Over the last few months I’ve been delighted to discover great interest in what goes on behind the scenes at the symphony, especially in regards to the auditions I described last month. That has made me think about the bigger picture: what exactly leads some of us to become professional musicians, and what’s it like living the dream? It starts in childhood. I have friends who remember the first time they held a violin and immediately felt a tactile connection with the instrument and its sound, and others who can’t remember a time when they didn’t sit in front of the piano every day. My earliest memories are before I played an instrument – of music itself – which is perhaps why I chose to

Continue readingThe constant quest for the unattainable, or Being a Professional Musician