Advertisement

arts entertainmentPerforming Arts

Gig jobs and supermarkets: Freelance classical musicians in D-FW seek other ways to stay afloat

With concerts canceled, many are finding new sources of income.

Among arts professionals affected by the COVID-19 cancellations, freelance classical musicians — who rely on performances as their primary source of income — have been hit particularly hard.

“It’s scary not knowing when you can pay your bills again,” says Eric Smith, a freelance cellist and co-founder of the American Baroque Opera Co.

Now, Smith and other freelancers in North Texas are facing difficult decisions. Many have begun teaching online, while others are figuring out alternate ways to bring in income.

Advertisement

This week, Miguel Cantú IV, a freelance violist and co-founder of the ABOC, starts work at Central Market. There, he’ll fill online orders for curbside pickup.

News Roundups

Catch up on the day's news you need to know.

Or with:

Delivery and driving services like Lyft or Uber are options, but they come at an increased risk of picking up the virus. Brian Brown, a French hornist who performs for the Dallas Opera and subs for the Dallas and Fort Worth symphonies, began driving for DoorDash last week. He also teaches video lessons and is taking online coding classes.

French hornist Brian Brown picks up a DoorDash order from Soulman's Bar-B-Que in Hurst.
French hornist Brian Brown picks up a DoorDash order from Soulman's Bar-B-Que in Hurst.(Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)
Advertisement

“When you're starting out as a freelancer, you have to have other sources of income,” he says. “This is like going back to square one.”

Full-time members of large organizations like the Dallas or Fort Worth Symphony pad their incomes by teaching and performing freelance. Many brass players, for instance, perform in Easter services for churches in the region.

But freelancers are more vulnerable to changes in the economy. They typically sign contracts with a force majeure clause, which allows either party to void the contract in extraordinary events. Opera singers, for example, worry about whether this clause will be invoked if their summer engagements are canceled.

Advertisement

Freelancers also don’t enjoy the same benefits as full-time contracted musicians. Although some receive health insurance through their spouses’ plans, others pay out of pocket, if they can afford it at all.

“Should we land a trip to an ER or need to go to a CareNow [Urgent Care], that would take from the money we were saving for shelter and food,” says Cantú, who, along with his husband, is uninsured.

Freelance musician Eric Smith (left) and Miguel Cantú IV have lost most of their primary...
Freelance musician Eric Smith (left) and Miguel Cantú IV have lost most of their primary income because of the pandemic. The couple, who live in Plano, say they are uninsured. Cantú started work at Central Market this week.(Ashley Landis / Staff Photographer)

Several musicians compared the situation to the 2008 recession. “That was a dress rehearsal for now,” Brown says.

However, he pointed out some differences. In 2008, classical music organizations could still hold performances. They just had to cut concerts and find other ways to reduce costs. Now, all performances are canceled.

These cancellations come at an especially bad time for many musicians. Because of Easter, April is a peak month for singers and instrumentalists who perform in churches. St. Matthew’s Cathedral recently furloughed its nine staff singers and reduced its director of music and organist, Keith Franks, to half pay.

"It’s come to a screeching halt,” says Katrina Burggraf-Kledas, who has sung freelance in Dallas since 1997. She performs for groups such as Verdigris Ensemble, Orpheus Chamber Singers and the Orchestra of New Spain, and she relies on freelancing for 100% of her income. "I’m now living off my rainy-day fund,” she says.

Burggraf-Kledas is not only facing a financial toll. There is also the sense of connection that comes when singing as a choir. "It’s very hard for us not to be together,” she says. “It’s like you’ve been cut off from your family.”

Advertisement

In addition to hardships experienced by musicians, organizations in the region are reeling. This includes not just the Dallas Symphony and Dallas Opera, but also small and mid-sized groups.

In March, the Plano Symphony Orchestra — composed of 35 musicians on yearlong contracts and freelancers who are paid per gig — took a $92,000 hit in just one week. Because of a policy in place between the symphony and the musicians stipulating that the orchestra must give them a 21-day notice before making a change, the PSO paid its musicians for six performances that were canceled.

“We had to honor our obligations with our musicians,” says Robert Reed, executive director of the PSO. The members of the orchestra, however, will not be paid for the subscription concert that was scheduled for April.

Advertisement

Across the nation, classical music institutions are enduring similar conditions. “From top to bottom, our companies are having tremendous challenges. It’s been catastrophic,” says Marc Scorca, president and CEO of Opera America.

"In certain respects, the small companies are nimbler. They can postpone something from this season into next season, because next season isn't completely planned and contracted,” he says. Bigger companies don’t have the same flexibility, but they do have access to endowments and lines of credit that the smaller companies don't.

The situation, however, is not entirely bleak. More than a few freelancers have been able to maintain some gigs. For instance, Erin Thomas, an alto who works a part-time job for an insurance firm, has pre-recorded services with eight-person choirs for churches in North Texas.

Brian Brown waits for a DoorDash recipient to open the gate to an apartment complex as he...
Brian Brown waits for a DoorDash recipient to open the gate to an apartment complex as he fulfills an order in Euless. Brown, a freelance French hornist, started delivering for DoorDash after he lost his main source of income.(Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer)
Advertisement

The choir at the Church of the Incarnation employs 12 singers who are now performing Sunday services in quartets on a weekly, rotating basis. Along with the rest of the staff, these musicians continue to be paid, says Scott Dettra, precentor and director of music at the church.

The American Federation of Musicians Local 72-147 has launched a COVID-19 relief fund to help its more than 1,300 members “weather the storm,” says Stewart Williams, president of the chapter. “Our membership consists of virtually all the professional musicians in Dallas-Fort Worth who have been hit immediately by the loss of employment and engagement,” he says.

This open call for donations is accessible at musiciansdfw.org/dfw-musicians-covid-19-relief-fund. Information about additional emergency funds for musicians is available on the website icareifyoulisten.com.

On a national level, the $2 trillion relief bill, signed into law on March 27, has provided several opportunities for independent contractors. Self-employed musicians now have access to expanded unemployment benefits and can apply for economic injury disaster loans as well as paycheck protection program loans.

Advertisement

“This is just the beginning,” says Heather Noonan, vice president for advocacy at the League of American Orchestras. “The relief passed by Congress was meant to be a short-term, emergency patch to help people stay afloat. We know this will not be enough to keep self-employed workers going for months to come."

Musicians interested in learning about unemployment benefits, Noonan says, should check the website of their state’s Department of Labor.

CORRECTED at 9:05 a.m. April 7 to include Katrina Burggraf-Kledas’ full name.

Connect with needs and opportunities from Get immediate access to organizations and people in the DFW area that need your help or can provide help during the Coronavirus crisis.