So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist
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There isn’t always a good correlation between how cool a job sounds and how cool it is. Careful when you follow your dreams that your dreams were formulated by a sober adult version of you. There’s a lot to be said for steady work that you don’t have to devote your life to.
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Evidently, about 40 years ago, 20% of the population was employed as concert pianists. At least according to an informal survey of my customers talking about their uncles, aunts, and grandparents. I’m sure that @Rich can corroborate.
Me/rry/Christmas
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@LuFins-Dad Of course. Why else would they have a Whitney spinet?
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@Rich said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
@LuFins-Dad Of course. Why else would they have a Whitney spinet?
Those were the ones with the real gold plate/soundboard, right?
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“Little by little I am learning the art of being quite content by doing very little slowly” ~ Lionel Hardcastle
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"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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@Horace said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
There isn’t always a good correlation between how cool a job sounds and how cool it is. Careful when you follow your dreams that your dreams were formulated by a sober adult version of you. There’s a lot to be said for steady work that you don’t have to devote your life to.
In high school and into college I really wanted to work in the film industry... write and direct films. Made a few short films for school competitions and what not... had a ton of fun, but realized... I enjoy watching movies more. I don't like knowing all the secrets behind how a movie is made, I just enjoy consuming the content. Soon thereafter, I was fine getting a job that enabled my other passions (travel, photography, piano, whatever). Sure having a job with colleagues I like to work with, and work that is somewhat valuable, those are important... but my careers is absolutely a means to providing a better out-of-the-office life for myself and my family.
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@George-K said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
Oh, who were the blacklisted pianists?
I might guess that Valentina Lisitsa might be one.
Lisitsa came to my mind as well when Zhdanov mentioned blacklisted pianists. Two other possibilities could be Matsuev and Lugansky.
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So this guy seems to be stuck in that 2nd-3rd tier of pianists. A lot of what he says checks out, though I wonder if there are differences between Europe and the USA.
I do think he’s shortchanging the work the agents actually do. At least in the US, the agents have a major role and invest a lot of time, money, and energy into the philanthropy efforts that keep most of the performing arts organizations afloat to begin with. That’s also how the relationships are formed to find those pianists gigs to begin with.
But yeah, the guy playing guitar and singing Brown Eyed Girl at the restaurant/bar on Friday Night is generally making more money per gig than the guy that played Grieg’s Concerto in A Minor with the local orchestra last night.
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Wife has a first cousin who I think (don't know for sure) went to Juliard. She's good, but certainly not the best. If she hadn't taught piano in Boston, she would have starved.
OTOH, one of her other cousins played piano for Loretta Lynn for many years. He never got rich, but he was able to afford a modest middle class lifestyle.
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@Axtremus said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
Popular something usually generates more commercial interests than classical something. Is that even a surprise?
If classical music is popular it would be called popular music.
Nah, I think "popular music" always need to be currently being created. Otherwise it's classic something or other. Classic rock was popular at the time, but now it's classic.
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@Klaus said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
@Axtremus said in So You Want To Be a Concert Pianist:
Popular something usually generates more commercial interests than classical something. Is that even a surprise?
One of the disadvantages of the downfall of aristocracy.
That statement reminds me something Herman Hesse or Thomas Mann would have written or lamented.
