Archive for the ‘Managing Your Own Career’ Category

Piano Retailers as Resources

Thursday, May 1st, 2014

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. In a column I wrote in February (Using Google to Find Concert Opportunities), I addressed the challenge that pianists confront in identifying new venues in which to perform or run through repertoire in advance of major recitals. I have always been sympathetic to the limitations […]

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Using Google to Find Concert Opportunities

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. I am often asked: How can I find opportunities to perform? There are several possible answers to this question but they all have one thing in common. There is a lot of work involved and there are no shortcuts that I am aware of. One […]

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Starting a Concert Series? Begin With a Great Idea

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. I am frequently asked what it takes to start a concert series. Having spoken to a good number of artists who have done so, I would say that the main basic ingredients are passion, determination, hard work, resourcefulness, excellent networking skills and perhaps, most importantly, […]

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A Master Multitasker

Thursday, November 29th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. I am frequently asked how musicians can be expected to handle the various artistic, administrative, financial, and performance related responsibilities they must regularly juggle and still not have their performances suffer in quality. I actually wrote about this in an earlier column entitled Time […]

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Performing on the High Seas

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. When I had the pleasure of meeting with participants in the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival last summer, I addressed a number of questions that had been submitted in advance. One question concerned playing on music cruises, and how to apply for such opportunities. I […]

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Tips for Successful Grant Writing

Thursday, September 27th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. One of the questions I was asked this past summer when I did a live Ask Edna session at the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival was about tips for successful grant writing.  Unfortunately, the allotted time that day didn’t suffice for me to address that […]

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The Freelancer’s Elevator Speech

Thursday, May 24th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. Dear Edna: I am a freelancer who makes a career by juggling a number of projects in the music business. I am pleased to have reached a level of success that has me in demand for a truly diverse range of activities, including publicity, media […]

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Is Specialization Limiting or Helpful?

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. I recently made my third visit to the Bard College Conservatory of Music and spent two hours with some wonderful young singers who have been picked by Dawn Upshaw, Kayo Iwama and their vocal faculty colleagues to participate in the prestigious Graduate Vocal Arts Program. […]

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Ten Do’s and Dont’s of Career Building

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. Dear Edna: In this fast paced changeable world we live in, we artists feel like a little boat in a vast ocean, many times lost and orphans of good guidance. A wonderful legacy, and a practical one from an accomplished pro like you, would be […]

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Which Matters More: What You Sing or Where You Sing It?

Thursday, February 16th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. Congratulations to soprano, Amy Oraftik, whose question below won Second Prize in The Ask Edna First Anniversary contest. Amy wins a free review of her press kit or website. Dear Edna: I am an opera singer who recently graduated from school. In my first year […]

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