ecarroll

Mikki,

Good morning and happy new year!

The chances of "feeding into a smaller orchestra", ballet, or opera orchestra are very small as there are fabulous players all over the UK looking for work. It's not impossible (I know a terrific American trombonist who was offered a chair in Grand Canaria and thus was able to move to other EU contracts in Glasgow (Scottish Opera) and Luxembourg (Radio & Television Orchestra), but rare.

The same thing is now true on the continent. German radio orchestras were hiring American trumpeters in the 70s and 80s but Americans rarely find work in Europe now. The standard of European trumpet playing is such (surpassing North America in some ways) that there is absolutely no reason for management to look outside the EU. Also please remember that these are mostly government jobs. Imagine the conundrum on talk radio here if the civil service were hiring outside the country. . .

Food for thought. It's still a good idea to study abroad at some point, if only (!) to expand your musical knowledge and experience.

Best,
EC

Mikki

Thank you very much for your help and insight towards the music scene in Europe. All information is greatly appreciated and gave me a better idea of what's out there.

Thanks!

All the best,
Mikki

__________________
Don't be afraid to go out on a limb, that's where the fruit is.

ecarroll

Mikki,

Keep us posted with your plans and ideas. I believe that any sort of study that increases the scope of what you know/can do is valuable (!)

There's a wealth of interesting experiences out there if you have the courage to look for them. . .

Best,
EC

josephus07

If someone wanted to move to Europe to study for a while and experience the culture without attending school, how would one support themselves?

I know one of my piano teachers did that WAY back in the day, and he and his wife supported themselves through teaching piano, house sitting, and baby sitting, but that just doesn't seem realistic nowadays.

Let's say, for example, that I wanted to go to Germany and live for a year or two and take lessons with Matthias Hofs, travel to hear the great orchestras, catch a couple of shows at IRCAM, hear some of the European soloists like M. Stockhausen, Gabrielle Cassone, Hakan, Antonsen, Aubier, etc. - how do you do it if you're not independently wealthy (which I am not )

Great topic!

ecarroll

The cost of living in Europe is high and, unfortunately, you won't be any more able to take an "on the books" job there than a German would coming to North America. You'll be travelling on a tourist visa, afterall, and unless you have saved some personal funds for this you may be out of luck.

Viable options include a Fulbright or other residencies that are easily researched online.

Does your school have any sort of office that handles international students and studies abroad? If so, they can probably point you in the right direction.

Best, and I agree this is a wonderful topic.
EC