Some freelancers have taken on additional private students to help boost their income durng tough times.
though she’s had to tighten her belt a little, she has also been fortunate that “around two or three years ago a few things came my way as far as teaching.” Ruas now teaches at Goucher College, the University of Maryland’s Baltimore County campus, and at the Baltimore School of the Arts. She is enjoying some side benefits from her reduced playing schedule, which now allows her to actually attend her students’ performances. Other freelancers have taken on additional students to help boost their income during tough times. Namkung and Zeh each have a handful of students come to their homes. Shinozaki says that she and her husband, Eugene Sor, another Bay Area violinist, will probably take on a few more students to help with costs. But Eckholm, whose students are mostly adults, has seen a drop-off in private teaching as
For fun, violinist Karen Shinozaki, second from left, and violinist husband Eugene Sor, second from right, produce casual chamber music concerts under the name Sor Ensemble. Pictured with them after a performance are violist Rem Djemilev, left, and pianist Miles Graber.
the economy in California has worsened. While cutting is a necessary evil for many orchestras, some still try to find creative ways to make up services for musicians. Lockwood Hoehl, the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra’s executive director, points out in an email that, “Even though we needed to cut back on the number of
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services in the 2009-10 subscription concert season, we were able to offer our musicians up to sixteen additional services (totaling more than they would have had in a ‘normal’ subscription season) by our tour to China (all expenses paid), a conducting workshop, and a run-out to University of Delaware. We have worked hard to give our musicians opportunities to replace income lost from the contraction of our concert season.” Colleen Marlow, executive director of the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, seconds that sentiment. “We continue to be committed to providing as much work to our musicians as possible and at the best rates,” she writes in an email. “There’s no doubt the orchestra’s health is directly related to the number of times we’re able to put our first class musicians in front of our audience. We are increasing fundraising efforts and looking at cost-effective ways to increase opportunities for next season, but it might still be another year before we can afford to be at the level we were in 2008-2009.” Somewhat counterintuitively, many freelance musicians are filling their schedules by boldly forming new ensembles. Zeh has been performing regularly with the PitStop Players, a group of former and current Broadway musicians who wanted more of a turn in the limelight. The American Studio Orchestra, which was named 2010 “Artist In Residence” at The Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences’ Center for Africana Studies, debuted in October with a program featuring music by film composer Jacob Yoffee, and performed symphony
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