Fort Collins Symphony openings

MaryMacK · Post by **MaryMacK** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:44 pm

I saw the Fort Collins Symphony opening on Musical Chairs and turns out that a lot of other principal chairs are open too (fl, cl, ob, trb, & prc).

Anybody know why there are so many at once? I'm just curious...

ThomasP · Post by **ThomasP** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:41 pm

is it per service or a full-time gig?

sc_curtis · Post by **sc_curtis** » Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:43 pm

http://www.musicalchairs.info/Orch%20Jo ... nglish.htm

Click on tuba, and you should see it.

Thomas Maurice Booth · Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:14 am

This is a per service gig. The pay according to the FCSO is $68 for principal after receiving tenure. The beginning pay is $65 per service. Also, the FCSO guarantees 50 services, making the total salary of a tenured principal $3,400 before taxes.

TMB

djwesp · Post by **djwesp** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:10 am

Travel stipend?

Thomas Maurice Booth · Thu Jan 18, 2007 12:21 pm

"Even if I were the caliber player who could play Bydlo on an audition, I'm not sure $3,400 BEFORE taxes would be worth the stress and effort. "

My thoughts exactly. I would probably spend a good chunk of that money just traveling to and from the audition. However, if I was already near the area I'd be all over it.

TMB

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:23 pm

That type of list for that kind of gig is most likely the result of someone asking "If this were a REAL symphony, what would be the hardest stuff for tuba?" without any regard for practicalty or appropriateness. More to the point, I seriously doubt that they know what they're asking would not only exclude the very players that they're looking for for that size job, but also require a veritable hardware parking lot to do it right.

I am reminded of a sub audition that consisted of brass Principals, the executive director and the music director. The audition was screened, and along with all of the other brass there was a single tuba player. The audition list that I was given (not asked to provide) was something very similar.

The candidate played a solo, which was quite good. Then the candidate was asked to play something like Prokofiev. Then someone asked for Berlioz. I could hear the candidate switching to their F tuba, but without a chance to warm up or get used to a new mouthpiece size after a big blow, the entry was a partial off.

They then proceeded to play the rest of the excerpt beautifully, but when they concluded the executive director (a tubist himself, who I'm sure wanted to impress the committee) said "No way should we even consider someone who can't play the right note!". So, over my protests, the committee didn't approve this candidate. For a sub list!!!

Then we find out that the joke is on them. This person was a pro who regularly subbed with Philly, but wasn't good enough for Delaware.

And yes, this was the same person I then had the personnel manager call whenever he was in town!

(and who played 2nd ophicleide on the Berlioz ON HIS OWN OPHICLEIDE!!)

tubajoe · Post by **tubajoe** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 1:41 pm

The tuba chair in that orch used to be held by Bob Brewer, who is a great player and teacher... one of the best in CO. The FCSO is (was? - winds anyway) made up of local pros, university profs etc (as there are 4 or 5 decent music schools within about an hour of there)

Not sure about the recent openings, but when I was in Colorado once upon a time, it was a decent local orch.

porkchopsisgood · Post by **porkchopsisgood** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:34 pm

I'd say it's a good opportunity and chance for any player who lives locally to play for and possibly win an audition with a pretty unforgiving rep list.

Good luck to any and all who audition...I just wish this was a couple of years from now: I'm considering University of Colorado for my conducting DMA....

Oh well....

AVC

tubajoe · Post by **tubajoe** » Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:44 pm

Yep. Good answer from the pachyderm!!

When I was in undergraduate school in that same locale, one of the local college profs from a rival school was playing in one of the other similar regional orchestras. He left town, left a vacancy and I won the audition.

It was just a regional orch, but it was a BIG deal for me as a young undergrad / budding player!! In the span of ONE short season I got to perform Symphonic Metamorphosis, Ride of the Valkyries, Flying Dutchman, Scheherezade, both the Tchaik and Prok. Romeo & Juliets, Brahms 2, 1812, Dvorak 8 (plus a few more, I forget)... there was a major excerpt on EVERY single concert of the entire season.
It made me feel like a rockstar and taught me confidence. I feel that it was that one gig that set me up to get into a top grad program... then to actually pursue a career in performance. While it was just a regional orchestra, it was a major stepping stone for me at that point in time in my life.

Later on a great teacher would say to me: "treasure every time you get paid to play the tuba." As well as, "those parts you are playing are the exact same parts Gene reads in CSO."

Another great brass player told me: "You get gigs by doing gigs."

All such great advice.

It reminds me of another quote, made recently by a somewhat infamous member of these boards: "How many gigs have YOU had this week?"

So, stop complainin, get out there and play.

porkchopsisgood · Post by **porkchopsisgood** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:57 am

OK....not whining...but whatever.

But you are right: this list is totally accessible to an undergraduate musician. I guess what I was referring to is the money will probably not draw the Alan Baers of the world out to audition. From that vantage, the level of musicianship could be ecclectic. I'm sure someone in the region could spank that list in the tail, and most likely will....but it will also draw some guys that, definitely, will find that list unforgiving.

windshieldbug · Post by **windshieldbug** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:32 pm

The point is not how much sight reading you do for performance (maybe NO performances at sight here... ), but how fast can the orchestra begin to rehearse the music intelligently. I would assume that the repertoire is known beforehand, and the music is usually available from the librarian as soon as it is obtained. This is why excerpts are SO important; if you can't do it when you sit down, it's YOUR responsibility to prepare it beforehand. Not only your part, but you need to know what everyone else is doing, what the standard interpretations are, and what many of the "non-standard" ones are, and still be able to change it all on a dime.

That's why so many pros are often critical of conductors; to do your job, you should know the music at least as well.