How easy is it for an amazing pianist with exceptional sightreading skills to find steady work in NYC?

Question

How easy is it for an amazing pianist with exceptional sightreading skills to find steady work in NYC?

Answer 1

steady work, hard.  you can probably ahve multiple gigs every week, but you wont be paid a thing.  i mean, were talking minimum wage.  you can look for studio work, or maybe playing at a restaraunt or something, but rememebr that there are thousands of other piano players with sightreading skills, perfect pitch, and lovely voices.  i went to a music conservatory for part of high school, and at least 15 girls there went to NYC to look for work after school, just from my class.  about 5 of them are still there, and about 7 of them had perfect pitch and could sight read perfectly.  this isn't to throw you off the idea, but to give you realistic expectations.  i bet youre good, but that won't make it a cakewalk, its still a long hard road, good luck.

Answer 2

Well, you could probably find plenty of work accompanying others, you could work in piano bars, you could try to get on at the theater, choirs, and the like. It would probably take quite some time to get established enough that you would have "steady" work. The trick is getting your name out there. Maybe IF you are really good, you can do that within a years time, in the meanwhile you'll need a day job!

Answer 3

Try to find stead work FIRST in a venue that has enough work to support you, yet without all the competition of NY.  This will give you and IDEA of how hard it would be in NY.  Yes, in NY the scales would tip the other way - far more possibilities, but MANY MANY MANY more people trying out for them!

Opera News said a few years ago that it was official -there were now more wannabe singers working in NYC restaurants than there were roaches in the kitchen!  For all musicians - no different.  If you gotta sk HERE - then you have no contacts, either.

Answer 4

semi.