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Tips for Successful Grant Writing

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

One of the questions I was asked this past summer when I did a live Ask Edna session at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival was about tips for successful grant writing.  Unfortunately, the allotted time that day didn’t suffice for me to address that topic but I felt I should dedicate a column to it as the question frequently comes up. The points itemized below have been gathered from various Internet websites and from a workshop that was presented to my class at the Colburn School a few years ago by Melissa Snoza and Adam Marks of Fifth House Ensemble. They have always been DIY types and they have developed considerable skill in this area over the years. Here are some general pointers that should apply to any type of grant application:

  1. Leave yourself a lot of time from when you request an application until it is due. If you do your job thoroughly and take the time to learn from others with experience in this area, you will maximize your chances for success. Seek out people who have written successful grant proposals. They might be happy to show you some samples. There are many sources of information on the Internet regarding successful grant writing. Chief among them is the Foundation Center. Just google “grant writing” and you will discover many hours’ worth of constructive reading.
  2. Read all instructions very carefully. A grant proposal can be rejected simply because the writer didn’t precisely adhere to them or because it was incomplete.
  3. Your proposal should be neat and easy to read. Be sure to submit the exact number of copies the funder requests. If you are allowed to submit supporting materials, try to ascertain which items would be most helpful, rather than assume that you should include every nice letter that was ever written about you.
  4. Make sure your project falls within the funding guidelines of the granting organization and matches their priorities. Also, take the time to check that you qualify for a grant even if you don’t have 501(c)3 status. You might be eligible if you have fiscal sponsorship but some funders won’t give grants through fiscal sponsors.
  5. It is essential to comply with all deadlines stipulated by the funder. Keep a “tickler file” or online timeline of when all materials are due or when you need to complete certain tasks, and update it regularly as you make progress with your proposal.
  6. Inquire about the maximum possible amount of the grant you are seeking and be sure not to submit a proposal for more. It is important to ensure that your budget corresponds realistically to what you hope to achieve. Don’t underestimate your expenses in hopes that a more modest grant request will have a greater chance for success.
  7. Make sure your need and purpose in applying for a grant is well thought out, concise and crystal clear. In this regard, I liked the following sentence which I found on the lone-eagles.com website:“You should know exactly what you’re planning to do with their money and express it in elegant simplicity.” Be very specific as to what you will be delivering if you receive the grant and make sure that the outcomes are objective and measurable.
  8. At any point along the way, you should feel comfortable calling the funder to ask any questions you may have. In fact, you might want to call even before you start the application process to make sure that your project falls within their guidelines. You might want to ask how applications are reviewed and how decisions are made. It is a good idea to invite them to events you are presenting during the application period. If you do not receive the grant in the end, you can also call them to get feedback that might prove helpful in the future.
  9. In advance of the big moment when you finally submit your proposal, proofread it carefully and have at least one other person read it. Ask them if what you have written is totally clear to them and if they think you have made a compelling case for your project. Double and triple check the numbers in your budget.

If you are feeling squeamish about the prospect of going it on your own, you can always enlist the services of a grant writer. However, it would be prudent to use someone who comes with recommendations from people you know. You might even ask them to show you one or two sample proposals they submitted that met with success. In the end, you might decide to resort to buying Grant Writing for Dummies. Someone I know who has had repeated success with grant applications swears that they learned everything they know from this book. If you go this route, please be sure to let me know if you found it helpful!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

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

A Most Unusual Recording

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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One morning last week, while waking up to radio station WQXR, I heard the announcer introduce a nocturne by Ottorino Respighi, which he said was part of their featured album of the week. I had never heard it before and was spellbound by the beautiful playing. The pianist was Michael Landrum, also totally unknown to me. I decided I needed to know more about the two-cd set entitled Nocturnes and, a few hours later, began to research the recording. I learned that it contained 32 nocturnes by 31 different composers, among them two women – Clara Wieck-Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. I also learned that the pianist is Professor of Music at Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, New York, and that he has long been fascinated by nocturnes and the way different composers have approached them. I decided to call Dr. Landrum in hopes of finding out more about the evolution of this project, what drove him to make the recording, and what effect it has had on his professional career. It was quite easy to get through to him via the school’s music department and after leaving a message, my call was returned later the same day. The conversation proved every bit as rewarding as listening to his wonderful recording (which I bought the same day). Having assumed that he made the recording to get his name out to a broader musical community, I learned that his motivation was not that at all. He made the recording because he loved the music and realized that so much of it is unknown (e.g., nocturnes by Griffes and Tcherepnin). He felt that he would be making a contribution in his own small way by sharing it with a larger audience.

