Allison Ross - A Classical Musician Gone Rogue Living a Creative Life with Liberty

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Since the start of the global COVID-19 pandemic, most of us were forced to make sacrifices. Some were hit harder than others, but musicians and the music industry were hit especially hard. Some completely shut down with no end in sight, and others having to make major adjustments to continue to stay in business or to perform their art. One of the many mandates during these times is the call for social distancing to “help slow the spread.” Live performers depend on the chemistry of everyone on stage, and performing musicians need to hear each other on stage to create that cohesive sound that the audience loves. This is especially true for orchestras and symphonies, where musicians don’t typically perform with in-ear or floor monitors. Their art is created by everyone being packed tight together being able to hear each other, and feed off of each other’s energy. 

Allison Ross is a violin player and classical musician based in Kansas where she performs with several orchestras and symphonies. Since the COVID-19 pandemic musicians have faced many challenges, and Allison broke the silence when the restrictions from one of her orchestras made it so challenging to be an orchestra performer that she decided that it was better to not play at all. She is the author of the book “Allie Went Rogue: How Being an Outlier Helped Me Think Clearly and Live Fully.” Allison is also a music professor, gives private music lessons at home and virtually, and is an advocate for musicians and anyone that wants to live free to have multiple streams of income. In this conversation, we also dive into playing in orchestras, how local orchestra players might end up being the backing players for major touring artists, teaching music, side hustles, Liberty in music, how COVID has affected her and her area of the industry, and much more. 

To learn more about Allison Ross visit https://www.instagram.com/alliewentrogue/