Posted by Rick Denney on December 19, 2002 at 12:38:51:
In Reply to: finding a quintet posted by Mary Ann on December 19, 2002 at 11:04:18:
I would avoid the newspaper route unless it is a pro gig and you will hold auditions formally.
Thinking that isn't the case, join a band that sounds good and recruit the better players. It takes a while to do this, and you may go through a few before you can settle on a stable group.
Always strive for balance. Most problems I've had in quintets have been when the abilities varied too widely. The better players resent being held back, and the lesser players feel too much pressure. It gives any latent arrogance fertile ground.
The need for balance is the best reason to recruit from a larger ensemble, because presumably you've found an ensemble that has skills and objectives similar to your own. You are a little different than most amateurs, however, and you'll have to compensate for that. Most amateurs have technical abilities that are on a par with their musical talent, or even beyond it. You, on the other hand, have professional-level musical talent but are still developing your technical abilities on tuba. You won't find many with that sort of background.
Don't recruit pros unless you intend to pay them. They will get bored and become unreliable. If you hope to build a gigging quintet, the lay out your business plan to any potential new players. I would suggest that you only bring in experienced professionals if that is the case. I once built a quintet for a wedding gig (the bride was a friend of mine), and used buddies from my amateur orchestra. I ran it like a job, and they were not up for that. They loved being in the quintet, but did not adopt a professional attitude about preparation, and it was a struggle. In retrospect, I wish I'd hired bona fide pros, though I'd have had to do it this way, "Here's the gig: You get money and in return for that you have to tolerate me being in the group." Money overcomes lack of balance, but only for a one-time gig, heh, heh.
Don't lure semi-professional players in with the promise of going commercial unless you are willing to make a bona fide business out of it. I know you know this already, but I'm saying it for others to whom your question applied.
You also need to establish your musical objectives clearly and up front. How do you handle it if a player turns out not to be up to the standards of the group? There needs to be a clear leader and a clearly stated objective, and even then hard feelings are hard to avoid. Is it a "for-fun" quintet, or a gigging quintet? It's hard to be both. What are the performing standards of the group, and does everyone agree on those standards? You'll have to set your standards aside if you gig with we amateurs. The personalities in an ensemble have to have the right chemistry. This isn't easy--many musicians are highly reactive. How are programming decisions made? Who buys the music, and with whose money? Who arranges gigs and how? These are not trivial issues, as you know. Again, I realize I'm preaching to the choir.
The bottom line of all of this is that putting a regularly meeting quintet together is an organic process, not a mechanical process. You have to prepare the soil, and then choose the plants that will grow in the prevailing conditions. This is nigh on impossible with strangers, which brings me back yet again to recruiting from a larger ensemble of which you are a long-standing member.
Rick "who has been in and formed a half dozen 'amateur' quintets and has seen and made all the mistakes" Denney