Do Summer Music Festivals Exploit Classical Musicians?

Pay to play might have a different meaning in the classical music world.

This past month I have pondered if summer music festivals are truly fair. 

If you are not familiar with the systems of classical music this is one of the more notorious systems in the industry, the summer music festival.  

Summer music festivals can be a huge highlight in a young musician’s journey. You get to travel the world, work with like-minded players, interact with some of the best professionals in the industry.  However, there is a caveat.  If you don’t have the money or the connections - you ain’t going.

Taking the time to participate in a music festival can be considered a wise investment because of all the benefits and experiences you can garner, think of it as the musical equivalent of an internship but… most of the time you have to pay. 

Wait, what? Yup! You have to pay for it and it’s a pretty penny.

The most prestigious festivals can be free but no pay for performances, these are considered the best festivals (high in stature and free). They are far and few and are extremely competitive.  Scarcity is a part of its lure. Other festivals might be smaller in stature but just as rewarding in terms of repertoire and experience but most of the time if you don’t have the privilege of knowing someone or having the money to pay for the fees, housing and travel it is extremely difficult to be a part of these festivals.

The fact is, without musical talent these festivals cannot exist. So why do we justify garnering experience as the reason for not getting paid as okay?

Musicians gripe about the difficulties of getting into these festivals but what about challenging this part of the system as a whole? (What if musicians decided to rebel and flex their muscle and not audition for these festivals...I know, never gonna happen, but it would be an interesting study). Does experience directly pay the rent or help me repair my instrument?

Who created this system and why are we as a society accepting this? Many times schools, conservatories and universities promote this system. This is seen as a part of life for classical musicians.

These institutions cannot acquire funding without the student/apprentice component and many times they are the highlight of the concert series which attracts audiences and donors.  The musicians are a vital component but not enough to pay them (kinda sounds like a raw deal.) Who can really afford this, well not me.

What justifies this type of treatment? There are so many problems with it, but no uproar.  It makes it really hard for talented musicians to participate who are disadvantaged, creating a gap in accessibility. So basically, when you get out of school you are not going to be making any “real” money right off the bat because you are just entering the workforce, possibly with loan debt and you spent all your dollars on those summer music festivals. Yikes, how does one recover from that?

The acceptable norm is that you get paid to work and performing is work. However, these musicians are not getting paid with dollars (maybe they’re invisible dollars called experience) for their performing, which fits this notion that musicians should be playing for free (there goes that starving artist crap again, uggh). 

However, I cannot ignore that these festivals are expensive to create. You learn this when you attempt to create your own concert series or festival. With the current festival model, the performer fees are a part of the income for the festival in combination with some type of grant or sponsor funding. 

So what can we do about this? I know from my own experience how partaking in festivals is not only rewarding but can really boost one’s musical trajectory. 

• How can musicians take more control over creating meaningful experiences for themselves that are similar to these festivals without all the hardship?

• Another question to consider, how can these festivals change their structure so it fits the labor standards?

Here are some thoughts about how musicians can deal with these issues.  In all honesty, most of these issues regarding how much money goes into the arts have a lot to do with how our society perceives the value of art.  So I don’t have a magic solution for this but here we go anyway:

Create Opportunities Through Community

This is easier said than done but if you are currently in school this is much easier. Make friends and collaborate. School is the perfect time to test run ideas and utilize resources from the school department. 

However, if you are someone who is way past school, then I recommend that you continue to replenish your network of friends as a call to action.  Don’t limit it to only musicians too. Have both musician and normal people friends (yes, everyone else is normal compared to classical musicians - you know it and I know it).  Try doing small get-togethers like musical readings and dinner, which is a great way to get to know how people play and see how compatible you are with them. 

Go to other people’s performances and support each other, don’t expect people to support you without you reciprocating. Invite people to hang out or get coffee, maybe do lunch.

Join artists groups and network also if you can join artist groups in your neighborhood that is even better because you can potentially work with them easily.

Nothing happens in a vacuum, we need people. Reach out and see what happens.

Create a Plan and Apply for Funding

I feel like many times we have ideas of what we want but do not necessarily know the process and resources that are required to create what we want.

Money talks and money is also a contract so it’s a good idea to have the money to fund the experience you want to create.  This is going to be a trial by error sort of deal because it takes time to write winning proposals. Learn, be consistently persistent in finding these opportunities and refine and edit your previous proposal if you don’t get it the first time around.

There are many free online classes on proposal writing and learning how to create a budget. Nothing is stopping you but yourself, go for it.  What’s the worst that can happen? If you apply and they say no - so what. You have a plan, budget and you keep refining it and move forward.

House concerts or mini-concert parties or retreats

Another idea is to find a home to rent that can accommodate your event or a small space that is easy to get to (don’t forget parking so your audience can get there if that is a requirement). You can do this in your neighborhood or you can travel to a specific location if you want, just make sure you will have an audience because you are spending time and money, so make it worth it.

Make it smallish, not too big. You don’t want to make it more labor-intensive if it is not necessary. You can rent a space for the day or a few days and invite people to attend. Have someone bring the wine and add some hors d’oeuvres and make it into a great experience for all. Invite your friends and have them bring their friends and family. If people enjoy it and it is something you continue they can become potential sponsors or regular attendees for your future performances.  Building relationships this way can be fun because of the intimate atmosphere. If you want people to sponsor you, you will have to provide evidence that their dollars are going to a worthy candidate. This is similar to the suggestion before about community.

Crowdfunding

If you do want to go to that festival you might want to consider raising money for your summer endeavor via crowdfunding.  There are many platforms available, some have different stipulations so do your research. Some of these crowdfunding platforms are structured where if someone pays a certain amount the person gets a gift or favor.  Make sure you plan these out in advance before you launch your campaign so you keep your promises to those donors and of course make sure you thank everyone. 

Don’t wait just create.

One thing that is for sure, you have to create your own opportunities. This means working your job or jobs and setting aside money to create. If you have a plan and are consistent with your strategy you will see results in time. It is a process that takes time but don’t let that deter you. Everyone has to do it. When you do these things keep it simple and low risk and keep track of it so you can add it to your portfolio.

You can do it, I believe in you. Live your dreams and do it your way. It doesn’t have to be conventional it just has to be done, so go out there and do it.