Why MaestroMeet exists
I built MaestroMeet because I know what it feels like to miss playing.
Moving countries, changing circumstances, the relentless pace of everyday life - the instrument ends up in its case, the case ends up in a cupboard, and the years pass. Not because the love of music fades. It never does. But because getting back to it - finding an orchestra, committing to weekly rehearsals, being performance-ready from day one - can feel like too large a step to take.
MaestroMeet exists to keep that step within reach. When it opens, your part will be ready.
What MaestroMeet is here to do
MaestroMeet is being built to give orchestral musicians, at every stage, access to the music they love - on their own terms, at their own pace, without the pressure of rehearsal deadlines or the cost of professional tuition.
Every score is drawn from the public domain - music that belongs to everyone. Every recording is built from high-quality samples recorded by professional players, because the quality of the sound you practise with matters.
It is not trying to replace the experience of playing in a real orchestra. Nothing replaces that. What it is trying to do is keep you playing - and keep you ready - for whenever that opportunity comes.
Small, independent, and focused on what matters
MaestroMeet is bootstrapped - no investors, no corporate backing, no pressure to grow faster than the product deserves. Everything is produced in-house, and costs are kept low so the subscription price stays low. Every decision goes through one filter: does this make the experience better for members? If yes, it happens. If not, it does not.
Everything you hear and see on MaestroMeet is made by hand: each work is transcribed note by note, every part checked against the score, the orchestra built up section by section, the guides and notes written from scratch. That is slow work, and it is the work that keeps new music arriving every week. If you value it, the most useful thing you can do costs nothing: pass the free practice guides on to musicians you know. Every player they reach helps keep the music flowing.
What matters here
The music comes first. Every decision - about repertoire, about features, about how content is delivered - starts with the music and works outward, not the other way around.
Every part matters. All the main instruments will be represented, with a deliberate bias towards pieces that give real playing opportunity to brass and woodwind, who so often have less to do, and less spotlight, in a typical orchestral setting.
Orchestral writing still leaves rests, and MaestroMeet will not pretend otherwise. Every part will have its own highlighted line, in time with the full ensemble, with rehearsal marks, jump-to-bar and a scrubbable score on every subscription.
Premium will go further: a minus-one mix that removes your part so the orchestra plays and the seat is yours, and practice loops that go straight to the passages you came for. Standard gives you the full orchestra, your part, and plenty to get your teeth into; Premium is for those who want to take that seat and go deeper.
Under-promise, over-deliver. MaestroMeet will not tell you the library is larger than it is, or overstate what the player can do. Better to say less and let the experience speak for itself.
Playing is better than not playing. However imperfect the circumstances, however long the gap, however rusty the technique - raising your instrument and playing is always better than not. MaestroMeet exists to make that easier.
A quiet word on contact
It is a small operation, so things are kept simple. If you need me - a question about MaestroMeet, a thought about the music - you can write to hello@maestromeet.com, and what comes in does get read.
John McNicholas
Founder, MaestroMeet
The orchestra is always there.