Mozart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs, and Classical Music

Oboist Blair Tindall recounts her decades-long career as a classical musician in New York, detailing both her recitals and Broadway orchestra performances alongside the hidden realities of the city's classical music scene. She describes how musicians often trade sexual favors for orchestra positions and desirable assignments, and how many survive hand to mouth, frequently performing while drunk, high, or hungover. Working-class musicians in this world live in poor housing conditions, perform in hazardous settings, and move between low-paying gigs without health insurance or retirement benefits—a contrast to the well-compensated superstars of classical music. This memoir offers a behind-the-scenes account of what occurs backstage and in the orchestra pit, presenting an unfiltered look at the classical music world. The book inspired a two-time Golden Globe Award–winning comedy series.