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Tips for Giving a Successful Media Interview

Thursday, December 13th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

I am very grateful to my longtime friend and colleague, Albert Imperato, for sharing his time and expertise with me in connection with today’s blog post. Albert is a veteran of the public relations industry and Founding Partner of 21C Media Group, Inc. Most of the answer to the question below was formulated on the basis of a recent conversation with him.

Dear Edna:

I have enjoyed reading your blog and have noticed that there is a topic that you don’t seem to have addressed yet. It concerns interviews. I am a violinist in my early 30’s and am fortunate to have management; however, my manager hasn’t given me much guidance as to how to handle the interviews that sometimes precede my concerts. On some occasions, I have felt that I was too outspoken in an interview, or that I should have just talked less. Do you have some useful tips for me? —R.L.

Dear R.L.,

Thanks very much for your excellent question. Here are some guidelines that I hope you will find helpful in improving both the experience and the outcome of your interviews:

1) Know the exact nature of your interview. Will it be for radio, television, Internet or print? Will it be live or taped? Will it be for a profile of you or will your interview be one of several? If it is for a print publication, is the reader likely to be musically sophisticated or would they be considered more mainstream? This will help you in your preparation.

2) Make sure you know up front how much time the interviewer wants or you are prepared to give them. It will help you prioritize what you want to say. Review the allotted time with the interviewer at the start of the interview and try to keep track of it so that you don’t begin to ramble. In general, it is advisable to be as concise as possible, without sacrificing enthusiasm and warmth that might make the interview more meaningful.

3) Practice for the interview in advance with your manager, publicist (if you have one) or a trusted colleague. Prepare answers to any delicate questions you might anticipate. If you are doing a telephone interview, it might be wise to have bullet points in front of you to remind yourself of important things you want to say. Do not allow the interviewer to goad you into saying something you don’t want to say. Stick to your prepared answer and always remain respectful.

4) Bear in mind that you can introduce information even if you weren’t asked about it. For example, at a logical moment, you can say: By the way, I’m not sure if you were told that I have a new album out. When it comes to talking about future engagements, be careful not to divulge information that has not yet been released to the public by the presenter.

5) If you are asked a question that you don’t understand, ask for clarification. If you don’t know an answer, it’s better to say that you don’t know, than to speculate. If it’s not a live interview, you can offer to get back to the interviewer with an answer. It’s useful to take notes of key things you say during an interview (for future reference) if it doesn’t distract you too much.

6) If you are doing an in person live interview, try to arrive early so as to get comfortable with your surroundings. Arriving early also allows you to relax your body, clear your mind of any distractions, and summon up all of your positive energy.

7) Remember that there is no such thing as “off the record”, even if the interviewer agrees to it. Everything you say could be printed.

8) Try to avoid making negative comments because you can never know in what context they will appear. A joke may look different in print from what you intended. Keep a respectful tone and only say things you would feel comfortable having people read. Avoid controversial topics, such as politics.

9) Be wary of moments of silence. Many of us are tempted to speak in order to reduce the awkwardness at such times, but we are more likely to be off guard and say something we didn’t adequately think through.

10) Remember that you wouldn’t be doing the interview if your remarks weren’t expected to be newsworthy and enlightening. This should always be a source of confidence to you.

I asked Albert Imperato whether it’s possible to ask to see the questions in advance. He said that most writers prefer not to do this. They don’t want to compromise the spontaneity of the interview. It might be possible for a publicist to get a general sense of the thrust of an interview, especially if it will be live and on camera. In some instances, with print interviews, artists have been known to ask for the questions in advance and have given responses by e-mail, but this is more generally accepted in the case of performers who are universally acknowledged as having very busy schedules.

I hope these points prove helpful to you. Becoming adept at interviews is an art. You will undoubtedly learn from each one and before long, you will be able to teach others how to excel in them!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Note: This is the final “Ask Edna” column of 2012. I wish all our readers a very happy holiday season and look forward to reconnecting with you on January 3, 2013!


