One of the many reasons
I decided to be a musician was to avoid having to schlep my curriculum
vitae around in search of work. Well, guess what? Not only do
I have to wear a suit and tie for most of my gigs, I'm also finding
that resumés have become a fact of life in the music world.
The growing importance
of paperwork stems from the fact that, with budgets tightening and
formerly secure ensembles fighting for survival, more than ever
rides on the performance of each musician in an orchestra. While
common sense suggests that picking the best players is how you get
the best people, there's actually a lot more involved in that selection
than how someone sounds in an audition.
For example, a virtuoso
violinist may be absolutely wrong for a seat in the violin section,
or even as concertmaster, according to Donald Portnoy, music director
of the Augusta (Georgia) and University of South Carolina Symphony
Orchestras. "When I was studying at Juilliard I had some friends
who were fantastic fiddle players," he explains. "But
when I sat next to them in the orchestra, I could hear them getting
lost all the time. They could play circles around people when they
were doing Paganini, but that didn't mean they could look at an
orchestra part and play it immediately. In today's world, because
no one has the time or money to rehearse and rehearse, orchestra
players have to do things very quickly."
These sorts of strengths
aren't always apparent in auditions. Nor can they normally be made
clear through word of mouth; to avoid litigation over charges that
one candidate got preferential treatment because of prior contact
with the hiring committee, most orchestras severely limit access
to information about applicants at auditions. More than ever, auditions
take place now behind closed doors—or, literally, behind screens
that block the committee's view of the performer during blind auditions.
Carpets are often laid down behind the screen as well, to muffle
the telltale click of high-heels, the tread of army boots, or any
other gender giveaways.
Where to Begin
Under these restrictive
conditions, it becomes your responsibility to supplement your audition
with a persuasive resumé. While it’s easy to put one
together that actually operates against your better interests, it’s
even easier to score points just by following a few simple rules.
Most important, be concise;
never submit a resumé that runs longer than one page. Use
high-quality paper, to create a strong contrast between the type
and the background, since many personnel directors will read about
you in the dim light of the auditorium as you’re playing onstage.
Although some orchestras now invite prospective members to submit
resumés by email, it's still best to snail mail yours in,
so that you retain control over its appearance.
As to the content, that
will vary somewhat, depending on your personal experience and performance
history and the proclivities of the committee. Seasoned players
might want to display their professional experience at the top of
the sheet, tailored to the needs of the position they’re hoping
to fill. If, for example, you're vying for a chair in the middle
of the violin section, it would make sense to emphasize your track
record of playing in similar positions, even if that means downplaying
whatever appearances you've made as a soloist or in smaller groups.
On the other hand, recitals
would count for more when a first-chair or concertmaster opportunity
presents itself.
Working Backwards
No matter where you
list your credits, arrange them in reverse chronological order.
"The most recent work should always come first," says
Tom Hadley, personnel manager at the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
"I get a lot of resumés where the latest performances,
which are often also the most interesting, are buried deep in the
text. If I'm not careful, I might wind up missing it."
Players with a shorter
track record should focus instead on their training. Derek Mithaug
reached this conclusion after teaching classes in resumé
writing at the Juilliard School, where he serves as director of
the career development office.
"We have an exercise,"
Mithaug says. "We provide students with stacks of resumés,
which they separate according to which ones they like and dislike.
Over and over again, we've found that education, at least from their
perspective, is a key criterion. If you're coming from a name school
that specializes in preparing young musicians to be performers,
then it would be very advisable to put education as perhaps your
first category."
Donald Portnoy agrees.
"Let's be very honest: When somebody sends you a resumé
that says Curtis Institute or Juilliard, you're going to say, ‘Hmm,
I want to listen to this.’ And when you get a resumé
from somebody in South Dakota, even if that person might play better
than someone from Curtis, you're less likely to hear them out."
If your credentials
aren't as stellar as your playing, you may be tempted to look for
some way to make your presentation stand out. If so, don't do
it. You may be the funniest viola player in town, but any attempt
to go beyond the bare facts will backfire. Greg Olson, the principal
bassist and personnel manager at the Owensboro (Kentucky) Symphony
Orchestra, points out that he and his colleagues read resumés
as they're listening to auditions; if anything on the page proves
distracting, the inclination is to move along to the next candidate.
Too much information
can be just as counterproductive. Aside from your name, instrument,
and contact information, followed by education and performance credits
in whichever order is appropriate, anything else is probably superfluous.
References, for example, are generally considered unnecessary at
the resumé stage, unless you're applying for a principal
position. "And even then," Olson says, "they should
be listed at the bottom of the page."
Supplemental Materials
Opinions are mixed over
whether to submit a recording with your resumé. At Owensboro
and other community orchestras, they're not required, since almost
everyone applying for a position is allowed a live audition. Larger
ensembles may find them useful, however, in winnowing out the strongest
from a large field of candidates. It's best to check with the orchestra's
business office before making your final decision.
Photos, on the other
hand, are never advisable—for one thing, they obviously violate
the idea of blind auditions. The same goes for bios, even if you
can compress your personal history down to one paragraph. "Bios
can be misleading," says Charles Letourneau, president of Impresario
Arts, a consulting firm for classical musicians. "When I see
a bio, I get the feeling that someone is trying to spin something."
In the end, your resumé
can make the difference in getting the gig. Portnoy remembers a
resumé that was especially well prepared that influenced
him to hire one applicant for a position over another that he actually
knew better. "They were very close to each other, but we took
the one we didn't know because that person spelled out their relevant
experience more clearly."
It comes down to the
fact that there are more talented musicians than ever in search
of work.
"It's partly our
fault, because we keep producing them," Portnoy laughs.
But you and you alone
are in charge of putting your resumé together; to that degree,
at least, your future can depend on how persuasively you spell out
your past on paper.
