TubeNet

Some time ago I was asked to play the contrabassoon part (on tuba) with a local amateur orchestra near New Haven. Then a bunch of paying gigs came in for this weekend. So I asked another good tubist if he'd like to do it for me, and he expressed enthusiasm. That was six weeks ago. Today he informed me that he couldn't make it after all, and the concert is this Sunday afternoon with rehearsals Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon. Here's the orchestra's web address:
http://members.aol.com/hsorch/

have to agree with David on this one. Your word is your bond as a free-lance player. Once you accept a freebie or low paying gig you need to stick with it and take your lumps. If I were a contractor, I would have 2nd thoughts about hiring anyone who had bailed on me in the past. The music community is small and word gets around. I have lived my life with everyone who calls me knowing that they are the most important people to me and I guarantee my services. I also live by "better two hours early than one minute late" when carrying out my commitments. I teach this ethic to all of my students as well.

I have had to go through this myself but I have always stuck by my commitment - scheduled to play a freebie with a local community band and I get called by one of the bigger symphonies in the area to come in and do Fountains and Pictures on the same program WITH DOUBLING and I had to turn it down and play the band gig.

Probably was for the best - that orchestral gig might have killed me anyhow.

I'm not sure I agree with the above posters. I've never had to back out of a gig at the last minute, so I'm not sure what I would do. I guess it would depend how many $$$ are the checking account that month and what bills were due. If somebody doesn't make their living playing music, then are they really a free-lance musician that needs to worry about not getting called for gigs? There are many volunteer opportunities to play, but if you get called for the New York Philharmonic and turn it down for a volunteer gig, you're crazy.

I think we need to cut Art a little slack, here. The key here is that "some time ago" he was asked to play the amateur gig. After receiving calls for some paying gigs, he made certain a replacement was available. I believe Art did his part(unintended poetic wording). It is the replacement player who is not living up to his commitment. Art is now attempting to make certain the part is played, even though he is no longer committed to this performance. I believe this is appropriate.

Had the original gig been a paying gig, I believe Art might still be allowed to call in another performer, assuming that the contractor approved. At least that's my opinion. I agree with Roger concerning one's word being his bond. I believe Art has kept his word in this situation.

the quintet job was for $750 and 4 other people were relying on you to participate so that everyone could get a paycheck. The other gig was only $300, but it was for you alone without your normal group depending on your commitment. In that same situation I would have probably gone with the quintet gig because other people were depending on me for their livelyhood.

It's a tough dilemma. And - even though you have found a sub - the gig still had your name on it and that's what you need to keep clean.

Just my thoughts.

The gig I commit to first is the one that gets my time.... regardless of the money involved. It's just the right thing to do. I think it's reasonable to find a sub in some cases but the responsibility would still be mine.

My wife just had a similar situation where she committed to doing a gig and two other gigs came up that she would have *strongly* preferred doing. She ended up just sticking with the one she committed to because she knew numerous people in the group and didn't want to give the impression that she goes which ever way the wind is blowing at a particular moment. In general, it seems like this is the best way to build up long-term credibility.

I'm sorry I have a gig on Saturday so I couldn't make the rehearsal on that day. I actually have some really good friends down in that area of CT so otherwise I'd be willing to make the hike and do some playing while I'm at it!

Tim

I'll volunteer to play the Adagietto

Having made a living freelancing I can tell you that it is very common for people to get out of gigs that they have committed to in order to do other better gigs and contractors often are very understanding of this. In some cases there are clauses in freelance gig contracts that allow a person to get out of the contract up to a certain amount of time before the first service (say 2 or 3 weeks) for any reason whatsoever. Often this clause also allows the contractor to cancel the gig or the musician before that same period. If the New York Philharmonic calls you to go on a three week European tour and your per-service community orchestra contractor blackballs you for getting out of his $150 gig, then that contractor is not someone I want to do business with anyway.

The 1st horn in the orchestra is never asked to gig, even for small groups within the orchestra on orchestra concerts. He complains about this, but it never occurs to him that the reason why people don't invite him to play is that he sashays into rehearsal anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes late every time. Nobody wants to put up with that; he is so blind to his shortcomings that he doesn't understand the effect they have on his life.
How does that go....Oh to see ourselves as others see us? (In Gaelic? Olde English? Welsh?)
MA

"O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us"

-Robert Burns.

I think I have to line up with Art on this. While I always try to do what I say I will do, sometimes you have to get a sub. I really doubt if he was serious in expecting a sub to arise from this BBS, but would wager that he actively searched for (and probably found) someone locally to cover the free gig. I would also speculate that he made it wothwhile for the new sub.