A performer’s preparation is multifaceted with a performance being a culmination of a lifetime of commitment to one’s art. Performance opportunities depend upon reputation, connections, and networking (peer review). Individual preparation of the composition comprises scholarly research on the composer, the context of the work and its style, a study of the orchestral score and the performance tradition of the work. The artistic preparation includes countless hours of intensely focused practice. Finally, collaborative preparation consists in rehearsing with a pianist playing a reduction of the orchestral score, meeting with the conductor to coordinate tempi and styles, and finally rehearsals with the orchestra.