You Had Me At “Pretty Shoes”

Patrons love learning seeing what goes on behind the scenes, whether its learning how music librarians dodge incoming fire or the complexities of equal pay for equal work among musicians.

Case in point, Holly Mulcahy published an article at Neo Classical that examines what a concertmaster does. In addition to the typical duties and responsibilities, the post examines much of the unwritten requirements that go with the job.

“And here I thought all you did was walk out in pretty shoes and tune the orchestra!”

That patron’s statement caught me by surprise while I was explaining details of my job as concertmaster. It turns out many people don’t know much about what a concertmaster does!

In addition to offering up her own insights as Concertmaster of the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera, she elicits insights from fellow concertmasters across a diverse spectrum of orchestra budgets. The list includes David Kim (Philadelphia Orchestra), Nurit Bar-Josef (National Symphony), Frank Almond (Milwaukee Symphony), Emmanuelle Boisvert, Former Concertmaster Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Associate Concertmaster, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Violetta Todorova (Fort Wayne Philharmonic).

It’s More Than Wearing Pretty Shoes