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The Destiny of Your Master

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

I would like to add my voice to the chorus of thanks to you for writing this column, and also submit a question.

I am making the first-ever recording of the complete works of an obscure Romantic composer. Grants will cover all of the cost of recording (no fee for myself), and some of the costs of artwork, printing and manufacturing, as well as the mechanical royalties, as the music is still under copyright. The recording is a labor of love, but will also be a promotional tool for me – something to sell at concerts, give to promoters, etc. I offered it to some cd companies and one fairly large one would like to take it on. The contract, however, will require negotiation. They want sole ownership of the master recording in perpetuity and the right to exploit it in any way or media. They offer to manufacture, sell, distribute and promote the cd. In return, I get 50 copies and the right to purchase more at about two dollars a pop. They have not offered any sort of royalty for sales above a certain amount. It’s so breathtakingly one-sided that I wonder if anyone ever signs such a thing.

The main thing that draws me to the label is the prestige. Do you think a company’s expertise and/or clout in distribution and marketing would be more useful than trying to do it on my own and retaining control of the project? With delivery media changing constantly, it would seem prudent to keep the rights. I would like to be able to offer downloads from my website, or through Amazon, and offer “coupon downloads” to audiences. I’m not a young artist striving to get ahead. I am a middle-aged one doing reasonably well and would just like to know what is reasonable to ask for in such a situation.  —B.V.

Dear B.V.:

Your question is an excellent one that I suspect is on the minds of a good number of our readers. As you will have seen me say before, this is not a black and white situation. The answer might be slightly different for you than for others, depending on the particular record label involved and the role of the recording in the furtherance of an individual career.

In the days when giant record companies dominated the scene, most, if not all, of the artists who wanted to be on their rosters had to give up ownership of their masters in exchange for major publicity and promotional campaigns, as well as global distribution. There was no Facebook, CD Baby, or Amazon.com, so artists didn’t even consider the alternative of going it alone. You are right to ask whether it makes sense to give up ownership of your performance in perpetuity and agree to no financial return, in exchange for a company manufacturing, distributing, and promoting your recording, especially if you funded it yourself. The answer is no, unless you have no other alternative. It’s good that you acknowledge that the proposed contract requires negotiation. You also need to get as much information as possible about the company. You certainly want to know the scope and effectiveness of their distribution and what they are prepared to do in the area of promotion. It would also be advisable for you to ensure that if the record company goes out of business, the rights to your master will revert back to you. (You should try to achieve this even if the recording is simply deleted from their catalogue.) If you can gain access to other artists who have recorded for the label, ask them about their impression of the label’s effectiveness and their level of satisfaction with the working relationship.

While it is certainly possible to manufacture, promote, and distribute your own CD, as well as offer it for download on your website, you are limited by the size of your network of friends and fans and distribution outlets known and accessible to you. It is also a very labor-intensive undertaking. Happily, there has been a proliferation of independent classical labels over the past ten years such as Onyx and Avie, which operate on the premise that you retain ownership of your performance.  You either license it to them or work in a partnership with them on mutually agreeable terms. Either all or part of the cost of the recording is assumed by you but you also receive a portion of profit from the sales. (Note that in some countries such as the U.K., it is imperative for the record company to cover costs relating to copyright.)  Decisions regarding the packaging and design of the CD are made together with you and it should be possible to offer your recording for sale on your website through a direct link to the company’s website. These independent classical labels do indeed have much greater clout and reach than you do. They have developed strong relationships with the media and with distribution outlets, so they are likely to get maximum exposure for your recording. Not every one of them, however, will enter into a relationship with an artist for a one-off project unless it has major and broad appeal. Naxos is known to welcome recordings of composers who are new to their catalogue but I don’t believe they offer the type of partnership described above. Other companies may only want to do multiple projects with artists who have a very active touring schedule since this helps to drive sales of the recording, especially if the artist features the recorded repertoire in their program.

Since you already have an established and reputable company interested in your project and there is no guarantee that you will find another option, I would suggest that you try to negotiate with them and see if you can achieve more favorable terms. It would be advisable to secure advice from an attorney with experience in this area. You can always return to the idea of issuing the recording yourself, especially since your primary interest seems to be supplying it to promoters and selling it at concerts. If you should decide to seek another label, I suggest that you approach them in the context of potential ongoing projects with specific repertoire that you are prepared to offer in your concert programs. If you can obtain a copy of Gramophone magazine, you should be able to compile a pretty good list of independent companies that could potentially be interested. Some additional research on the web will further enlighten you as to the suitability of those companies for the projects you have in mind. Good luck!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

 

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A Möst Rewarding Partnership

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

In March of this year, I was invited to speak to a wonderful group of arts supporters in Pasadena, California, by the name of Metropolitan Associates. They were interested in hearing about my career in artist management and in having the opportunity to ask questions about it. In preparing for the talk, I asked what questions I was likely to be asked. Among them was, “What were the most satisfying experiences in your career over the past thirty years?”

Last week, I had occasion to add such an experience to an already sizeable list. As I sat in Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall for three nights of works by Bruckner and Adams, magnificently performed by the Cleveland Orchestra and its music director, Franz Welser-Möst, my mind wandered back to 1981, only two years into my association with Hamlen/Landau Management, when Charles Hamlen and I decided that I would go to Ft. Worth, Texas, to see if there were any pianists in the Van Cliburn Competition whom we might wish to sign. As it turned out, I was totally smitten with the playing of a young pianist by the name of Jeffrey Kahane, who we were very proud to sign after the competition and who has gone on to a brilliant career as both a pianist and conductor. An unexpected by-product of that trip was meeting a manager from Liechtenstein who raved about a twenty-year-old conductor he was mentoring, for whom he predicted a major career. He was intent on giving him to an American manager who would develop his career slowly and intelligently. At the end of the competition, fortunately for me, he decided that I was such a manager and since I felt that this conductor needed to gain more experience before embarking on an international career, he said he would wait until I was ready.

