Thin, elegant, and packed with a hauntingly beautiful sound, the oboe is probably not the first instrument that pops to mind when you picture an orchestra.
In fact, you might find it difficult to articulate exactly what the oboe is. It鈥檚 like a clarinet, right?
Well, no 鈥� not really. Packed with two reeds and no mouthpiece, the oboe creates its own unique pastoral sounds. For musician Steve Wade, an oboist and the national president of the , playing it is a constant challenge.
鈥淎s an oboe player, really, it's hard to find enough time to devote to this instrument, because, in a sense, you're making your instrument every day,鈥� Wade said. 鈥淭he reeds that I'm playing, I make them, just as most professionals do, and this is very time consuming.鈥�
One of the trickiest parts of playing the oboe is finding good reeds. It鈥檚 difficult to buy premade ones that are good, so many oboe players are forced to create their own, 鈥渕ade out of stuff that you might find in wicker furniture,鈥� Wade said. 鈥淎nd you do a lot of work on that and then start whittling it down into this odd little vibrating box.鈥�
When playing the oboe, the musician blows air through that 鈥渂ox,鈥� which is . Players manipulate the oboe鈥檚 keys to produce melodies.
鈥淚 actually feel really bad for my poor wife, who married a musician, but she hears so little music,鈥� Wade joked. 鈥淚 mean, I'm just making reeds and trying to learn the things that I can't play well.鈥�
Wade is an experienced performer, playing throughout New England with the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Boston Virtuosi and other ensembles. He鈥檚 also served as a military musician for 30 years with the U.S. Coast Guard Band.
But he鈥檚 also a devoted advocate for musicians. As the current head of the , or ROPA, Wade's group represents a union of about 6,000 players around the United States.
ROPA is holding its annual conference in San Francisco starting July 30. The gathering will celebrate 40 years for the organization. Back when ROPA began, Wade said its goal was simple: to respond to the needs of its members 鈥� working class musicians.
鈥淧eople back then in regional orchestras were finding that their lives and their problems were a lot different from the players in some of the bigger orchestras,鈥� Wade said, 鈥渁nd the idea was to help them get better wages and working conditions.鈥�
黑料吃瓜网 is home to a number of regional orchestras including the , and the .
There is also the Springfield Symphony, right up Interstate 91, Wade said, and all are filled with working musicians trying to make ends meet.
鈥淚n a regional orchestra, you really have people that are making a living piecing together three or four or sometimes five jobs,鈥� Wade said. 鈥淭hey're gig workers, basically.鈥�
As America continues to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Wade said he鈥檚 encouraged to see audiences return to live performances, but challenges remain.
鈥淎s always, it's about raising money,鈥� Wade said. 鈥淩oughly half of your budget is probably contributed income, and then probably 40% to maybe 50%, if you鈥檙e working it right, is from performance based revenue.鈥�
As musicians gather in San Francisco, Wade said the conference will have workshops, talks to educate people about orchestras, and tips for how to negotiate for better wages.
鈥淚t's more important than ever that we show people what we are and what we do,鈥� Wade said.
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