BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Should you stay in Australia to build your music career, or travel overseas in search of bigger things? What even are those bigger things?
This new interview series aims to educate you about the best of both worlds. And we’ll give you a hint: there’s no right answer.
Throughout 2019, we’re teaming up with the Australian Youth Orchestra to bring you stories about those who have started to forge their industry path in Australia. But some have remained in the country, while others have stationed themselves across the world.
No matter where you choose to live and work, there is plenty for you to learn. In this interview, we meet Brighdie Chambers, who took part in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s Orchestral Management program, and went on to score a fellowship position with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. When she’s not being a powerhouse of organisational skills, she’s practising her bassoon.
Hey, there. So you’re participating in an amazing fellowship position with SSO — congratulations! How’d you score that, and how’s it coming along?
After the AYO Orchestral Management course, we all had the opportunity to apply for three fellowships: one with Musica Viva, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and Opera Australia. I was lucky enough to be offered the fellowship with SSO.
I’ve been working with Rachel McLarin, one of the orchestra personnel managers, helping her run the SSO Fellowship auditions for 2020.
The fellowship was quite different to AYO National Music Camp, as the first month of the fellowship was all working behind the scenes, processing first-round applications, communicating with candidates and panel members, sending out results, and then lots of preparation going into the live-round auditions.
It was lovely to see some of the audition candidates were musicians that I had either studied with or was on NMC with. I was glad that I could be a friendly face in the audition.
You were accepted into the AYO Orchestral Management program earlier this year. Tell us what that experience was like for you, and why it’s an area of interest.
It was due to luck that I applied for the AYO course, at a friend’s recommendation to do so. Looking through the course description, I thought I would really enjoy the program as I excel in organising people: I managed and organised my university wind quintet, who I travelled to Italy with and I currently tutor 60 students a week.
Also appealing was something completely new and challenging, as I had no previous experience in orchestral management.
I absolutely loved the program, and really thrived on working in a small team of like-minded people who worked cohesively to get the job done. We had a great deal of responsibility throughout the program, and worked closely with the AYO staff and tutors.
Throughout the program, I was surprised at how quickly I came to the realisation that I would be personally fulfilled taking this on as a career, and since then actively started searching for a job in arts administration.
How have you found the experience of working to build your career in Australia?
Performing well on the AYO course has been the biggest stepping stone to fuelling my career. Since the program, I was the runner-up for a full-time job in orchestral management in the Opera Australia Orchestra. After the interview process, I tried to throw myself into the industry and gain as much experience as I could this year which could assist in future job hunting.
Australian Youth Orchestra has hired me to assist them on some of their programs this year, which has been wonderful to come back and work with the AYO team as a staff member instead of a participant.
Through the AYO partnership with the SSO, I have gained a lot of hands-on experience in planning and running auditions. I’m thrilled that only six months after the AYO program, I have secured a job. It really is a testament to how outstanding the program is, and the preparation into the workforce has been invaluable.
So with all this happening, talk us through your daily life!
My schedule has varied recently coming out of the fellowship, tutoring, and starting some new work in production.
I [have recently been] working in production at the SSO; working on Harry Potter and preparing for Peter Grimes. I have a couple of very long shifts with some late finishes coming up over the next two weeks, so I will be trying to make the most of my days off with some bassoon practice, going to the gym, and rostering a day or two of absolutely nothing!
How has studying, training, and working in Australia contributed to or helped shape your identity as a musician?
I studied Bassoon Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and had the opportunity to partake in some very special musically defining projects.
I was a performance intern with the Opera Australia Orchestra — I had the opportunity to observe rehearsals and concerts from inside the pit, attend orchestral meetings, and do two mock auditions. At the time, I was playing very timidly and struggled to fully commit. The audition helped me get out of my head, and better take on the characters of the excerpts, later helping me pass my casual audition with the orchestra.
Throughout my degree, I always ended up taking on the role of the organiser, and it was something I have always enjoyed and been quite good at. It’s interesting see where I am now; helping to organise an orchestra!
There’s a perception that Australian artists need to go overseas to ‘make it’. But what are some of the benefits you think Australia has to offer you as an emerging artist? And are there any of these benefits that might not be as accessible if you moved overseas?
I am still ‘green’ and have much more to learn about arts administration, so I definitely don’t feel the need to travel overseas. The experience I am gaining here is diverse and totally satisfying, and I feel I have aligned myself in the perfect place.
In regards to performing, I think there are so many wonderful opportunities in Australia for musicians — such as AYO, the SSO Fellowship, the Australian National Academy of Music, Australian Chamber Orchestra Emerging Artists — that it’s definitely not always necessary to go overseas to seek a career.
Although there are some incredible music colleges and academies overseas with exceptional musicians teaching — and some young Australian musicians do move overseas to do post-graduate study — I feel Australia also has a lot to offer in the area of talent, opportunities, and a great career.
How has your local community supported you as a young musician, and what are your biggest needs from this community?
The AYO community throughout and after the program has been such a big support, from chatting about things I can work on, and good career decisions, to being my referees for jobs.
I have recently met up with some past AYO Orchestral Management students, and almost everyone has been hired in their field. The AYO program is such a well-rounded and respected program that I wouldn’t say I need anything else from this community.
You trained with the AYO to build your professional experiences as you enter the industry. What was the key message from your training that remains with you now — and that you’ll take with you anywhere in the world?
Stick to your word. If you promise something to a musician, making sure you follow through and deliver it will help you build good rapport with the musicians in the organisation that you are working with. Standing by this helped me throughout the AYO program and the other projects I’ve been involved with.
The AYO program also improved my ability to think quickly on my feet and take more initiative. The majority of our work on the AYO Orchestral Management program was actioning stage moves in a short timeframe and sometimes during a live broadcast. Throughout the course of the program, I became quicker and more efficient with these moves, and worked well within a small team.
And finally…where are you off to next?
The fellowship finished up at the end of June, and since then I have been hired as a production assistant with the SSO, which started last week! The AYO program has provided me with so much knowledge and experience in production, which has helped me slot into their team relatively seamlessly!
I have also been lucky enough to be asked back again to assist AYO with some of its upcoming programs after the international tour.
Apart from all that, I’m just trying to find a good work/life/bassoon balance with the new roles.
Apply to take part in the Australian Youth Orchestra programs online.
READ NEXT: All the world’s a stage | Caleb Wong, cello
We’re teaming up with the Australian Youth Orchestra to bring you real-world stories that explore the benefits of a music career in the country or across the globe. Stay tuned for our next interview in All the world’s a stage. In what country would you like to make music?
Images supplied.
