Your biography in the program

[invisible]

I have a pet peeve.  I get tired of reading people's biographies and all these things they've done and people they have studied with and awards they have won.  I feel as though I am just supposed to trust that they really know how to play based on where they have been.  I usually don't look at a person's biography until after the concert has started and I become curious for whatever reason.  I don't like to be swayed in my deciding how much I enjoy their playing or not.

Can a person get away without one?  What' s the real point of them anyway?  To help people know more about you as an individual or to convince them their money is well spent?

I would like to give my teachers credit (if they want it  ) for how much they have helped me, so I feel it is important for this to be publically known somehow.  Is this the point of the biography in the program?

What do you people do for your concerts etc.?

sincerely,
invisible 

[pianonut]

i suppose, like movie stars, you have to keep an image if you are a concert pianist with a circuit.  but, personally, i agree.  it's not the bio that makes you like the pianist.  i think it is more how they connect first with the audience, then the piano (and/or orchestra and conductor), if they have a sense of the pieces they are playing and convince you they are right, and if they are still relaxed at the end of their recital.  that shows me they are genuine (whether greats or amateurs).

[xvimbi]

Biographies listing prizes, past performances, scholarships, etc. tell the uninitiated if it is "worth" listening to that person. There are no other ways for "regular" people to assess the quality of the performer. Unfortunately, as shallow as that system is, it is unavoidable. Most people will feel a lot better if it says about a perfomer that s/he had a past performance with Daniel Barenboim conducting the Chicago Symphony, compared to someone where Joe Nobody was conducting the Midwestern State Orchestra, although the quality of the performances may have been equal. It's all about appearances. That's why it is important to get in touch with high-profile people and amass as many certificates and awards as possible (particularly in the US.), no matter how meaningless they are in a grander scale of things.

[Kapellmeister27]

You better not be dissin' the Midwestern State Orchestra

The MSO is where i got my foundation laid...

[lostinidlewonder]

When I do concerts I rarely hand out a program (maintains flexibility of the program up till the last second, i can move around or substitute this or that depending on how i feel) and when I have I haven't written my musical bio on it. (Because it would take up less than a line lol *jokes*, but seriously, anyone could write a page on themselves and make it sound fancy.)

I have put my bio on addressed letters which I sometimes sent to particular people when I'm trying to sell big concerts, but that is to give them who don't know me an idea of where I am coming from and what I have been doing to get where I am at the moment, but I think logically it is more important to give them that info before buying your ticket rather than after because its useles to give it after, they will, after reading it say, oh thats nice but i cant stand up and leave now because ive paid for the ticket. I could write I was head piano teacher at the school of Julliard and it wouldn't make a difference because in Australia we just look at what we get, we don't really have these expectations.

Personally when i read other peoples biographies they are usually riddled with academic achievement, nothing really about themselves, just they win this that studied with this and that etc. And even when it does say stuff like, enjoys to take his dog on walks at the beach, you just laugh because what has that got to do with anything?

If you want to know about the musicians just ask them after the concert, also if the musician wants their life to be known they will naturally talk about themselves while on stage, integrate it, not a prepared a written page for it and decide not to say anything about themself with their own tongue. I dont mind reading biographies, I hardly tear them up with my teeth if i read one, but I dont let it affect how i listen to them, everyone on the same listening level i say, then let them take me wherever they can with their musicial abilities, not their fancy literature or even physical presentation.

[invisible]

Personally when i read other peoples biographies they are usually riddled with academic achievement, nothing really about themselves, just they win this that studied with this and that etc. And even when it does say stuff like, enjoys to take his dog on walks at the beach, you just laugh because what has that got to do with anything?

Yes, this is exactly my point!  I appreciate your input, though I am starting to feel that I have to develop some kind of biography that is something official that I can give to whomever.  You have something like this somewhere, yes lostinidlewonder?

And xvimbi says that one should put together as much mumbo jumbo as possible (just a paraphrase).  Yet some of it does not sell a person as much as other stuff.  So what should I include and what should I leave out?  Are there certain little things that would make a person look worse if included than not having them there?