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A Studio of Entrepreneurs

Thursday, December 6th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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I have often wondered whether violists are more entrepreneurial than other groups of musicians. I have written about Nadia Sirota and have had Jessica Meyer as a guest on this blog, to name just two whom I admire greatly. This idea was reinforced when I had occasion to meet Fitz Gary, a violist in Juilliard’s Master’s program, who together with a very entrepreneurial cellist (!), Avery Waite, mounted a concert last June called Music Feeds Us in their home town of Charlottesville, Virginia. Inspired by Music for Food Boston, founded by the esteemed violist Kim Kashkashian, they raised $6,483 and 482 pounds of food for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank, which is equivalent to 26,333 meals. A Google search for further information about Fitz Gary led me to the website of The American Viola Society, and a most fascinating blog emanating from the Juilliard studio of Heidi Castleman, Misha Amory, Hsin-Yun Huang, and Steven Tenenbom, a.k.a the “ACHT” Viola Studio. (Robert Vernon, Principal Viola of the Cleveland Orchestra, also works with many of the students.) Hosted by the American Viola Society, it is called the AVS Pedagogy Blog, or From the Studio. Each day of the week, the studio’s students, teachers, teaching assistants, as well as alumni, post columns on the blog which break down into five categories: Outreach and Resources, Pedagogy, Repertoire and Interpretation, Technique, and The Cast. The Cast typically introduces students in the studio in an interview format, hence a column entitled Introducing Fitz Gary!, in which he reveals that when he was in fifth grade and had to choose an instrument, he chose the viola because the line to try it was the shortest.

Over coffee with Heidi Castleman, I learned that it was Edward Klorman, a violist and teaching assistant in the “ACHT” Studio and chair of the Music Theory and Analysis Department at Juilliard (who also sits on the board of the American Viola Society) who first told her of the Society’s desire to start a pedagogy blog. He conceived of it being a project of the “ACHT” Studio and the American Viola Society enthusiastically endorsed the idea. The studio signed on for the blog’s inaugural season. Prof. Castleman plays a central role in the project, along with the blog’s co-directors, Molly Carr and Gabriel Taubman. The beauty of this blog is that it gets students thinking and learning from one another and contains a wealth of information that should prove valuable to more than just violists. Jessica Chang’s wonderful article Starting Chamber Music by the Bay contains useful tips and inspirational ideas about music education that will undoubtedly help pave the way for like-minded musical entrepreneurs. I encourage everyone who can spare 5-10 minutes to read The Healing Power of Music: The Performer’s Gift, by Daniel Adams, and Hannah Ross’s Outreach in Tanzania, both of which touched me greatly. Clearly, this blog reflects the nature of the “ACHT” studio, which fosters the idea that students can be truly successful if they impact and relate to the world around them. Prof. Castleman surmises that violists, who play on an instrument that so often represents an “inner voice”, may particularly thrive on efforts to link to everything around them and share responsibility for the whole. Her holistic outlook for the students infuses the studio with optimism, the courage to pursue new initiatives, and a feeling of excitement about the endless possibilities for sharing their love of music with others.

Although there are other blogs with similar content, I believe that the “ACHT” studio blog is unique, in that all of the contributors are directly affiliated with the studio. It has an impressive number of readers from as far away as Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand. I think it serves as an excellent model for other music studios and there is no doubt that all of the contributors have benefited greatly from sharing both music and life’s lessons and joys.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Listening to Your Inner Voice | Comments Closed

A Master Multitasker

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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I am frequently asked how musicians can be expected to handle the various artistic, administrative, financial, and performance related responsibilities they must regularly juggle and still not have their performances suffer in quality. I actually wrote about this in an earlier column entitled Time out for Time Management (June 30, 2011). The question resurfaced when I was sitting in the audience at a recent Musica Sacra concert of some of my favorite choral music and spent part of the intermission reading the program, specifically music director Kent Tritle’s bio. I was so astonished by the number of positions he holds concurrently that I went backstage after the very wonderful concert to ask if he would be willing to meet for coffee and shed some light on how this is humanly possible. Fortunately, he agreed, and I am happy to share what I learned.

In addition to being Music Director of Musica Sacra, Kent Tritle is Director of Cathedral Music and organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Music Director of the Oratorio Society of New York, Director of Choral Activities at the Manhattan School of Music, a member of the graduate faculty of the Juilliard School, organist of the New York Philharmonic and the American Symphony Orchestra, and host of a weekly radio show The Choral Mix on WQXR. My first question to Mr. Tritle was whether he had assistants in all of these places (except his organ jobs) and the answer was yes. However, some deeper probing revealed that the assistance he has had over the years didn’t materialize overnight. He worked hard to earn it. When he began his 22-year tenure at the Church of St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City in 1989, part-time help was organized on an hourly basis as needed. When he conceived of the idea of a concert series that would open the doors to a larger community and received enthusiastic endorsement from the pastor, he personally sent out letters to potential supporters and met with considerable success. Subsequently,the staff grew to five full-time employees. At the Manhattan School of Music, his only initial assistance was from a graduate student, but he now works closely with the esteemed Associate Director of choral activities, Ronald Oliver. He still gets additional assistance from graduate students who, in turn, get “podium time” conducting sectional rehearsals. Mr. Tritle’s weekly radio show would not be possible without the excellent help of Production Associate, Daniel Scarozza, whose passion for choral music mirrors his own. The selections are drawn from Mr. Tritle’s massive collection of recordings,which number in the thousands.