Five years passed, during which I periodically received reviews, all in German, mostly from youth orchestra concerts. One day I was having breakfast with a leading London agent who told me that an amazingly gifted young conductor by the name of Franz Welser-Möst had just stepped into a cancellation situation and conducted a rather brilliant Mozart Requiem with the London Philharmonic. My heart skipped a beat and I nearly ran back to my office after breakfast, fearing that I would now be too late to sign Mr. Welser-Möst to our roster, since news spreads like wildfire in our industry. Fortunately, that was not the case.

After seeing Mr. Welser-Möst conduct the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich later in 1986, we formally agreed to work together and subsequently settled on a first North American season (1988-89) that would ease him into the orchestra system over here while still providing him with a high-level artistic experience. His debut was scheduled with the St. Louis Symphony, followed by weeks with the Toronto and Atlanta symphonies. We gradually built the American career while taking great care to balance it with Mr. Welser-Möst’s increasingly busy schedule and commitments overseas. His debut with the Cleveland Orchestra took place in February of 1993 and he returned nearly every season until he assumed the music director position in September 2002.

This coming season is Franz Welser-Möst’s tenth with the Cleveland Orchestra. There were certainly many highlights along the way in Cleveland, in New York and on tour both here and abroad, but I doubt that anyone present in New York last week who has heard his concerts over the years would disagree that these were among the most sublime. The unlikely combination of Bruckner and Adams seemed not only revolutionary but increasingly logical by the end of the week, and both the cheering ovations and the superlatives of the critics demonstrated the artistic impact of this mini-festival in New York during the hot days of summer. As for me, no longer Mr. Welser-Möst’s manager, I had the luxury of sitting back in my seat at each concert and marveling at the mastery and ease that he brought to the performances, as well as the commitment and virtuosity of the players who seemed totally invested in this special undertaking, confident in the results of their nine year association with their music director, and inspired by the opportunity to play Bruckner symphonies with a conductor who shares the composer’s birthplace and tradition. I reflected on the fact that even a truly great artist’s career develops gradually, and that there is no substitute for the hard work and artistic, intellectual and personal growth that propel it to ever higher levels of success. I felt immensely proud to have had the privilege of sharing that experience with Mr. Welser-Möst over the course of 21 years.

Why, you might ask, am I relating this experience in my blog? It is because I consider myself extremely fortunate to have enjoyed a long career in artist management and I fervently hope that young people with training in music might consider the rewards of such a career. The world of artist management is smaller than the number of deserving artists seeking representation. Very few agencies have sprung up in recent years. I recognize that these are difficult times in which to launch such an enterprise but I believe it is possible to succeed. The first step is to learn the trade by working in (or at least interning at) an established agency and thereby seeing how artists’ careers are managed and developed. (While a degree in arts administration or an MBA can certainly prove helpful, especially if one has hopes of starting one’s own agency, there is no substitute for this type of hands-on experience.) Patience will be required in abundance, as this learning experience is gradual; however, I have seen gifted, enthusiastic individuals, still in their 20’s, advance in their responsibilities from logistical to managerial in only three to five years. Some who seem more destined for a career in sales have become booking representatives in an equally short time. What are the most important characteristics of such people? A knowledge and love of music, excellent organizational and writing skills, healthy self-confidence, good psychological instincts, and sensitivity in dealing with people, openmindedness, perseverance and humility. Above all, they seem to exhibit a sense of joy that derives from feeling privileged to work with some of the world’s most gifted performers and giving them the behind-the-scenes support they require in order to rise above the rigors of a life on the road and reach ever higher levels of artistic success. The thrill of sitting in the audience and knowing that you enjoy such a professional partnership with the artist, or that you booked the concert that enabled the artist to earn the adoration of a cheering audience is an indescribable reward for a job well done. The beauty of it is that it can be repeated many times over in the course of a long and meaningful career.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Making a Name for Yourself

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

I am a student at a music conservatory in the U.S. with a strong interest in chamber music. This coming year will be my last one at the conservatory. Several friends of mine and I formed a string quartet this past February and we would like to devote serious time to it this coming year, in hopes of maybe entering some competitions. We have yet to choose a name for our quartet. Do you have any advice for us?  —Alison

Dear Alison:

Thank you for submitting this question, which has given me an opportunity to do a little research that I found both fascinating and entertaining.  Hopefully, my explorations will fill your quartet’s minds with many great ideas.

Let’s start close to home (for me) with the Calidore Quartet, which formed at the Colburn Conservatory and a few months ago won the Grand Prize and Gold Medal in the Senior String Division at the Fischoff Competition. One of their violinists, Pasha Tseitlin, told me that he started out by going through a complete list of artists and poets on Wikipedia but any interesting name was already taken. When the group was exhausted from rejecting a massive number of ideas, their cellist, Estelle Choi, came up with Calidore, after reading a poem by that name by John Keats. The group admired the poem and particularly loved the idea that Cali could also be a reference to California,  where they are based, and d’or in French means of gold. (The choice of name seems to have been prescient in light of the recent competition.)

It seems that some groups arrive at a name for themselves rather easily and others agonize over it. If they studied or formed their ensemble in a location that lends itself to an ensemble name, that may provide a simple solution. Examples would be the Juilliard Quartet, the Tokyo String Quartet, the Shanghai Quartet, the Colorado Quartet, and the Borromeo Quartet, who played their first concerts together in northern Italy (lucky them!), where the Borromeo islands emerge from Lago Maggiore. The Jasper Quartet did some brainstorming about things they mutually enjoyed, which led them to the outdoors. Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, brought to mind extraordinarily beautiful vistas. The decision was clinched upon the realization that Jasper contained the first initial of the first names of all of the quartet members!

