Orchestral musicians and the art of relationships

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5965/2525530410022025e0202

Keywords:

Orchestra, Musicians, Subjective success, interpersonal relationships, musical work

Abstract

This article investigates the interpersonal relationships experienced in the daily lives of Brazilian orchestra musicians and their connections with different forms of subjective perception of success. The research adopts a sequential mixed method, with the application of a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. The qualitative analysis, based on thematic axes, reveals tensions between cooperation and competition, hierarchy and autonomy, suffering and fulfillment. The participants' statements show that institutional and relational conditions directly impact the work experience and the meanings attributed to a musical career. The study contributes to the understanding of the orchestral field as a space for symbolic, affective, and political negotiation, in which success is experienced in a plural and relational way.

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Author Biographies

Mariana Bergsten Mendes Felix, Universidade de São Paulo

Doutorado em andamento em Administração (USP). Mestrado em Música, DePaul University, Estados Unidos. Integrante da Orquestra Sinfônica da USP desde 2008. É professora da FAAM, nas disciplinas de fagote e música de câmara.

Tania Casado, Universidade de São Paulo

Professora Titular da FEA/USP. Psicóloga, com Mestrado em Administração (USP) em 1993, Doutorado em Administração (USP) em 1998 e Livre-Docência pela FEA/USP em 2019.

Fábio Cury, Universidade de São Paulo

Professor do Departamento de Música da ECA-USP desde 2002. Graduação em Bacharelado em Fagote (Unicamp), Mestrado em Música (Unicamp) e Doutorado em Música (USP).

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Published

2025-08-05

How to Cite

FELIX, Mariana Bergsten Mendes; CASADO, Tania; CURY, Fábio. Orchestral musicians and the art of relationships. Orfeu, Florianópolis, v. 10, n. 2, p. e0202, 2025. DOI: 10.5965/2525530410022025e0202. Disponível em: https://revistas.udesc.br/index.php/orfeu/article/view/25359. Acesso em: 4 sep. 2025.

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2025): Special Issue: Border Musics

Section

Articles

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Copyright (c) 2025 Mariana Bergsten Mendes Félix, Tania Casado, Fábio Cury

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