Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Composers Behaving Badly

We've talked a fair amount about institutionalized bad behavior, but composers are also guilty of many bad behaviors ourselves, especially when it comes to how we present ourselves in our professional bios. I think we can all agree that writing a bio is pretty overwhelming. I can remember the first time I sat down and really thought about constructing mine for my website. What a horrible process! You don't want to sound too modest, because then nobody will take you seriously. But you also don't want to sound too overblown (although, unfortunately overblown bios are sometimes--often?--taken more seriously than modest ones). So how do you find a happy middle ground that makes you sound like a professional and not a braggart? I think the answer lies in avoiding flowery language and ambiguity, as both of these writing styles often lead to misleading and exaggerated claims.

For example, it rubs me the wrong way when I read a composer bio where the young, (and quite frankly) unestablished composer states that his/her "works have been performed both nationally and internationally." Regardless of intent, this is a potentially misleading statement. Any composer who has had their pieces performed at the schools they went to and at music festivals abroad can technically make this statement. Since the statement is ambiguous, the meaning ranges from the most likely reality of a student whose works were performed in a couple states and a foreign country to an international phenomenon... perhaps someone who is being commissioned by the Berlin Phil. Most young composers I have met have done impressive things and had their pieces performed in impressive places. Why not just state the simple facts, instead of using these potentially aggrandizing statements? Often the simple facts are strong enough as they are.

Another similar statement that is routinely used in composer bios is "So-and-so's works have been performed throughout the United States and Europe." This is also, usually, a ridiculous statement (and again could mean anything from a composer whose works have been performed in several states and a foreign country to an international phenomenon). I can tell you right now that I have had pieces performed in about six states. That's six. Out of fifty. My music is hardly a national phenomenon. Furthermore, my pieces have been performed in specific cities/venues in those states, not throughout those six states (nor throughout the U.S.). Yet, I have met peers who have about the same public exposure that I have and who still make this claim. 

One final frustration of mine regarding the language that composers use in their bios has to do with their list of teachers (and unfortunately with this one, it's harder to decode). Every now and then you will see a composer stating that they've studied with various famous teachers, only later to discover that "studied with" really translates to "had one lesson with" or "had a masterclass with." Once again, I see no problem with stating the truth: "So-and-so presented her music in a masterclass with Samuel Adler." That statement is honest and impressive. Done.

To further illustrate these points, I've taken the liberty of posting Sarah's bio below, followed by a joke bio that's been "enhanced" by flowery language and ambiguity. Her original bio is straight-forward, honest, and impressive:

Sarah Hersh, a transplanted New Yorker currently residing in Gainesville, Florida, composes primarily acoustic new music and enjoys writing for nontraditional ensembles. She is interested in feminist music, unintentional feminism in music, and promoting the music of women composers, as well as advocating for new music in general. She holds a BA in music from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and her Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Florida. Last year she participated in the soundSCAPE New Music Festival in Maccagno, Italy, where her work Gardening in a Jaunty Hat was premiered by the ensemble Duo46. Her new piece for solo marimba, Everything I've Done Already is Everything I Already Do, was premiered recently at the University of Florida. Sarah has studied composition with Paul Richards, Paul Koonce, Phillip Rhodes, Conrad Cummings, Michael Wittgraf, and Roger Ames. She is also a co-founder and contributing author for Alphabet Soup, a blog about new music. For mostly the same information, check out Sarah's page on the American Music Center's website.

Now let's use self-aggrandizing schmooze-speak to rework her bio:

Hailing from New York, Sarah Hersh is a versatile and fluent young composer who enjoys writing for nontraditional ensembles. One of the leading voices of her generation, she is interested in feminist music, unintentional feminism in music, and promoting the music of women composers, as well as advocating for new music in general. Sarah has studied composition at several leading academic and musical institutions, including Carleton College, University of Florida, King's College London, and the Juilliard School. As an emerging and important voice in new music, Sarah's music is highly sought-after for commissions and performances by a wide range of new music ensembles and performers, including Diagenesis, Out of Bounds Ensemble, and Duo46. Her works have been performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe, including her most recent premiere of Gardening in a Jaunty Hat at the soundSCAPE New Music Festival in Maccagno, Italy. Her new piece for solo marimba, Everything I've Done Already is Everything I Already Do, was premiered recently in Florida. Sarah has studied composition with several teachers, including Paul Richards, Paul Koonce, Phillip Rhodes, Conrad Cummings, Michael Wittgraf, and Roger Ames. She is also a co-founder and contributing author for Alphabet Soup, a ground-breaking blog about new music. 

Personally, I like her original bio much better. But how often do we see bios like the one directly above?