Sometimes an ensemble has chosen a particularly memorable landmark associated with the city in which they studied, such as the Parker String Quartet, who studied at New England Conservatory and named themselves after the famous Parker House Hotel in Boston. The Pacifica Quartet’s members all hail from the West Coast of the U. S. and explain that they take their name from “the awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean.”  The Amstel Saxophone Quartet met while touring with the Dutch National Youth Orchestra. According to their website, they chose to name themselves after Holland’s Amstel River (not after Amstel beer!) because “it is not only the historical birthplace of the city of Amsterdam, but also an ever-changing waterscape, reflecting the changes in life along its shores. It was an obvious choice for a quartet grounded in the traditions of chamber music but ready to meet new and ever-changing creative challenges.”

Another popular choice for ensemble names has been composers, writers and artists who proved a source of inspiration.  Among such groups are the Borodin Quartet, the Emerson String Quartet, and the Vermeer, Miró, Calder and Rossetti quartets. Often, the work of the artist or writer has particularly resonated with the ethos of the ensemble. The Escher String Quartet’s bio states that they chose to name themselves after the Dutch artist, M.C. Escher, because they “drew inspiration from the artist’s method of interplay between individual components working together as a whole.” Things become a little less obvious when it comes to groups such as the Afiara Quartet, the Chiara Quartet and Imani Winds. The Afiara takes its name from the Spanish fiar, meaning to trust, which they feel “is a basic element that is vital to the depth and joy of their musicmaking.” Chiara is an Italian word meaning clear, pure or light—all adjectives that typify the finest quartet playing. In the case of Imani Winds, their founder, flutist Valerie Coleman, had the name in mind even before the group was formed. Imani  in Swahili means faith. It characterizes the spirit in which Ms. Coleman set about forming the group and the strength of purpose that has guided them throughout the years. Mariam Adam, clarinetist of Imani Winds, told me that “even though people sometimes want to call us ‘Armani Winds’ (keep dreaming!), the fact that the name is slightly unorthodox seems to have been an advantage in reaffirming the group’s slightly off-the-beaten-path angle.”

When a group’s name does not bring to mind any obvious association, it can work to their advantage since they stand out from the pack and may thereby gain a slight marketing edge. Take, for example, the quartet Brooklyn Rider, who explain that “their name is inspired in part by the creators, interests and cross-disciplinary visions of the Blue Rider group, an artistic association comprised of artists and composers including Vassily Kandinsky, Arnold Schoenberg and Alexander Scriabin. The quartet also draws additional inspiration from the exploding array of cultures and artistic energy found in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, a place the quartet calls home”. The JACK Quartet, who first played together as students at the Eastman School of Music, chose a name that is an acronym for the first letters of their first names. Their violist, John Richards, has said: “There is something so American about it. Four American guys named JACK.”  The name of another individualistic string quartet, ETHEL, was elucidated as follows by one of its violinists, Cornelius Dufallo: “ We call ourselves ETHEL because it’s just a name. When the group started, they wanted to have a name that didn’t put them in a box. They wanted to name it like you name a rock group.”

So, Alison, the totality of names from which to choose is unlimited and ranges from the artistic, to the philosophical, to the whimsical. (Fortunate is violinist Philippe Quint who was able to call his group the Quint Quintet!). In the end, I think it is important to choose a name that is meaningful to your group. It will enhance the quartet’s profile by giving you a story to tell and it might help to distinguish you from other ensembles. Having said that, the most memorable ensembles are the ones who distinguish themselves time and again through their superb playing. The much admired new music ensemble, eighth blackbird, is known for having derived their name from the Wallace Stevens poem “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” which had personal meaning for them, but their true originality and artistic identity have been defined through consistently impressive performances over many years.

If at any point in your quest for a name you still feel you need even more ideas than have been provided above, take a look at Alarm Will Sound’s Facebook post entitled

We Were This Close to Being Called Ear Chow, where you will find a fascinating and even hilarious list of 147 possibiities from which they chose their current name.

Good luck!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Time Out for Time Management

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. The wealth of information you have to offer is inspiring, encouraging and exciting.

While studying at USC, days, weeks and terms were structured around the immediate demands and deadlines of academic and musical requirements. Preparations for outside competitions and performances, trips home for family time, and summer music festivals filled out the time. As I worked within this structure, I also put a lot of effort into things like developing a contact list, learning how to use a website for publicity, creating programs that sell and teaching myself how to prepare a press packet. Mostly, though, my focus was on my product: making music. Now, out of school and without an agent, I’m faced with an overwhelming amount of logistical and technical tasks that devour my time and energy. I know I’m not as efficient as I could be. Taking time to post updates and keep in touch with my fans often means I don’t practice enough. Do you have any suggestions on how to manage the artistic vs. the logistical parts of one’s career without an agent? –Hunter Noack

Dear Hunter:

Thank you for your lovely comments on my blog. Your question is an excellent one and is probably shared by many more of our readers.

It seems to me that time management is a universal challenge, especially in these fast-paced times when it is easy to be engulfed by e-mails and an array of social media. Most people are up against some type of deadlines in their daily life but creative artists, who make their living in the public arena and who are expected to maintain the very high level of performance to which their public has become accustomed, find themselves subject to even greater pressure. From all I have read, and from my own experience, the answer seems to lie in breaking down masses of looming tasks into manageable bits and once they have been prioritized, employing rigorous self-discipline in monitoring one’s progress with dispatching them on a daily basis.