Since I know how difficult it is for performers to find time to research unusual repertoire, I asked Dr. Landrum how he succeeded in assembling such a rich and varied collection of nocturnes. He told me that he hadn’t set out to compile such a collection but “it just snuck up on him”. Having always been inspired by Chopin’s nocturnes, one of which he worked on while a freshman at Oberlin, he later was scavenging around for teaching materials for his undergraduate students and came across some nocturnes by John Field, which were totally new to him. A search through the stacks at Eastman’s Sibley Library yielded the nocturnes by Cyril Scott and Alec Rowley that are on the recording. A music dealer in Atlanta, Hutchins and Rea, have been wonderful about collecting nocturnes for him during their international travels. Actually, each nocturne has its own story. But how did they make their way onto a very distinctive recording?

Dr. Landrum met his record producer, David Frost, at the Taubman Institute, and they became good friends. They set about to record the nocturnes at Roberts Wesleyan College already in the year 2000. Dr. Landrum paid for the engineering and production, program notes and photography. Like many labors of love, nothing happened immediately, but it was David Frost who introduced him to Sono Luminus, the distinguished label who released the recording. He originally gave them enough material for one disc, thinking they would find the repertoire too cumbersome. They insisted on having two. Enjoying my little nocturne adventure so much, I asked Dr. Landrum for contact information for the Managing Director of Sono Luminus. I reached Daniel Shores on the first try. When I asked how he makes decisions about which albums to release, he said that their primary focus is on the highest quality of performance and sound. In the case of the nocturnes, it was the beautiful sound achieved by David Frost and the captivating performances of Michael Landrum. He said he could hear the passion in his music making and felt it needed to be heard. Sono Luminus benefited from receiving a fully prepared recording but they did the final packaging and undertook a substantial promotional campaign which led to WQXR receiving the set and ultimately featuring it on the air.

I have often been asked by young artists: How can I stand out from the pack? What does it take to get noticed? Clearly a recording can be a very valuable tool. But what kind of recording? Something that truly touches the artist and brings out their unique gifts. If the repertoire turns out to be unusual and the recording has a unifying theme, that can prove to be a plus. The chosen works should feel like intimate friends, especially since they will undoubtedly be performed often, in preparation for the recording and later, in promoting it. Michael Landrum did not undertake his recording project to advance his career; however, he has found the nocturnes to be a perfect vehicle for a lecture recital format, which he greatly enjoys presenting both in Rochester and in guest engagements when his schedule allows. In wrapping up our conversation, he told me that “he is stunned that people seem to be interested in his little project”. I told him that I was touched by his humility, dedication and patience in bringing such a special project to light and that I was sure others would be too.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, When It Comes to Recording | Comments Closed

Putting Down New Roots

Thursday, September 13th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

To Our Readers:

I hope you have all had a very enjoyable summer and I welcome you back to Ask Edna. Since a number of our readers have moved over the summer, I have decided to dedicate this first column of the new season to a question that was posed to me at a session I did at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival in July. I was asked how someone who is well-established as a musician in a particular city can make connections when they move to a new city where they don’t know anyone. In thinking about this, I chose to contact pianist Makiko Hirata, a graduate of the Colburn School and now a doctoral candidate at The Shepherd School of Music/Rice University. I have always found her to be very entrepreneurial so I was curious as to how she had personally approached this.

