- When you move to a new city,
or if you're just getting established at graduating school
and staying in the city where you've just been living,
it's important to find out
who the contractors are in that town.
The best way to find out
who are the active contractors
would be to call the musicians union.
Now, the musicians union does not book musicians.
They don't get the work.
But they know who the active contractors are
because contractors have to turn in paperwork and contracts.
So they know who are the contractors
who are working regularly.
And they would be happy to give you their numbers.
And I would just call a contractor,
introduce yourself as being new to town
or trying to establish yourself in a given city
to be able to work.
Now, just because you call a contractor,
don't expect that within the next month
your phone's going to be bringing off the wall
because all of a sudden you're there, and you're available
and you expect him to call you.
A lot of this takes time.
When you do call a contractor, remember,
that most people are very busy.
Whether it's a full-time job for this contractor,
or he's a college professor
and he's teaching and contracting,
or he's a player.
He doesn't have the time to stay
on the phone and schmooze with you.
So be very short, clear
and concise about why you're calling.
Introduce yourself, tell him very briefly your credentials,
and make sure he knows how to reach you.
Give him a phone number,
give him an email address and thank him very much
for his time in talking to you on the telephone.
I would suggest that following your phone conversation
I would put a short one page, again very concise resume
in the mail to the contractor.
I don't think that sending an unsolicited resume
is going to be helpful.
Because ,
you have to realize that before you move to town,
this contractor has been hiring somebody on a regular basis.
Whether it's for principal flute
second flute, oboe, percussion,
there are people that he's been using prior
to your arrival in town.
It's not likely that he's going to stop using those people
because all of a sudden you,
as God's gift to the oboe
have just moved into the city.
As I said earlier, it will take time.
There will be opportunities.
I go out of my way to remember everybody who calls me.
And I have an assistant so I make sure that she has all
of the resumes that get sent to me.
And she keeps a database of all the new musicians in town.
So when that situation arises
that we need somebody, then, then
then there's the opportunity for you to break in.
And for you to come and play and play great.
So you will make an impression upon both the contractor
and the other musicians in the orchestra.