Apart from attending to one’s physical and mental health and family responsibilities, a musician’s first priority must be to lock in enough practice time. If you are a morning person and can start your day that way, you run less of a risk of being distracted by electronic messages that might quickly swallow up hours of your time. You will also benefit from a sense of accomplishment that will enhance your efficiency in tackling the remaining tasks of the day. Those tasks will have ideally been itemized by you in advance in whatever form of calendar system works best for you. Mark McCormack, the legendary chairman of my long time employer, IMG, had a lined yellow pad with his “To Do” list on his desk every time I met with him.  A surprising number of people I know, young and older (myself included), still prefer such a lined yellow pad or notebook. We are never “listless” and we enjoy the satisfaction that comes with crossing out items on the pad. We start each day reviewing our intended plan and at the end of each day, whatever didn’t get done goes on the next day’s list. Many of us also keep a separate list for longer-term goals which we review once or twice a week. Angela Myles Beeching, in her valuable book Beyond Talent which devotes a substantial section to time and financial management, writes about “backward planning” for larger projects. She suggests starting with the date of an upcoming event, such as a performance, and working backwards to establish “benchmark deadlines”. This entails breaking down the overall work that needs to be done into manageable pieces with their own deadlines. So, for example, you establish deadlines for memorizing the works, running the program through in advance, sending invitations to your contacts, etc. I use a Week-at-a-Glance calendar and find it helpful to assign my longer-term goals to specific days so that they pop up when that day rolls around and when I know they can no longer be postponed. A colleague of mine told me that she separates out such objectives by keeping memos with different titles in her Blackberry and updating and adding to them as needed. These types of systems help greatly to reduce stress and make the overall volume of tasks requiring attention seem less overwhelming.

In my opinion, the most important aspect of effective time management is maintaining control of each and every day. Just because someone sent you an e-mail or Facebook message doesn’t mean you have to answer them right away. Try to set aside a consistent time each day to attend to these communications or, if necessary, every other day. You can certainly glance quickly at your messages once or twice a day to make sure you aren’t missing something important but otherwise, don’t allow them to distract you. I find it helpful to mark as “unread” e-mail messages that I know require time and attention that I don’t currently have. I make sure to return to them within a day or two. It is also helpful to print or file attachments that you know you will find informative but that don’t need to be read immediately. They make for great airplane reading! Try to set aside a specific block of time each week for tasks such as website maintenance, Facebook postings (that aren’t time sensitive), updating your contact list, sending out event invitations and uploading videos on YouTube. Of course, we haven’t mentioned phone calls. (Does anyone make them any more?!). Phone calls that you might initiate in an attempt to secure new opportunities for yourself could be added to this weekly block of time, as long as it occurs during business hours. Responding to business-related calls initiated by others should obviously happen in as timely a fashion as possible. If you are unsuccessful in reaching someone, put reminders to try again on your daily “To Do” list.

Clearly, there is no single time management system that works for everyone. I encourage you to speak with your friends and fellow musicians to see what works for them. I also hope that our readers will write in with specific tips and approaches that they have found effective. We can all benefit from that as I have yet to meet a person who is overly well-organized!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Ascending the Orchestral Ladder

Thursday, June 16th, 2011

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

In recent weeks, I received two excellent questions that concern advancing as an orchestral musician. In preparing my answers, I was aided immeasurably by feedback from leading orchestral principals, personnel managers and educators, to whom I am immensely grateful. They confirmed my instinct that neither question has a black and white answer and that a lot depends on the circumstances of the individual player and the identity of the particular orchestra. The answers to the questions below are a summary of our collective thinking.

Dear Edna:

In terms of advancing a career as an orchestral musician, is it better to take a job of leadership in a lesser orchestra or to take a position as a section player in a better orchestra? –grateful for your guidance

Dear grateful:

I regularly read that there are hundreds of applicants for many orchestra positions throughout the world and in light of that, I wonder how often any single musician is faced with simultaneous job offers from orchestras such as you describe that would necessitate making the choice you mention. Perhaps you are really asking whether a musician should focus on auditioning for one type of job versus the other. Anyone who auditions for principal positions should have a strong desire to assume a leadership role, as well as an indication from teachers and musical colleagues that they possess the necessary gifts and abilities. Having said that, there is some wisdom to the notion that any musician just beginning to embark on an orchestral career should cast their net a bit more widely, taking a variety of auditions that potentially interest them so as to get comfortable with the experience. (A former student of mine at the Colburn Conservatory, Rachel Childers, recently won the second horn position in the Boston Symphony in what was her 35th audition for orchestras of all types!)  If a musician feels that they ultimately wish to win a principal position, they should certainly include auditions for such a position in lesser orchestras. One doesn’t become an accomplished leader overnight. The experience of leading, even in a lesser orchestra, will undoubtedly prove valuable as one moves up the professional ladder. It will also reflect favorably on the musician if they make it into the final audition round of a larger orchestra.

For someone who aspires to a leadership position, there are certainly lessons to be learned from being a section player in a major orchestra, especially early in one’s career. These range from observing such an orchestra’s operations and politics to learning a broad amount of repertoire and availing oneself of the variety of opportunities (e.g. educational, chamber music) that present themselves to those who want their orchestra life to be as rich and varied as possible. Add to this the opportunity to work with leading conductors and to learn from experienced colleagues in principal positions, and there is clearly much to be said for this approach. However, there are those who caution that if a musician is strongly determined to one day win a principal position, it is best not to stay as a section player for too long, even in a very good orchestra. The soloistic edge that music directors are often looking for in final auditions may start to diminish after too many years as a section player. It is also not a given that even a valued and loyal section player will succeed in advancing to a principal position within the same orchestra.

Dear Edna:

If you are in a full-time orchestra and want to audition for another orchestra, should you take the entire week off? If other members of the orchestra find out, could it affect your chances of getting tenure?—Kathy P.

Dear Kathy:

The consensus among those with whom I spoke was that it is best to take a week off,  if at all possible, so as to give maximum attention to the impending audition and ensure that you will be sufficiently rested. Wind players, in particular, might need extra time to adjust to changes in climate. If other members of your orchestra find out that you are taking an audition, it is not likely to affect your chances of getting tenure, provided you abide by orchestra regulations and discuss your planned absence with the personnel manager. Still, it is wise to be discreet about your plans, if for no other reason than to minimize the pressure of having to let everyone know how things went upon your return. You might say to the personnel manager something like this: “I want to keep this pretty quiet. I appreciate my job here but I feel I have to try for this opportunity.”  I was very heartened to hear a veteran and highly respected personnel manager tell me: “I have always felt that it is ‘healthy’ to work with the musician to take an audition if the orchestra schedule allows. It gives the player an opportunity to excel and improve.” Even if news of your audition plans does get out, you generally need not be concerned about your future with your current orchestra and shouldn’t underestimate the mutual respect that musicians have for one another.

