Life in the Pit

Orchestra reductions are always challenging for the pit orchestra. We are expected to sound like the big full orchestra even though there are too few people playing. I think that ballet orchestras seem to have to deal with this issue more than opera, although they are not exclusive. It is always frustrating to play Nutcrackers with a smaller string section. In our CBA we do have protection in that Mgt. has to hire the instruments listed in the score, but sometimes the string sections become compromised with the number hired. With opera often I watch the percussion section struggling to cover all of the parts. Last season the opera played an arrangement of Hansel and Gretel which frustrated the orchestra. Because it was not a reduction, Mgt. was able to do it. The score called for 8 or 9 orchestra musicians and piano. The opera was performed in our smaller theater during December. It was later performed again at an outdoor theater.

Performing in the orchestra pit has been a privilege. My first ballets were played while touring with Houston Ballet back in the late ’70s. We played in some very interesting pits across the country. Ballet is such a beautiful art form. It’s amazing to see the dancers perform their art, and it’s very exciting to be a part of the music that accompanies them. I toured with Texas Opera Theater for ten years, and we took opera where no opera had gone before. We played in school auditoriums and cafeterias and gymnasiums. We also played in some of the loveliest old refurbished theaters that had a pit the size of a small bathroom. It was fun to watch and hear young opera singers before they made it big. Now it’s amazing to see how far some of them have come. We played Verdi and Rossini and Puccini with a 23-piece orchestra in some of the worse orchestra pits imaginable. But because we love the music and the art form, we endure, hoping that things will get just a little bit better in the future.

I have seen both Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera come a long way. Both companies are thriving. Our CBAs improve with each negotiation. The managements understand that educating the public is a big part of surviving. Both managements were instrumental in pushing for the renovation of the orchestra pit. They want the best product they can get, and we give it to them. Sometimes it is cramped and loud in the pit, but we are a family. We take it as it comes, and we adapt the best way we know how and continue to strive for something just a little bit better down the road.

I have enjoyed being a part of this discussion. It has been a pleasure to share my pit orchestra experiences with people who are interested. I hope I have given you some insight into some of the daily things that we pit musicians do in our jobs. I love being in the pit. I feel lucky to be able to play my instrument in two very good orchestras with a group of great people.