For example:  "has appeared on TV" 

Is that an accomplishment or just something people say to make themselves look good?  Does it actually sell or just tell people you are trying to sell?

Thanks for all the feedback.

sincerely,
invisible

[xvimbi]

And xvimbi says that one should put together as much mumbo jumbo as possible (just a paraphrase).  Yet some of it does not sell a person as much as other stuff.  So what should I include and what should I leave out?  Are there certain little things that would make a person look worse if included than not having them there?

For example:  "has appeared on TV" 

Is that an accomplishment or just something people say to make themselves look good?  Does it actually sell or just tell people you are trying to sell?

Look at the biographies one finds in playbills, and you should get an idea. Concerning TV, you must have seen the phrase "As seen on TV!" in plenty of advertisements. It obviously works. Of course it doesn't say anything about the quality of the product, but most people think that something must be good if it is on TV. In the music world, there are also certain phrases and keywords that trigger a kind of familiarity in people. For example "Van Cliburn Competition", "Carnegie Hall", "London Symphony Orchestra". If performers are not really well known by themselves, then they have to associate themselves with people and venues that are. That is why some musicians pay for their own concert in Carnegie Hall (yes, it can be rented).

[lostinidlewonder]

When I send out stuff about myself it is only for special events (charity, big concert events) and to particular people. I wouldn't do it for my general piano solo events. If i do send it I of course have to mention important people who I studied with (not my primary school music teacher, although she did teach a lot lol), where I've peformed (just list the countries and states).

A lot more however is about the concert, what music is going to be played, how the event will be organised (usually people who get the letter get an invite to like a VIP area after the concert where they can eat a bit and drink and talk with the performer). I think that is of much more interest than reading about who the person is, if the event sounds interesting and enjoyable then it doesnt matter who does it. I like to try and give the impression that the event isnt some serious classical music concert, I try to make it sound as laid back and relaxed as possible, that is my style of concert anyway, I walk on stage and just chat to them before playing, helps calm my nerves too.  So i make sure that they dont think im some stuck up prick who plays piano, bows and leaves stage like a robot. Lots lots lots of pianists like that still lol. stuck up assholes

[dinosaurtales]

Reading other's bios doesn't bother me really, althoiugh I will confess to several "disappointments" after reading their bios, expecting something, then hearing them play and getting much less somehow.  I just figure it's part of the selling yourself thing. 

That said, my bio on a program would be pathetic!  No awards, no official degrees (in music anyway), no famous folks that I "studied" with.  My teacher is wonderful and has tons of experience in all of the above, but she's not famous and would probably be embarassed for me to put her name in my bio!

[anda]

I have a pet peeve.  I get tired of reading people's biographies and all these things they've done and people they have studied with and awards they have won. 

so don't

[anda]

the audience is 50% made of people who have absolutely no idea about music, and, worse, will not judge you (as a performer) by simply trusting their own feelings. they will always read your bio in the program, and judge you by that.  so, the better your bio, the better their oppinion on you. 

also: when martha argerich enters the stage, she already has all the audience at her feet. because she's great, she's well-known, and everybody hopes for a memorable performance, everyone wants her to play great. but if you, john doe, get on stage, no one knows you, and you have to win their hearts and ears - and you always depend on how willing they are to let themselves be moved by your performance. and here's the point where a good bio might help.

(imo)

[pianowelsh]

I always think the biogs are the comedy amusement! espec if you know a bit about the person and can read between the lines - they are often hopelessly inflated and inaccurate too. I think there is an element of trying to convince the audience there money is well spent - but they but it! I have to say comedy aside I never read an artists biog if they are going to give me a masterclass ( i wait till afterwards) because they are designed to intimidate. But by and large its a bit of a game  - i wouldnt let them annoy you too much. On the serious side - you have to remember that its just like any other profession where folks present a cv at interview only the pianistic interview is playing to an audience - you never know who will be in your audience. Networking means you have to be on top form ALL the time!