AboutTodd Sullivan Expertise Hello, I am a NYC violinist performing for Broadway shows, symphony orchestras, opera, and sundry theatre/pop tours. I would be happy to answer your questions about anything related to being a performer in the music business. I play both violin and viola professionally, so questions on playing either instrument are welcome. The only thing I am not well informed on is information concerning instruments/bows...those questions are best left to luthiers.
Experience Professional experience includes a variety of on/off Broadway tours and shows, numerous orchestras, tours with Ray Charles and Ann Murray orchestras, leader of the 20-piece Todd Sullivan Orchestra.
Education/Credentials Bachelor of Fine Arts (violin) with honors from Carnegie Mellon University (1999)
Expert: Todd Sullivan Date: 4/11/2008 Subject: Getting more professional gigs. How do I get my name known?
Question Hi Im just 14 and Ive been playing the violin since I was 7 (have done grade 7) and started the viola 3 years ago(grade 7 standard). Im in school orchestras and our county youth orchestra. Im also in a quartet with my other musician friends. We have had a few gigs including a paid wedding and backing music for certain events. Although I dont want music as my career im interested in persuing it at the moment and wondered if you had any advice on how to get our quartets name known. We have some cards and try to hand them out at our gigs but most of our stuff is with friends of friends etc. We are of a good standard although I feel some people may not realise that because of our age - they would tend to hire professionals. What do you think is a god rate of pay for us and how can we get more gigs? Thanks.
Answer You have two huge advantages over professional musicians: (1) You can work for less money because you do not rely on the income (2) Wedding music is so simple that there will not be much difference to the average listener between a quartet of good high schoolers and a quartet of professional players. So you need to sell yourself on "We sound just as good for less money", and this is always a winning pitch. This is also know in the biz as "undercutting", but I don't see anything wrong with this because we are in a free market and you have a right to work and offer your services. Don't go too cheap, though, because instruments and lessons are an expensive investment for your parents, and you want people to know that you are good enough to warrant a decent compensation.
You need to get in touch with wedding planners in your area - these are people that brides hire to manage all aspects of the wedding. If you have a working relationship with them they will be likely to recommend you to their clients who are looking for musicians. Often there are bridal shows are wedding expos that you can sign up to play at. These are conventions of people like you trying to get brides-to-be to use their services for their wedding; they all show off their stuff in person and brides go to these conventions to get a lot of their work done in one place on one day. You can search for all of these things on the internet.
Churches are the biggest referrer. Brides who have a church wedding will usually use the church organist for the service, and this will be the first person they ask to provide other musicians they want. If you have a relationship with these church music directors they will refer you for the weddings. Start with your own church by meeting the music director and offering to play a solo at a service, then tell him about your quartet and your availability for weddings. Between the four of you in the quartet you should have some ability to get started on this right away.
Notice a pattern? Everything comes by word of mouth and reputation, so keep working the friends of friends, keep your cards handy, and always be on time. These few ideas should get you a great start on getting more work.