Makiko told me that before moving to Houston, her teacher in Los Angeles called several faculty members at the Shepherd School to introduce her. A prominent composer whose work she had recorded called a number of composers and musicians in the Houston area to introduce her as well. Upon arrival in Houston, Makiko got in touch with some members of the Japanese consulate there, as she had been advised to do by some contacts in the Japanese-American community in Los Angeles. She also auditioned for and was accepted into the Young Artist Program of the Da Camera Society, which provided her with performance opportunities ranging from in-school concerts to a fundraising event where former president George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush were in the audience. On her own, Makiko organized a fundraiser following the devastating tsunami/earthquake that happened in her native Japan. She got tremendous support from the administration at Rice University, the faculty at the Shepherd School of Music, the media, the local community, and the Japanese community in the greater Houston area. In the end, she raised over $10,000 and (in her words) “found a supportive community of music lovers that was eager to learn about and support her activities and dreams.”

Here are some more things you might want to try, depending on your career objectives:

  1. Check online to see if there is an arts council in your new location. They will often list performance opportunities as well as events taking place in the area.
  2. Learn about any established concert series in your new home city. (Check Musical America’s listings!) Take a look at their website and read their newsletter. Try to attend at least one concert and meet the presenter afterwards.
  3. Much of the musical activity in any town revolves around the school and its music department. Many such concerts are free. Make a point of going to one or two of them and saying hello to the performers afterwards.
  4. Find out who the contractor is for any local orchestra, festival or special occasion gigs, such as weddings.
  5. Acquaint yourself with the venues that are currently being used for concerts and explore new possibilities such as churches, synagogues, banks, galleries, book stores, meeting halls, museums, and even the local zoo. Consider doing a benefit concert for a local charity.
  6. Learn about schools, hospitals, retirement homes and social service organizations who might welcome the opportunity to offer musical programs.
  7. If there is a local classical music station, see if they would be interested in live performances.
  8. If you are seeking chamber music partners and are not a student, place an ad in an appropriate local publication. The same would apply if you are interested in teaching or playing wedding jobs.
  9. Network with people who are already established in the community, such as teachers, to see who they think it might be worth your while to meet. Try to include people who aren’t necessarily musicians.
  10. Investigate whether there are any conductors for whom you might audition.
  11. Check out opportunities in nearby cities within commuting distance, especially if you hope to play in an orchestra.

Any number of these roads should lead you to individuals who can give you valuable advice about how to be most productive and successful in your new home town.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna | Comments Closed

Paying Retainers to Managers

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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A note from Edna Landau:

As summer is fast approaching, many of our readers will be traveling and enjoying holidays in the coming months. Therefore, Ask Edna will be taking a break during the summer months (June through August). We look forward to having you back with us in September. Meanwhile, please feel free to continue to send questions to Ask Edna during the summer, as they will help us to “hit the ground running” when we return. I wish everyone a most enjoyable summer.

Dear Edna:

I am a member of a chamber ensemble which is in discussions with a small agency regarding management. We have been asked to pay a monthly “administrative fee” to cover the management’s expenses on our behalf. Can you please tell me whether this is customary? Also, should these payments cease when the manager begins to receive commissions from concerts we perform? – D.B.

Dear D.B.:

