<p>I will be auditioning for M.M. program in collaborative piano this February and March.
One of the schools I'm auditioning for (Rutgers) requires me to bring my own instrumentalist and vocalist to the live audition.
With the violinist, he has agreed to play for my audition and, in return, I would play for his recital this semester (so payment discussion there)</p>
<p>However, with the vocalist, I have contacted a soprano and it looks like everything would work out, except she wouldn't say up front what she would charge because she hasn't done this (singing for somebody else's audition) often. She has M.M and DMA degrees and currently is a self-employed voice teacher.</p>
<p>She would have to sing 6 songs (various languages, composers, style periods) and 1 opera aria.
Also, she would have to travel about 2 hrs (back and forth combined) for the live audition.</p>
<p>How much is the average fee in this case for rehearsals, travel time, and the actual audition?</p>
<p>Thank you for taking the time to read this and please provide me with good suggestions!</p>
<p>Perhaps this is another opportunity to barter. As a voice teacher, she probably has occasional studio recitals involving having her students sing a piece or two each in front of an audience. She might be willing to help you with your audition if you cover her travel expenses and offer to accompany her students at one such recital. As an extra benefit, this would give you some practice accompanying singers and introduce you to a group of people who sometimes need to hire an accompanist.</p>
<p>Fees are really all over the board, it vary from the quid pro quo arrangement you have with the violinist to an hourly rate/flat fee basis based on what you and the vocalist agree upon. Locale often dictates hourly rate, as does the experience and credentials of the accompanist. Some will work on a flat fee, for x number of rehearsal sessions, may want travel expenses. There are no real standards. A lot might depend on your relationship (peer, acquaintance, classmate). Ask her what her hourly lesson rate is, and see if it makes sense, but you will have to figure rehearsal time to nail the 6 pieces, which will vary based on her knowledge of your rep, and just how well you two mesh. </p>
<p>What did you anticipate spending? Somewhere between $300-500 may be reasonable, I may be way off base.</p>
<p>Talk to some peers at your undergrad school, and get a handle on their experiences when applying for grad school, or on paying accompanists in general for recital, festival auditions, etc.</p>
<p>If you were do travel expenses, I’d use the IRS standard rate for mileage reimbursement. If she is using public transportation, it can be anywhere from covering the actual cost of the fares, but I would not pay her hourly rate for travel time. Everything is negotiable, especially if she doesn’t have a clue either. The fairest way is to remember that you are both “professionals” and it’s reasonable to assume a fair price for skilled services. Have you done anything similar in reverse on a fee basis?</p>
<p>Is the vocalist one you have contacted privately, or is arranged thru Rutgers directly or a list they may have for suggested accompanists? </p>
<p>I know, not much help but these are the general parameters.</p>
<p>Some prior threads, not answering your specific question but as background:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/772662-accompanist-fees-year.html?highlight=accompanist[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/772662-accompanist-fees-year.html?highlight=accompanist</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/349459-vocal-auditions-accompanist.html?highlight=accompanist[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/349459-vocal-auditions-accompanist.html?highlight=accompanist</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/662005-vanishing-accompanist.html?highlight=accompanist[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/662005-vanishing-accompanist.html?highlight=accompanist</a></p>
<p>To Bassdad:
I have thought of that too, but it seems she already has a pianist she has been working with for a long time. I think she also expects to get paid, but is just unsure how much.</p>
<p>To violadad:
So would it be fine if I just took the average accompanist fee in this area (about $40-60 per hour of rehearsal) and suggest it to my vocalist?