At any time that you might consider moving to a new orchestra, do not hesitate to seek counsel from those closest to you whom you know you can trust and who are in a position to guide you. It is prudent to weigh all the pluses and minuses of such a move, including the financial stability of the new orchestra you are considering. Be sure to take all necessary steps with the maximum degree of tact and sensitivity. People rarely falter when they take the time to be classy and they are remembered for that, as much as for their excellent playing.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

Posted in Ask Edna, The Orchestral World | Comments Closed

Getting to Know You (writing a good bio)

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Please note that in the months of June, July and August, I will be posting new entries to this blog on a bi-weekly basis. I am grateful to all of you for your interest in “Ask Edna” and wish you a very pleasant summer.

Dear Edna:

What do you think makes for a good bio these days (from an artist management point of view)? I’m sick of reading bios that are either A. Boring (laundry lists of accolades, credits, quotes and not conveying something distinctive) OR B. Overly chatty/personal (some non-classical bios are like this, as are musical theatre bios typically). —a management colleague

Dear management colleague:

I think a good bio is one that provides only as much information as is necessary to capture the attention of the reader and keep them engrossed until the end. It should come across as professional, be well written and well organized. It should find a good balance between sharing important factual information and also giving the reader a glimpse of what is special about the person it spotlights. It should whet the appetite of the reader to experience the subject’s artistry and to get to know them better, either by presenting them, hearing them or listening to their music making.

The first sentence and paragraph of a bio should help place the artist among their peers and highlight some recent significant accomplishments. This is not achieved by the all too typical introduction that reads something like this: Joe Smith was born in Buffalo, New York in 1984 and began to study violin at the age of five with his father. The opening of the bio should also avoid any grandiose statement that is out of proportion to the artist’s career. As Ellen Highstein has written in her book Making Music in Looking Glass Land, “ the expression ‘one of the foremost pianists of our day’ is only appropriate for someone who is undeniably one of the foremost pianists of our day.”

Here are some opening sentences that grabbed my attention when I surveyed a sampling of bios of young artists with burgeoning careers:

“Internationally renowned as a brilliant innovator of the classical guitar, Paul Galbraith has been working since the 1980’s towards expanding the technical limits of his instrument, besides augmenting the quantity and quality of its repertoire.”

“Born in Los Angeles in 1981, composer and performer Gabriel Kahane is a peerless musical polymath, invested in the worlds of concert, theater and popular music.”

“Formed in 1984 by four prize-winning graduates of the Conservatoire National Superieur de Paris, the Parisii Quartet won early acclaim with its triumphs at three major international competitions: Banff (1986), Munich (1987) and Evian (1987). Invitations followed from the major concert halls and festivals of Europe, and the Parisii has since toured regularly throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.”

“An accomplished young conductor and pianist, Kelly Kuo has had tremendous success working with both singers and instrumentalists in the United States and abroad in a broad spectrum of repertoire including nearly 60 operas spanning the 17th through 21st centuries. He is the recipient of a 2009 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award for young conductors.

“Dubbed a ‘Classical Rock Star’ by the press, cellist Joshua Roman has earned a national reputation for performing a wide range of repertoire with an absolute commitment to communicating the essence of the music at its most organic level. For his ongoing creative initiatives on behalf of classical music, he has been selected as a 2011 TED Fellow, joining a select group of Next Generation innovators who have shown unusual accomplishments and the potential to positively affect the world.”

You are totally correct that nothing is more boring than to wade through a laundry list of endless credits until one’s eyes glaze over. Performance credits should be limited to significant debuts and tours, recent and upcoming engagements, recent recordings, commissioned works, and perhaps some mention of associations with other artists, especially conductors, who may have played an important role in an artist’s career. They might also include examples of an artist engaging in outreach or charitable activities. The artist’s achievements should always be summarized in reverse chronological order so that the reader doesn’t have to navigate through several seasons to get to the most recent and significant accomplishments.

It is important to include dates of various performances and milestones in the artist’s career. I read a bio of a soprano which began: “Most recently heard worldwide in the Sirius Satellite Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Puccini’s Tosca…” None of the artist’s numerous accomplishments were associated with dates anywhere in the remainder of the bio. A quick visit to YouTube showed significant clips from 3-4 years ago so I could deduce that the artist was still quite active. This was reinforced by a vist to Ask.Com that indicated that satellite radio was introduced around 2004. However, this is far more research than should be expected from the reader of an artist’s bio.

The bios of all of the artists mentioned above remained compelling and informative to the end. They never became “chatty” but I enjoyed learning that Gabriel Kahane makes his home in Brooklyn, New York, “in close company with a century-old piano and many books” and that conductor/pianist/vocal coach, Kelly Kuo, began his musical studies on the violin at the age of five, made his debut as a pianist five years later, but also later trained as a clarinetist. Today he has become a champion of contemporary music and has edited scores for two of Jake Heggie’s operas. None of the bios mentioned family members, as musical theatre bios so often do. I have no problem with a bio that does include such information, especially if the artist feels that their family is a major source of support to them in their career and that they bring balance and meaning to a life that can often involve long stretches of lonely time on the road.

