Motivation Professional orchestra and band positions are the most sought after form of employment for instrumentalists today. Each one is competed for fiercely by hundreds of highly qualified applicants, many of whom are successful only after many years on the audition circuit, or not at all. With professional playing opportunities so hard to come by, as well as the repertoire and overall performance level of all but the most exceptional civic and community ensembles being unfulfilling to most aspiring professionals, many find themselves with no outlet whatsoever for their large ensemble playing abilities. Those who do manage to secure employment as professional orchestral musicians too often end up performing the same hackneyed repertoire from season to season and becoming disillusioned in the process. Newly and recently composed music is often conspicuously absent from the institutional picture, save for a few token commissions to big-name composers whose professional reputations have outpaced their talent. Since hiring extra musicians is expensive, professional ensembles have a significant financial disincentive to perform pieces whose scoring somehow exceeds what their full-time personnel are able to provide, whether that be a particular instrumental or stylistic specialty, or a matter of sheer numbers. This factor by itself eliminates many worthy repertory pieces from receiving fuller exposure, shackles any living composer who wishes to write a new work for the ensemble, and makes freelance substitute work almost as difficult for instrumentalists to come by as the full-time positions themselves are. Things are worse yet in the realm of big bands, which typically must subsist without any institutional support whatsoever. Instead, leaders must rely either on independent wealth or the charity of other struggling musicians in order to establish and maintain a large jazz ensemble for any significant period of time. Many ultimately abandon large ensembles altogether and turn to running smaller groups simply out of necessity. It is increasingly rare that such small groups rehearse meaningfully, or even at all, instead merely falling back on an increasingly threadbare jazz repertory which has stagnated for half a century, and penning only occasional and highly derivative compositions whose content is determined primarily by the requirement that the band be able to sight read them on stage. C.o.S.T. offers an imperfect yet attractive alternative to these conditions by bringing together a diverse group of freelance composer-instrumentalists to create their own compelling repertoire for large instrumental ensembles that is inherently flexible in its instrumentation, and subsequently, to take advantage of this newfound flexibility in order to present great performances of this repertoire with the musicians who are able and willing to do so at the time. In doing so, the ensemble aspires to overcome the undue marginalization of large instrumental ensembles and incite a resurgence of activity in this area, if not simply among the membership, hence filling a significant void for Twin Cities area performers, composers, and listeners alike. The Future As an open-ended musical endeavor, C.o.S.T. can become whatever its membership makes of it. Flexibility is the Consortium’s guiding principle, not only with respect to repertoire and logistics, but also identity. The philosophy outlined above is representative only of one time, one place, one membership and one set of circumstances. As the organization matures, so to will its vision and mission, but first, we need like-minded musicians like you to help build an exciting new musical world from the ground up. See below for more information about how you can get involved with C.o.S.T. -Stefan Kac Spring/Summer, 2009 Scope The Consortium of Symphonic Transients (C.o.S.T.) is a network of freelance musicians devoted to creating and performing their own music for large instrumental ensembles of flexible instrumentation. Compensation At this time, there is no compensation available to Consortium members for rehearsals. Compensation for performances depends on the venue and the nature of the performance, but should not be anticipated by any prospective member until further notice. The Artistic Director is responsible for ensuring that members are fully informed as to the amount of compensation available (if any) for each commitment offered. Prospective members who identify as professionals should take into account the lack of compensation before deciding to get involved. While reneging on an existing commitment to perform in favor of a more lucrative performance opportunity will be viewed unfavorably by the Consortium, no member shall be viewed unfavorably for declining the initial invitation to perform or rehearse for any reason, including insufficient compensation or a prior negative experience with the venue in question. Members who decline an invitation to perform are welcome at all rehearsals for that performance if they wish to attend. C.o.S.T. in no way endorses the neglect and exploitation endured by professional musicians for centuries. In the eyes of the Consortium, both music and art generally are indispensable parts of life for which their creators deserve commensurate remuneration. Nonetheless, to allow scarcity of financial support to inhibit the mission of the organization would be to admit defeat to the very forces responsible for this neglect and exploitation, forces which can only be overcome by persistence and dedication on the part of the member individually and the organization collectively to realize and advocate