AITA for not playing in my youth orchestra for another opportunity
Recently had lessons with another teacher who’s the concertmaster of one of my local orchestras which involves a good number of professional players from the top local orchestra of my area and other free lance and professional teachers. Got asked to play in one of their upcoming programmes due to needed players but that meant I would miss a week of rehearsals and one concert(out of 3) of my youth orchestras programme. I filled an absence form for the youth orchestra but got no response so I went to the conductor of the youth orchestra and he proceeded to say that he has no idea who the concertmaster of the professional orchestra was and then kind of belittled the opportunity saying how it was kind of just like a ‘gig’ and that if the Sydney symphony offered him a concert he wouldn’t take it (in respect of the youth orchestra?) and then said he was disappointed in me. I just felt like this opportunity was really significant to me as I could experience a more professional setting with some really great players since the youth orchestra was 90% high school players with uni players such as me leading sections and it was really just like high school system with a lot of serious discipline and sometimes even calling out people who played not so good. I would also get payed for my time in the orchestra unlike the youth orchestra which I payed to play in. I just felt like surely he could be a bit more understanding of my situation?