An Unusual Job for a Professional Pianist

Aug 14, 2008

If you've just left college after training for years as a pianist, you might be finding it hard to get or!" #f course, you can search for concerts, or join a chamber group" $ut there's a fairly un!no n area of or! that can be both satisfying and fun to do" I or!ed for almost 20 years in %ondon's &est 'nd as a rehearsal pianist, and this article focuses on hat a rehearsal pianist is, and ho to become one" A rehearsal pianist plays for the rehearsals of &est 'nd or touring sho s, in the ee!s of production before the band arrives" Any sho that contains live music ill need a rehearsal pianist, but the most famous e(amples are the big musicals" I or!ed on %es )iserables, *hantom of the #pera, )iss +aigon, )e and )y ,irl, -armen .ones, and a host of productions both in the &est 'nd and on tour" /he contract usually runs for four to si( ee!s, from 10am to 0pm five or si( days a ee!" 1uring the technical ee! 2the ee! before opening night or the first previe , hen all the sets and costumes are added3 the hours can e(tend 4uite dramatically 5 I ould sometimes be or!ing 12 or 16 hour days As a rehearsal pianist you have to be very patient, and to enjoy atching the process of performance creation" In addition, you should be able to perform musical numbers repeatedly to a consistently high standard" And you need to li!e or!ing ith actors7 8ou may or may not have a conductor there, and occasionally you are given the tas! of training the singers, or playing for the dance calls" )ost productions ill have a minimum of t o rehearsals each ee!" 8ou may be called to or! on the production during the run, particularly if there is no piano player in the orchestra" 9o do you begin or!ing as a production pianist: &hen I moved to %ondon in the late 80s I rote ;00 targeted letters as!ing for employment" Although most of the production companies no longer e(ist, the methods of contact I used are still valid" <emember first that you're loo!ing for companies or organisations that produce events, musicals, plays ith music or short films, that ould need a musician" In the =>, the place to start is the $ritish )usic 8earboo!, published by <hinegold and usually available in a good local library" #nce you've e(hausted the $)8, then -ontacts, published by /he +potlight, has a good up5to5date list of repertory theatre companies"

I also rote to film and production companies 2 ith the emphasis on *roduction3 offering my services and as!ing them to !eep my details on file for hen they might need a film pianist" 1ance studios li!e *ineapple +tudios in %ondon are constantly hosting production rehearsals, and may be orth contacting" /hey on't provide you ith employment but they have so many production companies hiring their space that they might be able to put you in touch ith people needing your brand of s!ills" It may be orth approaching all the similar rehearsing venues in the area" Another alternative, often forgotten, is to contact the &est 'nd #rchestral ?i(er" An orchestral fi(er ill liaise ith the producers of a musical to boo! the musicians for the run of the sho " /hey ill sometimes employ or recommend pianists for the rehearsal period, even if they are not boo!ed for the performances" #nce I as established on the scene, I got a great deal of my or! from one &est 'nd fi(er, ho !ne about or as involved in lots of productions" I didn't necessarily play in the production itself, but as hired for the rehearsal period and the @overlap time@ bet een the bandcalls 2in the final ee! of rehearsal3 and opening night" /here is an e(clusive list of orchestral fi(ers approved to boo! &est 'nd musicians 5 if you are having trouble finding it 5 contact the )usicians' =nion" In short, start thin!ing out of the bo(" I got the contracts by riting to as many people as I thought had the budget to pay me" 1id my mailout all those years ago get any results: #ut of those ;00 letters I received 4A replies, and one intervie for a job in the &est 'nd hich lasted for a full 8 months and led to a busy 20 years in and around %ondon's /heatreland" ,ood luc!7 About the Author Jeremy Fisher .eremy ?isher is a pianist, author and performance coach, and co5creator of Bocal *rocess, the voice training company that's @revolutionising the ay singing is taught@ 2%IC> magaDine3 ?or more articles, free do nloads and information, clic! on httpEFF "vocalprocess"co"u!