Career Story: Violinist In A Symphony Orchestra

Violinist In A Symphony Orchestra

Job Title: Violinist

Type of Company: The National Symphony Orchestra plays classical music concerts, as well as some pops.

Education: BM, The Juilliard School  MM, University of Minnesota

Previous Experience: I have been in the National Symphony Orchestra since 1992. Before that, as a grad student, I taught violin lessons at the University of Wisconsin (Stevens Point) and played with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Job Tasks: Being a violinist in the National Symphony Orchestra is a full-time job. A typical week involves five rehearsals and three concerts. We play a different program every week during the subscription season (which runs from September to June), and a new program every night during the summer. A typical week has us rehearsing the week's musicfor the first time on Tuesday, from 10 am to 3:30 pm, with a break for lunch. Wednesday is usually the same as Tuesday, and then on Thursday we have our "dress rehearsal" in the morning, followed by evening concerts on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Unlike in a school orchestra or band, we are expected to know the music completely before the first rehearsal, so most players spend a long time on Sunday and Monday learning the new music for the week.

My orchestra travels a little every year. We usually take a trip to New York City to play at Carnegie Hall. And since 1992 we have gone to one or two states each year for a "Residency," during which we play both orchestral and chamber music