This is only the tip of the iceberg regarding symphonic work. International Musician (the AFM monthly newsletter is full of information, both good and bad, about these organizations, and sadly the news is mostly bad. Putting aside Columbus OH, which is a marginal market for a full time, paid organization (and probably only a little less marginal for a half volunteer one), consider San Diego CA and San Antonio TX.
Both cities are on the "just under Chicago" large size. Lots of people, with an even mix of low, middle and upper class folks. (San Antonio has a "stealth" upper class that only shows itself in the society pages during the annual Fiesta, when the papers are overflowing with participants with German surnames - after it is done they go back into hiding for another twelve months.) Both have historically had trouble maintaining a symphonic operation, despite multiple attempts to do so. I have lost count of the number of times that San Diego has gone under (four or more), and San Antonio is just about as bad. While San Antonio is not a garden spot, San Diego is (and has a sizable number of corporate headquarters to boot). Yet, they cannot (or will not) support an orchestra on a viable basis.
And, even if you do land a "full time" position with a group, it's likely that you'll not be living very high on the hog. In this month's issue, there are ads for positions with Louisville (circa $53,000, with two weeks vacation and major medical insurance (note emphasis)) and Milwaukee (assistant principal violist, $66,000 minimum). While these are certainly living wages (and, in the case of Milwaukee, might pay more to a current member winning the audition), I'd not consider them as being overly generous (and certainly not with a family to support in a middle class lifestyle). My guess is that the winners of both will still be hustling private students on the side just to aspire to the kind of lifestyle that most classical folks want to enjoy.
There was a time when any "big" city or city with an established orchestra (Pittsburgh, Saint Louis) was able to keep the organization going without trouble. Sadly (for violin players), those days are gone, this in a climate of corporate mergers and cost cutting to bring the profit levels up. Saint Louis has had troubles in the past, and Houston (located in a city that is flush with billionaires and millionaires) has had similar problems. Pittsburgh, a city with a shrinking population and departing "rust belt" industries, has had some rumblings of difficulties, although I think they are still solvent.
Like it or not, the "good" days are long past, and we are entering into a long dry spell with little relief in sight. A good deal of the attendance at any of these organizations is part of a greying cohort of the population, and while youth programs may bring in some younger ears, the general trend is towards dwindling numbers. This reflects a shrinking audience, but it also reflects changing trends in music "appreciation" as well.
We have this bizarre event here every February called the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. While the goat roping, yee-ha activities are still there (and are attended by a large audience of mostly rural folks), the "big events" at the "Show" are the concerts. For two solid weeks, every night sees a different rock, country, Tejano, soul or R & B group, and they generally play to sell-out, football stadium sized crowds. Worst than that, the extreme ticket prices that are paid are for canned, "lip-sync'ed" performances (they all do it) get you a worse than a CD player performance in the bargain.
This same metropolitan area has a relatively good symphonic orchestra (when they are on their game), one which often attracts audiences in the low hundreds and seldom has a sell out unless there is some pop headline appearing with them. And, the ultimate highest ticket prices there are about an order of magnitude less than the cheapest seats at the Livestock Show events.
Aside from the attractiveness of the "acts" (what you can see of them), you don't have to get dressed up to go to the Livestock Show (although there are many who wear quite expensive "rodeo wear" when they attend), you can buy beer and funnel cakes at the Livestock Show, and the mood is (in general) more upbeat (with most symphonic concerts being about as bright as a Russian funeral in overall mood and tone).
And, don't take me as a classical (or, more properly, "art music") hater. I love the stuff, and have a huge CD collection of my favorites. But, I've not been to a classical concert in many years, preferring instead to own nigh on perfect performances that I can enjoy again and again to being stuffed in a tight seat with a coughing old woman next to me for four hours (and a possible parking ticket at the end if my luck is running bad).
A combination of the elitism of the classical music world with the pricing of the finished product (over 80% of all their expenses are for personnel costs, even when they don't pay all that well) is what is doing them in, and they're welcome to continue it as long as they can stand it. Most people have given up on them, and have moved on, and (push comes to shove) they ain't coming back. A pity, but certainly a better picture than the jazz and opera scenes.
I can go on about this and other areas of musician/music "supply and demand" issues for hours, but most (alas) never want to discuss this stuff until it is too late. There are huge populations of people who are pretty good at what they do but who cannot do it for performance "for pay" even though they are not trained to do much of anything else. Those populations support both the marginal (as in "They can perform, but only earn a pittance for doing so" and the semi-pro (as in "They get paid pretty well for working for four hours, but the jobs just aren't there to do it three nights a week"), which in turn support the full-time music professionals. As an opening occurs in an upper tier, there are instantly twenty available from below to fill it. And, all the while, the American educational system is churning out thousands of very good musicians in all genres each and every year, all who face fewer and fewer opportunities in the future.
Mozart (or, as most of you call him, "Moat-zart") never attended a day of formal music education in his life, yet he did just fine. It is possible to be a very good sax, clarinet or trumpet player yet never have a day of higher music education in your life, (Trombone players obviously do not fit this mold, and need all the help that they can get.) Love music all you want, but get an education in some other field and play on the side for fun (and money). You'll be happier and healthier and richer in the bargain.
Of course, no one ever listens. A pity, but what can you do?