The answer I am going to give to your question is very different from what it might have been five years ago. At that time, artists were very leery of an agency that asked for a monthly retainer. Today, I think it is incumbent upon artists to take a broader view. It is becoming increasingly difficult for soloists, ensembles, conductors and dance companies to obtain management. Times are challenging and managements need to focus their energies more than ever on the bottom line. A small or new agency faces the biggest challenges because they can’t amortize the cost of developing young artists’ careers against the hefty commissions received from well established artists. When Charles Hamlen and I worked together in the pre-IMG Artists days as Hamlen/Landau Management, we charged our artists for all expenses incurred on their behalf. This included phone, postage, printing (promotional pieces and inclusion on our printed artist roster), advertisements, and the like. Once we became IMG Artists and the roster became large and varied, we abandoned the practice of charging for phone and postage since it was too time-consuming to do the calculations. We continued to charge for promotional materials specifically prepared for individual artists. The administrative fee you are being asked to pay is not unjustifiable and it streamlines the expense reimbursement process for the manager. A reasonable monthly fee might be in the range of $300-$400 a month. Today there are a growing number of small, respected agencies who charge not only for the above expenses but for their travel to booking conferences, their exhibit costs at those conferences and the conference registration fee. Some are also charging their artists for maintaining and updating their presence on the management’s website. I know of one agency that charges an annual fee, which they are willing to accept in installments if that is easier for the artist. This fee might be anywhere from $2000 to $4000. These monthly and annual fees might even be slightly higher than the actual total of documented expenses. I can assure you that managements charging these fees wouldn’t do so if they didn’t need to. There are various times during the year, such as the summer months and December when income from commissions is way down. The monthly or annual fee enables the management to pay their own operational expenses during such times. I should add that there is so much that a manager does for an artist on a regular basis that is not related to concert booking ( such as setting up auditions, writing and updating bios, coordinating interviews, offering general career advice, showing up at performances) and that cannot be adequately compensated for solely from commissions, especially when the artist is starting out and fees are rather low. In your particular case, your manager won’t earn any income from you for at least 12 to 18 months, since engagements are booked with a long lead time. Once this period has passed and you begin to generate commission income for the management, there is no reason why you can’t discuss the administrative fee and see if it can be lowered or waived. If the answer is no but you are otherwise happy with how things are going, you should consider yourselves lucky to have management at all and view these payments as you do other career related costs such as a tax accountant, concert clothing, and purchase or maintenance of your instruments. Remember that at least in the U.S. , they are tax-deductible.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Finding a Manager, Uncategorized | Comments Closed

The Freelancer’s Elevator Speech

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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Dear Edna:

I am a freelancer who makes a career by juggling a number of projects in the music business. I am pleased to have reached a level of success that has me in demand for a truly diverse range of activities, including publicity, media consulting, concert production, promotional writing, audio production and freelance journalism. On several occasions recently, I’ve been introduced by way of a halting description, ending in: “what DO you do?” Clearly I need to be honing my “elevator speech”, but with so many different kinds of projects on my plate, it is difficult to do so, and even I wind up stuttering when trying to describe myself in a short phrase. Can you suggest ways that I can “brand” myself more cohesively, while maintaining career diversity? –W.N.

Dear W.N.:

Thank you for submitting such an excellent question. There is no doubt that people whose jobs are focused in one clear direction have the easiest time presenting their elevator speech, though they will want to say something special about themselves that distinguishes them from others. For example: I am an epidemiologist, working at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and, over the years, I have been gratified to play a significant role in preventing the spread of potentially dangerous diseases to epidemic proportions. Your elevator speech is probably not your biggest problem, since an elevator ride in a medium to high building would give you a chance to mention all of the things you cited above. You could possibly say: I work in the arts and wear various hats at different times, including journalist, media consultant, publicist and concert producer. I’m very fortunate to enjoy that variety in my work and it brings me in contact with many fascinating people.

OK. Now comes the hard part – the brief introduction. If you know the profession of the person you are meeting, you might choose to emphasize one or two of the roles you play, above others. If you are meeting the editor of a magazine, you’d clearly want them to know that you are a freelance journalist and be less concerned that they learn about your concert production expertise. If you are meeting a young aspiring and ambitious artist, you’d want them to know of your experience in publicity, as well as audio and concert production. If you know nothing about the person you are meeting, I’d suggest you say: “I work in the arts as a publicist, media consultant and freelance journalist.” This doesn’t cover everything you do but subsequent conversation is likely to give you a chance to provide greater detail. There is very little you can do to ensure that colleagues and friends will introduce you the way you ideally would like to be presented. For example, it is very common that when introducing me, people say: This is Edna Landau. She used to run IMG Artists. Well, I haven’t done that for about five years but my reputation is based on that period in my life so it’s a comfortable answer for most people. I usually respond by saying that I’m very proud of my long tenure at IMG Artists but that I am now drawing great satisfaction from working in the areas of career advice and individual and institutional arts consulting. Anyone who possesses a variety of skills and is able to put them to use successfully should be very proud of their accomplishments. In the end, what you say in an initial introduction can be less important than how you say it. If your answer is imbued with genuine enthusiasm and pride, rather than with awkwardness over how exactly to categorize yourself, you are likely to gain the opportunity to fill in the blanks as a further conversation unfolds.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

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

Transitioning From One Management to Another

Thursday, May 17th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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Dear Edna:

I am a young conductor who has been fortunate to have management for the past several years as a result of having participated in a showcase and attracting someone’s attention there. While I must admit I have been disappointed with the number of engagements this association has yielded, several of which came through my own connections, I still consider myself lucky. Recently, I made the acquaintance of a manager who handles conductors whose careers are in higher gear than mine. He has shown what seems to be genuine interest in me and I am wondering if you can tell me how artists transition from one manager to another with as little disruption as possible. Thank you.—J.B.

