We hear a lot about restaurant workers in the news these days and how hard the pandemic has hit that industry. What you don’t hear is that the Music industry was the first to shut down and will be the last to reopen. Performances/ Live Concerts will not happen again until we have confidence in congregating after a vaccine is rolled out. This has been devastating for performing musicians of every genre…classical, jazz, rock, blues, choral, instrumental, folk…
The musicians of Lincoln Center, Broadway, Carnegie Hall, Boston Pops, Hollywood Bowl, Ballet are largely freelancers (those who have multiple employers and perform at many venues) who have not seen a paycheck in a year. This has been devastating to many, soloists and freelancers alike. (The orchestral musicians on salary have seen their salaries reduced but are largely still being paid while the concert hall is dark. )
Please consider helping out with a donation to your local musicians union, musician in need, favorite venue or club. Thank you for investing in the effort to “Keep the music playing!”