). Continue to develop your solo classical chops, and also continue to work with classical singers and instrumentalists, but spend the rest of your time looking into these areas:

• Go to the dance department: they have excellent pianists you can observe (study with them if you can) in the area of providing accompaniment for ballet and modern dance classes
• Go to the musical theatre department: offer to be a substitute pianist for rehearsals, offer to turn pages for the audition pianists, learn the standard repertoire, listen to CDs of shows - get involved
• Look into Community theater: offer to be a substitute pianist for rehearsals, for shows, etc - learn by doing
• Sit in on vocal coachings of all kinds, write down their tricks, their warmups, try them out yourself
• Learn Finale (or equivalent programs of the time) and transcribe things - look into arranging if possible
• Study improvisation and/or jazz - get to where reading a chart is a simple exercise
• Take voice lessons - singers will make a lot more sense when you do
• Practice jazz scales in addition to your other warm-ups - it will set you up for the future in several ways (learning contemporary music, studying jazz in-depth, etc)
• Finagle as much private study as possible with people who do things you wish you could do (look inside and outside the university)
• Look for opportunities to perform, anywhere and everywhere
  

Doing any of this will expand the venues you (we) can work in the future, and will be more satisfying for you in the short run as well. Last tidbit - for gradschools, focus on teachers and performance opportunities within the school over the actual names of schools.

Sincerely,
Me

Pianists Healthcare Bill

Jeremy Dink's healthcare plan for concert pianists, Legislating from my Bench, addresses several important points, including basic piano rights, dealings with piano technicians, bad outfit insurance, and more. I think I enjoyed Division D the most, however:

"DIVISION D–FACEBOOK QUIZ AND BACKSTAGE SNACK INSURANCE

1) Pianists who request backstage meals and enter their dressing room to find a plate of carrots and celery with ranch dressing shall be permitted to make a nuisance of themselves; henceforth, hurling Ranch dressing shall not be considered a crime within the confines of Performing Arts Centers.

2) Pianists shall be insured against the possibility of bad hotel room service meals, particularly against Midwestern Alfredo Sauce; but also not-entirely-unfrozen Mozzarella Sticks; and any boneless chicken breast which has been grilled more than fifteen (15) minutes. For each incidence of the foregoing, the pianist will be permitted one preposterous head-toss during the course of the concert; or one inappropriate flirtation with a member of the orchestra with which he or she is appearing, whichever comes first.

3) Pianists who post results of the following quizzes on Facebook:

a) What Chopin Etude are you?
b) What Beethoven Sonata are you?
c) What Great Composer are you?

… and any other similarly constituted or equivalent quizzes, as deemed by a representative panel of musicologists and social networking experts, relinquish all rights to all insurance heretofore enumerated."

More Patron Saints for Pianists

Due to extraordinary interest, further investigation into the patron saints of pianists . . .

Saint criteria is pretty challenging. Not only do saints need to live a life worthy of respect, but they need at least two miracles to their credit, post-death. I consider only two individuals on the 'canonized list' even vaguely appropriate as patron saints for musicians: St. Gregory, who abandoned wealth and respect to become a broke monk (he also fiddled with the church liturgy) and St Cecilia, who sang when she was crucified, beheaded and killed. Neither really seem to have experiences relevant to musicians in general, let alone pianists. Better suited to the job is intercessor Blessed Hildegard von Bingen, who actually was a musician - the only snag is that she is on the almost-but-not-quite-saint list. I've pulled together a list of saints that, while not musicians, may be more effective in addressing causes that aggravate many pianists:

• For money issues: Saint Cajetan, patron saint of unemployment and Saint Regina, patron saint of poor people
• When life happens: Saint Zita of Lucca, patron saint of lost keys, Saint Vitus, patron saint against oversleeping and Saint Bibiana, patron saint of hangovers
• For health concerns: Saint Amalburga, patron saint of arm pain, Saint Ursicinus, patron saint of stiff necks and Saint Clare of Assisi, patron saint against eye disease
• For the swine flu threat: Saint Roch, patron saint against plague
• For staff accompanists: Saint Guy of Anderlecht, patron saint of work horses and Saint Germain Cousin, patron saint of abused people

There are some eerie parallels that can be drawn between career pianists and those canonized as saints. They both often take vows of poverty, spend hours and hours in seclusion and study, and self-flagellate for various reasons (over lack of piety or lack of practicing). That might explain the amount of interest. Or maybe on a subconscious level, pianists are seeking actual patrons.