Dear J.B.:

Thank you for your question, which I am sure will be of interest to a number of our readers. You do not indicate whether you have a representation agreement with your manager. If you did, it would probably spell out rather clearly the steps that would be taken should you wish to go to another representative or should your manager wish to terminate the current relationship. Typically, an initial management agreement is for three years, with a provision to extend for an additional period (often two years) or to roll over automatically each year, unless either party informs the other of a wish to terminate within a specified period prior to the anniversary of the date of signing the original agreement. This notification period could be as long as a year prior to the end date of the contract, or as little as 90 days prior. Once notice has been given, the manager will generally give the artist a summary of all current activity on their behalf. This would consist of contracted dates, dates not yet contracted but firmly held, and a list of presenters who have expressed interest for the coming season or two but where no specific dates have been held or a variety of dates have been discussed. The manager is then entitled to do everything possible to bring all potential dates to fruition and take full commission on anything contracted prior to the termination date. (If they are unsuccessful in completing that process, they might negotiate a split commission with the new manager who will finish things off.) As part of taking full commission, the manager is expected to service the dates when they transpire, even though that may be after the artist moves on to another management. If the artist elects to have the dates serviced by the new manager and the new manager agrees, there is no problem with that; however the initial manager is still entitled to full commission. The new manager might only be willing to service those dates for a small commission, in which case it is up to the artist to decide whether they want to pay it or not.

There are times when managers will bend the rules a little, especially if the old manager and new one are friends. In your case, since your current manager hasn’t been overly active on your behalf, they might be willing to let the new manager begin booking you prior to the termination of the contract, as long as they can finish up everything they started and take commission on it. Another possibility might be that they agree to share commission with your new manager in exchange for relaxing the exclusive booking right they have a right to enforce. It will be very helpful if your current manager takes the time to write to all the presenters with whom they have been in contact on your behalf to let them know of the impending change. Then, when you move to the new agency, your manager there should similarly let everyone know that you have come on board. If this coincides with the start of a new season, it will probably be apparent on the management’s roster where many tend to put an asterisk next to the name of new artists. If you have never had a written agreement with your current manager, there are obviously no obligations on either side but the above guidelines are both traditional and very sensible. It would be a good idea to propose that they be followed and you are likely to thereby ensure that there is as little confusion and disruption of the booking process as possible. Good luck!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Finding a Manager, Uncategorized | Comments Closed

Job Hopping

Thursday, May 10th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

Although my question is more of a general workplace question than a musical one, I am writing in recognition of the many years you spent at the helm of an artist management agency in hopes that you will give me an honest reaction based on your personal experience. I am a flutist with an undergraduate degree from a school of music. Because I wasn’t drawn to apply for orchestral positions, I decided to take a job in the Dean’s office, just out of school. After one year, I saw an ad for a position in a public relations agency and decided to apply for it, since I have often been told that my writing skills are excellent and it paid more money.(I also didn’t see any opportunities for advancement at the school.) I got the job and have been there for one and a half years. Although I like the people I am working with, I am not enjoying writing press releases and calendar listings nearly every day. Opportunities to actually interact with the press are rare. I recently noticed a job for an assistant artistic administrator at an orchestra in a city where I already have many friends. I have read the job description and I believe I have the necessary qualifications. I think I would love working for an orchestra but I’m afraid that they would be reluctant to consider me, as it would be my third job in three years. Do you have any advice for me? —D.R.    

