Re: Accompanist Payment Issue Advice Neede


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Posted by Tabor on March 24, 2003 at 18:13:50:

In Reply to: Accompanist Payment Issue Advice Neede posted by Matt A on March 24, 2003 at 07:56:26:

Sheesh! unprepared.

The least prepared I have ever been for a professional gig was when I was hired to substitute at a Jewish temple for services when a Jewish Bass-Baritone singer would be absent (obviously not on tuba this time). I was hired the day of the service. Most of the music was sightreading for me, but I studied for six hours on transliterated Hebrew diction and practiced what I could. At the end of the rehearsal, I was hired to come back for every service afterward and put on payroll. I sang at that temple nearly every week until leaving Ohio. I have a feeling your accompanist will find out that preparation is everything in the real world.

I once dated a pianist....it is important not to get the entire piano faculty against you. They all talk. I think that perhaps your best bet is to chalk this one up to experience (pay only the amount agreed upon) and next time, keep an actual document with dates, times and payment information signed by both of you. I know it is a pain to do the organizing for the accompanist, but sometimes they just don't keep track. I don't know where you live, but if it is near any large city, you can often find adequate pianists all over.

P.S. your best bet in hiring pianists is a real professional, who will charge a bit but be worth every penny by being prepared and playing musically with as little rehearsal time as possible

OR

a compotent student pianist who may not be perfect (though quite good), but is happy to work hard on your literature with you in order to sound as good as possible.


the third case is one I shy away from:

an "artist" who plays brilliantly and is known for all kinds of solo work and is so absorbed in that work only that the "artist" has NO TIME to prepare your literature, since it isn't the important literature in their field.



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