To keep all of the above in balance, Kent Tritle employs a personal assistant for 12-20 hours a week. However, he credits his Franklin Planner with helping him maintain his equilibrium. It has led him to spend fifteen minutes at the beginning of every day looking at the monthly, weekly and daily picture. He calls this time P & S (planning and solitude). It helps him get a sense of the overall flow of his responsibilities – what can wait, and what really must happen right away. He also orders his daily priorities by A, B and C, with A generally consisting of score study, practice, and exercise. These may not happen at the same time each day but they do happen. In recognition of the fact that there are so many elements of a performer’s life that are unpredictable, he stressed to me the importance of taking responsibility on a daily basis for the things one can manage so as to remain flexible for everything else that might come up.

In looking at Mr. Tritle’s performance schedule, what is impressive, and even touching, is how he brings together individuals from the various institutions for whom he works, affording them enriching opportunities that they might not otherwise have. In the fall of 2011, the Manhattan School of Music Symphonic Chorus performed Walton’s Henry V with the New York Philharmonic, and the chamber choir joined the Philharmonic for a Young People’s concert. The New York Philharmonic’s final concert of the 2011-12 season, Philharmonic 360—Spatial Music from Mozart’s Don Giovanni to Stockhausen’s Gruppen at the Park Avenue Armory, featured the Oratorio Society of New York and the MSM Chamber Choir, performing in the finale of Act I of Don Giovanni. In April 2013, Mr. Tritle will lead the MSM Symphonic Chorus in organist David Brigg’s transcription of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 for organ, chorus, and soloists at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. How exciting for all of the participants in these programs! This cross-pollination seems to be a very natural reflection of Kent Tritle’s humility, dedication, and excitement over every project he undertakes. If he has access to multiple venues and organizations, why not involve as many of the people he regularly works with as much as possible? It must be nice to see familiar faces on stage, and it undoubtedly facilitates communication when rehearsal times are at a premium.

There is one final fact that should perhaps not be overlooked in discussing Mr. Tritle’s ease with multitasking. He has not had a television in his home since 1994.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

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Hearing the Artist’s Voice

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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One of the questions I am asked most frequently when I meet with students at music schools and conservatories is: How important is it to have a website? I increasingly tell them that it is very important. The challenge for a musician who is still a student is to generate enough information to fill a website, especially if they have only a few, or even no reviews, and their performance calendar is very sparse. Recently, I had the pleasure of meeting with performance psychologist Dr. Noa Kageyama’s Performance Enhancement class at the Juilliard School. The students are all Masters students. In preparation for the class, I asked Dr. Kageyama to give me their names so that I could get to know them a little online before meeting them in person. Only four out of eighteen had websites but one really stood out from the rest. It was created by double bassist Corey Schutzer, whose performance experience to date is largely as a collaborative bassist. He does not yet have a very busy performance schedule and there are no reviews on the website, yet he does have some impressive quotes on the home page, a very interesting and unusual performance sample on the Media page, and a sincerely written page entitled “Teaching Philosophy”, which should help him find new students. He generously lists links to resources that other bassists might find helpful. Most importantly, he succeeds in achieving a warm, personal style of communication and he impressed this reader with his expressions of gratitude to all those who have helped him reach this point in his career. I particularly liked how this was reflected in his bio on the About page, written in the first person. (He was wise, however, to add a more traditional short bio, suitable for downloading by presenters.) I also admired the overall design and the varied and high quality photos (by a violinist and Juilliard graduate, Arthur Moeller). Corey subsequently told me that he used a Wix.com template for the website, which he didn’t find too challenging, but that he spent considerable time composing the content and getting it all organized on the site. The most interesting thing for me was learning from Corey that going through the exercise of creating the website was a major step forward for him, as it reaffirmed the positive things about his career to date, and the process of expressing himself in writing also served to build his overall confidence in representing himself to others.

All of this got me thinking that anyone who interacts with artists, emerging as well as established, wants to hear that artist’s inner voice. We want to know what they are really like, what inspires them, and in the case of their concert performances, why they chose the program they offered. Since I was captivated by Corey’s first person bio, I spoke to a few presenters to see if they would ever print such a bio. The answer was negative, largely because they felt that their audience wants to read something more objective and it is hard for an artist to write objectively about themselves. I concur that it becomes increasingly difficult as an artist amasses more accolades and their writing may come across as bragging. However, what I did hear from presenters is that they are extremely interested in reflecting in their programs the thought behind the chosen program and that they welcome receiving this input in the artist’s own words. At Carnegie Hall, this may appear in the section of the program entitled At a Glance. It is even possible that a bit of biographical information might be included if it is relevant to the choice of program. Hanna Arie-Gaifman, Director of the 92nd Street Y’s Tisch Center for the Arts, told me that she has sometimes interviewed artists prior to their performance and printed a short introduction to them in the program, if she felt that the audience would benefit from knowing more about them. Clark Morris, Executive and Artistic Director of the Harriman-Jewell Series in Kansas City, told me that they encourage artists to contribute their thoughts about the chosen program and even write program notes, if they so desire. They regularly do a question and answer session on stage after the concert to further familiarize the audience with the performers and gain insight into the program they just performed. He also told me that he has been speaking with artist managers about producing short video clips for their artists in advance of a tour that would explain what the music means to them. He envisions something simple and authentic, not slick or overly produced. He would then post the video clips on his website, to complement the informative notes he already has there.

