Artist Story: Carol Kalvonjian

Can you talk about the ways you have found to make a living off your music?

Me, in Starbucks, waiting in line to order a coffee...
“What’s that on your back? Is it an instrument?”
“Yes....It’s a violin.”
“Oh, wow! My little sister used to play the violin. Do you play in the Chicago Symphony?”
“No, actually I’m a freelance violinist.”
“Oh...so what else do you do?”
“Huh?” (Although I know exactly where this is going...)
“Your day job. I mean, you have to have a day job to make a living, right?”

It’s a fascinating conversation that I’ve had with many people over the years, and am sure to have with many more in the future. Unfortunately, our society doesn’t value the arts enough to think that creative people can make a living doing what they do best. Many successful musicians don’t have a salaried position with an orchestra or university, and my guess is that they’ve used their creativity to generate a living for themselves. There’s no magic formula for making a living as a freelance musician, because what’s right for one person won’t necessarily be right for another. Personally, it took me several years to discover that versatility is the key to my happiness and success.

Getting to know you...

My career began in an unorthodox way, in the sense that I started with a Master’s Degree in Business with a major in Arts Administration from UW-Madison. I played the violin through my first 6 years of college, but was always pursuing this administrative career “to fall back on” in case performance didn’t work out. Earning the MBA was demanding work, and playing the violin took a back seat out of necessity. I spent a summer working at the National Endowment for the Arts and learned a lot about grant writing. I returned to school that fall and ran a weekly concert series for the year. It was an extremely taxing job, and I was surprisingly good at it, yet the most telling thing I learned was that I longed to be one of the musicians on stage, rather than working behind-the-scenes.

With the support of my family, I decided to pursue the violin full-time after graduation. That road took me to NIU where I was fortunate to study with the members of the Vermeer Quartet. Another Master’s Degree (this time in Violin Performance) and a Performer’s Certificate later, I was ready to start working. Since I was already freelancing to put myself through school, I decided to move closer to Chicago and expand upon the work I already had. Every job I played seemed to lead to something else, and I was meeting new and interesting people.

As I got to know more and more freelance musicians, I started looking at the careers of the colleagues I wanted to emulate. What kind of work did they do? How did they get there? The one common thread was that they all played many different types of music. In addition to performing with symphony orchestras, they also played chamber music, Broadway shows, weddings, corporate events, and national acts. They strolled, played with society orchestras, and rock/pop bands. They remained busy with recording sessions, ranging from commercial music and jingles through original music projects.

Thinking outside of the classical “box.”

Freelancing in the Chicago area was instrumental in presenting different opportunities. I’ve found that I’m happiest playing a wide variety of musical styles and in a diverse range of situations.

For example, I recently purchased an amazing custom-made electric violin from Gary Rickman. I’m using it for many different applications, but I most often use it when I play Greek music with the Chris Sarlas Orchestra. As an Armenian-American, this is a style of music I grew up listening to, yet am just now having the opportunity to perform. We’re having a fantastic time!

My husband and I run our business, Sarlas Music, together. We provide music for special events, and perform music of all styles, from classical through current hits. From strings (Artistrings) through dancing, we are a full-service music company. I’m always working on new and challenging projects, from web site design, video, audio recording, photos, and advertising, to music arranging and transcribing. I’ve found most of my business responsibilities to be creative in nature, so it’s all very rewarding work.

In addition to our company, I perform with many other groups, including the Metropolis Symphony, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Chicago Philharmonic and the Ravinia Festival Orchestra. I play recording sessions for rock and pop projects, as well as perform for touring acts such as Andrea Bocelli, Bernadette Peters, Sarah Brightman, The Three Tenors, The Pointer Sisters, Michael Buble, Dennis DeYoung, Smokey Robinson, Kurt Elling, Natalie Cole, Al Jarreau, and The Moody Blues.

Last year, I joined Jim Gailloreto’s Jazz String Quintet, a collaboration of Chicago-based HAWK string quartet and soprano saxophone. With a grant from Chamber Music America, we’ve just returned from performing a few concerts in New York City, and we have a new recording planned for next month. Jim’s arrangements and original compositions are a unique blend of classical and jazz styles, and it’s incredible music that I never dreamed of having the opportunity to play.

The bottom line is that I love what I’m doing, and am blessed to make a living doing it. Whether I’m playing a concert at Orchestra Hall, Kurt Elling’s latest CD release at the Park West, or a wedding at the Four Seasons, I am happy. I’ve been working full-time for just over 10 years now, and I can only hope that the next few decades will be as exciting as the first one was.

Violinist Carol Kalvonjian enjoys a versatile career, performing with ensembles including the Metropolis Symphony, Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, Joffrey Ballet, Chicago Philharmonic and Ravinia Festival Orchestra. In addition to live radio broadcasts on WFMT (Chicago) and CBC (Canada), she has collaborated in recital performances with guitarist Fareed Haque. Festival appearances include Spoleto Festival USA, Scotia Festival of Music, Colorado Music Festival, and Woodstock Mozart Festival. Carol is founder and leader of the special events music company Artistrings and co-runs Sarlas Music, Inc. with her husband.