for their musical vision. Presently, C.o.S.T. is merely an outlet for the creativity of its members, whom it must be assumed support themselves by other means. While offering appropriate compensation to members is a worthy long-term goal, the Consortium recognizes that such a scenario would necessitate, at the very least, the splintering of the organization into distinct professional and community ensembles, and at the very most, the abandonment of the community element of its mission altogether. Seeing that neither of these options is particularly attractive, we have resolved not to sacrifice our core principles sheerly in the interest of securing funding, but to nonetheless avail ourselves fully of whatever opportunities do present themselves under the assumption that being able to pay our members what they deserve is a good problem to have. As such a decision undoubtedly lies many years in the future, the Consortium resolves to cross this bridge when we come to it, and to focus on our present mission for the time being with the understanding that neither a paid nor an unpaid membership necessarily represents the ideal solution to the problems the Consortium was founded to address. C.o.S.T. applauds those musicians who refuse to offer their services for less than what they feel is a fair wage, but respectfully takes a different tack in addressing the problem. Given a choice between making music without getting paid and sitting at home without getting paid, the Consortium has chosen the lesser of two evils. We intend to realize our vision by any means necessary with the hope and expectation that such a realization is indeed part of the solution, not part of the problem. Philosophy While many talk of “saving” classical music generally and symphony orchestras specifically, C.o.S.T. seeks not to merely salvage what is left of someone else’s crumbling musical infrastructure, but instead to build a new one of its own; not to merely reinvigorate listeners, but to divert their attention to a unique and dynamic alternative that was hitherto unavailable. Our public performances are presented for the listening pleasure of an audience, nothing more and nothing less. Programs and program notes are considered superfluous at best, destructive at worst, and are not provided. Narrative associations with the music are individual and coincidental, and the visual aspects of performing are considered merely incidental to the process. The emphasis on maintaining and presenting large ensembles is merely a reaction to the perceived scarcity of such ensembles and is in no way intended as a means of impressing audiences visually as a substitute for a compelling musical product. C.o.S.T. does not provide musical accompaniment to events, ceremonies, or theatrical productions, nor do we perform in an ambient capacity whereby our life’s work is presented specifically for the purpose of being ignored. C.o.S.T. does not aspire to exert influence outside the realm of music making. Hence, the Consortium does not engage in outreach per se, and does not endorse the trivialization of musicianship implicit in such appeals to music’s functional utility considered apart from its content. The lives changed by C.o.S.T. are those of its listeners and members, and in ways that are limited to what sound is able to accomplish on its own. Consortium members are encouraged to make larger contributions to their communities, but to do so wholly apart from their musical endeavors with the Consortium, hence ensuring that its identity continues to be shaped by musical considerations rather than social or political ones. The Consortium collectively does not have a political affiliation or espouse a political philosophy, and welcomes the participation of all people regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, marital status, or sexual orientation. Artistically, the Consortium takes its inspiration primarily from four large ensemble traditions: the symphony orchestra, the wind band (concert band), the big band (large jazz ensemble), and the improvised music tradition. Structurally, it strives to merge the best elements of the three mainstream large ensemble models, namely the professional/institutional, the educational/student, and the community/amateur models. Ideally, the Consortium may serve variously as a training ground for aspiring young musicians, a raising of the bar for adult amateurs, the fine tuning of ensemble performance skills for professionals, or just a way to discover or rediscover the joy of making music as part of a large instrumental group at a time when such opportunities, where they are available at all, have become increasingly repetitive and stifling. Rehearsals The flexible instrumentation of C.o.S.T. means that members need not be available for each and every rehearsal or performance. The Artistic Director is responsible for ensuring that the membership pool is large and diverse enough to sustain this policy without sacrificing musical quality. Members who commit to a given performance will be expected to attend an adequate number of the rehearsals for that particular performance. The frequency and length of C.o.S.T. rehearsals is variable, and is dictated primarily by impending performances and member availability. The personnel for a given performance may be rehearsed in sub-groups should the entire group be unable to meet at the same time in advance of that performance. The Consortium strives to hold at least one rehearsal during each calendar month. If there are no impending performances scheduled, this time is devoted to workshopping new repertoire and works in progress.