The message here seems very clear. In addition to practicing and honing their performance skills to the highest levels possible, artists (especially young ones) need to reflect about themselves and their artistic choices, and become comfortable sharing with others who they are and what drove them to make those choices. If they devote proper time to helping audiences get to know them, they will be successful in building a dedicated and ever larger following.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

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Reaching Out During the Storm

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

For those who live along the eastern seaboard of the United States, this past week was filled with overwhelming challenges, including displacement from homes, freezing temperatures, loss of electrical power, extensive property damage and financial loss. Many of us have read about the telethon organized by NBC, featuring performers including Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, Sting, and Christina Aguilera, which raised $23 million in donations to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief. A note I received on this blog following the storm inspired me to pay tribute this week to less heralded performers who gave generously of themselves to make this trying experience more bearable. Marianne Schmocker, director of Marianne Schmocker Artists, wrote as follows:

I do not have a question, but thought you might be interested to read this. One of the groups that I represent, the Hugo Wolf Quartet, performed an afternoon concert in New York on Sunday, October 28, and headed out to the airport to return to Vienna at the start of Hurricane Sandy, only to be turned away. They found one of the last taxis to leave for Manhattan. The director of the Austrian Cultural Forum, Andreas Stadler, who had presented the quartet a few days earlier, invited them to stay in the ACF building where he also lives. However, there was not enough space for all four musicians. Two of them had to sleep on the concert stage. After the storm on Monday, they gave a free concert at the ACF which was attended by seven people. When they heard that concerts were canceled everywhere in Manhattan, they gave another free concert on Thursday, November 1. This time, the hall was packed, after an announcement appeared on the ACF’s website and word spread via Facebook and Twitter. Even though the quartet had to live together in a very small place away from their families who were very worried about them, they still had the energy to play music for others. As their manager, I discovered the Hugo Wolf Quartet anew. I am proud to work with them.

In speaking with Ms. Schmocker, I learned that the Hugo Wolf Quartet offered different programs each time they played, trying to present music that was as uplifting as possible for the special circumstances. For the final concert on November 1, they wanted to offer Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet #2 but they had a small problem – they didn’t have the music. So they went to Starbucks, joined the large numbers of people who were already signed on to their WiFi, downloaded the music onto their computers and printed it out at the Austrian Cultural Forum.

Before leaving the country, the quartet’s cellist, Florian Berner, joined by Mr. Stadler, did an interview for WWFM in Princeton. Mr. Stadler explained how the November 1 concert came about. As he and the quartet had been sharing accommodations and meals for several days, they discussed what would be important to New York after the storm. They felt that the answer was a message of reconstruction and good spirit, something for which music is the perfect vehicle. Mr. Berner reported that the atmosphere was so exceptional during the concert that they were reminded how important art and music are when we encounter moments in life which we don’t know how to handle. A number of audience members thanked him and the Quartet for giving them a two hour reprieve from watching great devastation on television and lifting their depressed spirits.

It is particularly touching when artists from abroad seize the opportunity to share the healing power of great music with us in our time of need. I am sure they were not alone. Bravo to all the other performers who spontaneously responded in similar fashion. Please feel free to use the comments feature on this blog to share your stories. I’d love to hear from you!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

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The Power of a Program

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

On Monday, October 15, while reading the Arts section of The New York Times, I was struck by the fact that more than half of one page was taken up by two reviews of concerts that had very small audiences and that were performed by artists without major name recognition. Anthony Tommasini reviewed a performance by the Mivos Quartet at the DiMenna Center’s Benzaquen Hall, where he reported that chairs were set up for just 50 people. The review of the quartet was accompanied by a performance photo which measured 6 x 9 inches.  Vivien Schweitzer reviewed a concert by the Danish String Quartet in the Victor Borge Hall of Scandinavia House, which has a seating capacity of 168. I can well remember a time when only concerts performed in New York’s biggest halls, or debut concerts performed in one or two venues, stood a chance of being reviewed.