To go along with the above hilariousness, Sarah decided to re-do my bio. Here's my original bio: 

Natalie Draper received her undergraduate degree in music from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and her master’s degree in composition from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has participated in several music festivals, including Brevard Music Festival in Brevard, North Carolina; UPBEAT International Music Festival in Milna, Croatia; Music08 in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Music09 in Blonay, Switzerland. Her compositions have also been performed at Carleton College, Church of the Little Flower, Levine School of Music, Palm Beach Atlantic University, University of Cincinnati, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, and University of Texas at Austin. Natalie was an artist-in-residence at the Ucross Foundation in the winter of 2010. In the fall of 2011, Natalie will begin pursuing her DMA degree, studying composition with Oscar Bettison at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Her recent teachers include Michael Fiday, Joel Hoffman, and Frances Thompson McKay. Natalie is affiliated with ASCAP.

And here's Sarah's "enhanced," joke version of my bio:

Emerging composer Natalie Draper's music has been described as "intricate, yet thrillingly simple," "vibrant," and "beautiful, with a hint of lovely poignancy and regret."  Her music has been performed throughout the United States and internationally by a wide variety of new music ensembles and performers, including members of the itch ensemble and eighth blackbird. She has been featured in numerous acclaimed national and international festivals such as the Brevard Music Festival in Brevard, North Carolina; UPBEAT International Music Festival in Milna, Croatia; Music08 in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Music09 in Blonay, Switzerland. A frequent collaborator with other musicians and artists, Natalie was an artist-in-residence at the Ucross Foundation in the winter of 2010.  She received her undergraduate degree in music from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota and her master’s degree in composition from University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio. In the fall of 2011, Natalie will begin pursuing her DMA degree, studying composition with Oscar Bettison at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Her teachers include Michael Fiday, Joel Hoffman, Frances Thompson McKay, Phillip Rhodes, Mary Ellen Childs, Robert Aldridge, Don Freund, Jack Body, Thomas Larcher, and Alexandra Gardner. Natalie is affiliated with ASCAP.

I can imagine somebody reading what I have written so far and thinking, "Well, Natalie, that's all well and good and idealistic, but how are we supposed to compete with all the people who do puff themselves up and then reap the benefits of their self-aggrandizement?" This is an excellent, valid, and troubling question. My answer to that is this: the smart and down-to-earth people out there will be able to look at a bio and read through the fluff. If you don't care about that and want to only attract the networking mentalities, then go for it. But I firmly believe that honesty is the best policy in that it is most likely to attract performers, mentors, and connections who will uphold your same views and who will be more likely to respect you as an artist and as a professional in the long run. Plus, as I said above, I think most of us have done some pretty cool things and shouldn't feel the need to exaggerate.

This is a huge topic and I would be delighted to hear others' thoughts on language used in bios, the effect of bios on audience perception, etc.

Posted by Natalie

5 comments:

  1. This was great - was just talking about this with a friend last week and we both could read right through the BS. Your rewrites were spot-on!

    I am guilty of "throughout the US," but I use it for shorthand (my current bio is a lean 96 words). I did hesitate before I put that in the bio, but now I've been played in 13 states so I think it's legit enough. Maybe I should change it to say "in 13 states"!

    I have my CV on my website so I just figure people can look through that if they want to know more. In other words, I try not to waste their time unless they want it wasted!

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  2. Hi Adam! I'm glad you enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun with the rewrites. I know what you mean about using "throughout" and I certainly think there are ways to use it that are perfectly fine. I'm not sure my method of just writing out exactly where my stuff has been performed is really that great either... and using "throughout" would certainly be a lot simpler.

    I think it's really the bigger picture that annoys me---when composers use ALL of these exaggerated phrases together. It paints such an obnoxious picture!

    Anyway, thanks for the comment and happy reading!

    --Natalie

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  3. I'd like to think that a person who attends new-music concerts would be able to sift through the fluff and figure out who the composer really is, especially by listening to their music!

    On this note, maybe you guys could explore what defines a "commission:" I feel some composers inflate this one also. :/

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  4. Oh yeah, do people ever inflate their "commissions." I have adopted what I've seen on a few honest CV's - calling non-moneyed commissions "requests." While us youngish composers may not have big commissions, it's still important to show that some people like us and ask us to write things for them.

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  5. Natalie and I discussed how we use the word "commission" before she posted this, actually. Adam, I like "requests"- that could definitely be a good compromise. My experience has been that there's a difference between someone casually asking me to write them a piece (often without really understanding what that means) and someone who is very serious about "commissioning" me- even if they don't have the money to pay me, there can still be a legitimate process of having a formal-ish agreement or even contract. To me, that signals a commission, regardless of whether money is exchanged. If you make an agreement with the performer such as writing them a piece in exchange for a performance (or several), that's still a contract, just as much as if they're paying you.

    I also feel somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of a commission only being legit if there's money involved. We're all still legitimate composers even though we mostly don't get paid for what we do...

    - Sarah

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