Oboist Lays Out the Path to a Professional Orchestra Career

Professional Oboist Rachel Seiden recently posted a great insider’s look at the long and complicated road to building a career in classical music at the Vail Valley Music Festival website. Professional Oboist Rachel Seiden recently posted a great insider’s look at the long and complicated road to building a career in classical music at the Vail Valley Music Festival website. She includes the steely advice of an early instructor: “Why do we take auditions? To become accustomed to failure.” From there, Seiden goes through an enlightening run-down of a life of private lessons, college educations, ensemble playing, and one-on-one coaching. “Becoming part of an orchestra is a laborious and demanding process,” she says. “But the eventual ideal goal of winning an orchestral job, and therefore making money by making music, sustains us.”

Seiden’s full post can be found here and it’s a worthwhile read for anyone looking for a peek into this process.