It would seem that it matters far less where today’s performers share their music with us than what they choose to program. I find this change wonderfully refreshing and welcome. The Mivos Quartet’s program, which Mr. Tommasini called “thoughtful”, consisted of Helmut Lachenmann’s String Quartet No. 3 (“Grido,” 2002), Wolfgang Rihm’s “Quartettstudie” (2004) and John Cage’s String Quartet in Four Parts (1950). The Danish String Quartet performed Beethoven’s String Quartet in A minor (Op. 132), which Ms. Schweitzer called “one of the most powerful performances of Opus 132 I’ve heard live or on disc.” The rest of the program consisted of Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Serenade” and Janacek’s String Quartet No. 1 (“Kreutzer”). Ms. Schweitzer’s quote and very enthusiastic review will undoubtedly be beneficial to the quartet as they continue to build their career and it will not matter at all that they didn’t play in one of New York City’s premier concert halls.

While pondering this topic, I decided to call my esteemed colleague, the preeminent publicist Mary Lou Falcone, to see if she thought that my observation was accurate. Ms. Falcone is one of the founding directors of Spring for Music, a festival that has brought orchestras to New York’s Carnegie Hall in May of the past two years, chosen solely by the distinctiveness and adventurousness of their programs.  Ms. Falcone also teaches a Vocal Arts Seminar at the Juilliard School in which she stresses the increasing importance of connecting with one’s audience through thoughtful programming and direct personal communication. She concurred with my observation and we shared our excitement at the thought that in choosing from a broader and more imaginative variety of venues, artists need not concern themselves so much with the chances for media coverage. A call to Welz Kauffman, President and CEO of the Ravinia Festival, confirmed that in Chicago, even tiny venues may be covered by the press, especially if new work is involved or the venue is unusual and interesting. I know for a fact that Mark Swed, Chief Music Critic for the Los Angeles Times (who visited my class while I was teaching at the Colburn School), has long been drawn to concerts with unusual programs in interesting venues. Clearly, the entire country is moving in the same direction.

While it is likely that concert presenters may still be reluctant to present a large number of concerts in small, intimate venues, due to their legitimate concern about box office income and covering their expenses, it is heartening to note that they still may opt for them if they feel they are most appropriate for a particular program. Earlier this week, The New York Times featured the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s “Cozy Celebration of Britten’s Centenary” which took place in the Rose Rehearsal Studio at Lincoln Center. The Escher Quartet’s fascinating and interconnected program of works by Britten, Beethoven, Purcell and Gesualdo (arranged for the ensemble by the quartet’s violist) was enjoyed by a small audience seated in circles around the quartet – close enough, said Wu Han, one of the Society’s artistic directors “to breathe in the rosin dust released from the performers’ bows and to become participants in the music making.” How wonderful that the Society opted for the Rehearsal Studio, rather than the much larger Alice Tully Hall.

Can performers conclude that they no longer have to contemplate raising a huge sum of money to rent one of the most prestigious concert halls in hopes of gaining attention? This might be true, but only if they do not lose sight of the importance of offering a program that will be distinctive and enlightening. It does not need to be a program of all-contemporary music, but it might be especially attractive if the pieces relate to one another in some way. It is always a plus to introduce a new or relatively unknown work to an audience, or even to offer an interesting transcription that speaks to the artists’ strengths. The performers should feel that they have something very special to say about the music and they should have lived with it and performed it sufficient times to thoroughly share their passion for the music with their audience. The crowning touch will be to choose a venue that will allow them to accomplish this in the most direct way, so that their audience can get swept up by their excitement and cherish the experience long after the concert is over.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Communicating with Your Audience | Comments Closed

A Flair for Marketing

Thursday, October 25th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

I am often asked by artists and ensembles how they can gain recognition for themselves and build a following. The easiest way to answer them is by way of example.

Prior to March 1, 2012, I don’t think that Sybarite5 was on my radar screen. I’m sure I read that they were a winner of the Concert Artists Guild Competition in the fall of 2011 but the information just passed through my mind at the time. On March 1 of this year, I received my first e-mail communication from them in which they announced their Carnegie Hall debut at Zankel Hall, scheduled for November 13. In the relatively short newsletter, they also announced the first Sybarite5 baby (born to their bassist and his wife), a few upcoming world premiere performances, some educational workshops, and also saluted  their new friends at the Logan Series in Erie, Pennsylvania, saying: “We could not have asked for a warmer, more appreciative audience at Penn State!”  There were links to their tour schedule, their Facebook page, and their downloadable music on iTunes, cdbaby and Bandcamp. It was signed by Angela, Laura, Louis, Sami and Sarah. It was concise but personal. The next newsletter (June 12) announced a refreshing Carnegie Hall “Name that Tune” ticket giveaway contest, which was repeated in the July 13 newsletter. I include that one below because it impressed me so greatly:

Greetings from Aspen!
Dear Friends & Fans,A big hello from our summer home in Aspen, Colorado! We are here performing as the Alumni Ensemble for the Aspen Music Festival and School, and are hard at work rehearsing and recording for our new all-Radiohead album! We are always thrilled to return to Aspen, where we got our start at the Aspen Music Festival that has nurtured us for so many years.