The bottom line is that interesting artists have interesting bios. They don’t need to create heft in their bio by citing long lists of engagements. Artists who are still pretty young in their careers can prudently include brief quotes or phrases that pay tribute to their gifts and should focus on sharing with the reader their intense dedication to their chosen profession, the efforts they are expending to share their love of performing with new audiences, their joy in helping to expand the repertoire for their instrument (if applicable), and the other aspects of their lives that are important to them and that contribute to the persona they bring with them when they walk out on stage. If their bio conveys both humility and ambition, and reflects a sense of excitement and privilege at being able to pursue life as a performer, the reader will want to embark on the journey with them and support them as they reach new heights and become better known.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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To Thine Own Self Be True

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

by Edna Landau 

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

This column was prepared with the assistance of Neale Perl, President of the Washington Performing Arts Society, and Ruth Felt, President of San Francisco Performances. Both are valued longtime colleagues, to whom I am very grateful.

Dear Edna:

I am a pianist and have just completed my second year at an American conservatory. I am hoping that I will be fortunate enough to pursue a solo career. I read your article [Getting Noticed in the 21st Century] in the 2011 Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts and have taken to heart your message that so much of the challenge of succeeding as a performer lies in getting noticed. I have been thinking about this, specifically in relation to programming. My focus has been on learning major repertoire pieces that every pianist should know. Do you think that is a mistake? Should I also be exploring works that are quite rarely performed so that I will stand out from the crowd? —K.P.

Dear K.P.:

Your question is a good one, which will probably be of interest to many other young musicians, regardless of their instrument.

It is my firm belief that no matter what one’s objective might be, a cardinal principle is to remain true to oneself. Throughout your career,  the repertoire you choose should be repertoire you can’t wait to explore and master. There is no list of pieces that every pianist should know. You are fortunate that you have a huge amount from which to choose. In the case of concerto repertoire, it is advisable to keep in your fingers a certain number of pieces that are considered to be “standard repertoire” because that is what most orchestras will want. However, if you are drawn to less often performed repertoire or a relatively unknown concerto that you feel deserves a wider audience, this could prove to be a useful vehicle for gaining exposure. When Murray Perahia was in the early stages of his career, he decided upon the Mendelssohn concertos for his first recording. As far as I recall, he and his manager felt that he should be introduced in concertos for which he felt a great affinity but which had not been overly recorded. Pianist Marc-Andre Hamelin’s earliest concerto recordings featured works by Adolf von Henselt, Charles-Valentin Alkan, Joseph Marx, and Erich Korngold. However, this was no gimmick on Mr. Hamelin’s part. He was introduced to a great deal of unusual repertoire, including Alkan, by his father who was also a pianist.

In these times, when opportunities to play recitals on established series are fewer than they used to be, and when recital reviews for less than superstars are an increasing rarity, considerable attention should be given to one’s chosen program in hopes that it will pique a presenter’s or critic’s interest. There are various ways to do this while still remaining true to one’s repertoire strengths:

  • Round out a familiar program with an unexpected rarity. By way of example, here is a program that cellist Sol Gabetta will perform on the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Kreeger String Series at the Kennedy Center next February: Schumann Fantasiestücke, Shostakovich Sonata in D Minor, Mendelssohn Sonata in D Major, Servais Fantaisie sur deux Airs Russes. The Servais adds a nice symmetry to the program, creating a sort of “fantasy” sandwich with some “meaty” substance in between!
  • Choose a program that includes music from various periods, but not the most obvious composers or works. I like the following program, chosen by pianist Nareh Arghamanyan for her San Francisco Performances recital next April: Clementi Sonata in F# minor; Schubert Four Impromptus, Op. 90; Rachmaninoff Variations on a Theme by Corelli; and Balakirev’s Islamey.
  • If you were born in a foreign country, you might want to showcase music of your homeland or native region. Audiences always seem to welcome the introduction to something new, perhaps even exotic. The young Moroccan pianist, Marouan Benabdallah, is offering two pieces by Nabil Benabdeljalil in his Carnegie Hall (Zankel Hall) recital debut this evening.
  • Offer a program of works that have an internal connection. For his Carnegie Hall (Weill Recital Hall) debut this October, pianist Kit Armstrong is offering selections by two composers—Liszt and Bach—including Liszt’s Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor (after J.S. Bach) and his Variations on the Bach cantata “Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen.”
  • Offer a program that includes a newly commissioned work or unusual transcription. Violinist Giora Schmidt’s recital at the Ravinia Festival this summer will include a transcription for solo violin of Liszt’s B Minor piano sonata. The transcription is the work of Mr. Schmidt’s piano collaborator in the recital, Noam Sivan.

These types of programs lend themselves very well to some spoken words from the stage. Your audience wlll undoubtedly welcome some introductory comments about how you made your choices and perhaps what they might especially want to listen for.

None of the above rules out you playing a program of your favorite sonatas by Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin if that is what you feel you do best, but in the early years of your career, you might reserve that program for cities where you are returning to an audience that is already enthusiastic about your artistry. I should also mention that if you are planning on selling a recording following the performance, you might want to include one of the works on the recording in your program so as to heighten the possibility that the audience will want to “take you home with them.”

While you are still in your conservatory years, it would be wise to solicit suggestions from your teachers, as well as guest artists who may be offering master classes or conductors working with your school orchestra, regarding unusual repertoire that you might explore. If you have the opportunity to meet people who write about music or audiophiles who may be a treasure trove of information about recordings that are long out of print, they may be a source of wonderful ideas. You may find yourself planning a program that offers your favorite Mozart sonata alongside a piece by his Czech contemporary, Leopold Kozeluch, or pairing a Bach suite with Max Reger’s Variations and Fugue on a Theme of J.S. Bach. The possibilities are endless, with YouTube showcasing many gems waiting to be more broadly discovered.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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An Alternative to Traditional Management

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

I am a professional classical guitarist that has turned to other styles of music, as well as played shows with dancers. I have been concertizing over the past twelve years. I have been fortunate to get great reviews from major newspapers and standing ovations from large audiences in most of my recent concerts. I have a promoter but have been seeking a larger management over the last two years, with no success. They all told me they are afraid to add one more guitarist to their roster on top of the one they have. I honestly believe I have a lot to offer a manager in terms of getting booked and don’t know how to make them interested in taking me on. Do you have any advice for me?   —Frustrated But Still Inspired

