Writing a resume for a professional orchestra job

April 7, 2015 at 07:53 PM · I posted a slightly less respectful version of this on my Facebook, but it occurred to me that there might be Vcom readers for whom this information is also useful.

Part of my job as principal second violin is sifting through string resumes whenever we have an opening, in order to help determine who should be invited. The current batch of resumes is particularly unpolished in form if not in content. So here is my PSA for aspiring orchestra players.

When you send a resume to a professional orchestra in hopes of being invited to audition, your resume should include the following: Your name, address, phone number, email, and instrument at the very top.

Relevant professional experience below that, in reverse chronological order. Private teaching is not relevant. If you're currently subbing with a Top Five orchestra, put that at the very top. If I see that, you're invited, moving on to the next resume, thank you!

Honors and awards. Unless you won the junior division of the Menuhin competition, this means after high school. It's nice that you made All-State, but we really don't care about that. If you're young and you won your university concerto competition, go ahead and put that in. But if you're 45 and that's still on your resume, that's a problem. You should have done enough since then to bump it off.

Education: Schools, degrees, major teachers. Your fourth grade private teacher may have been a lovely person but she does not belong on your resume.

What NOT to include: Any sort of "Objective Statement," your picture, your hobbies, nonrelevant work experience, or your undoubtedly worthy volunteer efforts in your community. We'll look forward to learning all of that about you once you win the audition.

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Writing a resume for a professional orchestra job

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