We will be here until July 28, and then we will be heading to Albuquerque for the 3rd year performing on the Sunday Chatter series. Following that we head back east for our Canadian debut at the Tuckamore Music Festival in Newfoundland, Canada. We are excited to perform for the first time in St. John, the hometown of our violist Angela Pickett!

On the way back to NYC we perform at the Chautauqua Music Festival on August 13 and at the Steppingstone Theater in Great Neck, NY on August 19 rounding out a busy summer season. We look forward to a packed 2012-2013 season with concerts all over the country!

And, finally, this month we continue with our Carnegie Hall Name that Tune ticket giveaway contest only for our e-newlsetter fans!

Entry is simple:

  1. Watch this short video here on our YouTube page.
  2. Be the first person to post the YouTube link and the name of the song on our Facebook page SYBARITE FIVE
  3. Get a free ticket to our Carnegie debut on November 13th, 2012!!!

Keep reading our e-newsletter on the 13th of every month for the next chance to win tickets for our Carnegie Hall debut at Zankel Hall on November 13th! This will be the event of our season and we need the support of all our fans near and far. Tickets will be available for purchase on Carnegie Hall’s website on September 13.

Stay tuned for more updates on all things Sybarite!

Until August 13th,
Angela, Laura, Louis, Sami & Sarah
 
 
     

©2012 sybarite5 | 10033
 

Why did this newsletter captivate me and spur me on to find out more about Sybarite5?

a)  It was warm and friendly

b)  It expressed gratitude to the Aspen Music Festival for nurturing them for many years

c)  It shared their personal and professional excitement over their upcoming performances

d)  It reminded everyone about their Carnegie ticket giveaway contest, a great way to build anticipation

e)  It made me feel that my support was important to them

From what I have read and seen on the Internet, this dynamic string quintet brings the same imagination, energy, warmth and creativity to their concert programs. They are also exciting and highly accomplished performers. I look forward to hearing them next month and to following their very promising career. They are off to a great start!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Publicity and Promotion | Comments Closed

Performing on the High Seas

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

When I had the pleasure of meeting with participants in the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival last summer, I addressed a number of questions that had been submitted in advance. One question concerned playing on music cruises, and how to apply for such opportunities. I decided to defer an answer until I had time to research the topic, hence this week’s column. I have never taken a cruise so I cannot speak firsthand of the experience. However, I hope that what I have learned and the links below will prove beneficial to those interested in going this route.

There are a good number of cruise lines that employ musicians. The large majority of musicians performing on cruise ships perform in the orchestra (sometimes called the showband), accompanying non-classical acts, or in lounges. They may contact the entertainment department of the cruise line (such as Carnival or Holland America) directly, or they may choose to sign up with an agency. They will submit promotional materials and will generally also be asked to audition over the phone. The goal of such an audition is to assess both their playing and sight reading skills. They may typically be asked to perform music that they received 30 minutes earlier. Chamber ensembles, including jazz combos, will be handled a bit differently. They will usually be asked to submit a variety of promotional materials, along with a video and repertoire list.

Certain cruise lines organize specific classical music and opera cruises (which can involve concerts both on board and on land). They typically have an artistic direction department which already has an idea of who they want to book. They will then contact the artist’s agent directly. However, they do give consideration to artists who write to them. I spoke with someone at one of the most exclusive cruise lines, Hapag-Lloyd, and they suggested that interested artists fill out a form on their international website, www.hl-cruises.com. (Go to “Contact Services” and then to the “Contact Form”.) It should be noted that they are most likely to use American artists for cruises in the U.S., as opposed to European routes. Other classical music cruises are sometimes organized by a variety of arts organizations, such as the English Chamber Orchestra, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Music@Menlo. In these cases, they are likely to invite artists with whom they are already familiar.

Showband and lounge musicians should be prepared to make an initial commitment of three to four months to the cruise line. If they enjoy the work and do well, they can explore prolonged opportunities on different ships in various parts of the world. They will be provided with accommodations and food, plus a salary. I have found the following guidelines which appear to be current: For orchestra sidemen, $1800-$2600 a month. For lounge entertainers, $2300-$3500 a month. All salaries are subject to federal taxation. It is possible that musicians may have to share a cabin. Some classical music cruises might not pay a salary or fee but will provide access to all of the ship’s facilities and may also allow for family members to come along. The ships will accommodate the artist’s need to find practice facilities and will usually allow them to sell cd’s on board. If you are someone who likes to travel, has some extra time on your hands and enjoys meeting new people, you might want to dip your toe into the water.

