Professional Pianist - how to tell if you are one?

[frederick]

I know this may sound silly to many of you, but does "professional pianist" only refer to people who play for a living?  How about those pianists who get paid for "gigs" and those who are employed by their churches.  Are those people considered "professional" even if their major in college was not in the musical field? Thanks.

[johnreef]

If they wear a tie, they're professional. Everyone knows that.

[Axtremus]

See definition of "professional" in Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

https://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=professional

Quote:

2 a : participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs (a professional golfer) b : having a particular profession as a permanent career (a professional soldier) c : engaged in by persons receiving financial return (professional football)