I’ve been commissioned by dozens of professional ensembles, and this is my least favorite question to ask:
“What do you want in your piece?”
Wait, what? Shouldn’t you give the commissioners exactly what they want, since they’re paying you to write for them?
Here’s the problem with that idea: 9 times out of 10, people answer this question by saying “I’m not sure–just do whatever you like!”
If that’s all the information you have, you can only guess at what will actually make them happy.
And three months later, you’ll deliver a piece they don’t connect with.
How do we get out of this trap?
Here’s exactly what I did for an upcoming commission.
I’m working with an orchestral conductor on a new piece. When I emailed to ask for a Zoom call to discuss my ideas, he just wrote back: “No, Saad, just do whatever you like.”
Most composers would take this as permission to write whatever they want.
But I pushed back.
“I really want to talk to you about this commission,” I told him, and set up a phone call.
In just 30 minutes of conversation, we:
- Talked about repertoire he likes that connects to his city - Discussed what other pieces would be on the program with my new piece - Worked through his vision for the concert as a whole
Together, we developed ideas for the piece that I would NEVER have thought of on my own.
The idea is simple: ask MORE specific questions to get MORE specific answers.
Instead of asking "what do you want," try these:
- What repertoire are you performing right now? - What’s your favorite element of a specific piece of mine? - What context will this piece be performed in?
These questions get them talking about concrete preferences instead of abstract desires.
And here’s the secret payoff: the more involved the commissioners are in the commission process, the more they'll champion your music.
They'll program it again. They'll recommend you to colleagues. They'll think of you for future projects.
But if you just disappear for three months and come back with something they didn't help shape, you've missed a huge opportunity to build a lasting relationship.
And by the way, I'll be back to reviewing your music soon here on YouTube, so if you'd like to be considered for a free review, you can send me your music here: composersbrain.com/score-review?community=09.25.25…
Saad Haddad
I’ve been commissioned by dozens of professional ensembles, and this is my least favorite question to ask:
“What do you want in your piece?”
Wait, what? Shouldn’t you give the commissioners exactly what they want, since they’re paying you to write for them?
Here’s the problem with that idea: 9 times out of 10, people answer this question by saying “I’m not sure–just do whatever you like!”
If that’s all the information you have, you can only guess at what will actually make them happy.
And three months later, you’ll deliver a piece they don’t connect with.
How do we get out of this trap?
Here’s exactly what I did for an upcoming commission.
I’m working with an orchestral conductor on a new piece. When I emailed to ask for a Zoom call to discuss my ideas, he just wrote back: “No, Saad, just do whatever you like.”
Most composers would take this as permission to write whatever they want.
But I pushed back.
“I really want to talk to you about this commission,” I told him, and set up a phone call.
In just 30 minutes of conversation, we:
- Talked about repertoire he likes that connects to his city
- Discussed what other pieces would be on the program with my new piece
- Worked through his vision for the concert as a whole
Together, we developed ideas for the piece that I would NEVER have thought of on my own.
The idea is simple: ask MORE specific questions to get MORE specific answers.
Instead of asking "what do you want," try these:
- What repertoire are you performing right now?
- What’s your favorite element of a specific piece of mine?
- What context will this piece be performed in?
These questions get them talking about concrete preferences instead of abstract desires.
And here’s the secret payoff: the more involved the commissioners are in the commission process, the more they'll champion your music.
They'll program it again. They'll recommend you to colleagues. They'll think of you for future projects.
But if you just disappear for three months and come back with something they didn't help shape, you've missed a huge opportunity to build a lasting relationship.
And by the way, I'll be back to reviewing your music soon here on YouTube, so if you'd like to be considered for a free review, you can send me your music here: composersbrain.com/score-review?community=09.25.25…
1 month ago | [YT] | 57