Also called: Symphony Musician
Plays in a professional symphony orchestra, opera pit, or Broadway pit.
An orchestra musician practices hours a day, rehearses with the orchestra, and performs concerts several nights a week. Winning a spot can take years of auditions.
Top orchestras (e.g., Chicago, LA, NY) pay $150k+ base, but only a few hundred such jobs exist; regional orchestras pay far less.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in music performance from a conservatory.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: Music Performance.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years). Tracks musicians and singers.
Low risk for 10 years. Live orchestral performance stays human; job openings are few and competitive for other reasons.
Classes: Orchestra or band, AP Music Theory, Private lessons, Chamber music.
Official data: O*NET occupation 27-2042.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.