Every summer, thousands of string players attend music festivals from Aspen to Tanglewood to lesser-known regional programs. Most of them focus exclusively on practice, lessons, and performances. They leave with improved technique but zero new professional connections. That’s a massive missed opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Music festivals are the single best networking environment in classical music. Everyone is away from their normal routine, sharing meals, attending concerts, and socializing in a way that doesn’t happen during the regular season. The connections you make at a two-week festival can shape the next decade of your career. But you have to be intentional about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If the word “networking” makes you cringe, you’re thinking about it wrong. Networking in music isn’t handing out business cards at a cocktail party. It’s having genuine conversations with people who share your passion. It’s sitting next to a different person at lunch each day. It’s asking a fellow participant about their teacher or their program with sincere curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The violinist who helped me get my first professional sub gig wasn’t someone I “networked” with. She was someone I had a twenty-minute conversation with over post-concert ice cream at Brevard. I asked about her experience playing in a regional orchestra, she told me they were looking for subs, and six months later I was sitting in her section. That conversation happened because I was genuinely interested in her story, not because I was working an angle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While your approach should be genuine, your targeting can be strategic. Before the festival starts, research the faculty and guest artists. Identify two or three people whose careers align with where you want to go. Attend their masterclasses. Ask thoughtful questions. If there’s an opportunity for a brief conversation afterward, take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t neglect your fellow participants either. The second violinist sitting next to you in festival orchestra might be the concertmaster of a regional symphony in five years. The collaborative pianist in your chamber group might become a faculty member who recommends you for a teaching position. You genuinely cannot predict which connections will matter most, so invest broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pay special attention to the festival staff and administrators. These people manage auditions, hire substitutes, and recommend players for professional opportunities. A festival administrator who remembers you as professional, friendly, and reliable is an invaluable ally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where ninety percent of festival networking falls apart. You have wonderful conversations, exchange contact information, and then never follow up. Within one week of the festival ending, send a brief, personal message to every meaningful connection you made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Don’t send a generic “great meeting you” message. Reference something specific from your conversation. “I loved hearing about your experience subbing with the Cincinnati Symphony. If any sub opportunities come up, I’d be grateful if you kept me in mind.” Specific, personal, and direct. People respond to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Connect on social media, but don’t rely on it as your only follow-up. An Instagram follow is forgettable. A thoughtful email is memorable. And if you promised to send someone a recording, a recommendation, or a link to something, follow through within forty-eight hours. Reliability is the foundation of professional reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The most effective networkers in music are generous before they are transactional. Share opportunities you hear about with colleagues. Recommend other players for gigs you can’t take. Send a congratulatory message when a connection wins an audition or gets a new position. This builds a reputation as someone who lifts others up, and that reputation comes back to you in ways you can’t always predict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At festivals, this might look like offering to help a younger student with an excerpt you know well, introducing two people who should know each other, or sharing a practice room without being asked. These gestures cost you nothing but create genuine goodwill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some festival connections pay off immediately. Others take years. I met a conductor at a summer program in 2019 and didn’t work with him again until 2023, when he invited me to play a concert series with an ensemble he’d recently founded. He remembered our conversation four years later because I’d sent him a brief congratulatory email when his ensemble was featured in a local publication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep a simple spreadsheet of your professional contacts. Name, where you met, what you talked about, and when you last reached out. Review it every few months and send a quick check-in to connections you haven’t contacted recently. This takes fifteen minutes and keeps your network alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The musicians who build thriving freelance and orchestral careers aren’t always the most technically gifted. They’re often the most connected, the most reliable, and the most generous with their network. Summer festivals give you the perfect environment to start building those connections. Don’t waste it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Join 31,000+ string players leveling up their orchestral career.<\/p>\nGet the Free Guide<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Ethan Kim is the founder of Orchestra Kingdom<\/a>, helping string players win auditions and move up in their sections. Follow him on Instagram<\/a>, TikTok<\/a>, and YouTube<\/a> for daily tips.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Music festivals are goldmines for career connections. Learn how to network naturally and build relationships that lead to real opportunities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-career-development"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=204"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":234,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/204\/revisions\/234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=204"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=204"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.orchestrakingdom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=204"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}