Here are some websites that you might find helpful in your explorations:

Agencies that provide cruise entertainers

Oceanbound Entertainment – www.oceanbound.com

Proship Entertainment – www.proship.com

Landau Music (no relation to me!) – www.landaumusic.com

General useful information on performance opportunities on cruises

http://www.musicianwages.com/how-to-get-a-cruise-ship-musician-job. The site offers general advice, as well as the opportunity to purchase online The Cruise Ship Talent Agency Directory and The Cruise Line Entertainment Directory. It also offers Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Musician: An Exhaustive Guide to Working as a Cruise Ship Musician, by Dave Hahn, and Ten Effective Strategies When Applying for Cruise Musician Jobs, by Daniel Thibault.

www.workoncruiseships.com: The Complete Resource Center for Cruise Ship Employment

www.cruisejobfinder.com

www.artistshousemusic.org/videos/jobs+for+musicians+with+carnival+cruise+lines (an informative video but somewhat outdated)

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Managing Your Own Career | Comments Closed

Demystifying the Business of Jazz

Thursday, October 11th, 2012

By: Laura Hartmann

I am delighted to have as guest blogger this week the widely respected and admired founder of LVanHart Artist Productions, Laura Hartmann. This is the first Ask Edna post that addresses jazz, and it couldn’t be in better hands. — EL

This summer, while having lunch together, my friend and colleague Edna Landau and I entered into a discussion about the differences between management practices in the classical and jazz worlds.  Afterwards, she asked if I would write a piece on this topic for “Ask Edna.”  What an honor!  So, here you go:

In thinking about how to approach this subject, I remembered a panel that I put together for Arts Presenters in the late ‘90’s called “Demystifying the Business of Jazz.” In the audience that day were artists who wanted to know how to approach the whole concept of finding help with their careers.  They were stumped as to how to navigate among the different people who are involved in a jazz artists’ life.  It can be daunting, but the key to demystifying the process is to understand what roles we each play.

In the classical world, companies like Alliance Artists, CAMI, IMG, or Barrett/Vantage Artists are ‘one-stop shopping.’  They provide management services as well as booking services, and they even have publicity and travel or operations departments. Artists may not need to hire anyone else to help them with their careers and get them work. However, in the jazz world, a given artist may have a manager, a booking agent, a publicist, or any number of people who may work out of separate offices.  The size of the team, of course, depends on the level of the artist. So, let’s examine the different roles and define each one.

The manager is the person who is responsible for guiding the artist’s career (the captain of the ship, as I like to think of it). They would include Karen Kennedy at 24/7 Artist Management, Gail Boyd Artist Management, Louise Holland of Vision Arts Management, and myself, LVanHart Artist Productions. The manager may also advance concerts and tours (including planning flights, booking hotels, ground transportation, hiring sidemen, budgeting, making sure the artist’s technical needs are met by each venue), assist with business, help in developing promotional materials, and guide the artist in finding a booking agent, a publicist, an accountant, or a record label. For providing these services, a manager would typically ask for a commission of 10-20%, depending on what the artist requires. Some managers are also asking for a small monthly fee to cover administrative duties that do not generate income, yet are necessary to care for the artist.

The booking agent books engagements for the artist, without necessarily providing guidance for career advancement. (In many states a booking agency must have a license because it is viewed as an employment agency.)  Examples of jazz agents would be Myles Weinstein at Unlimited Myles, Ted Kurland & Associates, IMN, Michael Kline Artists, and Ed Keane & Associates.  A booking agent generally charges 10-15%.

A publicist’s job is to generate and manage publicity for their artist, gaining attention in the press for their concerts, recordings, and any noteworthy developments, such as prizes and special projects. Some of the publicists in jazz are Seth Cohen PR, Don Lucoff at DL Media, Jim Eigo at Jazz Promo Services, and Michael Bloom Media Relations. Publicists are usually hired on a project basis, for example to promote a CD release or a specific tour. The fee is likely to be based on the duration of the campaign or the number of cities in a given tour. The publicist might also be hired on a monthly basis to help the manager paint the ‘big picture,’ beyond a single event.  Fees for publicists vary widely and really depend upon what the artist wants him/her to do.  Monthly fees can range from $400 to over $3000.

As you search for someone to help you with your career, it is very important that you understand the difference between the artist manager and the booking agent.  The classic mistake an artist makes is to go to a manager and think that they will book them a whole bunch of gigs.  Booking concerts is NOT their primary function.  If you have all of your business together, have a clear idea of how you want to grow your career and how to make it happen, you would just want to seek out a booking agent.  There are artists that do that very successfully.  Bill Charlap is one.  He is booked by Ted Kurland’s office, but doesn’t have a manager.  He has done an impressive job of furthering his career and he really knows how to take care of business!

