We were lucky to catch up with Josée Klein recently and have shared our conversation below.
Josée, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?
Honestly, becoming a professional musician is a process which takes years. Music schools don’t really help performers learn how to land a job, they just teach you the skills you’ll need once the job is landed. The work of a musician is a lot of trial and error. Your goal is to create a full-time job doing what you love, and what you’re good at, but you have to start that career from 0% meaning, most times, musicians have no connections or opportunities when they graduate from school and have to create something from nothing. It seems almost impossible. But then, you get a job opportunity. The pay is probably terrible (or no pay at all) and that is what you build upon. I think, for me, the timing worked out. After college, I moved to New York to continue my violin lessons with a great teacher. I worked as a barista on Wall Street, but I got lucky and got a few gigs (thanks to the church I was attending, Craigslist, and friends I would meet at the coffee shop). Eventually, I moved back to the Midwest where I’m originally from and worked in various jobs (teaching, music production, touring). When I moved to Nashville, I actually had a job lined up with a string quartet in town and we were playing wedding gigs, private parties, and recording gigs almost every week. I eventually became manager of the Nashville branch of that company. Three years later I started my own company doing similar things. Do I wish I had the opportunities I’m presented with now, back in my early 20s, when I had all the time in the world? Yes, I do. I got offered to tour with the Broadway touring show “Book of Mormon” two years ago. Touring was all I wanted to do when I was, say 21 or 22, but when I got the offer in my late 20s, I felt like leaving town for a year for pretty low pay was not the right career move. So I declined the offer. It’s hard to say what I would have done 10 years ago if I knew where I’d be now, but that’s life, and there’s no way of knowing. You just prepare the best way you can, work hard, and keep going in the direction you see yourself going. Having my own company allows me to create my own opportunities, but when you’re a young freelancer, you have to wait for those opportunities to come to you. So I (and many, many others I know) have waited years to be called for the things we’re being called for now.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am first and foremost a performer (violin). I grew up in West Bend, Wisconsin and since graduating high school, have lived all over the United States, studying and performing. I moved to Nashville, Tennessee seven years ago, and started in the wedding and event business three years ago. At that time, I was managing another wedding contracting company, and now I own my own string company (Rhose Studio Strings). My company is all about collaboration, releasing music, providing quality musicians for weddings and events, live performances, and tours. Right now, it’s just me running things, so I oversee every single detail of every single gig! I would love to expand soon and have a team, though. I started my string ensemble exactly one year ago and we have performed over 100 events since then, acquired a weekly string quartet residency at Union Station Hotel, and have released two singles (one pop cover, one classical piece).
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
When I first moved to Nashville, I knew it was a town filled to the brim with artists and creatives. I wanted to get in with that crowd but I virtually knew nothing about the industry. Even when I was younger and had no idea about the recording industry, I knew I wanted to be a studio musician.
I remember making a post on a musicians page on Facebook soon after I moved here, offering my violin services in exchange for studio time. I didn’t even know if anybody would respond. But one man did. His name was David Upton and he owned a studio in town and needed a violinist to track on some songs he was producing.
At this time, I was in the beginning phases of another one of my passion projects, writing musicals. I had one song in particular that was finished and orchestrated and he offered to record the song in his studio. It took several visits, with several months in between. I remember laying down the piano track, the violins and violas, and then hiring a drummer to come in, and then finally, having a friend come in and track the vocals. It was the most exciting process for me, having my song produced in a real music studio. David eventually mixed and mastered my song and I released it on streaming services in June of 2018. By this point, I considered David a friend, an inspiration, and I was excited about the musical relationship we would continue to forge.
It was a hot, sunny day when I heard the news from a Facebook post David’s wife made. David had passed away from a heart attack. I was at one of my jobs (nannying) when I saw this. I remember trying to hide my tears from the kids I was nannying for, but I think they sensed my emotions.
I tell this story because it was one of my first Nashville experiences. I’ve met many kind professionals since working with David, but he might have been the kindest and most giving. I mean, he basically took a stray (me) in, took a leap of faith, and created something beautiful. Sadly, I never got to record those violin tracks for him. I will always remember what he gave me. He was an angel in my life, at a time when I needed someone to help get my creative career started.
So, do I have a goal or mission driving my creative journey? Yes, my goal is to put beauty and inspiration into this world, just like David taught me.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
I think it’s hard for people that don’t live in our shoes to understand how we really schedule our work. Most of the performers / creatives I know work as freelancers, meaning, we essentially set our own schedules. We can decide to take gigs if it fits our schedule, and turn away gig offers that don’t align with our goals or specialties. There are glamorous moments for sure. Getting to play at Carnegie Hall, Red Rocks, Bridgestone Arena, and the Ryman with famous artists is fun and amazing, but usually those are just one-off gigs, and when they’re finished, we’re back to working to find the next gig. It can be very taxing, exhausting, and the competitive nature of our field can be discouraging. I’m not saying it isn’t worth it, after all, this is the career we (I) chose. But the photos and excitement you see on social media, for instance, is just the highlight of it. You don’t see the rejection, the tears cried, the frustration felt, the insecurities, the homesickness, the financial struggle, and the uncertainty of it all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rhosestudiostrings.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhosestudiostrings/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@rhosestudiostrings?si=1Fn8jFe-8qOeFMlb
- Soundcloud: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Kcq62d0jDFzWZfzbeto8F?si=IfSDJeNgRraav4rPVxnGng
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@rhose.studio.strings?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
Image Credits
Kathy Thomas
Charles Colleton
Isaiah Mitchell
Rachel Santos