Musical Theatre Pit Orchestra Musician

A musician in a musical theater pit performs in a sub-ground level performance space directly in front of the main stage. Musicians in the pit work with the stage performers and the conductor. Working in a pit requires a lot of flexibility and focus to ensure that the music from the pit aligns with what is occurring on stage. While many stage performers may belong to a musical theater company, pit orchestra musicians are often hired outside of the company. An individual musician may be hired for many different jobs at a variety of theaters, potentially working with a different set of musicians each time.

Musicians for a pit orchestra are often hired through referral rather than audition. This requires a lot of networking on the part of the aspiring pit musician in addition to instrument proficiency. Most musicians have college training and will network through various collegiate and professional experiences. Working as a pit musician may be one of many freelance jobs that a musician undertakes.