The recent headlines are horrifying. Musicians in top orchestras have been asked to take massive cuts in pay and benefits. Managers are slashing weeks and demanding reductions in the number of musicians – in some cases, by putting tenured players out on the street. Longstanding work rules are being gutted for reasons that have nothing to do with finances. It is a full-fledged assault on protections for musicians that took decades to achieve.
Perhaps most disturbing, however, is the response from some orchestra managers and board chairs to the argument that players, faced with these draconian measures, will pack up and leave. The message is simple and blunt: we don’t care. Go ahead and leave. After all, you’re totally replaceable; we’ll just hire one of those fantastic kids coming out the conservatories.
This message is being delivered with stunning candor. The chairman of one major orchestra demanding huge cuts noted the “quite remarkable” number of music-school graduates, characterizing it as “a large supply.” Another manager acknowledged a “risk” that his players would “find their way to another place” if forced to accept management’s demands, but shrugged it off: “those who can leave will.” Yet another board chairman told one departing principal that he wouldn’t care unless nine or ten players left – and then, only because it might be “bad PR.” (And of course, who can forget the manager who th
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How many trumpets does Lynn Erickson play? Our Second trumpet, Lynn Erickson, answers questions about her trumpets and talks about what it feels like to work with a therapy dog.
How many trumpets do you play?
Two of each of the following trumpets: Bb, C, D, Piccolo.
One of each of the following: Eb trumpet, Flugelhorn, Bb Cornet.
The SPCO owns the rotary trumpets that we use, as well as the set of natural trumpets.
In addition to having a variety of trumpets, I also have to have a large number of mutes. Each mute has a different timbre, and it’s nice to have a large selection so you can get the exact sound that you want.
I also use a number of different mouthpieces: slightly smaller and shallower mouthpiece for the high piccolo trumpet, and a larger, deeper mouthpiece for most of the playing I do in the orchestra.
Trumpets, mouthpieces and mutes are tools, and as players, we need to determine which tools are best for the piece of music at hand.
How are they different?
The repertoire we play in the SPCO requires the trumpet players to be able to play on a number of different trumpets pitched in different keys. In addition to modern piston trumpets, we also play rotary trumpets and natural trumpets (trumpets that have no valves at all).
The largest trumpet we play in the orchestra is the Bb trumpet, which is also the instrument that most trumpet players learn to play on. The trumpet we play most often in the orch Read More