Piano Careers: Qualities of a Good Choir Accompanist
Have you wondered about the career prospects for a pianist? Maybe your child has taken lessons for a few years and has expressed interest in playing professionally. Or maybe you’re the one who has that interest. But you know that only a few extremely gifted — and lucky — performers can make a living as professional piano soloists. What are some other piano careers?
Pianists can work as studio performers, recording their work for use in movies or TV or advertising. Others can become teachers or professors of piano. Still others become composers, or move into another role in music that doesn’t involve piano performance, such as band or choir conductor. And some pianists become performers in ensembles such as orchestras, jazz ensembles, or rock bands.
But one niche that you may have overlooked is choir accompanist.
This often-unsung hero is a crucial part of any good choir. Without the accompanist, rehearsals are much less effective, and performances would lack a certain texture and depth. And it takes a special kind of person to succeed in this role.
Here are some of the traits that a choir director might look for in an accompanist:
- A good choir accompanist must, of course, possess technical excellence at the keyboard.
- He or she must be an excellent sight reader and improviser, and must be able to transpose a given piece into any other key at a moment’s notice.
- The accompanist must know both the piano part and all the choir parts to a piece, and must be able to play any combination of the vocal parts at any time.
- Accuracy in playing is extraordinarily important. If the singers learn a line incorrectly, it can take many practice repetitions to correct.
- The choir accompanist must be able to play in whatever style is appropriate for a given piece.
- Despite this high skill level, the accompanist’s performance must never call attention to itself; the accompanist’s role is to support the choir, not supplant it.
- The accompanist must always defer to the conductor during rehearsals; never argue or disagree with the conductor in front of the choir.
- The accompanist must pay close attention during the rehearsal, even when not actually playing; he or she must become almost a mind-reader of the conductor’s intentions. The accompanist should always understand why the conductor stopped during rehearsal, and should never have to be told where to start up again.
- A good choir accompanist also listens carefully to the needs of the vocalists, and stands ready to support a part if those singers are struggling. Knowing when to emphasize the alto line or hit that F-sharp the sopranos keep missing will save hours of rehearsal time.
- Flexibility and adaptability are crucial in an accompanist. When a soloist skips a line, the good accompanist skips with her — and makes it look as if the mistake was his!
In short, a good choir accompanist possesses many special qualities beyond technical excellence at the keyboard — although that is a necessary prerequisite. Not least among these is a light touch and a sense of humor! If you have these qualities, you might have what it takes for a piano career as a choir accompanist.
