The following is a copy of a questionnaire that I will be using in my research concerning orchestra experiences from around the world.  The file may be downloaded at the following address:   http://public.me.com/ribruce

 Orchestra   Experiences 

Questionnaire

 

My name is Bruce Richards.  I am a professional horn player in the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège in Liège, Belgium.  I have been working for the same orchestra for the past 19 years.  I have been reflecting about my profession and the systems that are used to join a symphony orchestra  and how that experience differs from country to country, or orchestra to orchestra.  I realized that there is really not a lot of information about the profession and how it functions.

For years I have thought about what it means to join and work in a symphony orchestra, and how we are often completely in the dark as to how to interact within an orchestra's unique structure.

 I am interested in compiling experiences from different sources, backgrounds, and orchestral cultures in hopes of getting an idea of how the experience of joining and working with an orchestra has evolved. 

This is a sociological  process which has remained, largely, unchanged for over a century.  My hope is to cultivate and harvest as many experiences as possible with the intention of creating a picture of the social experience which is a symphony orchestra  and to offer support, and suggest possible avenues for interacting within an orchestra's unique ecosystem.

The goal of this endeavor is to write a book or series of articles which could act as a guide in joining and surviving  as a professional orchestral musician.

The following questions are very general.  Please keep all answers brief.  I would prefer that the document be kept as a “word” file. (.doc), but I will except other saved versions if necessary. 

If you can think of other colleagues who may be interested in participating in this questionnaire please feel free to pass the file on to others or share the link through which you received the document.  A french translation of this document also exists, and is  also available for those who would prefer that version.  The final document will, however,  be published in english. 

 The deadline for reception of this questionnaire is the 30^th of June 2010.  Please e-mail the completed document to the following address:  ribruce@mac.com

*Please be assured that the responses to this questionnaire will remain completely anonymous.  I will directly quote someone only after I have been given their permission to do so.

 

1. Are you a professional  musician?
2. If you are not a professional do you have orchestral experience at the student/amateur level?
3. What instrument do you play?
4. If you are a professional how many years of experience do you have?
5. Please list the countries in which you have worked/played as a professional musician.
6. Please comment, using 1 sentence, about your first experience in an orchestra. (outside of university , college or conservatory)  This could represent emotions, or in other words what you felt that first time
7. If you are a professional what was the length of your trial period in your orchestra(s)?
8. How was the decision made concerning the end of your trial? (jury consultation, orchestra vote, music director decision, etc...)
9. When you joined an orchestra was there any kind of mentoring to help you with questions about how the orchestra functioned? (union, schedules, sick leave, maternity leave, benefits, insurance, etc...)
10. If there wasn't any mentoring  do you wish that such a system existed?
11. Please feel free to comment on the overall experience of joining an orchestra. The good and the bad are equally appreciated.  Please do not mention the name of the orchestra or the names of any persons involved in your story.  If there were particular differences between countries I would very much like to hear about them.