Dear D. R.:

When I worked at IMG Artists and reviewed a resume that listed several jobs spanning a brief time period, it certainly did catch my eye. It did not stop me from calling someone in for an interview if the resume looked interesting, but I listened very carefully to what they had to say about it. If their reasons sounded justifiable and normal for someone just starting out and trying to find their professional way, it certainly wasn’t a strike against them. In speaking with them, I tried to determine why a job with IMG might hold the potential to attract them for a considerably longer period of time. I also called their references to verify that the information they gave me was true. If their former employer indicated that they were sorry to see them go but that they totally understood their reasons and felt that the departure was handled thoughtfully by the employee, it counted for a lot. If you decide to apply for the orchestra job and you feel comfortable telling your current employer that you are looking at other opportunities, they might appreciate your honesty. This could work in your favor if they are willing to be called as a reference. (However, if you think they will greet the news by showing you the door, don’t take the chance!). If you are called in for an interview, make every effort to express your total enthusiasm for the orchestra job and why it would mean the world to you to have it. It would also be helpful to indicate your readiness to settle into it for a considerably longer period of time than you spent in your last two positions.

In researching this subject on the Internet, I came across an article that offered good and comprehensive advice. It’s a little long but you will get the essence of it in the first three sections. All the very best of luck!

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©Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Arts Administration, Ask Edna | Comments Closed

Soloist, Collaborator or Both?

Thursday, May 3rd, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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Dear Edna:

I am a pianist finishing my first of two years in a graduate program at an American conservatory. I received my undergraduate degree at the same conservatory. Over the years, I was fortunate to have been frequently sought out as a collaborative artist for recitals with singers and instrumentalists. While I have always greatly enjoyed filling this role, I still dream of the possibility of having a solo career. It is very helpful for me to have the income from this work but if I continue along this path, will I rule out that possibility altogether? –Brian W.

Dear Brian:

Since you have told me that you are often approached by your peers to collaborate with them, I assume that you excel in this area. Happily, these are times when most artists feel comfortable wearing a variety of musical hats and moving back and forth between solo appearances and collaborations, especially when opportunities present themselves to work with inspiring colleagues. Two days ago, I had the pleasure of listening to a wonderful young pianist, Michael Brown, perform a recital program with the captivating violinist, Elena Urioste. Within the previous three weeks, he had played two solo recitals in New York (with largely different programs). From what I heard and read, all three were beautifully prepared and imbued with equal enthusiasm. The truth is that you don’t need to categorize yourself and make an either/or choice, at least for now. Every career has elements of the unexpected. You may decide to play a recital with a singer and it could turn out that a manager attending the recital is so drawn to your playing that they make a point of finding out more about you. A variation of this happened early in my IMG Artists days when Charles Hamlen and I attended a recital given by one of our clients, soprano Lucy Shelton. The program featured this wonderfully versatile artist in a variety of repertoire, including Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock”, with guest artist David Shifrin on clarinet. After just a few measures of his playing, we glanced at one another with total rapture and knew that we would soon be adding a clarinetist to our management roster, challenging as it was to take on a solo wind player. The important message here is that any time you set foot on stage in any capacity, it is an opportunity to be noticed.

I think it would be advisable for you to take advantage of your upcoming year at school to seek candid advice from your teacher, as well as others who know your playing, with regard to their assessment of your potential for a solo career. Keep in mind that it is difficult and time-consuming to secure solo engagements on your own or to attract the attention of a manager. As long as the collaborations are bringing in a steady income, I see no reason to give them up. If you like, you can keep your feet in both camps by entering a few competitions, if you feel prepared and motivated to do so (but I would advise against appearing as both collaborator and soloist in the same competition, even if you think it’s cool!). To get a balanced view, you might also want to consider enrolling in a collaborative piano program, such as the one offered by The Music Academy of the West. It might afford you a broader framework in which to establish your priorities, as well as opportunities to interact with a new group of performers and teachers who could lend additional perspective. Once you leave school, you might truly need to decide what your primary focus should be. Opportunities to collaborate with other musicians may be less frequent, unless you cultivate your connections and get the word out that this is a priority for you. If you are fortunate to perform with partners whose careers are on the rise, you may find great fulfillment in concerts in major cities where you might even attract positive critical attention. We are fortunate to have many superb collaborations captured on recordings, among them pianist Samuel Sanders with Itzhak Perlman and Martin Katz with Marilyn Horne. Both of these pianists gained great recognition through these partnerships and, undoubtedly, so much more.  In a wonderful YouTube video, Martin Katz relates how he grew as an artist through his association with Ms. Horne and how her standards became his standards. If he ever harbored aspirations of becoming a soloist, I doubt that he felt let down by his ultimate decision.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Listening to Your Inner Voice | Comments Closed