But if you are like most artists, you want help with your career. You want help in making it grow, or you want to have someone to take care of business so you have more time to practice or write music. A manager is really what you are seeking. When my client Steve Wilson came to me almost 16 years ago, he was working in the bands of Dave Holland, Chick Corea and many others.  Yet Steve was anxious to lead his own ensembles.  That was a priority for him in taking his career to the next level.  Over the years I have helped him bring his quartet to Europe and have made introductions that led to dates in larger and more prestigious venues. We have also worked together to develop his creative ideas. A project with string quartet, featuring music from Charlie Parker’s ‘Bird with Strings’, began as a residency in colleges and has expanded into a program including a chamber orchestra and newly commissioned works, at venues such as The Kennedy Center and the Detroit Jazz Festival.

Now, as with all things, there are gray areas. Myles Weinstein is a booking agent for some artists who have managers, and others who don’t.  He finds that with the clients who don’t have management, he does have to step in from time to time to help with travel and advancing their dates, or even give general guidance. His primary focus, however, is on booking concerts, not guiding his clients’ careers. Karen Kennedy is a manager, all of whose clients are currently with booking agencies; but if she signs an artist who doesn’t have an agent — an up-and-coming artist perhaps — she will book gigs to get them going. Clearly, nothing is black and white, but if you keep the above guidelines in mind as you search for partners in your career, you will maximize your chances for finding the right team.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.


Posted in Ask Edna, Finding a Manager | Comments Closed

Who Should Write Program Notes?

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Congratulations to Mollie Alred of Sciolino Artist Management who won a $25 gift card for submitting the following question

Dear Edna:

As a manager of classical musicians, I have the opportunity to work with many different presenters. No matter the type of presenter, size of the hall, the budget or the number of staff members, one question frequently pops up: Who is writing the program notes? Some organizations hire a professional writer, others handle the task on site, and still others have generous (and well informed, very skilled) volunteers. Yet, there are others who expectantly ask me for this material. This has led to the very last thing I want to have: an uncomfortable exchange with a presenter. As a concert goer, I love program notes and read them carefully. I think they go a long way in engaging our audiences. I also see the presenter’s point of view that the notes should be included as part of the “whole package”. Nevertheless, as an artist manager, writing program notes on Beethoven string quartets falls outside of the duties I can realistically handle. Please help me solve this. What is the industry norm? — Mollie Alred, Associate, Sciolino Artist Management

Dear Mollie:

Thanks for sending in your excellent question. I understand that this was a hot topic at a recent Major University Presenters meeting so it is clearly on many people’s minds. As I usually do in a situation like this, I surveyed a number of manager and presenter colleagues from various parts of the country. What emerged is that there is no industry norm but that most presenters view it as their responsibility to produce program notes. They usually hire someone to do this or resort to one of the solutions you mentioned in your question. The one exception mentioned by everyone I spoke to is new music. It is common for composers to write notes for their works and I would go so far as to say that it is even expected. There are some instances where artists who write well like to submit their own notes. This lends a special personal touch to the program and is gratefully received by the presenter, especially when the works on the program are rather unusual. In the case of vocal recitals, presenters will not necessarily expect to receive program notes but they will expect to receive song texts and translations from foreign languages into English. Most managements keep a data base of such texts and will also refer to the REC Music Foundation’s website, www.recmusic.org.

You might be interested to know that some managements put in their contracts that they don’t provide program notes. I haven’t seen the exact language but I’m sure there is a way to state this which acknowledges that you wish it could be otherwise. In cases where this doesn’t go down well, it should be possible to explain over the phone that it is becoming harder and harder to provide top level service in every aspect of artist booking and servicing in these difficult economic times and that you must concentrate on the essentials. You might also want to add that it is not in your management’s budget to commission program notes for presenters and that you are keenly aware that it is illegal to reproduce and provide notes that have been written and copyrighted by others. One manager told me that since she knows where each artist is playing each program, she sometimes puts one presenter in touch with another to see if they might be able to share the cost of commissioning the notes. Another knew of situations where exceptional students received credit for writing program notes. Bert Harclerode, Executive Director of Chamber Music Sedona, told me that they are fortunate to have Northern Arizona University nearby, where often the Chair of the School of Music has provided informative and witty notes. There may be other presenters who haven’t thought of these possible solutions and who would be grateful to learn of them from you.

I hope that the above suggestions and feedback from both presenters and managers will reduce, or even eliminate, the possibility of you having any further uncomfortable exchanges on this subject in the future.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

 

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