Emma Donald - Freelance musician Swipe / click to begin
Friday So, welcome to what eventually becomes a massive percentage of your life as a musician – travel time! I’m a violinist based in the Highlands of Scotland so a lot of my work opportunities are based in either Edinburgh or Glasgow. I’ve got a busy weekend lined up and it takes most of my Friday to travel down. But, I try to make the most of the journey: catching up on emails, listening to new music, or – far more likely – contemplating life whilst staring out at the gorgeous scenery.
Saturday Saturday is where the real work begins. The day is made up of about six hours of orchestral rehearsals. After that, I hop on a train to my venue for the evening: a 60th birthday party on the outskirts of Glasgow. I play the piano in a ceilidh band, where my sole purpose is to merge as many Michael Jackson riffs with Scottish traditional music as I can. That, or just try and make people relax and enjoy themselves. Everyone claims they can’t do it, but by the end they’re all dancing like pros.
Sunday Whilst down south I’m taking part in an intensive weekend rehearsal of Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra, put on by Glasgow-based group Amicus. My ultimate dream job is to be employed by an orchestra, but I’m still a bit away from that goal, so today is all about learning the music and picking up any words of wisdom on the way. After an informal concert on Sunday afternoon, which goes really well, I barely have time to thank the conductor before I run to catch my train home to Inverness.
Monday I find time to rehearse with my Celtic partner in crime Isabel Pendlebury, a clarsach player, also based in the Highlands. We make up the Scottish duo Turadh and we specialise in writing and arranging our own folk music. We are both avid composers but you’ll be interested to know this is not our main selling point: we are actually the first duo ever to be made up entirely of redheads. Trust me. Most of our rehearsals consist of manuscript all over the floor and us daydreaming about when we’ll be superstars.
Tuesday A quieter Tuesday gives me the chance to catch up on lesson plans for the week. I love teaching violin and piano – going back to basics with beginners can feel like you’re reaffirming your faith! As well as being a teacher, I am a community musician, which includes performing in local care homes. Sometimes it’s hard to find motivation to continue my own violin practice alongside the various components of my job, but that’s the nature of a portfolio career and I wouldn’t really have it any other way.