The Ensemble Experience

Among the great joys of being a musician is the opportunity to participate and perform with a musical ensemble. It is the age-old concept of individuals working collectively to solve a problem by applying skill, fastidiousness, and emotion to sound. Musical ensembles are in effect manifestations of society and culture attempting to uphold independence while operating congruently, ideas that can be found in virtually every part of our culture. When we dine together at home or a restaurant we are acting on the principle of social polyphony whereby each person participates in the eating to meet his own needs while allowing and encouraging the group experience to include not just the actual eating but talking, sharing, passing food, and working to conform to the group needs while retaining the independence of the act.

Having dined with large groups in banquet settings, I am always intrigued by the general timing of the experience. Most finish the salad within the same few minutes, the main course, the dessert, and most require refills of drinks at the same rate. This is yet another example of the congruence that occurs when in social settings. The same is true when we drive down the road, put on our clothes, manage our lives, and the list of independent yet congruent activities is extensive. Granted that many actions remain purely individual, there is no question that we enjoy and respond to the idea of collective goals. In a sense, we are dependent on those opportunities to join with other people either in social engagement or in accomplishment of some worthy task.

Such is true in the musical ensemble. The euphoria that occurs from playing in an outstanding ensemble and performing for an appreciative and eager audience is difficult to put into words. It is simply an incredible experience and one that I wish all people could have at some point in their lives. Certainly a powerful experience, I can point to hundreds of great experiences as a performer, conductor, and composer, in bands, choirs, orchestras, and many combinations of smaller organizations. There is something magical and boldly unified that occurs when each individual uses skill and excellence to bring out the finest in music. Many amazing sounds work together to provide music to audiences and give them a similar sense of the euphoria that accompanies music ensembles in their product.

When choirs are singing, strings are playing, bands are marching, it is as though the challenges of the world take a back seat to the experience on the stage or field. The music ensemble serves as a shining example of how people can work together for a common purpose and instead of promoting non-conformity or individuality, ensembles are promoting unity, harmony, and congruence. Add in the power of collective dissonance that occurs within the sound of the music, and we have an aural representation of the tension and repose that exists in culture today.

In spite of the individual and collective euphoria and the positive responses from audiences everywhere, there is an economic threat to the music ensemble. At the professional level, it is expensive. Plain and simple. If an orchestra could be paid as one unit, receiving a large sum based on a substantial percentage of ticket sales, and subsequently distributing the sum among the players, all would be well. This would likely result in performers determining what to perform and how to generate interest in their skills. Some concerts would pay very little and cause musicians to reevaluate the product. Other events would be financially rewarding, resulting in happy performers who directly influenced the final result. While the players would not know in advance how much they would make, they would also have great interest in the audience and its response to the concert. No longer would we see disinterested professional performers collecting a paycheck regardless of the ticket sales.

Musicians enjoy performing, people enjoy large ensembles, and the result ought to be a successful experience for both performers and audience members. But it may be time for professional musicians to accept that the market needs to determine the economic reality of the worth of the music ensemble. This will require a paradigm shift of thinking, of management, and of considering how one's talent and skill can be converted to economic success. Recognizing there are many definitions of success and great monetary gain is rarely achieved by artists, at the same time, it is difficult to reconcile the "starving" musician with the general enjoyment of ensemble performing. Regardless of the talent level, no musician is entitled to a career based on his/her own sense of worth. Careers are made when there is a demand for the skill. Such is true of the musician.

The music ensemble is a substantive experience with a long and rich heritage and it is here to stay in our culture. Whether that is true at the professional level, however, is questionable and only time and the market will prove its power and worth. Meanwhile, the amateur and school ensemble continues to thrive at a high level and provides tremendous feelings of joy for those in the ensemble as well as the audience. As a model expression of independence and collective congruence, few other concepts compete with the music ensemble.