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When a Quartet Becomes a Trio (temporarily)

Thursday, September 15th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

I am a member of a string quartet. We are all just out of college and trying to get our individual careers going, as well as dedicating a lot of our time to establishing our quartet. We were recently in a situation where we were offered several dates but our second violinist was not available during the proposed dates. We had to turn the work down. I had suggested to the rest of the group that maybe we should have taken the dates and found another violinist. Then we could have done the tour and gotten those performances under our belts, which we all know we need to do. My question is, I know it’s tradition that either it’s all or nothing when accepting dates as an existing quartet, but would we be breaking any “laws” or doing the quartet more harm than good by finding a replacement to make a particular tour happen, even if one of our members is not available? It’s tough getting concert dates these days and we all need to work when we can. Please help! Thank you. —L.H.

Dear L.H.:

Your excellent question is not a simple one to answer. My first reaction was to say that getting the performances under your belt with a substitute violinist will have limited value since the quartet’s collective artistry will only grow when all of the regular members are playing together.  When I thought about it more, I realized that each of the three remaining regular quartet members would undoubtedly learn something  from every performance and that those realizations could be shared with the second violinist upon his or her return.  I then turned my attention to the financial aspect of your question.  Concerts are hard to come by and all young musicians struggle in the beginning.  There is certainly a reason for wanting to salvage dates, if at all possible, and you would not be breaking any “laws” or doing the quartet any harm if you tried to find a replacement to make the tour happen. You turned the dates down, which leads me to believe that your group understands the expectation of audiences and presenters that quartet members will remain constant, as that is the only way that they can hope to develop the unanimity of playing and interpretation that distinguishes the very finest chamber ensembles. You mention that you second guessed your decision, wondering if you should have taken the dates and found another violinist. That might have been an option this one time but certainly you would have needed to reverse the order of that process, checking first to see if the presenters would accept a substitute and then finding another violinist.

To get a broader perspective on this,  I chose to consult with a few presenter colleagues: Jenny Bilfield, Artistic and Executive Director of Stanford Lively Arts; Samuel Dixon, Executive and Artistic Director of Spivey Hall at Clayton State University, and Bert Harclerode, Executive Director of Chamber Music Sedona. I found all of them to be quite open-minded about this situation. My colleagues pointed out that, in general, it is harder for a well-known established quartet to use a substitute on a tour because they become known for a sound and a collective excellence in all facets of their playing that has been built up over many years. Furthermore, audiences become familiar with individual members of the quartet and anticipate the specific contribution that each of them brings to the performance. Since your quartet is just starting out, the audience will be coming more out of their interest in discovering a new young ensemble than out of devotion to individual members of your group. Nevertheless, offering a substitute for a member of the quartet should be a rare occurrence . A quartet that seeks a lasting career must make a serious commitment up front to make the ensemble one of the most important priorities in their lives and to make sacrifices when necessary, for the benefit of the group. Once you start making exceptions and accepting substitutes for less than urgent reasons, the fabric of the quartet is weakened and the quality of the performances will undoubtedly suffer. Sometimes the need for a substitute may come very close to the performance date. Audiences and presenters will generally be very understanding if it is due to illness, a newborn child or a family emergency.  It is important that whoever you use as a substitute be someone whom you know well and with whom you have had some sort of performance experience in the past, even if in other chamber music configurations.  This will help to ease any concerns that the presenter may have. Also, be sure to alert the presenter as soon as you know about the need for a change and ask for their approval. They will be very appreciative if you send a bio and picture of the substitute as quickly as possible.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Choosing the Right Moment

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

As it is now late August and booking season is heading our way, I was wondering when you think is the best time to catch orchestra executive directors. I will be sending out materials through regular mail and e-mail. If I move too soon, they will be on vacation and have a lot to sort through when they return. If I’m too late, they may have already started the decision making process and my name most certainly won’t make it on the list! When is the best time to reach out? —A Violinist

Dear violinist:

