Many years ago I was an extra with a northern symphony orchestra, playing at Leeds Town Hall. Now that is an amazing place to play – the hall decor is stupendous, the ceiling lofty, and seated as I was in the choir stalls I had an amazing view of the building and the audience facing our way. There might have been a conductor to watch too. I was only in one piece – the first of two in the second half, so arrived to claim my seat at the end of the interval. The instruments were balanced on extra structures to create enough room to put the instruments on. Due to the lack of space on the riser, I had to politely ask members of the audience to move up in order for me to slot in. The lady who then was sitting directly next to me eyed me with interest as I settled down, and watched what I did, or didn’t do – since there was more inactivity than activity. In that piece I only stood up on 3 occasions to play with the rest of the percussion section before resuming my seat – I wasn’t even playing at the end. The piece having come to a close, the audience started applauding, and I started, after standing with the rest of the orchestra, to make a hasty exit up the stairs and into the back corridor behind the organ. The aforementioned lady had time, though, to ask me, in a rather contemptuous tone - ‘Is that all?’

And that is, sometimes, what a percussionist’s life is. I notice that when only on a programme to play the triangle in The Lark Ascending, I get several offers of help to get my instrument on stage, which are never forthcoming when I have a long wheel base van load of percussion. Maybe that is because when only playing a triangle, you can arrive with everyone else. If playing with a van full, you arrive at least two hours earlier to unload, unpack, and set. Percussionists are at the mercy of the programme programmers…

Janet Fulton was awarded the prestigious Salomon Prize in May for her remarkable contribution to the life of her orchestra, Manchester Camerata, its audience, and community.

The Prize is presented by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Association of British Orchestras, and is the only major award presented to an orchestral musician working in Britain. It is kindly supported by musicalchairs, the world’s leading online recruitment resource for classical music professionals and students.