The Most Desirable Photos, From a Presenter’s Perspective

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

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I would like to thank the following individuals who helped me prepare this week’s column: Naomi Grabel, Director, Marketing and Creative Services, Carnegie Hall; DeAnna Sherer, Coordinator, Artistic Programs, Carnegie Hall; Monica Parks, Director of Publications, The New York Philharmonic; Christopher Beach, President & Artistic Director, La Jolla Music Society; Martin Schott, Director, Creative Services, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts

Dear Edna:

I am a violinist who will be graduating with an Artist Diploma from an American conservatory next month. I am fortunate in having won a few competitions which gave me performing opportunities and I have additional ones scheduled in the coming year. I have been advised to invest time and money in getting high quality photos, as well as creating a website. Can you please tell me what I should keep in mind when I prepare for a photo shoot. Am I aiming for portraits or performance photos? Should I be dressed formally or casually? How many photos should I hope to walk away with at the end of the session? Thank you.—Catherine D.

Dear Catherine:

In doing a little research in order to best answer your question, I realized how much has changed since my early days as an artist manager. At that time, we usually sent two black and white head shots, one formal and one informal, and of course they were not digital. When I spoke recently with Monica Parks, Director of Publications at the New York Philharmonic, she stressed the importance of the format of the photos that are submitted today. They look for photos that are at least 300 dpi (dots per inch) or better, and a fairly large file size. This allows them to use the photos in various ways. They can shnrink photos but not enlarge them. It is helpful to have room around the image to allow for cropping. They are looking for color, rather than black and white, and a variety of posed and performance shots. (She mentioned that even in the case of singers and conductors, they welcome some action shots.) It is ok to submit posed photos both with and without your instrument. She also said that it is helpful to have images facing in different directions so they can have maximum flexibility when placing them in printed materials on the right or left side. Of course, a straight on image works in any layout.

Christopher Beach, President of the La Jolla Music Society, told me that they print photos as full pages in their brochure, with overlaid text. Therefore, the quality of the photos is of utmost importance. They need to receive a variety of photos, formal and informal, vertical and horizontal, in color and possibly black and white. For him, it is essential that the photo include the artist’s instrument so that his audience (who may not be familiar with an artist) immediately makes the association and knows what they will be hearing. A performance photo is best. As to the “mood” of the photos, he said: “The best pictures have emotion, and emotion helps to sell tickets.” While some presenters rule out using photos with the artist’s eyes shut, he feels such pictures can be effective and convey great emotion. Naomi Grabel, Director of Marketing at Carnegie Hall, agrees that performance shots are far more exciting than head shots. In choosing photos for their publicity materials, they look for energy, exuberance, dynamism, action and warmth. They feel that the right photograph helps to create a connection between the artist and the audience before they even arrive at the hall.

It is obviously desirable to walk away from a photo shoot with a variety of photos, action and posed, and to be able to use as many as you like. This allows you to alternate them in different years and among different venues, as long as you still look the same! If you and the photographer want to experiment with some full-length shots or fashion oriented photographs that might someday be useful, especially if you are the subject of a feature story, that might prove worthwhile, but keep them in reserve for the appropriate occasion. For those pianists who might be reading this column,  It would be wise to avoid any temptation to replicate some photos I have seen of female pianists in floor length gowns, sprawled over the top of their instrument. Let good sense and good taste always be your guide.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Publicity and Promotion | Comments Closed

Choosing Your Opening Line

Thursday, April 19th, 2012

By: Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

I recently had the pleasure of leading a Professional Skills session at The Academy – a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute, in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. The twenty Fellows currently participating in this excellent program represent some of today’s finest young professional musicians. In the question and answer section, violist Margaret Dyer asked: What is an attractive first sentence of a bio? Although I have written about this in an earlier column (Getting to Know You (writing a good bio),  June 2, 2011), I have chosen to address this question again, with a slightly different slant.