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time that any orchestra makes decisions about guest artists. In truth, it is an evolving process that might begin about eighteen months before the start of a season and continue until six months before the start of the season. It all depends on the size of the orchestra and when they traditionally announce their season. I admire your industriousness but hope you realize that the number of orchestras who will respond to unsolicited letters and promotional materials is rather small. Make sure that whatever you send clearly highlights something that might be of interest to them (perhaps a premiere or rarely performed work of genuine substance or appeal). Assuming that you are writing to mid-size or smaller orchestras, from now until Thanksgiving is an ideal time to be in touch. If the orchestra has an artistic administrator, you would do well to write to them instead of the executive director, as chances are a bit better that they will take note of your approach to them. Good luck!

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I am grateful to my longtime friend and colleague, Ed Yim, former president and current board member of the American Music Center and Artistic Consultant to the New York Philharmonic, for his assistance in preparing my response to the following question.

Dear Edna:

I am a composer whose career is beginning to take off. I was fortunate last year to win a number of prizes and I have been receiving commissions. I also have signed with a very fine publisher who is eager to promote my work. Recently, I was contacted by a manager who is interested in representing me. I would appreciate your advice on whether a composer needs both a publisher and a manager. Thank you so much. —A Curious Composer

Dear Curious Composer:

Thank you for writing in with a question that I am sure will be of interest to other composers. It is wonderful  that you are already in a position to be represented by a fine publisher. Congratulations, too, on having won a number of prizes and already secured some commissions. It sounds like things are going very well for you. At the present time, I don’t think you need to have a manager. Part of your publisher’s job is to investigate possible new commissions and to promote your published works, hopefully leading to increased performances of them. There may come a time in the future when, if your career has grown exponentially, you might want to hire a publicist or manager to call attention to certain works or projects you have undertaken. They would also be an added ally to help monitor your publisher’s effectiveness on your behalf. In general, most composers don’t have managers unless they have their own performing ensembles (for example, Steve Reich) or are active as performers in some other way (e.g., John Adams as conductor).  Those performance activities generate an income stream that makes them more attractive to managers. Another raison-d’être for a manager’s or publicist’s involvement would be if the composer was undertaking substantial projects, such as extended residencies, or was the focus of major retrospectives. I hope that your current partnership with your publisher brings significant new opportunities your way and that whenever the occasion arises, you find time to share your experiences and mentor some younger colleagues. Composers’ careers develop differently from those of singers, conductors and instrumentalists, and they are always grateful to receive advice and encouragement from someone such as yourself.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Legal Smarts

Thursday, August 25th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

The answers below were prepared with the kind assistance of my good friend and distinguished colleague, attorney Brian Goldstein of FTM Arts Law, to whom I express my heartfelt thanks.

Dear Edna:

I love reading your blog and I had a question that I hope I am not repeating. I am an international student currently studying in the states. I am interested in publishing a cd with cdbaby.com but I am not sure whether it is legal for me to receive money from cd baby from sales while I am a student here. If not, are there any other options for me? Thank you so much for your time. —–Kit

Dear Kit:

Thank you for submitting an excellent question. Visa regulations are in general quite complex and, like most legal issues, depend on an analysis of your specific circumstances. Therefore, it is almost always advisable to seek personal legal advice when trying to understand them.  As a general rule, U.S. law requires an artist to have a visa with work authorization any time an artist performs in the U.S.—even if the artist performs for free or is paid outside of the U.S. The mere act of “performing” triggers the need for work authorization. As a result, performances are almost never permissible on a visitor visa which, by its very nature, contains no work authorization. While recording a live performance in front of an audience would clearly be illegal without work authorization, it’s unclear as to whether or not a recording made in a studio would constitute a “performance”. Regardless, a visa with work authorization is also required any time anyone sells goods in the U.S.  In your case, you have not indicated your current visa status in the U.S. but for the purposes of this blog, we will assume that you are here on an F (student) visa. While F visas do not inherently permit students to perform in the U.S., the student’s school can authorize such work. It may be possible for you to make and sell a recording here if you obtain work authorization from your school to engage in such an activity and it is related to your studies. If your school will not provide you with work authorization, you could still make and distribute a studio recording for promotional purposes, but not sell it. Please note that if you are here on a J (exchange) visa or other type of student visa, different rules may apply as it is up to your sponsoring organization to approve your activities. You might want to approach Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts with your question. They have a legal hotline to field a broad range of questions, Art Law Line, which is fielded five days a week. You can also look at www.artistsfromabroad.org or have a look at the visa information on FTM Art Law’s website, www.FTMArtsLaw-pc.com.