Members C.o.S.T. does not hold auditions. Instead, prospective members are advised to peruse the repertoire available through this site in order to determine if C.o.S.T. is a good fit for them. Members should be capable of meeting professional performance standards on this repertoire regardless of their identification as amateur, student, or professional. The Consortium maintains high standards for its public performances, and members should not perform with ensembles for which they lack the qualifications or inclination, nor should members compose for a group if they are not previously accomplished and experienced in doing so. All prospective members must be strong sight-readers. Improvisation skills are preferred but not required. C.o.S.T. is less an institution than an ever-expanding network, a scalable blueprint for inciting the formation of large instrumental groups performing their own music. Flexibility of instrumentation is a guiding principle for the Consortium because it facilitates various degrees of involvement among a diverse and ever-expanding membership without hastening descent into logistical chaos. This is a necessary compromise in the absence of sufficient funding for running the Consortium like a professional ensemble, yet there are also distinct benefits to this approach, many of which are enumerated above. The Consortium welcomes with open arms the participation of any and all musicians to whom its ends and means appeal. The participation in roughly equal numbers of those instrumentalists who identify as professionals, students, and amateurs is highly desired, though no quotas have been established. The Consortium strives to provide an experience that members of all three groups will find constructive, valuable and unique, not the least of which is to throw off the various stigmas associated with each group and hence facilitate uninhibited and fruitful collaboration among them. The Consortium unabashedly aspires to have it both ways; to be all things to all people; to curate community ensembles that transcend the musical limitations normally associated with amateurs, yet which maintain the joy of making music that has too often become a distant memory for many professionals; and to be an educational experience for even the most seasoned members, who embrace the idea that the learning process is never complete.materials2.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0
Ensembles The array of ensembles maintained and presented by C.o.S.T. is limited only by the imagination of the membership, and new Series with unique orchestrational guidelines may be initiated at any time. The Consortium actively recruits new members who have the ability and inclination to perform and compose in a variety of styles and instrumental configurations. A certain ecclecticism is intended and encouraged, and no concrete stylistic guidelines are imposed on composers. C.o.S.T. is a performance-oriented organization. Our ensembles make recordings for demonstration purposes only, and do not release recordings commercially. Anyone who wishes to record a C.o.S.T. performance must first obtain the permission of the Artistic Director, as well as any composers whose works are to be performed. C.o.S.T. strives to present at least four public performances each calendar year, and to ensure that each Series created receives multiple performances. C.o.S.T. ensembles take great pride in rehearsing and performing acoustically. We find it regrettable that the volume at many popular music venues routinely reaches levels that endanger the health of performers and listeners alike, and want no part in the legal and ethical liabilities associated with this convention. The Consortium believes that listening to music through a speaker is an activity to be undertaken by individual listeners in the privacy of their own homes, and at the volume level of their choosing, and, conversely, that live performance is about the unique beauty of acoustic instrumental sounds heard “in the air,” not through a speaker. The amplification of individual string instruments is permitted when necessary under the condition that players have a reliable setup with which they are extremely familiar. Under no circumstances are woodwind, brass or percussion instruments to be amplified individually, and under no circumstances is an ensemble collectively to be run through a sound system. The emphasis on acoustic performance is a significant component of the Consortium’s identity and shall not be compromised under any circumstances. Punctuality is, if nothing else, essential to accurate and honest promotion of C.o.S.T. performances, as well as to attaining a suitable level of preparation for these performances by way of professional and efficient use of rehearsal time. Neither individually nor collectively do Consortium members appeal to habitual lateness simply to appear in vogue, including by scheduling performances artificially late at night, or by purposely and significantly delaying an established start time. Given the pace and density of modern life, we recognize this facet of our identity as necessary to maintaining positive