It is my belief that the first one or two sentences of a bio should relate information about the particular artist that is central to who they are and that is likely to make you want to continue reading. If there is merit to this statement, the following openings (taken from real artist bios but with names and instruments changed) would not qualify:

Pianist Aristo Allegro’s extensive performance schedule has taken him to the Mostly Mozart Festival, the Prague Spring Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, the Newport Music Festival, the Savannah Music Festival, the Settimane Musicale in Stresa, Italy, as well as appearances at the Ambassador in Pasadena, the Fiddle Fest, at Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y and Carnegie Hall.

In the space of a few short years, violinist Pavlina Presto has ensconced herself on the international stage, both as a recitalist, and as a guest soloist with many leading orchestras.

Sonja Sordino has established an international reputation for profound musicality and articulate virtuosity at the keyboard. In performances throughout Europe, the United States and Asia, she plays a broad repertoire in a powerful yet elegant style.

Some writers of bios like to begin chronologically. We learn when the artist was born or when they started to play their instrument. As a stand-alone piece of information, this is generally not all that interesting. If the writer of gifted 16-year-old pianist George Li’s bio had taken the chronological approach, he or she would have started out as follows: George Li gave his first public performance at Boston’s Steinway Hall at the age of ten. Instead, that information is relegated to the last paragraph and the bio begins: “Pianist George Li possesses brilliant virtuosity and interpretive depth far beyond his years. Rounding off last season playing for President Obama at a White House evening honoring Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, along with capturing a prestigious Gilmore Young Artist Award, George Li is well on the way to a flourishing career.” I like the fact that a news item is combined with mention of an accolade that has significant recognition and respect within the field, but I think that “last season” should be replaced with the actual year.

Although I don’t love quotes in bios, it is helpful in the case of young artists to be able to open their bios by referencing critical praise that endorses their special qualities, especially if they are not yet all that well known. Of course, the quote should come from a significant publication. Here is a good example: “Nineteen-year-old clarinetist Narek Arutyunian is a player who “reaches passionate depths with seemingly effortless technical prowess and beguiling sensitivity” (The Washington Post). It is even more effective if the quote is combined with another piece of information that helps to position the artist as someone on the rise. For example: “Elena Urioste, featured on the cover of Symphony magazine as an emerging artist to watch, has been hailed by critics and audiences alike for her lush tone, the nuanced lyricism of her playing, and her commanding stage presence. Elena’s debut performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2010 were praised by three separate critics for their “hypnotic delicacy”, “expressive poise” and “lyrical sensitivity”. (Note that the introductory sentence sets up the little quotations nicely, and the second sentence informs the reader that she has already made a very important orchestral debut and had unanimous praise from three critics. How often does that happen?!)

Awards are also impressive credentials to include in the first sentence of a bio, provided that they are from recognized institutions and/or competitions. It is nice to find a way to frame the information in a way that reveals a quality of the performer, such as humility. The bio might start: Violinist Benjamin Beilman was deeply honored to win both the First Prize and Radio Canada’s People’s Choice Award in the 2010 Montreal International Musical Competition.

In my opinion, there is room for artists to take greater chances with the opening sentences of their bios and to entice us to get to know them. It is fine to say: Adele Andante spends many of her waking hours dedicated to the pursuit of her two passions in life: playing her cello and advocating for the preservation of our natural resources. Or: Dedicated to sharing his love of classical music with audience members who might otherwise not experience it, flutist Sean Scherzo has made the commitment to set aside one day a month each year in which he will offer free performances to schoolchildren as well as the elderly who cannot leave their senior residences. These opening sentences should certainly segue into more particular information about the artist that helps to establish their credentials and inform us of their artistic accomplishments but it is refreshing to be introduced to the person first. I would love to hear from our readers who may have encountered other opening lines of a refreshing nature.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2012

Posted in Ask Edna, Publicity and Promotion | Comments Closed

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