I was referred to this vocalist privately through my mom’s colleague at work.</p>
<p>Out of 6 songs, she has studied all of them before and has performed 5 of them in public, so she should have no problem with the repertoire.</p>
<p>Thank you for answering my questions so thoroughly. I now have a general idea how to approach this. I will check those links you posted too.</p>
<p>You also might want to post this question on the classical singers forum at NFCS.Net</p>
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<p>If you can ascertain an “average” rate for your area, that’s a starting point. I’d ask her hourly rate for lessons, just for reference, and compromise. The trick is to be fair to both parties, and come to an agreement where every one feels good about it, and doesn’t feel like they made out like a bandit or got shafted. You may also wsh to weigh if the actual audition will cut into her lesson schedule. You may wish to be a bit more generous if she loses some income while traveling. Just some points to consider while negotiating.</p>
<p>If $50/hr is reasonable, then I’d figure a minimum of an hour per piece, which is $300. You may well need more time, and I doubt less. Perhaps a flat fee of $500 is reasonable, up to 10 sessions, and more hourly thereafter. If her lesson rate is less or more than the average accomapaniment rate. maybe split the difference. The travel as I said is negotiable. You can trade off dinner for fares, or as BassDad a barter/quid pro quo if she made need your services for her students.</p>
<p>Thank you for the link! I am going to there to post now</p>
<p>To Violadad:</p>
<p>I have been thinking $50/hr would be pretty reasonable on my side, so I might as well suggest that to her.</p>
<p>On another note, I am a little bit scared to ask her hourly rate for lessons because I have paid from $90-125 per hour for my private piano teachers in the past and I fear her vocal lessons might be somewhere within that range.</p>
<p>Depending on circumstances, a voice teacher may be making well over $125 and hour or well under $50 and hour. Best to come straight out and ask.</p>
<p>If she has five of the six in current repertoire and you know your part cold, it shouldn’t take an hour per song to rehearse. Two to three hours or rehearsal plus an hour of performance time plus travel expenses should cover it. Also, singers frequently command a lower rate for rehearsal time than for performance time.</p>
<p>To BassDad:</p>
<p>The audition would last about 20 mins, and half of it is going to be violin repertoire, so I assume her singing time at the audition would be about 10 mins. Should I still count it as one hour of performance?
Also, assuming I were to pay her $50/hr for rehearsals, how much more should I pay for the actual audition? Would $100/hr be reasonable?</p>
<p>As the saying goes, this frosts my gizzard. A school should be able to provide collaborative artists for incoming applicants, if this is part of the process. Singers should NOT have to pay pianists to accompany them for auditions, and pianists should not have to pay singers and violinists to participate in their audition. GRRRRR. Resident students should be thrilled for another opportunity to perform under pressure and perfect their own skills. None of them are professionals, or they would be elsewhere. GRRRRRR.</p>
<p>I agree with Lorelei. BUT if you’re asking about fees…I sing in weddings (no I’m not a professional with a degree). I charge $50 per song. That includes ONE rehearsal with the accompanist and the wedding itself.</p>
<p>thump, I sing at weddings too. Also have been known to eat the centerpieces, and wade in fountains. </p>
<p>Perhaps that’s why we’re no longer getting wedding invites. :D</p>
<p>Bet you look great in a lampshade, violadad!</p>
<p>I feel a duet coming on!!</p>
<p>^, no, but I once took a large decorative wooden bowl off the wall and proceeded to do a politically incorrect coolie impression. People should know better than to seat me next to objects that are not securely attached, but it was the darkest, farthest corner in the venue so at least the hosts tried their damnedest.</p>
<p>I agree with Lorelei that you should not be put in this position at all - the school should provide whatever other artists are required for your audition, and good ones too. Did you ever ask Rutgers whether that was a possibility?</p>
<p>However, since you are in this position, I will say that as a singer and instrumentalist who occasionally freelances I have never had a contract that pro-rated my pay in chunks of less than an hour. The pay has always been either a fixed amount for a specified number of performances plus up to a certain number of rehearsal hours, or else based on an hourly rate that paid the full hourly amount for every hour or fraction thereof (often with a lower rate for rehearsal hours.) Personally, I find it easier to deal with the former type because a lot less clock watching is done by both parties and everyone knows up front what their basic costs and income for the job are going to be. In your position, I would probably start with an offer of $200 for the audition plus one rehearsal of up to two hours and possibly be willing to move to $250 if you feel that this is someone with whom you work really well. If that turned out to be insufficient, I know several very good sopranos who live within an hour of Mason Gross, know lots of repertoire and would probably be happy to get the work at that rate. Feel free to PM me if you need some contacts.</p>
<p>Bassdad,</p>
<p>Yes, I asked Rutgers to provide me musicians because they said on their website that they could do so if the arrangement is made one month before the audition. However, the response I got from them was that they cannot do it “due to various complications.”</p>
<p>I will be speaking to her about the fee today. I will PM you for contacts if it doesn’t work out with her.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>The fee has been agreed upon with the soprano.
I’m paying her $40/hr for rehearsals and $100 for the audition.</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone to responded and helped me out!</p>