relationships, both between the Consortium and the concertgoing public, and among the membership. The Artistic Director is tasked with ensuring that prospective venues establish start times conclusively and in good faith before booking an engagement. Within each calendar year, the Consortium strives to schedule performances at various times of day and on various days of the week with the hope of facilitating the participation of as many unique listeners and performers as possible. Repertoire Whereas the increased specialization and compartmentalization of learning within mainstream academic music programs has encouraged an unhealthy disconnect between composers and performers, C.o.S.T. was founded on the principle that composing and performing are symbiotic endeavors, and hence seeks to nurture fruitful collaboration and mutually beneficial relationships among like-minded composer-instrumentalists. For this reason, the ensemble performs exclusively the works of current ensemble members. All works are composed with a flexible instrumentation in mind per guidelines established by the Consortium for each project. While we actively recruit new composer-performers, members are not required to compose, and non-composing performers are welcome to perform with the ensemble. The Consortium recognizes that in order for the transcription of existing music to be a valid and viable proposition, it must promise to somehow enhance the musical work in question rather than merely enhancing the professional outlook of the musician, and is otherwise an act of vanity in absence of inspiration. It stands to reason that works which are originally conceived for the particular demands of a large ensemble with transient instrumentation and personnel will be eminently better equipped to meet and transcend these challenges than works which were conceived otherwise. In building such a repertoire from the ground up, the Consortium aspires to supply both itself and others with the tools necessary to reestablish large instrumental ensembles as vital parts of the contemporary musical landscape. Works are composed to function as single movements of a larger work called a Series. The movements may be stylistically diverse, and may be performed in any order desired to form suites of varying length. All works remain untitled with the exception of an arbitrary catalog number which is assigned merely to facilitate the identification of movements within a Series. In having their work performed by C.o.S.T., composer-performers agree to make the score and parts available for free download through this site while retaining ownership of copyright and performance licensing rights. Sheet music is printed single-side only, three-hole punched on both the left and right margins, and placed in a three-ring binder. This allows the movements of a Series to be arranged in any order desired while imposing a minimum of awkward page turns on the performers. Sheet music and binders are furnished to members at the expense of the Artistic Director, remain property of the Consortium, and must be returned promptly upon request. As a product of flexible scoring, binders may contain multiple parts that are playable on the same instrument, thus enabling the player to cover whichever part is needed by the ensemble at the time. While stopping short of espousing a particular aesthetic philosophy pertaining to issues of orchestrational density, the Consortium recognizes that counting rests is a waste of the membership’s time and encourages composer members to write with this issue in mind. Because our compositional guidelines allow for significant doubling of parts, compositions may be further orchestrated in rehearsals to suit the players and instruments available at the time, including by adding or eliminating doubling in certain passages, or by adding mutings, bowings, or articulations. In this way, not only can we reclaim some of the orchestral subtleties that are necessarily sacrificed in composing for unspecified forces, but each performance of a Series can be made more unique and fresh even if many of same movements are performed in the same order. Performances which require a conductor will be conducted either by the Artistic Director or by another member of the ensemble who volunteers to do so. As with composers, the Consortium does not engage the services of conductors who are not also performing ensemble members. Conductor-instrumentalists who wish to participate in the Consortium specifically for the purpose of gaining conducting experience are welcome on the condition that they also contribute as performers when it is in the best interests of the organization for them to do so.
The Next Step •To view and download C.o.S.T. repertoire, click here •To contact C.o.S.T., send an e-mail to transients [at] stefankac [dot] com •To return to the C.o.S.T. home page, click herematerials2.htmltransients.htmlshapeimage_11_link_0shapeimage_11_link_1
Consortium of Symphonic Transients (C.o.S.T.) Minneapolis, Minnesota USA Established 2009 Stefan Kac Artistic Director • Personnel Manager • Composer In Residence • Principal Tubist transients [at] stefankac [dot] com