Interview with the exotic species, Musicianus Classicum

Last Saturday evening, I was reviewing my Mendelssohn Lobgesang score on the subway, provoking the curiosity of two inebriated but friendly fellows sitting next to me.

That’s some serious literature right there. Maybe she plays the violin. Cello, man. There’s an instrument called the cello.

Eventually one guy poked me in the arm.

Excuse me, do you play the violin?
No, I’m a singer.

What group do you sing with?
The Boston Symphony Orchestra. We’re performing at Symphony Hall tonight.

That’s very highbrow. We’re going to see Tool at the TD Garden. You’ve probably never heard of them.
Actually I have two of their albums from back in high school. “Lateralus” and the one before that.

Did you go to Berklee?
No, I went to MIT.

How did you end up doing music?
I decided I like music more than what I studied.

That’s cool. We’ll leave you alone now. I don’t want to mess up your concert or anything. 

I doubt they would’ve come, but in retrospect, I wish I had offered them free tickets to tonight’s performance.

Apologies to My Neighbors and My Brain

I started the new year with a new gig to learn a challenging contemporary sonata. The score is a flurry of accidentals and 32nd notes.

After 10 days of practice, the first movement sounds recognizable, but the second movement is still in the painful “hunt and peck” stage. It’s like hour after hour of cats walking on a keyboard. Maybe next year I should try a new diet instead of new music.

Aria Still in Progress

Since nobody publicly lambasted me for my last recording, I’m posting the new version for y’all. I didn’t get the microphone settings right, so apologies in advance for when things totally spaz out at 2:47. I promise that isn’t me frying my vocal chords. Oh, and do me a favor and pretend I tapered off the last note real pretty, ok? Thanks!

With pianist Bonnie Donham

A Pianist’s Income

It’s already been a year since I began my career as a full-time musician! As someone who used to be quite certain that music would never be more than a hobby, I often ask myself, “Is this really my life?” I mean, what kind of crazy fool with a Chemistry degree tries to earn a living as a starving artist?

Well, I am that crazy fool. And since I still enjoy data analysis — what? I did go to MIT — I decided to do some number-crunching to see how the starving artist business was working out. Below is a chart of my monthly income.

Music is a seasonal business indeed. It’s a pretty drastic change from my desk job, where I was paid a monthly salary with a quarterly bonus. I do miss that paycheck, and I am ever grateful that my husband’s job covers health insurance for both of us.

You might have noticed that the title of this post is “A Pianist’s Income,” and not “A Pianist and Singer’s Income.” Why is that? Because being a singer is f’in expensive. Between lessons, coachings, pianist fees, audition fees, and the thousands of sopranos auditioning for every gig, I would be elated to merely break even on the singing business. If I ever quit playing a piano to become a full-time singer, you’ll know I’ve really lost my marbles!

10 Universal Truths for Collaborative Pianists

1. You will have bad page turners.
2. When students say, “The piano part is easy,” they’re lying.
3. Moments after you accept a gig, another one will come along for the same time that pays more and is closer to your house.
4. When you’re overwhelmed in December and April, you should think of July.
5. When you’re bored in July, you should think of December and April.
6. Follow the conductor, not the chorus.
7. When you finally decide to recycle the photocopies that you haven’t needed in months, someone will ask for them.
8. It really is a small world.
9. People who forget to tell you they’ve cancelled their lesson are infinitely more annoying than people who call you “accompanist.”
10. You should’ve practiced more yesterday.

The Correlation Between Music, Star Trek, and Chemistry

Behold the official, peer-reviewed results of a survey of my friends:

Yes, the data points are Willy Wonka Nerds!

Being a Healthy Musician, Part 2

Back when I was a cubicle dweller, I woke up at the same time every day, Monday through Friday. Now that I have a freelance musician’s irregular schedule, I’ve been waking up at a different time every day.

Although I’m grateful that I no longer have to be up at 7:30 every day (Don’t laugh; I’m nocturnal.), my lack of routine isn’t working out. I’m maintaining a constant level of wakefulness by drinking coffee and tea, but my caffeine tolerance is growing, and I’m having trouble staying hydrated. Singer #fail.

I need to find a way to force myself out of bed at the same time every morning, regardless of my appointments that day. Any suggestions for this night-owl?

See Being a Healthy Musician, Part 1 if you want to read about my questionable eating habits.