Concert pianists- who here?

[danyal]

Just curious... out of you millions of pianists... who is actually taking it seriously enough to persue a career out of it? I know I am.

[nanabush]

I'm not in university yet, but I'm planning on taking medicine, do you think I could take electives in music?  Would that work, haven't put much thought into it...

[pies]

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[sznitzeln]

Serious is the way!
The more fun in the end

[aerlinndan]

I'll be a composition major. However, the best composers are also amazing pianists, so I'm working hard in both areas.

[nanabush]

How can you get a decent living out of being purely a pianist, how much income could you get from performing?  Is it enough to have a good living?  Or would you have to have a job on the side...

[6ft 4]

get a job at a famous restaurant doing backup music and also get a job as an accompanist for choir or band or whatever then u could probably get fairly decent money.

You have to be reallllllllllllly good though.

[danyal]

If you become good enough, you could earn thousands a concert, and you would play many in a month... all over the world (if you pull the right strings with regards to managers, sponsors, and marketing, that is)

Evgeny Kissin earns about $20000 a concert, or so I've heard.

The stage is mine! I love it! Its incredible and where I want to be for ever! I couldnt bear the thought of sitting behind a desk doing something like admin work for the rest of my life. 

Taking it too seriously is no fun for me.

I take the career seriously, the playing I love and enjoy. Its so much fun. 

[hodi]

i take it seriously and i like playing the piano, but i never plan on being a concert pianist

[nanabush]

It's just that piano is something that you can't just suddnely stop and pick something else up.  I would never consider only taking classes in music, because I can't imagine the problems i'd have if I didn't become successful.  I might take electives or minor in music, but I'm stickin with major in science (go sports medicine!!)

[paris]

i voted for first option. i want to become concert pianist, hopefully 

although i'm still in high school, i'm planning to go to conservatory...

[possom46]

I voted no. 2. I am a piano teacher who doesn't have enough time to practise because of children and work. Still struggling to forgive parents for not buying me a piano at 5 (I got one at 12!!!), things may have been different then 






Don't get me wrong, i'm a happy person really 

[c18cont]

From and OLD one....I dislike the old saw,

Those that can do, those that can't, teach....

Somehow it seems so unfair, as we all need teachers...for ALL of lifes learning. They are the ones that bring us the future...and I speak to this as it was my personal choice, and was not even using my first love, the piano...I speak to support my desire to teach, which I always had, and NOT really piano,...but in choral music.

Perhaps I was not dedicated enough, as I did start at age five, so it was surely in time....I was never solid enough in my desire, other than MUSIC IN GENERAL...So I ended up a choral director in high school, and for a time in college...BUT I was and still am terribly happy with my career, now well past...I view it as a success.

My point is that for performance....You BETTER be totally in love with your instrument and dedicated beyond normal human response...There are a LOT!!! of great pianists out there; I know a few personally, and remember how I behaved in learning, when they were TOTALLY DEDICATED....Be Totally dedicated!!!!

If not, you can do worse than teach others....but you must have dedication for teaching as well...

John Cont

[Bouter Boogie]

Just curious... out of you millions of pianists... who is actually taking it seriously enough to persue a career out of it? I know I am.

I'm not sure yet  I'm at a conservatory, but I wanna try a double study in 2 years.. Conservatory and European Law School.. See what will happen after that, eh 

[anda]

i don't think it's that simple - like "i'm very talented, hard worker and focused on becoming a concert pianist, ergo i will be in 20 years or so". besides talent, determination and huge amounts of practice, there's always that X factor that's completely out of your control: LUCK!

[yamagal]

Still struggling to forgive parents for not buying me a piano at 5 (I got one at 12!!!), things may have been different then 

Don't get me wrong, i'm a happy person really 

Oh can I relate!  My grandparents got me a little toy piano when I was 3, and I was picking out tunes by ear at that age.  How I yearned and yearned for a real piano and lessons.  But my folks didn't buy a piano and start me on lessons till I was 10 years old.  I quit at age 16 (only 3-4 years formal lessons altogether) to focus on school.  Like so many, I wish I had stuck with it.  Don't know if I would have made a "career" of piano, might have had a shot at that if I'd had the opportunity to begin at a younger age.