Photo: dra_schwartz/iStockphoto.com
Violist Sam Bergman (of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Inside the Classics concerts/blog) writes this week about the seemingly endless parade of studies that determine that orchestral musicians are a deeply unhappy lot:
Every few years, someone does a study of orchestra musicians, and comes up with the staggering result that many of us are deeply unhappy. Or if not actually unhappy, at least deeply dissatisfied with our work life. These studies are always duly reported by the arts media with the requisite degree of incredulity (How could people who are getting paid to play great music possibly be unhappy? What is wrong with these people?), and there are usually a few backlash commentaries appended in which unhappy people who get paid to write about great music order those of us who get paid to play it to cheer up and grow a sense of perspective.
Find out what Sam thinks about these studies and what might be done here.