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Dear Edna:

My fellow students and I are often asked to sign consent forms. Sometimes we are told that the wording is very standard and that we have nothing to worry about. Usually these forms are presented to us at the last minute and we end up signing them because it seems like less trouble that way. Those of us who do not speak English as a first language find the legal jargon intimidating and confusing but we don’t want to admit to not understanding it. I was recently handed a release that, if signed, would have granted my consent to the “absolute and irrevocable right and permission to use my name and likeness to reproduce, edit, exhibit, project, display, copyright and publish the moving pictures and/or videotaped images of me with or without my voice and to circulate the same in all forms of a particular filmed show and/or any other lawful purpose whatsoever.” I was also asked to waive any compensation for such consent. I did not sign this release but there is still a negotiation going on. I am wondering: is there such a thing as a standard consent form that would be less one-sided and would give us more control?  —concerned musician

Dear concerned musician:

If there were such a thing as a standard consent form, the world of the performing artist would be a simpler place. In fact, all terms are negotiable. Just because someone tells you a specific form or contract is “standard” does not mean you have to agree.  I understand the emotions you have experienced when someone gave you a form to sign at the eleventh hour and you felt pressured, especially if you thought that the future release of your filmed or recorded performance might have a major impact on your career. However, you should never feel pressured or compelled to sign any agreement or form and you should never grant any right to another party unless you understand everything about how those rights will be used and are comfortable with the terms. If necessary, any future usage can be subject to a separate agreement to be negotiated at a later time. You are always entitled to ask questions. You are also entitled to take the time you need to seek legal advice and you should, either from a personal attorney to whom you have access or via an organization such as Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (see above). Ultimately, whether it’s an engagement contract, a recording deal, or a consent form, if you want terms that are less one-sided and would give you more control, you are entitled to propose different terms. The words “absolute and irrevocable right and permission” are scary because they would give someone the right to use your name, images, and a recording of your performance for any purpose and at any time in the future, without having to seek your permission or pay you any fees. Your name, image, and recordings have value. Even if you may not be receiving compensation for your performance (by prior agreement), your name and likeness could have significant value as your career grows. The time to take control of this type of situation is right at the start, at the first mention of possible audio or video recording of your interview or performance. If you were not informed that camera crews or recording engineers might film or record your rehearsal, performance or participation in an extended event, such as a festival, you shouldn’t hesitate to speak up and question such an occurrence at first glimpse of a camera or recording microphone. In fact, unless you specifically object, your consent could be implied. You mention that you did not yet sign the release and that there is still a negotiation going on. That may not be enough  to protect you. In any situation where someone presents you with a contract or form, even if you do not sign it, if you proceed with the performance and do not specifically reject the terms you find objectionable or specifically clarify, in writing, which terms are still under negotiation, you may be legally bound by the contract. Oral or implied consent can also be legally binding. A contract need not necessarily be signed.

I hope this information will make you feel more secure and in control when situations like this present themselves in the future.

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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The Destiny of Your Master

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

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

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

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

Dear B.V.:

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

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

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

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

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

 

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Making a Name for Yourself

Thursday, July 14th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

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

Dear Alison:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good luck!

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Time Out for Time Management

Thursday, June 30th, 2011

By Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

Dear Edna:

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

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

Dear Hunter:

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

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

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

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

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

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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Getting to Know You (writing a good bio)

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

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

Dear Edna:

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

Dear management colleague:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

by Edna Landau

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

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

Dear Edna:

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

Dear Eager to Learn:

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

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

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

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

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

To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.

© Edna Landau 2011

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