After my years of being involved with the world of professional orchestral music, the many, many contacts I have amassed over these years have enabled me to operate as an orchestral and ensemble contractor. I am also happy to be orchestral manager, both on events I have contracted and those I have not.
What is an orchestral contractor?
An orchestral contractor (also often informally known as a "fixer") is the person who locates, approaches, books and contracts musicians for events which require a musical ensemble - in short, they are like an agent for ensemble musicians. They will themselves be contracted by the event organiser to provide an orchestra to a specific instrumentation. In turn, they will book the required players, put them under contract and generally be the intermediary between the event organiser and the musicians, communicating all the necessary information between the organisers and musicians as necessary. The more stressful part of the job is finding short-notice replacements when there are last minute withdrawals due to illness etc.
It is usual for an orchestral contractor to charge an agreed percentage of the players' fees for carrying out his/her task. This is usually not deducted from the players' fees, but rather is added onto the entire cost of the orchestra, to be paid by the organisers.
My pool of players covers the those from Scotland's national orchestras (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra of Scottish Opera, Orchestra of Scottish Ballet, Scottish Chamber Orchestra) as well as the finest freelance and session musicians. I offer an efficient, professional service, and all contracting work is on a formal basis, adhering where possible to guidelines set by the Musicians' Union.
What is orchestral management?
This is a separate job which can be in relation to ensembles I have contracted, but also to ensembles I have not. This job involves being there on the day of the booking to make decisions about seating arrangements, ensemble layout, dealing with music stands, and mediating any problems between the organisers and the players. It may also involve sourcing, hiring and potentially arranging transport of things like percussion instruments, pianos, music stands etc.
Librarianship
A necessary part of an orchestral event is the function of the orchestral librarian. His/her job is to make up the bundles of music that each player needs on their music stand. It is very easy to underestimate the level of responsibility and time that this job takes. It is often the case that the librarian also attends to the hire of the orchestral music and deals with the licensing and performing rights associated with the repertoire.
I am happy to discuss performing any or all of the above functions.