Dear Edna:

I am a pianist with some concerts lined up but I would like to have some help with contacting more orchestras and presenters. I have seen some artists who have a ‘personal representative’ (sometimes the representative works for only one artist, or just a few artists), and I thought that would work well for me. The question is how to find someone who is interested in doing the work, has some knowledge and background in music, and can handle the bookings well. I was thinking about contacting a local arts council but I’m not so sure about that. If you have any ideas as to where I should look, can you please share them with me?   –Trying To Be Resourceful

Dear Searching Artists:

I wish I knew the perfect answer for everyone who writes to me seeking professional management. Clearly there are more artists inquiring than there are managers to go around. While it is important to be confident in your abilities and persistent in your efforts to find a solution, it is also important to recognize that managers have their own agenda. You may believe that “you have a lot to offer a manager in terms of getting booked” but unless you can demonstrate a steady stream of concert income that is likely to continue to grow, it is not likely that they will share your belief. Furthermore, if that income is derived from a large number of concerts for which you tend to be paid small fees, it will necessitate a great deal of servicing work on the part of the manager (contracts, travel, programs, etc.) which they may feel they cannot assume.

In the case of guitar, I can understand that a manager may feel that one guitarist on a roster is enough. However, since you don’t come across as squeamish, you could always make the case that you have general availability and would be happy to pick up whatever dates the other guitarist might not be able to do! Since you also sound enterprising, you might offer to turn over to them research you have done on series around the country that have presented guitarists in the past several years, in exchange for them taking a chance on you. (Managers often don’t have time to do this type of research.)

As I said in my earlier blog post entitled “The Truth About Managers,” it is better to be represented by a smart, healthily aggressive and motivated individual, who loves music, than by a management that has little recognition or, even worse, is not respected. The best salespeople are those who are passionate and very knowledgeable about what it is they are trying to sell, and intelligent and strategic minded about how to target realistic buyers. And now, on to our pianist’s question: how to find them? First and foremost, you must tell everyone you know, both friends and professional contacts, that you are seeking such a person. It would be advisable to get in touch with deans, faculty, and the directors of arts management programs at conservatories  or universities, to see if they have a student who possesses the qualities mentioned above and might be willing to work for you. Musical America lists schools, as well as arts administration degree programs, in the U.S. and Canada. Another good resource is The Association of Arts Administration Educators. There is certainly no harm in trying your local arts council. It is also possible that a parent of young children or a retiree who has training in the arts might welcome the opportunity to have part-time work that they can do from home. If you find a student without any training who otherwise seems very promising, it might be wise for them to inquire about internships at management agencies. That is one of the best ways to acquire the necessary skills. (Be aware, however, that they may be required to receive credit in their school program in order to qualify for such an internship.)

While it may not be absolutely essential, it would be beneficial if your chosen person had knowledge of the repertoire for your instrument, especially in the case of guitar. You would need to set specific goals for them, which might include getting re-engagements for you in places where you were successful in the past, following up on leads you haven’t had time to pursue, and inquiring about possible auditions for conductors. It might make sense to identify certain geographical areas you want to concentrate on, especially if you know that there are presenters in those areas who might be interested in your kind of programming. You will need to be prepared to pay this person a weekly or monthly stipend since you will not be able to offer them commissions on fees which will not be received for a while. However, these payments can later be applied against those commissions. You will also need to incur the expense of providing them with attractive, up to date materials to work with in promoting you (whether print or digital), that capture the essence of what you have to offer a presenter and their audience. High quality recorded samples of your work will also assist them greatly in their efforts. I would advise you to set a date by which your arrangement will be reviewed, such as three to four months. By then you should have some idea of the effectiveness of your representative.

Once you have succeeded in your quest, please be sure to report back on your progress so that others might benefit from your experience. (We’ll call that “Answer Edna,” rather than “Ask Edna!”)

© Edna Landau 2011

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There Is No Such Thing as Bad Publicity (or is there?)

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

From time to time, I receive questions from parents who want to help guide their children along a not very clearly defined career path, or who simply want to understand how things work. Since Mother’s Day was celebrated just a few days ago, I thought it would be fitting to share an important question from a caring mom.

Dear Edna:

I am writing from the position of a supportive mother of a daughter in her early teens who has passionate aspirations to be a world-class violinist. She studies with a prominent teacher and has already had opportunities to perform professionally, receiving very positive feedback. I have been wary of my position, never wanting to become the stereotypical “stage-mom,” yet nonetheless wanting to guide her as she avails herself of good opportunities for growth. Naturally, this includes engagements that will give her greater exposure. My question is: where does one draw the line between good and bad exposure? Does the aphorism “there is no such thing as bad publicity (exposure)” ring true in the classical music world as it does in other realms of (admittedly) popular and political culture? What guidelines should we follow when presented with opportunities that may yield great exposure but would not guarantee us the liberty to have input with regard to the nature of the exposure (for example, Reality TV shows)? Thanks in advance for your feedback. I look forward to your words of wisdom.  —Eager to Learn

Dear Eager to Learn:

From the way you have asked your question, I can tell that you are not only a supportive mother but also a wise and insightful one.

While it is true that opportunities for major exposure are few and far between in the classical music world, the one instance where the media comes knocking on the door is in the case of a young, prodigiously gifted and often physically attractive artist. At such a time, it is natural for a parent to be faced with very conflicting thoughts. If I say no to this, will anyone ever ask again? If I say yes, won’t the doors open wide, thereby assuring my child’s future success? In my experience, if a young musician possesses the genuine gifts that will earn him or her a major performing career, it is wise to develop these gifts out of the limelight. The media is likely to promote the artist as the latest “hot prodigy”; however, a young child or teenager, no matter how gifted, has a long career path ahead of them. They will not be young and adorable forever and once the “prodigy” label no longer applies to them, the popular media may lose interest in them and move on to the next young sensation—unless the attention afforded to them is backed up by extraordinary talent and accomplishment that is generally only achieved after years of hard work. If a news show wants to cover some significant development in the young artist’s career, there is no harm, provided the artist is properly coached and any on-air performance is carefully prepared and can be ensured to take place under acceptable conditions.

In the early years of a career, it is generally best to restrict media exposure to situations where it is not uncommon for a classical musician to perform (such as the BBC “Young Musician of the Year” telecast in the U.K., which is part of the prize), or where the conditions are maximized for a successful outcome. When violinist Hilary Hahn was fifteen and I was her manager, an opportunity presented itself for her to play the Beethoven concerto live on German television with Lorin Maazel and the Bavarian Radio Orchestra. Recognizing that this particular repertoire was usually performed by artists twice her age, her parents and I did not discourage her from accepting the offer because Maestro Maazel had mentored her in this particular piece and performed it with her on several occasions. It proved to be a wildly successful introduction for her to the European classical music world. Had she been offered the equivalent of a modern reality show at that stage, I am sure we would all have said no.

My advice to you is to surround yourself with qualified, experienced and insightful individuals who can help guide you in sorting through media opportunities that may present themselves. Your daughter’s teacher is an excellent starting point. Now that YouTube and mobile phones are part of our daily life, it is hard to exercise control over any performance once it has taken place. However, we can limit problems by having expert contractual advice from the start. You should never agree to any media offer without the counsel of an experienced manager and/or entertainment attorney. In most situations, they can help you in limiting the scope of the exposure, should you wish to do so, and in preventing unauthorized use of your daughter’s performance.

In this phase of your daughter’s career, “good exposure” is exposure that allows her to be presented favorably in a suitable context. Classical musicians often come across as odd when presented alongside pop music performers, athletes and the like. (This becomes less of a problem when the artist is already a celebrity.) In addition to the nature of exposure, you might also want to give some thought to frequency. While there may come a time when seemingly simultaneous exposure from different directions may be extremely effective in raising your daughter’s profile, that approach should be reserved for the moment when she has had ample chance to try things out, gain considerable performing experience and achieve a level of personal and artistic maturity that will help her grow from the spotlight centered on her. For now, nothing would be better than to say yes only to opportunities for healthy exposure and have her leave her growing audience hungry for more.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Overqualified and Underemployed

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

A note to my readers:

The question below is a long one. I asked the writer to condense it, which she did, but after reading that version, I felt that the poignancy and impact of the original message were significantly reduced. I suspect that the writer’s dilemma will resonate with many multi-talented young people embarking on careers and have therefore chosen to reproduce the question in its original form. I hope you will choose to write in with your comments because your personal experiences will be of value to others and will provide a broader perspective than anything I, as one individual, might choose to say.

Dear Edna:

I finished my DMA in piano from a top program a couple of years ago and have two MM degrees from one of the best conservatories in the world. I love being able to do a variety of things in both teaching and playing, which has kept me focused on applying for full-time academic positions for the past five years. I have been working part-time as a teacher (college, high school, and private), performer and composer in the large metropolitan area where I live but I really need more work. Furthermore, I am one of the millions without health insurance because I can’t afford a good individual plan. I have always felt that with my many abilities and terrific recommendation letters, a full-time job was just around the corner but in spite of being shortlisted for a number of academic positions, I have come up empty-handed. I have a number of amazingly talented musician friends who work “day jobs” doing something else and I have been thinking of going that route, especially as I possess very strong administrative skills. Financially, it makes a lot of sense for the time being and it would also possibly keep me from taking on musical projects that I don’t really find attractive. It could also potentially open the door for me to be able to fund other things, like starting my own concert series and producing some good quality recordings of my playing. I have, however, been told that once you leave academe, it is extremely difficult to get back into it. I also can’t help but feel a sense of defeat at the idea of working so long and hard for my performance degrees, only to wind up doing something else for a living. I would hate for working an administrative job to permanently keep me from teaching and performing. Do you have any thoughts about that?    —Overqualified and Underemployed

Dear Overqualified and Underemployed:

Before I say anything else, I must urge you to please take whatever steps you can to obtain health insurance—at minimum, catastrophic insurance (may you never have a need for it). I am deeply concerned about the number of musicians, such as yourself, who  have no coverage whatsoever. In my view, a plan that is admittedly not top of the line is still better than nothing and could tide you over until such time as you might have employment that offers more comprehensive coverage.

You have acknowledged the considerable benefits associated with taking on full-time administrative work. Your major reservation seems to be that “once you leave academe, it is extremely difficult to get back into it.” Yet based on what you have written, you haven’t really entered academe, at least not in a full-time sense. Were you to continue applying for academic positions while accepting an administrative job, an explanatory cover letter would certainly clarify your continuing love of teaching and the financial realities that have forced you to expand your professional horizons. You have never specifically mentioned the possibility of an administrative job in a music-related area, yet there are many such possibilities. They can afford you the opportunity for increased and enhanced networking and perhaps, when you are least expecting it, provide the missing link to the job you really wanted. Alternatively, through such a job, you might meet people who will help to open up new outlets for your performing and composing activities. There is no reason to think of this as an “either or” situation. Many musicians with full-time administrative positions continue to perform regularly. In contemplating the best type of “day job” for yourself that will bring you the stability you crave and deserve, picture a scenario that allows you to keep as many options open as possible. A former boyfriend of mine once recommended to me a book entitled “Directing the Movies of Your Mind.”  I never read the book but I have always loved the title. You are clearly a highly effective multi-tasker  and if you take the time to sort out your most immediate priorities and act on them,  rather than concentrate on how many times you have been rejected for a particular job, chances are this will give you a more positive focus and the confidence you need to ultimately achieve your long-term goals.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

©Edna Landau 2011

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