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Recent studies have pointed out the fact that orchestral musicians as a group show significant conflicting emotions regarding their chosen profession. (2) In a survey of professional orchestra musicians and workers in other professions in the United States, Great Britain and Germany (3), data concluded that orchestra musicians scored the highest in terms of having personal, self-directed internal motivation. However when asked whether they were generally satisfied with their job, orchestra musicians ranked seventh out of 13 categories, below federal prison guards and just above industrial production teams. The results were even more distressing when asked about whether their job provided personal growth and development, where orchestra musicians ranked ninth.

In a now legendary discussion, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra Managing Director Ernest Fleischmann and New Criterion writer Samuel Lipman engaged in a spirited debate about the health of the modern symphony orchestra. (4) Fleischmann stated, ". . . life even in some of the great orchestras became increasingly frustrating: repetitive or boring repertoire, loss of musical identity, particularly for string players, incompetent conductors, bad hall, not enough money, much stress. No life for a real musician this, with little opportunity to develop as an artist, let alone as a human being. Dissatisfaction, frustration, antagonism, boredom - all these still exist among musicians in orchestras everywhere. . ."

Fleischmann's observations are those of a seasoned orchestra manager; he surely is in a position to watch the actions and attitudes of orchestral musicians on a day to day basis. Since his gloomy assessment of the state of the symphony orchestra, others have attempted to identify why it is musicians seem so unhappy with their lot.

Seymour and Robert Levine have defined a number of stressors that face musicians that cause players to be discontented in their jobs. These include:

-Performance anxiety (including a common drug remedy, the consumption of beta-blockers).

-Simply playing their instruments (which amount to assuming an unnatural position for extended period of time).

-Fear of disability.

-Unsatisfactory comparison of their playing against the ideal they have set for themselves.

-The necessity to confront their professional failings regularly.

All of these can be summed up as the fact that orchestral musicians suffer from a fundamental lack of control in their profession. Regrettably, beyond suggesting that musicians attempt to exercise more control over their work environment (in mostly vague, unspecified ways), the researchers Levine offer scant hope for a significant change from the apparently dismal status quo.
To the outside observer, the prospect of a group of people who currently work at a profession for which they were trained, are paid a comfortable wage, receive up to 10 weeks of paid vacation a year and nightly experience the thrill of over 2000 people rising to their feet shouting "bravo," complaining about their day-to-day work life strikes many as both oxymoronic and silly. "Give me a job like that," some might say, "and I'd be a happy man."

Really?

Musicians have little control over their working environment and
thus experience alienation, frustration, low morale, and hostility.
Robert and Seymour Levine suggest (and Forum participants
agree) that this general dissatisfaction manifests itself in the
orchestra’s labor-management structure:
Much of what is inexplicable to observers of professional
orchestras can be explained by stress caused by chronic lack
of control and musicians’ attempts to deal with it. Musicians’
first line of defense is the classic tactic of avoidance.
It is no accident that…the collective bargaining agreements
under which orchestras labor spell out in exquisite detail
the limits of a conductor’s authority over the musicians.
Such agreements attempt to limit the amount of time over
which musicians have no control, as well as to express their
need to control at least something about the workplace.

lgb&dtuba wrote: If classical music, especially orchestral classical music, is going to survive and even be (gasp) profitable doesn't it make sense that it's going to have to loosen up and and start appealing to a wider, less stuffy audience? Clearly appealing to the pretentious isn't really working out in the long run. Normal people don't just listen to music because they're "supposed to".
They have to want to listen to it. They want to be entertained, not lectured.
Jim "donning my formal flame retardant tux" Wagner

lgb&dtuba wrote:If classical music, especially orchestral classical music, is going to survive and even be (gasp) profitable doesn't it make sense that it's going to have to loosen up and and start appealing to a wider, less stuffy audience? Clearly appealing to the pretentious isn't really working out in the long run. Normal people don't just listen to music because they're "supposed to". They have to want to listen to it. They want to be entertained, not lectured.

bloke wrote:if someone wishes to watch an entire orchestra swagger and sway as if there are ninety concertmasters on stage, they absolutely should attend Berlin Philharmonic concerts.

tubeast wrote: It is my impression that BIG NAME conductors, stage-directors, musicians, and many others involved in building an ensemble´s or opera house´s (AND their own) reputation take themselves and their work too seriously.

UncleBeer wrote:I'd read recently of a concert series in London where ticket-holders were invited for after-concert cocktails with the orchestra, and they could buttonhole that hunky tuba player (or less interesting players...) and interrogate him on his choice of mouthpieces or whatever. This seemes like a pretty good idea not only to loosen up folks' idea of orchestra music, but to help concert-goers feel truly invested in what they'd heard.

Philip Jensen wrote:I attended a Jazz concert last night (Ahmad Jamal - Free!!!) and I thought about the difference in that audience versus that of the symphony.

tubajoe wrote:Ahmad is a very engaging performer ...It's funny... what the writer of the article may have been picking up on this intense aloof "stoicism" that Amercian symphonic peformers just love to exhude, both off and on stage (those of you who have worked in that world know EXACTLY what I am talking about!!) I've heard aspiring players even talk about it -- on how you "have to be that way" to succeed...

Steve Marcus wrote:
For stoicism, how about Diana Krall? Or does passion come through despite her nonchalant demeanor on stage?