This is something unique to the opera; an audience member can get a really close look as the musicians play. It is almost like a tradition for some patrons, to see up close the spectacle of a large orchestra warming up.

Diagram of a pit orchestra

When taking a look inside an orchestra pit, it helps to have a general idea of where the 4 basic families of instruments are located: the strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion. It might look like a collage, but it is actually very organized.

Click the diagram for a larger view.

In a nutshell, the strings and woodwinds are up front, and the brass and percussion are in the back. That sounds pretty simple but it can be a little hard to see in the pit – everything is black.

It helps to know that the orchestra’s formation is centered around the music director. The Maestro must be able to see everybody in order coordinate the music in the pit with the action onstage.

The musicians are fanned out in a large, semi-circle pattern. If you can make it to this area behind the conductor’s podium, it is a great vantage point to see everything at once.

Two decks

With the Arizona Opera Orchestra, the pits in both Phoenix and Tucson have two levels: an upper deck and a lower deck. See the diagram on this page for a better perspective.

The upper deck is closest to the conductor and it houses the strings and woodwinds. It is open and exposed to the hall.

Look for the woodwinds on the right side of upper deck.

The brass and percussion are situated on a lower deck, about 2 feet lower than the upper deck. It has a low ceiling and is tucked underneath the stage. It is colored light gray in the diagram above.

You might need to crouch a little to see the brass, but look for them in the back. The players in the lower deck actually hear the thumping of footsteps from the stage directly above!

Left to right: Bruce Hembd, Priscilla Benitez and Katherine Shields in AZOOMA Gear. Click the image for a larger view.

Last Saturday and Sunday, the Arizona Opera Orchestra rehearsed at Mesa Community College. The Sunday rehearsal was a sitzprobe - a “sitting” rehearsal with the orchestra and cast.

Maestro Joel Revzen introduced the cast and worked with a chorus filled with many new faces. Our next and final rehearsal is scheduled for this Thursday October 14th.

Several musicians wore their AZOOMA Gear. Pictured here are a few of them, wearing: the long-sleeved black t-shirt, the white T-shirt and the women’s black t-shirt.

25 minutes before rehearsal many musicians are already in place getting ready, warming up.

A shot of our new clarinet section.

15 minutes before rehearsal.

Unity, solidarity and good faith

The red attire was a silent expression of unity, a response to recent contract negotiations with Arizona Opera management.

While technically the contract between AZOOMA, AFM Local 586 and Arizona Opera has expired, negotiations move onward and the musicians continue to work. During a period like this, the previous contract remains in full effect.

This practice is otherwise known as talk and play; as good faith negotiations move ahead, operations continue as normal under the previous contract.

Technical problems

The 10/2/2010, 10:00 a.m. rehearsal took place in a cavernous industrial space in Mesa, Arizona. A large, portable air-conditioning unit was situated behind the orchestra to keep the desert heat at bay.

During the first 45 minutes of rehearsal the unit was turned off. It was very loud – equal to a vocalist singing fortissimo at 3 feet – and its large fans blew music off the musicians’ stands.

In a short time however, the temperature became too warm and the unit was then turned on and left on. Even so, it was not able to adequately lower the temperature.

The musicians persevered until 12:00, when management ended the rehearsal - one hour early – due to these extenuating circumstances: the loud fan, the blowing music and the warm temperature.

‘Great to be working’

AFM Local 586 Representative Madelyn Roberts was there too!

Technical glitches and contract issues aside, spirits were high and attitudes were positive among the Arizona Opera Orchestra musicians.

About the air conditioning problem one musician summed it up on the AZOOMA Facebook page that “despite the comedy of errors, it felt great to be working.”

The next orchestra rehearsals are scheduled for the weekend of October 9th at Mesa Community College. The weekend will be filled with 6 hours of rehearsal.

• Arizona Opera, stage staff union reach agreement

From the same article:

“That leaves just one union – the Arizona Opera Orchestra Musicians Association – still at odds with orchestra management over pay and perks. There was no word Wednesday on where those talks were heading, but earlier this month the orchestra filed an unfair-labor-practices complaint against the opera with the National Labor Relations Board.”

The latest updates

Negotiations for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between AZOOMA, the Arizona Opera and American Federation of Musicians Local 586 continue. The terms of the previous CBA remain in full effect.

• 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 2, 2010
  The first scheduled orchestra rehearsal for the 2010-2011 season.

• 7:30 p.m. October 16, 2010
  The first scheduled performance for the 2010-2011 season.

News and opinion

• Voting YES for Work Stoppage
  Bruce Hembd, September 27, 2010

• Musician Labor Disputes: Arizona Opera Edition
  James Newman, September 22, 2010

• Ariz. Opera reaches deals with 2 unions
  Arizona Daily Star, September 21, 2010

• Musicians union files NLRB complaint against AZ Opera
  Arizona Daily Star, September 18, 2010

Previous press

• A Marathon Negotiation in Phoenix (March 2008)
  Orchestra consultant Drew McManus.

• Tentative deal averts strike (February 2008)
  News coverage.

From February 2008

• High Hopes in Play and Talk (January 2008)
  Past history from 2008.