On this FIRST EPISODE of the HOT SEAT series, Eileen dives in with two musicians on their career goals. Hear Eileen's take on the next steps for these two musicians with big plans.
Rocky's vlog: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ2-d2dK-L6EeTjd-JgHybg
Welcome to the NEW series- Fireside Chats- where my new partner at Crushing Classical, musician turned business person Eileen Gordon and I sit down and talk about a whole bunch of stuff about building your career. We dive into the concept of being STRATEGIC when navigating your music career... and what that ACTUALLY means with examples from my life! I can tell you- many "ah-ha" moments happened in this conversation for me. Being strategic in the way she talks about could be the missing link in the actions you are taking toward your goals... Are you being strategic?
I've heard of musicians switching their careers to something else pretty often but it's not too common to hear about someone who becomes a comedian. It takes a special talent and skill to be able to be funny on the spot in front of people sitting there waiting to laugh! On this episode Mary tells lots of funny stories about her Klezmer band gigs and what it was like to be on the Conan O'Brien show. Mary mistakenly thought that I spend a lot of time editing- which I don't. These are "real, raw interviews" which means what is said goes on the show! So that led to some hysterical moments. Mary has a new comedy album out now, available on iTunes and www.marymackcomedy.com called Pig Woman, and her next appearances will be in Grand Rapids, MI at the LaughFest on March 18th and 19th
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/pig-woman/id1036119715
Do you ever wonder how musicians feel when they leave their assumed path to an orchestra job? Sometimes you might think that this could be a bittersweet decision. After all, mostly a classically trained musician will be thinking of a job in an orchestra as the IT thing to do. I asked Peter Seymour about this, bassist and co-founder of the cool, hip group Project Trio, made up of flute, bass, and cello, and I just loved his answer! These three friends who met at music school decided to create their OWN impact on the music world, and boy have they EVER. The positivity of Peter just exudes through this conversation- he is one of the most inspiring musicians out there. Have a listen!
Also from the show, the links to what we talked about: Project Trio's website and their new upcoming program called The Studio. More information about that in the link below:
http://www.projecttrio.com/
http://www.projecttrio.com/the-studio/
Josephine Lee has had an extraordinary career. The job that she got conducting a small children's choir nearly 20 years ago in Chicago has become her life's work and passion. She is now the President and Artistic Director of the group that has grown enormously under her guidance. This was a really fun interview for me, getting back in touch with an old friend, and finding out just how much the choir has grown in the last decade with numerous international tours and collaborations with amazing artists. On this episode Josephine shared with me what it was like to make her career decisions at crucial points in her career and why she ultimately stayed on her path to grow the children's choir.
https://ccchoir.org/
Do you ever wonder if you're doing the right thing for you in your career? What about all the uncertainty of being a musician as a career- how does that relate to the business world? It turns out there are a lot of parallels to being a musician and a business person. On this episode I talked with entrepreneur and amateur horn player Tom Cowan. This episode is packed with great advice from this veteran entrepreneur.
Join me for this interview with Denise Tryon, Fourth Horn of the Philadelphia Orchestra, where we talk about auditions, her vast orchestral experience, and her endeavors with a horn audition workshop Audition Mode, as well as a sought-after teacher around the world for her expertise and abilities as a low horn player.
On this episode I talk to Colin Jacobsen of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, the orchestra The Knights, and the Silk Road Ensemble. I loved hearing about how Colin started his ensembles Brooklyn Rider and The Knights with his brother in a collaborative way with friends and grew his ensembles to create the career he wanted.
Justin Locke, bass player for 18 years with the Boston Pops, and author of several books including Real Men Don't Rehearse, Principles of Applied Stupidity, and Getting In Touch With Your Inner Rich Kid, joins me on this podcast. He shares how his freelance career got started and what he learned about the music business, as well as what being in business has shown him about the music business and how the orchestral world is run.
You can find his books on Amazon. For more about Justin Locke visit his website: