Back Row Perspectives

36 Hours in Arabia

2012-01-19T02:05:00.000+01:00

It's time for a pop quiz! Who can tell me (without using Google) which country the following flag represents?

Not sure??? Here's a clue: its capital city is Musqat.

Still don't know?

Well, of course I'm referring to the well-known and not at all obscure Sultanate of Oman!

What's that, you say?? You've never even heard of Oman? Neither had I until recently, when I decided to learn the flags of the world. Do you want to know how I remembered this one? Whenever I saw the distinctive curved dagger in the corner, I would think, "Oh, MAN! I'll never get this one! Oh-man = OMAN!" I obviously never thought I would EVER have a chance to visit this little-known nation on the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula, but this week it became my foreign country number 37!

The Philharmonic had originally planned a two-day stay in Abu Dhabi, where I've visited already twice, but the plans fell through somehow and instead we helped break in the brand new Royal Opera House of Musqat with a program of Russian music under the baton of Valery Gergiev. Sultan Qaboos, the leader of Oman since the 1970s, has a reputation for being dedicated to a policy of modernization and tolerance, quite similar to his neighbors in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Bahrain. He owns a humongous yacht, several elaborate palaces, and is reputedly a huge classical music fan. Naturally.

I mainly want to let the photos tell the story, but I have to lay a little groundwork first. You see, this Gergiev 'block' got underway last week with another two-day tour to Germany. We visited Hannover and Cologne (Kölsch and a meterwurst highly recommended by the way), returned to Wien to perform our normal weekend subscription concerts, and then immediately following Sunday's concert rushed to the airport and took off towards the desert.

With the time difference, we arrived in Musqat at around 12:30 AM on Monday. Airports don't tend to be fully staffed at that time of night, as we soon found out. There were 2 windows open at immigration and it was very slow going. Immigration took about 2 minutes per person, times 100 people... let's just say we were there for a while.

Not what you want to see at 1AM

At least Sultan Qaboos was there to greet us!

We finally made it to our hotel around 2:45 AM, and I crashed hard. The next morning I awoke to see this outside my balcony:

That's a pleasant surprise if I ever saw one!

Not sure what that island is, but it's HUGE

The Arabian Riviera??

Some beautiful foothills in the distance

I didn't make it out of bed in time for breakfast, but I did manage to drag myself downstairs for a wonderful buffet lunch with some colleagues. Much hummus was consumed. In the afternoon I did some practice and then decided to do a bit of walking around.

I can't imagine a more stark contrast to Vienna in January

Seems like all the buildings are white... suppose it helps with the heat

I spent some time reading in the hotel garden

The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (2nd largest in the world)

The concert went really well, and I was blown away by the over-the-top splendor of the hall. The acoustics were not very well suited to our orchestra, but it worked out okay in the end.

We did a couple pieces I had never heard of, but that I was really glad to be introduced to. First was Rimsky-Korsakov's Invisible City of Kitezh Suite, which is a real gem in my opinion. Second was a brilliant and fun jazz-influenced piece by Rhodin Shchedrin entitled Concerto No. 1 "Naughty Limericks". And we were again treated to a rousing performance of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 by the 2011 Tchaikovsky Competition winner Daniil Trifonov. The guy is 20 years old and makes the most amazing music. Really inspiring stuff.

The Royal Opera House Musqat after the concert

On the way back to Vienna we were treated to some breathtaking views, particularly over southwest Iran and southern Iraq.

The Omani landscape just after take-off

Gorgeous mountain ranges in Iran

If you'd like to see even more photos, check out this album.

New Year's Concert Thoughts (plus Videos!)

2012-01-03T01:00:00.000+01:00

On Sunday I had the privilege to take part in the Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's Concert for 2012. What a blast!!! I thought the concert went really well, and judging from the flurry of calls, emails, and Facebook messages I've received over the past 24 hours, it seems like lots of other people really enjoyed the broadcast.

I thought I would share some thoughts about the concert, as well as some YouTube videos I found of my favorite selections.

- I thought the program was fantastic all-around. There was lots of variety, which is really something when you're speaking about a New Year's Concert where it's normally waltz after waltz after polka after polka... ad nauseum. Tchaikovsky was included this year, and the Vienna Boys' Choir made a couple appearances. There was a noticeable up-tic in the amount of stuff for the trombones this year, including probably my favorite piece on the program, Josef Hellmesberger's Danse Diabolique. This wonderful little piece, written by a former concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic, served as a great fast and furious (not to mention virtuosic) opener to the second half. And we get to play real loud. Here's a video:

- The flowers were amazing this year. I'm sure they featured prominently in the broadcast, but in person there is the added bonus that the entire Golden Hall smells awesome!

- I've been asked by lots of people in years past, "Do you get to meet Julie Andrews?" No... she records all her little featur-ettes well in advance, and doesn't even show up at the concert. Well, apparently this year was different because I look up to the balcony in the second half, and who do I see but Maria v. Trapp herself! Pretty cool she came, though I almost missed an entrance or two looking up to see if she was enjoying herself.

- A major feature of any New Year's Concert is the Austrian attempt at 'having ze fun'. It usually involves a cleverly-titled polka and a bit of schtick. In my first New Year's Concert, the entire orchestra gradually exited to stage while performing Haydn's Farewell Symphony. The year before that, the orchestra played the Sport Polka while wearing soccer scarves before they were given a red card by the conductor. In 2010, it was the popping of corks and spraying of fake bubbles during the Champagne Polka. This year, we had two nice bits of 'ze humor', JA?? Enjoy:

- You might've noticed some really unique overhead shots in the broadcast. There was a new cable cam that ran diagonally from the back left corner of the hall all the way up behind the organ. Looks like it got some really cool shots... though it does draw attention to my (ever so slightly) receding hairline/high forehead.

- I realized this year that the Strauss family is not that complicated. First, you've got the DAD: Johann Senior (composed the Radetzky March and forbade his kids to go into music). Then you've got THREE SONS: Johann Junior (the Blue Danube), Josef (Waltz of the Spheres), and Eduard. Eduard did something that was apparently pretty common back in the day... he ripped off Bizet and put his most famous melodies from Carmen into a Quadrille. What's a quadrille, you ask? This is:

- I was asked by a friend if it was really hot in the hall or if Jansons was just a prolific sweater. The answer is YES to both. Jansons (and funnily enough his student Andris Nelsons) both are EXTREME sweaters. They are usually dripping by the end of concerts. They are the only conductors I've ever seen go through multiple shirts in one performance. Must be a Latvian thing...

By the way, I thought Jansons did a great job. He picked a really good program and conducted it very well the whole week.

- Some of you might not know that the PBS broadcast in America is only the 2nd half of the concert. My favorite waltz of the concert was on the first half, and was *gasp* NOT by the Strauss family, but rather Karl Michael Ziehrer (sounds like Tseerer). It's called Wiener Bürger (Viennese Citizens):

- My favorite polka of the concert was also on the first half. It's called Entweder-Oder, which means "Either-Or".

- During the intermission of the live broadcast, ORF (Austrian TV) played this awesome video which features the city of Vienna and a chamber ensemble made up of VPO members. It's 23 minutes long, but nevertheless VERY HIGHLY recommended.

Thanks to everyone for all the nice comments and well-wishes you've sent me in response to the concert. Thanks for watching, and please tune in again next year. I don't know who will be playing 2nd trombone in 2013... possibly me again... but theoretically we will have a new colleague from our audition in March (replacing the retiring Karl Jeitler), and he/she would be in the rotation to play on New Year's. Guess we'll see!

I wish all of you the best in 2012. I hope it is a happy and blessed year for all BRP readers!
PROSIT NEUJAHR!!!

A Curtain Call and a Master's Degree!

2011-12-28T15:08:00.003+01:00

After spending so much time on the road between June and October of this year, I have finally had some (relatively) free time the past few weeks. I have enjoyed my break from traveling and 3-service days, albeit short-lived, which has allowed me to concentrate on more important things. I have been spending lots of quality time with Kristi and Eli and I've tried to re-introduce myself to my friends and hang out with them at least once a week.

But that definitely doesn't mean nothing's been happening on the musical side of things.

I've really enjoyed preparing for my solo events in January/February. My recital repertoire has been selected, and I'm trying to polish it up to share with everyone at UW-Whitewater and Southern Miss. It looks like I'll be pulling out my alto trombone in a solo context for the first time in over 6 years! I figure it's about time to unleash some Albinoni, and it has been a blast rediscovering his Concerto 9, No. 2. Highly recommended.

At North Texas, I'll be performing a relatively new setting of James Kazik's Concerto for Trombone with the Symphonic Band under the direction of Dennis Fisher. I'm trying to memorize it, which is something I used to be really good at, but have yet to attempt as a professional solo artist.

In early November, the Staatsoper did the Wagner Ring Cycle under the direction of Christian Thielemann. Wow, was that fun!! As some of you know, I'm not the biggest fan of the Ring, mostly because the folks 'round here take it so flippin' seriously, (Despite its ties to ancient Norse mythology, it's not worthy of the quasi-religious weight that it is so often given here... I mean, honestly folks...we're talking about dwarves, giants, and dragons chasing after a magic ring here...) but the sheer quality of this particular cycle was enough to win me over.

No matter what one thinks of his works or his personal life, it's no secret that Wagner was a master of musical composition. Combine that with the fact that Thielemann simply conducted so well and with such spirit and clarity of musical intent that the orchestra and singers could not help but respond with world-class performances, and it's no wonder that the audience responded with some of the loudest and most enthusiastic ovations I've heard in my time here.

The pit during Götterdämmerung. I found the photo on an opera fan's blog.

A very special moment for me came after we finished the last opera, Götterdämmerung. Thielemann asked us all to join him on stage to take a bow and have a real curtain-call of our own. This was something I've never seen done before, and it was very meaningful to many of us. After all, the orchestra plays a significant role in Der Ring des Nibelungen, and Wagner in a way treats the orchestra as its own character much of the time. In fact, one could say it's the only character (besides the ring itself) that appears in all four operas!

I've often wondered what it's like for the singers to stand behind the gigantic velvet curtain, waiting to be thrust into the spotlight to the sound of cheers (or boos) from the waiting public. It was a truly unique event as the entire orchestra huddled together behind the curtain; for me, it was my first time on the Staatsoper stage. Thielemann made sure we were all there and signaled for the curtain to be opened. We were simultaneously blinded by the bright spotlights and deafened by the roar of the approving crowd, and I must say I felt a slight lump in my throat. It feels nice to be appreciated, and it was a quite satisfying reward to feel the gratitude of the audience after such a mammoth musical undertaking. We all took several bows, and I couldn't help but smile. :) Below is a photo I found on the internets... It's quite blurry, but at least you get the idea.

I'm at center-stage. You can make out my trombone behind the bald guy.

Speaking of the University of North Texas (like, 5 paragraphs ago), I just graduated from there! As you may recall from a previous post, I decided early in 2011 to finish the final four courses required to complete the Master of Music degree that I began back in 2006 before coming to Vienna. Over the past year I completed several special long-distance projects that I was able to substitute for the remaining credits, and on December 17th I officially became an alumnus of UNT!

It feels great to have finally finished what I started, and it gives me a great deal of pride to hold a degree from the university that played such a huge role in my journey to the VPO. I owe a huge 'Thank You' to many people there, but I would like to especially express my gratitude to Prof. Vern Kagarice and Dean Warren Henry for their assistance in making this happen. Also thanks to Dean Henry for sending me these photos of the commencement program.

Now you all know my middle name!

When I visited UNT back in June, I went by the bookstore and preemptively purchased a UNT Alumni t-shirt, but didn't wear it until last week!

Now it's true!

Also, in keeping with my flag-collecting dorkiness, I was able to find official (or quasi-official) university flags from both schools I've graduated from.

My alma... maters?... materi?...matero?... My schools.

Back in November, just after the Ring Cycle, I played my 500th opera performance in the Wiener Staatsoper!! It happened before I even had time to notice it was coming. That means that I'm well over 700 total performances with opera and VPO combined. That's a lot for 4-and-a-half seasons.

2011 is now almost finished, and I'll be performing on Sunday in our annual New Year's Concert under the baton of Mariss Jansons. It will be broadcast live to over a billion people worldwide (so they tell us), and is by far the biggest concert of the year for us. In America, it will most likely be broadcast in the afternoon/evening of January 1st on your local PBS station. Check your local listings, make sure to tune in or 'DVR it', and ring in the new year with some lively Strauss waltzes and polkas!

Flags! Flags, Everywhere!

2011-10-31T01:41:00.000+01:00

Several years ago, I was listening to the radio on my way home from school, and the host of the show I was listening to mentioned that he had traveled to something like 95 different countries in his lifetime.   He was talking about how dear this achievement was to him, how his experiences in those countries had truly enriched his life, and how excited he was to be closing in on a total of 100 countries visited.     It's especially remarkable considering the host is not someone who travels for a living; he's not an airline pilot, a missionary, or a diplomat, and he's not in the military... he's just a radio host who enjoys traveling.

At that time in my life I had been outside the USA only twice before, once to Scandinavia for an international trombone festival, and once across the Canadian border at Niagara Falls during my honeymoon: a total of 4 countries.     But as I listened to the radio personality describe some of his trips, I imagined how cool it might be to follow his example.   It seemed a very adventurous, optimistic, and romantic thing to set a goal like that, and I decided I would try it.

At the time, the idea of visiting 100 countries seemed a bit ridiculous... so I set a more realistic goal for myself: to visit 50 foreign countries and all 50 US states.

Now fast forward 6 years. We're not only living abroad in Austria, but my job is also very travel-heavy. In a relatively short time span, my grand total has jumped from 4 to 36 countries!!

I have been very blessed with some amazing opportunities for travel since joining the Vienna Philharmonic, and my life has truly been enriched by each place I've visited.   I'd like to talk more about why I enjoy traveling and why I think it's important in a later post, but right now I want to share a project I've been working on to help me keep track of (and ultimately celebrate the completion of) my travel goals.

Sorry, but this requires more backstory. I'll be as brief as possible... let's try it this way:

Moved to Austria.
Didn't know squat about foreign countries.
Felt like ignorant American.
Felt embarrassed when meeting people from countries I had never heard of.
Decided to learn things.
Bought iPhone app.
Learned where all the countries of the world are located on a map.
Yes, still know.
Must occasionally review.
Saw 192 nations' flags outside UN building in Vienna.
Decided to learn those too.
Bought iPhone app.
Learned those, too.
Must occasionally review.
Remembered goal of 50 countries.
Decided to collect a flag for each country visited.
Realized flags are large - wall space was insufficient.
Had an idea.
Desk flags!
Needed something to display them.
Commissioned handy woodworking father to build stand.
Turned out great.
Realized I had also visited 36 US States.
Decided to do a 2nd stand.
The End.

There are two stands: one for nations (front) and one for US states (rear)

Yes, this was the elegant solution I came up with.   My Dad was awesome enough to spend a day fashioning two flag stands out of beautiful black walnut wood from the hills around my hometown.

Each stand has 51 places for small desk flags and will 'thusly' show my progress towards my "50/50" goal.   Why 51 holes? For the 'countries' stand, I wanted to put the Stars & Stripes in the center and still have room for 50 other countries.   For the 'states' stand, I have the flag of my home state (Tennessee) in the center and room for the other 49 plus the District of Columbia.

Don't they look great!?!?   Well, at least I think so.   It's so great to be able to look over at them when I come into my office and see that visual reminder of the great experiences I've had.   And when both stands are filled to capacity, I will have achieved the goals I set 6 years ago!!

And now... some FAQ'S (Yes, I have actually been asked these questions):

Q: What order are the flags in?
A: Starting in the center and alternating out both left and right, they are in the order that I first visited each country or state.   So the further you go from the center, the more recent.

Q: Do you count airports as visiting a country?
A: No.   I wanted to make sure that all the flags represent an experience rather than geography, so I don't put a flag in just for flying through an airport. I don't feel that constitutes a true visit to a place.   For each flag, I've actually walked around, spent the night, had a meal, etc. in that place. At the moment, the only place I've technically been to that isn't in the stand is Singapore.

Q: What counts as a country?
A: This question comes up in regard to places such as Hong Kong, which is technically owned by China.   Should I count it as a separate country or not?   In general, if a place has its own government, is a member of the UN, or has ever sent an athlete to the olympic games, I count it. And in most cases, if a place has its own flag, that answers the question in and of itself.   The only ones that I'm a bit iffy about are the Cayman Islands (a British Overseas Territory) and the Vatican City, but for the moment they're in there.

Well, that's all for now.   Hope I haven't bored you all too much.   I reckon everyone's got an inner dork... I just seem to also have an outer dork who happens to like flags and traveling. :)

Australia!!!!!

2011-10-22T16:34:00.000+02:00

Incredible... Awe-inspiring...Beautiful...Best Trip Ever!! These are some of the words I've used to try and describe our recent tour to the 'Land Down Under'. Australia has been on my travel 'bucket list' for a long time, and it did not disappoint. My wonderful wife was able to accompany me on our first-ever voyage to the Southern Hemisphere, and she has done a fantastic job of sharing the tourist-y parts of the trip over at the Vienna Wilsons. I have included several of my favorite sightseeing photos anyway.

I was originally not supposed to go on this tour at all, but due to some last minute changes in personnel I was able to tag along as a backup principal trombonist. The orchestra always takes two principal players on long-distance tours, both to avoid overtiring by spreading out the work and to have a cover player in case of illness or other extenuating circumstances. Since my contract classifies me as a 2nd trombonist, but moving up to 1st when needed, I get taken along quite often as a principal player.


What an amazing venue! Can't believe I performed here.

Trying out a didgeridoo... harder than it looks, even for a brass player.

There wasn't that much repertoire to go around, but what I played was quite enjoyable: Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony, Schumann's Symphony No. 2, and Mahler's beautiful song cycle Des Knaben Wunderhorn with fantastic soloist Matthias Goerne. Also, we did quite a bit of Johann Strauss 'Neujahr's Konzert' stuff: Donauwalzer, Kaiserwalzer, and Unter Donner & Blitz (usually for encores).

I am kicking myself for not buying this hat...

Can you find the trombonist's head in this photo of the Pinnacles Desert??

The worst part of traveling to Australia is traveling to Australia. Did you know that Australia is FOREVER away from Europe? We flew out of Vienna on a Sunday evening around 5PM and arrived in our hotel room in Perth at 1AM on Tuesday! Even with the time difference of 6 hours, that's a long trip...

But at least the flights were nice. I had business class seats the whole way down, which helped immensely, especially on the flight from Frankfurt to Singapore. On that plane we had seats which folded down to make pretty convincing beds. I slept for the majority of the flight, and it really helped with jet lag once we landed.

We fell in love with Australia right from the start. It's one of the few places in my life that have lived up to all my expectations, and I think it's because it's a truly authentic and unique place. You know the feeling you get on your first trip to Manhattan? The sort of "wow-I-can't-believe-I'm-here-and-it-looks-and-sounds-exactly-like-I-thought-it-would" feeling? That's the feeling I had in Australia. It's one-of-a-kind and it's exactly what I thought it would be like.

The friendly and energetic people, the amazing and unique wildlife, the gorgeous and vast landscape... it all really exists! Things like kangaroos, wild obsessions with sports, eucalyptus trees, boomerangs, and Aboriginal art are not just stuff you see in the movies. You see them everywhere you go!

A humpback whale breeches off the coast of Perth

Our whale-watching tour was definitely a highlight

The beautiful city of Brisbane

The concerts were all very well-received, especially in Sydney. Performing in one the world's most famous buildings is something I'll always treasure. Nevermind that the acoustics aren't fantastic... it's the Syndey Opera House!! Who cares! It was just a joy to be there.

Now, I'm not an architecture person, but I definitely recognize greatness when I see it. The Sydney Opera House is an amazing building. Kristi and I spent probably an hour or more just walking around it, viewing it from every possible angle and vantage point. It does have the tremendous advantage of sitting directly on the waterfront of the beautiful Syndey Harbour, which only serves to enhance the experience.

There's not that much to say about the music, because I just didn't play that much. Conductor Christoph Eschenbach was in fine form the whole tour, which says alot because it was a long and arduous trip. The musical highlight for me was Schumann's Symphony No. 2. I am continually astounded by the Schumann's use of rhythm and his gift for melody. It's one of my favorite symphonies, even though the trombones don't play that much. The second movement is an absolute joy to hear in the capable hands of our string section. I recommend you look it up sometime if you don't already know it.

Another transcendental musical experience came in the form of Mahler's lied Urlicht, which was part of the song-cycle performed by Matthias Goerne. You may know it as the 4th movement of Mahler's 2nd symphony, though in that context it's performed by an alto rather than a baritone. One of my all-time favorites, really. Again, if you don't know it, do yourself a favor and YouTube it! I'm thinking about trying out a piano and trombone version of it on my recitals this winter. We'll see how it works.

Standing next to me is the main reason this trip was so awesome...Kristi!

Also on my list of unforgettable moments is the very last concert we performed in Sydney. I don't know if this is just a Sydney thing or what, but when we finished the concert, the audience proceeded to shower the whole orchestra with red and white streamers!! They were coming from everywhere! Kristi was in attendance that evening, and she said that a roll of thin ticker-tape-style paper ribbon was left in each seat during the intermission. I think she took particular delight in hurling it at me from her seat in the choir loft. It was a very fun way to close out our Australian experience, and we took great pleasure in reeling off one final blistering Strauss polka while buried under mounds of paper!

If you'd like to browse all our Australia photos, CLICK HERE.

Unforgettable!

I Feel Like Celebrating!

2011-10-17T10:18:00.001+02:00

I've got three big reasons to celebrate today...

First and foremost, I am very excited to announce that I have reached the end of the year's final tour! That's right, after my busiest year of touring ever, with a total of 22 weeks on the road, in 9 countries on 4 continents, I will be heading home in three days. I am thrilled and relieved beyond words to be able to say that. I've had some truly great and rewarding experiences during my travels in 2011, but I must say I hope I never again travel this much in one year. There will be some upcoming posts about the current tour, which has taken us to Australia (which was AWESOMELY AWESOME), Hong Kong, Macau, and now Japan. Here's a sneak peek:

Secondly, I wanted to take the opportunity to announce some upcoming solo events that have been developing in recent weeks. I am honored to have been invited to be a guest artist/clinician at three wonderful universities this winter. First up will be a Trombone Day at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater on January 29th, 2012; then the following weekend at the University of Southern Mississippi's Trombone Day, which will be February 3-4, 2012. A huge thanks to Mike Dugan (UWW) and Ben McIlwain (USM) for the invites! I am really looking forward to these events, which will each include a solo recital and masterclass(es). Just after the USM event, I'll head back to my (soon to be) alma mater, the University of North Texas, where I will be performing a concerto with the UNT Symphonic Band and giving some masterclasses (stay tuned for more info). As I found out back in June at the International Trombone Festival, I get such a kick out of solo playing, and I feel very blessed that the opportunities keep coming.

These places will not know what hit em'!

And lastly, I just realized yesterday that I missed the 1-year anniversary of Back Row Perspectives! It's now been over a year since my first post, and I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with this. There was a part of me that thought I would give up, but I have been so encouraged by the feedback from BRP readers that I found the motivation to keep posting. I know I often comment to many of you that I just post this stuff for my own enjoyment and to preserve my memories (which I do), but it is also nice to think other people are somewhat interested in it as well. As of today, the blog has over 15,000 views from two-dozen different countries, including places I've never been before! I'm lookin' at you, Bulgaria and Norway!!

I hope to someday visit these BRP-lovin' countries!

So that's what I'm happy about today! I made it a year without giving up on the blog, I'm gonna get to hug on my sugar booger and my li'l turkey buzzard in a couple days (yes, those are actual nicknames of my wife and child), and now I get to start preparing some solo works for my concerts in January/February!

There are some good things coming up in the orchestra as well: Wagner's Ring Cycle with Christian Thielemann and Brahms' German Requiem with Danielle Gatti. Keep your eyes peeled for full reports.

SKF in China gong sound

2011-09-25T15:22:00.000+02:00

Well, it's been great to be back home... for a couple weeks at least. Kristi and I are heading out today for Australia! Yes, the Wilsons are about to invade the land down under as part of a VPO tour that will also include stops in Hong Kong, Macau, and Japan. I'll be gone for about 4 weeks, but Kristi will be with me for the Australia portion of the tour. My parents have (graciously) agreed to watch Eli while we're away.

I am planning to do a tour journal much like I did back in February/March, so keep your eyes peeled for photos and stories from my first ever experience in the Southern Hemisphere!

In the meantime, here are some photos from the last part of the Saito Kinen Festival, a two-week tour in Beijing and Shanghai. Not much happened there... mostly just hanging out in between orchestra rehearsals and performances... so I think the photos will give you a good picture of what it was like. The one thing I would say is that I really enjoyed getting to know the other musicians in the orchestra. It was also very cool to experience an orchestra besides the VPO. It taught me alot.

Catch you on the flip side... of the world!!! Wow. I'm such a dork.

Beijing: the air quality capital of the world.

What a difference a day makes!

With Randy outside the Performing Arts Center in Beijing

CCTV Building in Beijing

The view from my hotel room in Shanghai...very different from Beijing

The two tallest buildings in China... for now.

100 floors up at the world's tallest observatory

Looking DOWN on the Jin Mao Tower = creepy.

The Oriental Pearl Tower

Think there are enough apartment complexes??

I do not envy these guys' jobs.

Matsumoto Wrap-Up

2011-08-28T16:43:00.000+02:00

The Saito Kinen Festival Orchestra gave this year's final concert in Matsumoto this afternoon, and boy was it a good 'un! As I've mentioned in previous posts, the best part of this whole experience has been the music, as it should be.

The festival started out with lots of rehearsals, sometimes for 5 and 6 hours at a time. In fact, the entire first week I was here was nothing but rehearsals. I suppose they just want the orchestra to sound polished, which is not at all guaranteed when you assemble an orchestra with personnel that have never really played together. Plus there's the pressure of having everything recorded for national broadcast and an eventual DVD/CD release.

All that rehearsing definitely payed off, because the orchestra performed both Miraculous Mandarin and Bluebeard's Castle really well. I had never performed the full-length ballet version of Mandarin before, just the concert suite with the VPO back in March, and it was really interesting to hear and play the eerie conclusion to what is probably my favorite Bartók piece. And what fun it is to play! John Engelkes, bass trombonist in the San Francisco Symphony, played beautifully in all his big solos. There are quite a few trombone features (Bartók makes liberal use of glissandi to symbolize sensuality) and I had a blast performing them alongside John as well as Koichi Inoue, a fine freelance player from Tokyo.

The section for Bluebeard and Mandarin. Shin, me, Mayumi, Koichi, and John

If there's one thing I've learned from 4 years in the VPO, it's that there is PLENTY of mind-blowingly beautiful music that involves the trombones very little, or not at all. Bluebeard's Castle is a fine example. Bartók's writing is truly masterful, with great themes, drama, and a great variety of colors and sounds to complement the bizarre storyline. It was truly a joy to 'sit through' all four performances here in Matsumoto.

The opera/ballet production was made even more special on opening night when the festival's director, Seiji Ozawa, began the evening by conducting the strings in an emotional tribute to the victims of the March 11th earthquakes and tsunami. The piece was Bach's famous Aria (known to many as Air on a G String), and Maestro Ozawa shaped it so masterfully that many in the orchestra consider it the musical highlight of the festival. As I sat with my eyes closed and soaked it all it, I couldn't help but replay in my mind the terrible images of the utter devastation from March, and was more than a little surprised to find that when I opened my eyes my vision was blurry with tears. I was certainly not alone in that. It made me proud in that moment to be sitting amongst the proud Japanese people and to be participating in some miniscule way in helping to return life back to normal after such an enormous national tragedy.

We were all shocked to find out upon arriving at the opera house for the 2nd performance that Ozawa had developed a serious case of pneumonia and was being hospitalized. He has been in bad health for some time now, especially following a bout with esophageal cancer a couple years ago, but his youthful demeanor and energy in rehearsals made it seem he was perfectly fine. The assistant conductor had to step in with a grand total of 'zero' rehearsals under his belt. Bluebeard is not an easy opera to conduct, but with the orchestra and singers rallying behind him, he did a fantastic job. Seiji was eventually able to return for the final performance and was rewarded for his efforts with a massive reception from orchestra and audience alike. It was a really special moment to see him bounding up on stage for curtain call after having been so ill just a few days before.

For the orchestra concert side of things, the program is Tchaikovsky with a bit of Bartók thrown in for good measure. I am having so much fun playing with this section, which consists of Massimo La Rosa (principal trombonist, Cleveland Orchestra), Randy Hawes (bass trombone, Detroit Symphony), and Yasuhito Sugiyama (tuba, Cleveland Orchestra). I've known of all three of these guys for a long time, and it's so great to get to perform with them. We mesh really well, and everything is SO easy. Guess that's how it's supposed to be. Plus, they're all great guys.

SKO 2011 section: Massimo, me, Randy, and Yasuhito

The program begins with one of my favorite Tchaikovsky works, Overture and Fantasy from Romeo and Juliet. Say what you want about 'Tchaik', but that guy could write some melodies. We've had two concerts so far, and the soloists have been fantastic every time, especially the woodwinds and horn (Neil Deland, Toronto Symphony). Second on the program is Bartók's Piano Concerto No. 3, another delight that came out of nowhere and has instantly become a new favorite, especially the gorgeous 2nd movement. Who knew he wrote anything besides Concerto for Orchestra? I'm embarrassed to say my knowledge of Bartók repertoire has been tripled at this festival! The concert finishes with a spirited and energetic version of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, a piece I've wanted to play for a long time. The brass section is let loose, indeed encouraged, by the talented young Venezuelan conductor Diego Matheuz, and we certainly take advantage of that freedom... tastefully and musically, of course. :) I have immensely enjoyed the orchestra programs so far, and can't wait to perform another couple times in China.

On that note, I'll sign off for today. Look for updates from Beijing and Shanghai in the next few days!

PS - After the last concert on Sunday evening, the festival threw a big farewell party. The spread was amazing, but the thing I will always remember is the GIANT tuna that was wheeled in during the festivities.

This is what happens when you tell a piccolo player to make a funny face...

The crowd gathered 'round as a sushi chef expertly sliced and diced the mammoth fish to feed the multitudes. CRAZY! Only in Japan, I guess. And no, I did not partake.

Domo Matsumoto (Mr. Roboto?)

2011-08-27T13:48:00.005+02:00

Tomorrow is my last day here in Matsumoto, Japan, and I must say I am eager for a change of scenery. By the time we leave for China on Monday, I will have been here in the same town, with the same hotel room and same basic routine, for 18 days. That's a long time by my touring standards, and it's been exacerbated (5 syllables, whaaat?) by the unfortunate fact that I'm here alone. I REALLY wish I had been able to bring Kristi and Eli. It was just too much after six weeks in America followed by two weeks in Salzburg. Our little man needed some time at home with his normal routine, and it would've been torture on all of us to try living in a hotel room for 4 weeks in Japan. As it turned out, they've been keeping busy with all sorts of fun stuff.

Though I don't think I ever want to commit to something this lengthy ever again (without my family accompanying me), there have been some great things about the experience, which I'd love to share with you.

First, a bit about Matsumoto itself. It's not what I would consider a beautiful town, though I can't say I would consider any of the large cities of Japan to be particularly attractive. I'm not a fan of the modern architecture, the crowded narrow buildings, or the whole industrial/business look of it all. That said, there are some quite nice things about the town.

There's no denying the surroundings are breathtaking. It reminds me a lot of Upper Austria, with the lush rolling hills on the outskirts of town and the snow-capped mountains beyond that. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the place is surprisingly similar to Salzburg, which is where I would be right now had I not come here. Much like the Salzburger Festspiele, the Saito Kinen Festival takes over the city every summer. Everywhere you look there are SKF banners, posters, or t-shirts, and I am frequently stopped all over town by music 'fans' when wearing my festival staff shirt.

Looks a lot like Salzburg

There are SKF banners everywhere!

VPO bass trombonist Hans Ströcker has done this festival a lot, and he told me the food here was great. Boy, was he right! And much to the detriment of my waistline! Of course, no matter how good the restaurants are, I can't eat out every meal.

Enter the wonder that is the Japanese Convenience Store! It is amazing to me how well one can eat by just taking a visit to the corner market. In the US, about the best you can do is a Slim Jim and a Yoohoo. Here, there are many more fresh and somewhat healthy options. My favorite is called onigiri, a triangle of rice wrapped in seaweed and filled with one of a few various substances (tuna, salmon, etc.).

An example of onigiri

You can also get really high-quality sandwiches and other prepared pastas, noodles, and sushi. I have been eating about one meal a day from the convenience store just down from the hotel called Lawson Station.

'My' convenience store, with the Hotel Buena Vista in the background

One day this week we had two orchestra rehearsals back-to-back, which didn't leave much time to get lunch in between. So the good SKF folks organized a "Soba Party"!

Soba noodles are served cold and dipped in a bowl of soy-based broth. They are traditionally made from buckwheat (which is what the word 'soba' means), and supposedly the most famous soba area is just up the road in Nagano. SKF invited several soba makers to come provide the noodles for our party. They all lined up their big boiling kettles under the awning of the performance hall, and cooked MASSIVE quantities of noodles, which were then poured into colanders and rapidly cooled in a big vat of ice water. Then each maker piled up their noodles on these big circular wicker mats and everyone gathered 'round the tables with their individual bowls of broth.

Cooling off the soba noodles

I was a little unsure of the 'procedure', but after watching some of the Japanese folks do it, I caught on. I dug my chopsticks into a big pile of soba, grabbed a big chunk, and dipped it in my broth. I enjoyed so much delicious buckwheat pasta that I nearly couldn't play in the afternoon rehearsal!

The whole vibe reminded me a lot of the huge company picnics I attended as a kid when my Dad worked for a Japanese company. There was loud 90's American rock music, swimming pools filled with bottled drinks, and even a shaved ice stand in the corner (I had the blue flavor). All that was missing was a dunking booth in the corner. And besides the soba, there was fried rice, tempura, yakitori bbq skewers, and crepes. Yes, crepes! It was a great time.

The best part of the SKF by far has been the music and the people. More on that in the next post!

Where Exactly Have You Been, Young Man??

2011-08-12T00:55:00.000+02:00

I have officially been chastised by at least 5 Back Row Perspectives readers for not posting in so long.    On the positive side, I guess that means that there are at least 5 people that read this thing!

Well, I have some good reasons, though it's not like nothing has happened since late June. After the wonderful experiences of my solo tour in Texas and Tennessee (more on that later) and some great quality time with my family during the month of July (more on that at The Vienna Wilsons), I dove straight into my fourth Salzburger Festspiel, playing almost every call for two weeks (more on that later, too).

Now I'm here in the middle of the Japanese Alps in a town called Matsumoto. It's south of Nagano (site of the 1998 winter olympics) and is the home of the Saito Kinen Festival, which is the reason I'm here.   I was invited by Seiji Ozawa to perform in both the opera and orchestra portions of this year's festival.   I'll be playing 1st trombone in the opera, where our repertoire will be Bartok's opera Bluebeard's Castle and Miraculous Mandarin ballet.   In the orchestra, I'll be playing 2nd trombone on Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 and Romeo and Juliet Overture.     After about 20 days here in Matsumoto, the festival goes on tour to Beijing and Shanghai.   Definitely looking forward to that.   I have really enjoyed China in my previous trips, but I've never spent as long in China as the 12 days the SKF will be there.   We'll see how that turns out.

It's been a crazy few weeks, going rapidly from one mode to another, and I am ready to be in one place for a little while. The absolute worst part is being away from Kristi and Eli for 4 weeks.   I had originally planned on bringing them along, but Kristi and I decided against it, mostly due to the fact that we've already been on the road so much this Summer. It would've been cruel and unusual punishment to stick Eli in a hotel room in Japan/China for four weeks after all that. In the end, we decided to put Eli's interests above our own (welcome to adulthood, I guess) and have them stay in Austria. On the bright side, my mother-in-law Sherrye is there with Kristi and Eli while I'm gone. Makes me feel better when they're not alone.

Getting here was relatively easy in spite of my two-hour flight delay out of Vienna. Once I landed at Narita airport I was picked up by a SKF van and driven 5 hours to Matsumoto, arriving in the late afternoon.   The area is beautiful, with lush, green mountains surrounding the town and a couple pristine lakes in the area.   I hope to explore Matsumoto while I'm here. There's supposed to be an impressive castle just north of the hotel.

The view of Matsumoto from my hotel window

It's really hot and humid here, though not quite as bad as the stifling Tennessee/Mississippi heat and humidity we experienced a month ago.   My poor body doesn't know what season it is anymore. In three weeks, I've gone from 100 degrees in the US, to 59 degrees and rainy in Salzburg, and back to 90 degrees in Japan.

I'm trying to get out and walk as much as possible, mostly because I need to lose some weight ASAP.   Six weeks in the US was not friendly to my waistline, and not just because of the food.   Actually, I was more disciplined and reserved with my eating than I've been in a long time.   It's mostly due to the fact that I was basically on vacation for 6 WEEKS!   Once my solo tour was finished, I didn't do ANYTHING besides lay around and have quality time with family and friends.   So I'm hoping to maybe get out and get some exercise while I'm here. We'll see.

My first rehearsal was yesterday afternoon... a 7-hour one.   Which was not great for my jet lag, except that it forced me to stay up later than I probably would have.   The orchestra sounds good, and I've already met lots of nice and interesting people. It feels a little weird to perform with a different orchestra, but that was part of my reason for coming.   I am already learning a lot and gaining a better perspective of what the VPO is good at and/or not so good at.   As far as the trombone section goes, we're still getting to know each other and feeling each other out.   But I think it will be a good-sounding group when it's all said and done.

Stay tuned for more updates on various subjects!

Officially On Vacation!!

2011-06-28T07:11:00.000+02:00

And I earned it! WOW! For the first time in several months, I can completely relax.   No more projects, concerts, or lectures for a while.   The VPO and State Opera are closed for three weeks.   All I have to do is enjoy the rest of our time in the USA.

The trip has already been a roller-coaster of emotion and experience. It began early in the month with the sad news of my grandmother's passing, which triggered a very hasty packing job and flight home for the funeral. The silver lining to this tragedy was that because we were already planning on being here for all my trombone-related events, it became simply a matter of moving our flights up three days.   Kristi and Eli were able to come with me so the whole family was together during that difficult time.   At any other time, I most likely would've come alone, and probably for just a day or two.

After saying goodbye to Granny, I found it actually quite therapeutic to dive into my music for all the events leading up to the International Trombone Festival in Nashville.    I traveled to Texas and back again, performing 5 concerts and 4 lectures in a little over a week, and I had the absolute best experience I could've hoped for!     I learned alot, had fun, and got to make music with some friends old and new.    There will be posts on each concert individually once I can collect the pertinent photos and recordings to share with you.

But until that point, I hope it suffices to say that the past two weeks have changed me as a person and as a performer, and definitely for the better. I have met some unbelievable people that I'm sure will prove to be great friends in the future, and I have now discovered a new and interesting (and sometimes frightening) aspect of my career: the solo artist. I have learned lessons and felt emotions recently that I could only experience by 'getting out there and doing it', so I'm really glad I did.

Anyway, here are a couple YouTube videos to whet your appetite. They both come from my recital on June 17th at the University of Texas, Arlington. Enjoy! I know I did!

Joseph Spaniola - Crossroads

Jacques Casterede - Sonatine

A Fat Guy in a Speedo

2011-06-01T16:50:00.002+02:00

This is a phrase I recently learned from a new friend, and it’s also what it feels like to play bass trumpet! It feels very much like I would imagine a fat guy in a Speedo would feel. And by that, I mean that it feels totally out of place & completely uncomfortable. I know, I know. I could’ve used the “duck out of water” analogy, but the Speedo analogy also conveys the feeling of ‘squeezing’ into a smaller and more squirrelly instrument and ‘baring it all’ in front of your co-workers.

I don’t know if I’ve ever written on the blog about this, but in my opera contract it says that I am obligated to play bass trumpet when needed. Of course, the two principal players, Ian Bousfield and Dietmar Küblböck, are usually the ones to take on this task. But every now and then circumstances dictate that I need to pick up this odd little hybrid instrument and earn my keep.

The bass trumpet, for those who haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced, is just what it sounds like… a large trumpet that plays in generally the same range as a trombone and uses a trombone-sized mouthpiece. It is seldom used, but it has a really interesting timbre that fits well with Germanic music especially. You’ll hear it in Richard Strauss’ operas, even in the Rite of Spring, but it’s most famous for its important role in the Ring Cycle. Wagner uses the bass trumpet in all four Ring operas as a very prominent solo voice, often to proclaim one of the many famous leitmotifs for which Wagner is so known. It was in this context that I sat down to perform on the bass trumpet just a few weeks ago.

In my four seasons with the orchestra, I have been called on to play the bass trumpet a handful of times, but never for anything that was really that important. I’ve done Rite of Spring and Elektra lots, as well as one Lorin Maazel’s own compositions, but none of those have been at the Vienna State Opera, and more importantly, I had never done any of the Ring stuff.

Back in March, though, one of the principal players needed to be free during a performance of Siegfried and called me to ask if I would mind playing bass trumpet for it. Sure thing! Why not? There was a rehearsal scheduled for it anyway, so I knew I would get some runs of the tricky spots before the performance came. I took a bass trumpet home (the opera owns a couple of them) and practiced as much as I could stand, and I felt confident and ready for rehearsal.

Then two days before rehearsal, the conductor fell ill and had to be taken to hospital. Horrible, right? I mean, for him of course, but mostly for me! :) The rehearsal for Siegfried was changed to a rehearsal for Das Rheingold, presumably because the replacement conductor didn’t know it as well. Suddenly, I was slated to perform a Ring opera for the first time without any rehearsal.

The night of the performance came, and it felt just like my first night four years ago. Excessive sweating? Check. Shaky hands? Check. Dry mouth? Not yet…wait...the lights are going down… Check! Oh, no! This is not gonna be good.

Well, I might be overstating it a little bit. I was nervous, though. After all this time of learning how to be comfortable in my own skin in an orchestra of this caliber, I felt weirdly out of place and over my head sitting one row closer to the conductor with a foreign piece of tubing in my hand.

It went better than expected. I was surprised to hear myself belting out the various solos with relative confidence, although I struggled a couple of times when coming out of a long rest. My chops kept falling into a classic bass trumpet trap: attempting to play B-flat overtones on an instrument in C. After sitting for 15 minutes without playing a single note, I would try to bust out a sword-motif and undershoot the first note or two. But, all things considered, I was pleased with how it went. The real torture was just feeling so odd and uncomfortable for the whole 5-HOUR Wagner extravaganza.

Like a fat guy in a Speedo…

PS - Thanks to my new friend from the SFS for the new phrase!

Coming to a Town Near You!

2011-05-30T13:19:00.000+02:00

As I posted some time ago, I’ve had the great honor of being invited to be a guest artist at this year’s International Trombone Festival. Yes, such a thing does exist. In fact, they’ve had 39 of ‘em, and for this special 40th anniversary festival, the ITA has decided to return to my quasi-hometown of Nashville, Tennessee! I’m super excited to have this major trombone event in my neck of the woods, and I can’t wait to hear all the great things that have been planned.

All the events will be held on the campus of Vanderbilt University, except for a special concert in which Joseph Alessi will premier a new trombone concerto with the Nashville Symphony in the Schermerhorn Center.

In preparation for my appearance at the ITF, which will include a solo recital and a masterclass, I will be giving four other recitals; two in North Texas and two in Middle Tennessee.

I will be visiting the campus of the University of North Texas from June 15th – 18th. There I will be rehearsing with my accompanist for the ITF, Natasha Sukhina, and we will perform a concert on the evening of the 16th. While I’m there, I’ll also have the chance to sit down with some of my professors to continue working towards my goal of finishing my Masters degree from UNT. On the 17th, I’ve been invited to give another solo concert at the University of Texas, Arlington. Thanks in advance to Vern Kagarice and Dennis Bubert for the chance to play and for organizing everything.

Natasha and I will then fly to Tennessee to perform a concert in my hometown of McMinnville, which is something I’ve wanted to do for years. That will be in the afternoon of June 19th. The next day I have the chance to do one last concert and masterclass at the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. The trombone instructor there, David Loucky, was my instructor when I attended the GSFTA in 1998! David has been kind enough to organize an evening recital for the entire school, which is hundreds of 11th and 12th-graders. I am very excited and honored to be able to share music with the students and hopefully inspire them. After all, I was sitting right where they sit not that long ago (although 13 years sounds long, now that I think about it…).

Anyway, just wanted to post this announcement so folks in my two favorite regions could save the dates and begin to get the word out! All the concerts will be free admission.

Check the “Upcoming Schedule” page for more details, i.e. locations and times.

My Mad Dash to the Opera

2011-05-29T00:09:00.000+02:00

I’ve been in a bit of a storytelling mood lately (as reflected in my last post), so I thought I’d share another crazy happening from last month.

It was a Friday, and I was in the middle of a Philharmonic block under Peter Schneider. I was playing principal on Josef Suk’s symphony Asreal, which is actually an interesting piece. We had an evening concert that was to begin at 7:30, and since we were performing in the historic Theater an der Wien rather than in the Musikverein, Schneider called for a 6:30 acoustic rehearsal. Even though most of us groaned at the announcement, it turned out to be a very good thing.

We sat on stage and ran through some of the tricky spots, and by 6:45 I was sitting on my travel case backstage preparing to go get some food. The first piece on the program was Dvorak’s Biblische Lieder, which has no trombones. Then there would be an intermission, so in all reality I wouldn’t have to be dressed and ready to go onstage until probably 8:15.

As I was packing up my trombone, my phone rang. On the other end was Dietmar, and he sounded panicked. He was at the opera, scheduled to play principal trombone on Tosca, and no 2nd trombonist had shown up yet. Hmmm. OK. Let’s talk about this…

Dietmar asks, “Who was scheduled to play tonight?” I told him who was supposed to play, and he said, “Well, I tried calling him and he won’t pick up.”

“That’s weird. I bet he forgot.”

“Are you in Vienna?”

“Yes, just finished the Philharmonic rehearsal at the Theater an der Wien.”

“Do you play on the first half of the concert?” he asked.

“No.”

“Could you come over and play the first act of Tosca in order to give time for a substitute to show up?”

“Sure, what time does the performance begin?”

“In 7 minutes…”

WHAT!!?? Yes, that’s right. The opera was to begin at 7:00. (I would like to take this chance to say that my colleague who was scheduled to play 2nd trombone had a very good excuse for not showing up. Happens to the best of us…)

I immediately leapt from my seat backstage and began running with my trombone strapped to my back. The Theater an der Wien is not that far from the State Opera House, but when you’ve got only 6 minutes to get there it seems A LOT farther! Also, my less-than-adequate physical stamina did not aid matters.

It must’ve been a funny scene, me sprinting down the sidewalk with a big instrument, whipping in and out of pedestrian traffic and trying my best to avoid knocking over any tourists or old ladies in fur coats (both of which are plentiful on the sidewalks of the old city). I also had my iPhone plastered to my ear, breathlessly giving Dietmar updates on my progress:

"I am… HHH, HHH… about 2…HHH,HHH… minutes away…"

I made it into the backstage door with about 2 minutes to spare. Dietmar had pulled my black suit out of my locker and as I changed into it he put together my trombone. We all rushed upstairs and into the pit just as the concertmaster gave the tuning note. I had done it! In the span of 8 minutes, I went from calmly relaxing backstage at one theater to sitting in the pit performing in another one.

I was completely out of breath and very sweaty, but was nevertheless able to play decently… until… the asthma that has been plaguing me since last September decided to rear its ugly head. Apparently my sprint to the opera had angered my bronchial tubes, and about 10 minutes into Tosca they decided to go ahead and swell up. I started wheezing pretty badly, which developed into a cough just in time for a really quiet section of the music. I had to eventually sneak out of the pit to take a couple puffs on my inhaler so I could make it through the rest of the act.

A substitute showed up in time for Act Two, so I headed back over to the Theater an der Wien to play the Philharmonic concert. I got there just as the first half was finishing, so I had some time to catch my breath and cool off before taking the stage for the Suk symphony. I found myself wondering if other professional musicians deal with things like this…

High Drama (Literally)

2011-05-14T17:17:00.000+02:00

This past Easter weekend I played in a run of Wagner's Parsifal in the State Opera. It's traditionally scheduled around Easter because the storyline of the gargantuan work centers around the quest for Christian relics, plus the final act takes place on Good Friday. Wagner was very interested in these kinds of things... holy grails, spears, templar knights, etc. It was one of several things the Nazis found so admirable in him. And after performing this opera three times in one weekend, I found myself getting quite annoyed at the curious over-the-top blend of German epic poetry and faux religiosity.

Don't get me wrong, the music is beautiful. But absorbing hour after hour of magic evil castles, curses, holy grail ceremonies, and perpetual wounds interspersed with references to the healing power of a spear (rather than the One actually pierced by the spear), it was enough to make me a bit nauseous.

Apparently I wasn't the only one...

The end of the first act of Parsifal is a point of contention for many an opera scholar, but it has nothing to do with the music, the text, or the staging. It has to do with what happens after the music stops. The act ends with Parsifal observing a lengthy grail ceremony. The atmosphere becomes very reserved, pious, and even worshipful. In fact, in our production the knights all take Communion on stage. In order to preserve this "holy" feeling, the tradition that arose at Wagner's own Bayreuth Festspielhaus was for there to be no applause following the first act. The orchestra simply finishes the last note, the lights come up, and the audience heads to the restroom or bar or wherever they go.

I have a couple problems with this.

First, although the folks at Bayreuth would swear on their lederhosen that Wagner wanted it that way, I've always heard that it was a misunderstanding. I always thought that Wagner wanted there to be no curtain calls after the first act, not a complete ban on applause. I've even heard a story that Wagner himself once shouted 'Bravo!' during a Parsifal, only to be shushed and hissed at by the audience.

But even if one assumes Wagner indeed wanted complete silence, the fact that there is some debate on this issue means that at some point someone will applaud after the first act. Some folks aren't aware of the tradition; other folks don't agree with the tradition; some folks just forget. Of the 10 performances of Parsifal I've played, someone has applauded in 8 of them.

So, what happens when someone applauds? The other audience members just sit idly by? To each his own? We're in Vienna, my dear reader. Not a chance.

The usual response to even ONE clap from ONE wayward soul: THREE HUNDRED people very loudly go "SHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Which of course preserves the holiness and reverence of the moment much better than some applause...

My point is that if no one applauds... great. Fine. It's quiet and the Wagner fans feel really awesome. But, if someone does applaud, the shushing and calls of, "Ruhe!" (Quiet!) disturb the mood just as much. If someone claps, the damage is done! You can't un-clap a clap!

So, to the 'high drama' part. The first performance last month went fine. No applause after the first act. But then came the second performance, on Easter Sunday. As the final chord of the first act faded into silence, a gentleman in one of the boxes high up to the left side of the stage began to applaud very loudly. Of course the audience reacted as always and began to shush him. But he just kept going. He kept on clapping with all his might, and so the other people began to escalate their reprimands. Instead of shushing, it became hissing, which turned into booing, which turned into... yes... shouting.

Finally, the conductor, Ingo Metzmacher, looked up towards the source of the applause while gesturing with his arm and shaking his head. The man finally stopped applauding, but then shouted his message to the audience...

"I find this holiness totally misplaced! It's what led to the rise of National Socialism!"

The orchestra all sat there, mouths agape, myself included. I've heard boos, hisses, and insults of all kinds hurtled at the stage. But NEVER have I heard someone yelling at the audience!! It was truly an unbelievable moment. The man (who I like to call Screamy McShouterson) had obviously planned an ambush. He was perfectly positioned to be heard by everyone, and the delivery of his message sounded rehearsed.

As the conductor left the pit, the audience and orchestra were both murmuring in shocked amazement at what had just happened. What did he say, again? Did you hear? Who was that? What's he on?

I would like to say at this point that although I sort of agree with Screamy, I don't think what he did was right. Again, to each his own. If I think the non-clappers should leave him alone, then it's only fair that Mr. McShouterson leave the non-clappers alone.

Screamy then made me think even less of him when he decided to punish the conductor for his rebuke. When Metzmacher came into the pit for the second and third acts, Screamy loudly and passionately booed. And he kept on booing until the rest of the audience drowned him out with supportive applause.

What a crazy night!

The Long and the Short Of It

2011-05-13T23:44:00.000+02:00

I'm quickly closing in on the end of my longest uninterrupted streak of calls ever, and I've gotta say, it feels nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel.   Of course it's my own fault that I've had so much work to do in the last couple months. I'm the one taking off three weeks early in June to prepare for my upcoming performance at the International Trombone Festival (more on that later).   But it's still been a feat of some magnitude to play virtually every concert, opera, and rehearsal since March 16th.   That's 8 weeks!

There's lots of specific operas and concerts to tell you about at some point, but something has really struck me as odd in the 'big picture' of it all.   It seems that in the State Opera (where I've played the vast majority the 8 week streak) a definite pattern has emerged that is somewhat interesting. Not very interesting... just somewhat.   But it gives me an opportunity to talk about an aspect of having an opera job that I often get asked about: the length of the performances.

It seems that in the first half of my streak, the opera house was staging almost exclusively really LONG works.   We're talking about 6 performances of Anna Bolena ( 3 hours, 30 minutes), Wagner's Ring Cycle (around 18 total hours of opera over 4 evenings), and a run of another Wagner staple, Parsifal (clocking in at a little over 5 hours)! The month of April was... long......... very................. long.   Again, I brought this on myself. I'm fully aware. Just sayin', that's all.

But the last couple weeks in the opera have been a stark contrast and welcome relief. First of all, there's a run of Don Giovanni, which is easily one of the most coveted services to play because Mozart doesn't write a single note for the trombones until about 10 minutes from the end of the opera.   If the performance begins at 7PM, I don't actually enter the opera house until about 9:30.   I have a warm-up, change into my black suit, and enter the pit around 10 o'clock just in time to play the final scene.   There's a big soprano aria just before our entrance, so we usually stand just outside the pit entrance until we hear applause from the aria and then enter and take our seats.   We do it that way so as not to visually disturb the performance.    The Vienna State Opera has a completely uncovered orchestra pit, so virtually every audience member can see us when we go in.   But once we've made it in, we get to play some of my favorite Mozart music ever.

Sometimes I get really nervous on Giovanni evenings, because when 8PM rolls around and I'm not even close to leaving the house I start to instinctively get a but twitchy and feel that something's not right.   It's a weird feeling to be at home watching TV with Kristi when the performance downtown has been going on for a couple hours already!

There's also been a ballet running recently called "A Tribute to Jerome Robbins" where the trombones play only the first 30 minutes and the last 30 minutes with an hour break in the middle.   Again, a very pleasant call to play because I usually go over to Starbucks and have a treat and then head down to the trombone room and practice till it's time to re-enter.

Add to that Nabucco and Jenufa, both at 2-and-a-half hours, and it's been a much less stressful and tiring couple of weeks. I'm very thankful for it, but I often wonder why they don't schedule the long and short operas more interspersed instead of in runs or streaks like this.   The current way means that the orchestra is dead tired during the long opera months and could honestly probably work a bit more in the short opera months. Hmmm. Dunno.

Catching Up (Or At Least Attempting To)

2011-04-28T01:07:00.001+02:00

It's been 6 weeks since my last post, and the first finger of my left hand can't believe it just typed that number. But don't let the absence of posts deceive you into thinking there hasn't been much going on... au contraire, BRP readers! Ever since I returned from our wonderful California tour, life has been jam-packed, stuffed to the gills, and spilling over with responsibilities, work, and other generally adult-sounding words. Oh, almost forgot... also add 'relocating'!

Yes, the Wilson family has moved. We no longer live in the middle of nowhere southeast of Vienna; we now live just on the outskirts of the middle of nowhere northeast of Vienna! I kid, I kid. We live just outside the city limits of Vienna in a nice little town that is much more practically located for all our family activities and for my work commute. We made the decision to begin looking in this direction several months ago, and God blessed us with a wonderful house that is not only in a better location but also less expensive.

We moved on April 4th, just about three weeks after I returned from California. Three weeks sounds like a normal amount of time to pack up a house and move, right? Well, it is. But add to that a jazz concert at the Musikverein, playing 1st trombone in Aida, Arabella, and Elektra in the opera, and two Philharmonic blocks, and you begin to get an idea why it took us every second of that 3 weeks to get packed up. During that time I would go to the opera or concert each evening with a car fully loaded with stuff that I would take by the new house and unload late at night once the performances were done.

Nearly three weeks have also passed since moving day, which is again a normal amount of time to unpack and get settled in a new place. But again add to that a Wagner Ring Cycle (including my first time playing bass trumpet in the Staatsoper), a run of Parsifal, and another Philharmonic block, and you understand that basically the new house and the opera house have owned me for 6 weeks.

I do not begrudge it, though I'm glad the stressful and busy time is coming to a close. And it looks like it's just in time for the wonderful Austrian Spring weather! The boxes are all unpacked, the light fixtures and photos hung, and the back yard is even beginning to resemble the nice outdoor space that it will eventually be. And waaaaaaay at the bottom of my 'TO DO' list, right next to "remind friends and family that you still exist and you still love them", is the entry, "catch up on blogs".

So my goal over the next couple of weeks is to do just that. I've got a backlog of topics that I really want to share with everyone, and I'm going to try my best to tell you about everything that's been going on. In the meantime, you can check out The Vienna Wilsons for some photos of the new place.

California Tour Journal: Part 4 (final)

2011-03-12T20:00:00.002+01:00

Day 9: Palm Desert

Today was a fairly uneventful day, especially compared to the previous few days. We had a three-hour bus ride to the next stop on the tour, Palm Desert, and it turned out to be pretty scenic. We started out following the famed Pacific Coast Highway (aka California State Route 1), and I really enjoyed the views it afforded us.

We made our way through the San Fernando Valley, around the north and east sides of Los Angeles, and finally out east of the city into the desert. The mountains are really beautiful out here. I think many colleagues were surprised to see snowcapped peaks in California (Kalifornia). We also passed a giant (really) wind farm that had the cameras on the buses clicking.

We arrived in Palm Desert around 2PM, but were told the hotel rooms weren’t ready. Luckily, since our hotel is also a casino, we were able to take advantage of the traditional casino-style buffet. For $16 we had all we could eat (which turned out to be a lot). I think the guys I ate with were impressed that they could get so stuffed for so cheap. Ahhh, America.

I ended up not getting my room until around 4 o’clock. I had enough time to sleep for an hour or so before hopping on the bus once more to head out to the theater for this evening’s concert.

So, if last night’s hall was bad, tonight’s was really bad. It’s just really not a good thing when an orchestra that is accustomed to a hall with a golden, velvety sound that carries on forever has to perform in a hall with a sound that I would describe as … cardboard-esque. After each wonderful note played by this, one of the world’s great orchestras, was a reverberation that lasted approximately -.2 seconds. That’s right. The sound actually had negative reverberation. Not sure how that even works, but it was true. It sounded like our instruments were pointed into a bucket of stale mop water, really.

By concert’s end, we were ready to get out of there. I hitched a ride back to the hotel/casino/buffet with Hans, ordered some room service, and went night-night. I miss Kristi and Eli.

Day 10: Costa Mesa

The buses weren’t scheduled to head out for Costa Mesa until noon today, but the trombone section decided to get up early and make a little side trip of our own. Hans rented a car when we were in Santa Barbara so that he could go golfing and do a few other things on his own, and he won’t have to return it until Saturday in San Diego. Mark and Hans had heard there was a good music shop in the LA suburbs, and we thought it might be fun to go check it out and maybe try out some instruments.

We had to spend quite a while squeezing 5 trombones into the surprisingly small trunk space of the Nissan Altima hybrid, and then proceeded to squeeze ourselves into the seats. It was all knees and elbows in the back seat, where I was joined by Dietmar and Christian for the two hour drive to ‘The Horn Guys’ shop.

We had fun conversation on the trip, and were treated (once again) to bright sunshine and scenic views as we drove through the mountainous desert towards Los Angeles. Traffic was lighter than expected, and we made good time. We spent a couple hours in the store, trying out lots of different trombones yet knowing we couldn’t purchase any, mostly because we wouldn’t have been able to fit them in the car!

We asked the storeowner for a lunch recommendation, and luckily just next-door was a Thai place that he gave glowing recommendations. I must say, there’s no way I would have ever gone into this place, but it turned to be very good. We stuffed ourselves with delicious and spicy food (for roughly $7 each) and piled back into the car to head towards Costa Mesa.

I had the evening free, so I took a nap shortly after checking into the hotel in Costa Mesa. I spent my evening walking around, but there wasn’t much to see in what seemed to be a mostly financial district.

Day 11: San Diego

Another day, another bus ride. This one was not bad, only two hours long and in scenic country. Our destination was San Diego, the final stop in California. After arriving at our downtown hotel, I got together with Kyle Covington, principal trombonist of the San Diego Symphony. He took me down to the beach at Coronado, where we took a quick stroll, chatted, and had some coffee at a local café. I found myself constantly using quotes from my favorite San Diego movie, Anchorman.

But seriously, folks, the city is beautiful. As in San Francisco and Santa Barbara, the surrounding countryside, marvelous architecture, and sunny weather combine to create what must be a fantastic place to live. I also echo what I’ve heard my whole life about California… it is very, very relaxed and laid back. Even in these large cities, one gets the impression that everything moves at a much slower pace and that nothing stressful ever happens here.

Kyle came with me to the orchestra’s rehearsal and was eventually able to secure a ticket to the concert itself. The concert went well, although we were yet again battling a sub-par performance space. The acoustics on stage were atrocious, and some colleagues told me that it wasn’t much better in the audience. The audience seemed to disagree, with huge ovations and applause after almost every movement. The trombones also had a good run of Brahms’ 2nd symphony; the final D-major chord was in tune and loud (yet not obnoxious). Hans and Mark were listening off-stage and both said it was very good.

Tomorrow we leave the state of California. I will definitely miss it. The whole visit to the Golden State has been wonderful - even greater that I thought it would be. It leaves me wanting to come back again with Kristi and Eli in tow. In fact, my enjoyment of the trip has been made somewhat bittersweet because I haven’t been able to share it with my family. Well, at least now I have some idea of where we should go and what we should visit.

Days 11 & 12: Toronto

Yesterday was the type of tour day that makes you not want to go on tours. Blechhh… Get up. Check out of hotel. Get on bus. Go through airport. Get on plane. Fly 4 hours. Get off plane. Go through airport. Get on bus. Check in to hotel.

The one silver lining was that Maestro Bychkov invited the whole orchestra to dinner in one of the grand ballrooms of the hotel in Toronto. We had about half an hour after arrival to scrape off and put on our jackets and ties. But the food was totally worth it. The Austrians tend to eat quite sensibly… unless it’s free. Then they become suspiciously American-esque! We all had several plates of wonderful breads, meats, pasta, salads, and of course chocolate desserts. I thought I would burst, as did everyone at my table (mostly low brass players).

I had a restful night’s sleep - or more accurately, a buffet coma – before I rose this morning just in time to shoot an email to Kristi and get downstairs to check out. We had a quick rehearsal before our 2PM concert. I always enjoy the final rehearsal of the tour because everyone is in a great mood (we’re going home soon!) and there are lots of heartfelt thanks to hand out. It’s the time when the orchestra gets to show our appreciation to the stage managers, tour organizers, travel agents, and orchestra leaders that have (usually) made the tour a success.

Bychkov also gave a warm and heartfelt address, where he talked a lot about what a major musical and personal milestone it is in his life to have spent 3 weeks living with our orchestra. It was very moving to hear him talk about how much he has enjoyed conducting us, and how much he will miss us now that the tour is finished.

The concert went well, and it was nice to be in a real symphony hall again… one that was built for the expressed purpose of hearing orchestral music. We were sitting directly behind the horns for some reason (always a mystery to me), so I couldn’t really hear myself think during the climaxes of the Wagner. But the Bartók doesn’t have that much horn stuff in it, or at least not at the times we’re supposed to play. I thought it went well… probably the best we’ve ever played it. It was a good way to end the tour.

We’re now on the bus, headed to the airport. I’m excited because I get a business class seat for the first time in a long time. But I’m even more excited because I’ll see my sugar booger and lil’ buddy soon!

I guess this has probably been my favorite VPO tour overall. Great cities, great concerts, and nice weather… not bad! I had some free time to sightsee and shop and eat good food. And I got to spend time with some friends along the way, both from the orchestra and from the cities we visited. My next major tour will be a full year from now, which is weird to think about. Eli will be 3! We’ll be traveling to various places in Scandinavia, then on to Chicago and finally New York.

Hope you’ve enjoyed my first attempt at a tour journal. I know it was long, but a lot of stuff happened on the tour! Give me feedback, and let me know what changes you’d like to see in the next tour journal. Bis dann!

California Tour Journal: Part 3

2011-03-11T20:00:00.012+01:00

Day 6: Berkeley

Today was my rest and relaxation day after the past two days of heavy sightseeing and concerts. I had no responsibilities because the concert this afternoon was Mahler 6 again.

I slept in, took a long shower, and then leisurely packed my bag while my room was again filled with beautiful California sunshine. I talked to Kristi for a while, and even got a few words out of Eli before he ran away from the phone. It’s nice the way the time difference works out, because I get to talk to Kristi and Eli first thing in the morning, which somehow just puts me in a great mood the whole day.

I took my bag downstairs just in time for lunch, and spent about half an hour walking around the Berkeley campus. Being that it was in the middle of a Sunday, there wasn’t much going on.

I happened upon a large grove of eucalyptus trees, all of which were ginormous and smelled incredibly fragrant. In fact, it was the smell that drew me to them in the first place.

After hanging around campus for a while, reading my Kindle and writing emails, I went to Zellerbach Hall and listened to most of Mahler 6 from backstage. What wonderful music! It’s one of the Mahler symphonies I don’t know so well, but after hearing the orchestra’s soulful and skillful rendition, I think I have to get better acquainted with it.

After the concert, we loaded up the buses and set out towards Santa Barbara. I was very sleepy as night fell, and ended up sleeping for the first couple hours of the journey. We had been told that we would stop for food about halfway to Santa Barbara, and sure enough, we pulled off the highway after about three-and-a-half hours. I assumed the driver would drop us off at a shopping center or something with several different fast food restaurants. Nope. We pulled into a parking lot and I was STUNNED to look over and see … a Valero gas station and a Jack in the Box.

So here you have 30 hungry orchestra members all heading towards a very small Jack in the Box at about 9PM on a Sunday. Not ideal. The poor workers had a look of panic as we all crammed in front of the counter and ordered our ‘food’. It was very slow going, especially with the European members having to really think about which of the undesirable and greasy choices they would select. And for some reason the entire restaurant was freezing cold. We nevertheless sat there in the middle of nowhere California in our full winter gear, shivering and silently wolfing down our hastily prepared Jack in the Box meals. We loaded back onto the bus and finally made our way to Santa Barbara around midnight.

Days 7 & 8: Santa Barbara

I got an email today from a friend of mine that said, “The Wiener Philharmoniker in Santa Barbara… someone was smart with their planning!” Boy was he right!! We had the most incredible couple of days here in Santa Barbara, rightfully nicknamed the ‘American Riviera’.

We awoke yesterday morning to temperatures of about 60 degrees and bright sunshine. I met several of the guys in the lobby, and we had no plans whatsoever other than to go find some food. We exited the hotel grounds and immediately gasped at the beautiful view.

We crossed the highway to the beach and spent the next half hour just meandering our way towards the pier we saw in the distance, pausing for a couple impromptu and not at all staged photographs.

The pier we had seen in the distance turned out to be Stearns Wharf. We walked down it in search of breakfast, but it became quickly apparent that breakfast food wasn’t really available. So we all had fish and chips! We found some seats in the sun outside the fish & chips stand and even had some entertainment. A pelican was flying around very close to the pier, and we really enjoyed watching him swoop and suddenly dive at full speed into the ocean after his prey.

Walking onto the wharf, we had seen an advertisement for a ‘land & sea’ tour and decided to check it out. We found out it was an amphibious vehicle tour and all hopped aboard for a 90 minute tour.

We had a fantastic tour guide named Milo, and despite being a bit chilly from driving/boating around in an open vehicle, everyone enjoyed it immensely.

The historic Santa Barbara Courthouse

The view from the tour boat

We spent the afternoon walking around downtown, stopping occasionally for a coffee or to take in the many magnificent Spanish mission-style buildings. I really enjoyed the architecture, and especially the courthouse. It was built in the 1920s and it is truly spectacular. We went to the top of the building’s 7-story tower to revel in a breathtaking 360-degree view of Santa Barbara. We didn’t want to leave. We just stayed up there, chatting and taking photos and soaking up the sun.

Today I slept in and then spent the morning and afternoon just walking around town and taking in more of this amazing city. I walked the beach for an hour at least, then circled back into downtown Santa Barbara, where I did a little bit of shopping and had lunch at Chipotle, my favorite burrito place.

Tonight was our one and only concert in Santa Barbara. I showed up at the appointed hour at the gorgeous Grenada Theater and giggled when I saw all the colleagues. The whole orchestra was pink! Everyone, myself included, had spent so much time outdoors in the past two days (in 60-degree breezy weather) without so much as a drop of sunscreen, and every single colleague I saw was sunburned!

As we rehearsed, we quickly found out that although the Grenada is really pretty and interestingly decorated, it doesn’t so much sound really pretty. It was very dry, and it was often hard for those of us in the back to hear the strings. It was nonetheless an enjoyable and well-received concert.

California Tour Journal: Part 2

2011-03-10T20:00:00.011+01:00

Day 4: Berkeley

Today was the first real working day in California. We had a rehearsal this morning at Zellerbach Hall, the site of our three-concert residency here at UC Berkeley. The rehearsal went fine, though I think everyone was very tired. Everyone has been commenting how much more difficult it is compared to flying to New York. Those extra three hours from east coast to west coast make a real impact on the severity of the jet lag. In the rehearsal break we were treated to homemade cookies, brownies, and cakes from Cal students and faculty. So. Good. There were these chocolate heart shaped cookies that were sandwiched together with peanut butter in the middle. Wow.

During our first rehearsal

The weather forecast didn’t fit with everyone’s vision of California, and we entered the building under cloudy skies and cold drizzle. When rehearsal was finished three hours later, we opened the backstage door and were delighted and surprised to find beautiful sunny skies! More than once I heard a colleague say, “Ahhhh, California!” Between the sunshine and the ever-prevalent scent of eucalyptus on the Berkeley campus, it was enough to re-energize everyone and put us in high spirits.

Christoph, Mark, Hans, me, and Christian

Several of us went walking around looking for some lunch, and the colleagues fell in love with the campus. The idea of an expansive dedicated university campus is almost non-existent in Vienna, and many of the guys said they feel they missed out on what they consider a huge part of the quintessential college experience. It struck me as we wandered through the many academic buildings, athletic facilities, and various blue & yellow bookstores that American students are very lucky in that regard.

We eventually found a nice restaurant, which was actually the former Presbyterian student center on campus, and then I headed back to the hotel to take a nap as the beautiful sunshine streamed through the hotel curtains. I slept for a couple hours, only because I didn’t want sleepiness to be a factor during the evening’s concert.

The concert was a great one. The Zellerbach sounds much better when full of people, and even though I know everyone was exhausted, they didn’t seem to let it affect the music. The Wagner Prelude to Tristan & Isolde was a thing of profound beauty. The string section had the audience eating out of their hands, pouring everything they had into those wonderful melodies. Lars Stransky played the lead horn part beautifully as well, and by the end, when Bychkov wanted to let the final chord fade VERY slowly into silence, the audience just couldn’t wait to interrupt the silence with applause and shouts of “Bravo”.

The Bartók went well, too. I felt there was a curiously aggressive energy throughout the whole suite. Everyone seemed to be attacking the piece just like in the piece’s back-story when the tramps attack the Mandarin. Matthias Schorn played the many extended clarinet features with excitement and dazzling proficiency. I felt we as a trombone group played well. There are several tricky parts that are quite exposed, and they all went well. I was really feeding off the energy from conductor and colleague alike, and got lucky with the many awkward glissandi in the piece. Afterwards, the trombone group got a great ovation from the audience, which always feels nice. I then really enjoyed being able to just sit and bask in the pair of dances the orchestra performed as encores, neither of which had trombone parts.

Mark, Christoph, and I went out in search of some Mexican food to close out the evening, but everything was closed. We finally found a pizzeria close to the hotel that was still open, and I had a wonderful Sicilian sausage calzone.

Day 5: San Francisco/Berkeley

What an awesome day! We had plans today to take a tour of Alcatraz Island, and it did not disappoint. We left quite early, allowing 90 minutes for a trip to San Francisco Pier 33, a trip that was supposed to take only 35 minutes. The BART system had other plans; there was a track out of service in the tunnel that goes under the bay between Oakland and San Francisco. We ended up sitting at one stop for nearly 25 minutes and eventually arrived at our end station only 12 minutes before the ferry was to leave for Alcatraz.

We all hopped in taxis (there were 8 of us) and sped over to Pier 33 just in time to run straight onto the ferry. As I looked around, I realized not everyone had made it. As it turned out, Christian Poitinger had gotten caught in a throng of people at the BART station and had taken a third taxi. He got to the pier just as the boat was pulling out, but was able to grab his ticket from will call and take the next ferry 30 minutes later.

The weather was absolutely perfect for our journey across the bay. We were treated to breathtaking views in bright sunshine all around the bay.

As we sailed closer to the infamous Alcatraz, I couldn’t help but think how oddly beautiful it was. It was a place of horror, sorrow, and darkness for so long, and yet today the island is somehow picturesque. It sits out in the middle of the bay with surprisingly extensive and diverse gardens all around the perimeter of the island. There are also hundreds of species of waterfowl that roost there.

The self-guided audio tour was amazing. It’s endlessly interesting and well produced, and all the colleagues said afterwards the German version was wonderful as well. I almost can’t describe the feelings I had when I entered the cell house. I have seen television programs about the penitentiary, but none of them can do it justice. I felt at once creeped out and fascinated. The history of the place, now almost legendary, seemed to surround me as I took my first leisurely stroll down “Broadway”, the aisle between B-block and C-block.

This place, which held captive such names as Al Capone and Robert “Birdman” Stroud, gives off an eerie vibe to say the least. It was my first time in a prison of any kind.

One of the cruelest parts of being an inmate at Alcatraz had to have been this view:

To be able to see civilization in plain view, just a mile away, had to have been mental torture for many a convicted criminal. We, however, loved the view!

We still had plenty of time to spare before the evening’s concert, so we went over to Pier 39 for a leisurely lunch. After a long BART ride back to Berkeley, we were all pooped. I think most of the guys took naps before heading to the UC campus for the concert.

The concert was again very successful. I played the first half, Schumann’s Symphony No. 2, on first trombone. The trombones only play the first and last movements, but there are nevertheless some tricky spots. The first movement begins cruelly, with pianissimo dotted-rhythm intervals that jump up to a ‘G’… in other words, a cracked note waiting to happen. But it all went fine for me last night, and after the first 20 measures I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Once I cleared that first hurdle, I had the pleasure of just sitting and listening to the rest of the orchestra perform beautifully. The 2nd and 3rd movements are among my favorite in the literature, and I am so glad the trombones have only ‘tacet’ so we can just soak it up. The flashy 4th movement has one last hurdle for the first trombonist. After not playing a single note for about 15 minutes, I had to come in on a high B-flat, also another cracked note waiting to happen. I clipped it in the Vienna performance last week, but it went fine tonight. It’s interesting how things like that can worm their way into your head after you miss it once, and let’s say I was very happy when it worked this time.

The second half of the concert was Brahms’ second symphony, a staple of the orchestral repertoire. I played second trombone with Dietmar on 1st and Christian Poitinger on bass. Again, the trombones play mostly at the beginning and the end of the symphony, and in between get to just enjoy great music. It was a great performance all around, and the trombone section did well on the famous scales and chord in the final minute of the finale. We received an immediate and rousing ovation from the audience, and once again I felt very fulfilled and satisfied with a great concert in the books.

California Tour Journal: Part 1

2011-03-09T20:00:00.008+01:00

I just arrived home from a 12-day Philharmonic tour that took us to Germany, California, and Canada. Though it was probably the best overall tour I've been on, I am very glad to be back and not traveling abroad for at least a couple months.

I thought I would share the tour with you in a different way this time. Each night of the tour, I sat down and wrote a 'journal entry' for the day, and now I will post my tour journal over several posts. I tried to write it as if I were my own personal journal, recording my feelings at the time along with descriptions of concerts and other activities.

I will refer often to a few things:

Bychkov= Semyon Bychkov, the conductor for the tour

Wagner= Richard Wagner's Prelude to Tristan and Isolde

Schumann= Robert Schumann's Symphony No. 2

Brahms = Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 2

Bartók= Bela Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin Suite

If any other references are unclear, please comment or message me and let me know. Hope you enjoy this glimpse into my touring life.

Day 1: Köln

The tour got underway this morning with a pleasant and short flight to Cologne. I hated to say goodbye to Eli and Kristi, but I’m looking forward to the tour nonetheless. I am really enjoying the music we’re doing, and especially enjoying playing principal on the Schumann and Bartók. I’m also really looking forward to seeing California, and I feel like I’ll really be able to say that I’ve seen it because once we fly to Oakland tomorrow, we’ll only be using buses to get from city to city. I’m hoping we go down the coast as often as possible.

I’m free today, because the program for this evening’s concert is the Mahler. I hope I get to hear it at some point… probably in California somewhere. We arrived at the hotel around 2 in the afternoon, and I spent some time practicing. Our hotel is much more centrally located this time, so I thought I’d take a bit of a walk around the city. Wow, it’s cold! I made it over to the famous Kölner Dom, which has an amazing, if somewhat intimidating, front façade. The spires seem to go on forever. I read somewhere that it was the tallest building in the world before the completion of the Washington Monument. I walked around inside for a while, but in the fading daylight wasn’t able to see much.

The view from my hotel window

I also made it down to the banks of the Rhine.

We fly out pretty early in the morning, and I’m hoping I can get some sleep on the way to the Pacific coast of the US. California, here I come!

Day 2: Flight to Bay Area

We loaded up the buses early this morning and took an hour drive to Dusseldorf, where we caught our charter flight to the Oakland, CA airport. The flight was pleasant and non-eventful. Every member of the orchestra had either 2 or 4 seats to themselves, and most everyone slept a lot. Since it was a charter, the whole plane got business class service. They kept feeding us and feeding us! I don’t think I’ve ever had so much to eat on a flight before.

We had some amazing views on the way. First was the always beautiful view over Greenland, where the snow appears to be a mile deep and the mountaintops just poking out of it.

We made our way over Canada’s Northwest Territories before turning south to fly near Calgary and then Seattle before heading into the Bay Area. As we made our way over Alberta and into northern Washington, we had a spectacular vista over the mountains. The air was crystal clear and the sharp peaks were a sight to behold.

Things got progressively less snowy as we approached northern California, and we looked out over lush, green rolling hills. Faintly in the distance I saw the Pacific Ocean, and before long we were making final approach. Someone yelled, “There it is!” I looked out to see the San Francisco Bay under bright sunlight approaching off our right wing. It was a breathtaking sight, with the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and downtown San Francisco clearly visible. I spent the entire last 20 minutes of the flight with my forehead stuck to the window, as did many other colleagues.

San Francisco Bay

It took me FOR-E-VER to get through the passport check, mostly because there was no separate line for US Citizens. The entire orchestra (except for me) had to submit their customs declaration, visa forms, and all 10 fingers to be scanned. The poor border agent sighed in relief as I walked up, “Oh, good, you’re American. This’ll be quick.”

The bus ride to Berkeley was nice. It was a very sunny afternoon, and the orchestra members seemed to really appreciate the natural beauty of the area. Our hotel in Berkeley is super nice. It’s an old-style hotel, but it’s been recently renovated, and for some reason I was given a suite. I’m not complaining.

We're in California!

We piled all our junk on Christoph. He likes it!

One half of my hotel suite in Berkeley. Nice!

I checked my emails and unpacked a bit, and then met the guys downstairs to go into San Francisco. There is a ‘BART’ station just outside out hotel, so it’s über-convenient. We rode the train for about 20 minutes and then found ourselves in downtown SanFran, complete with cable cars, steep streets, and cold wind!

We decided to stick close to the water in the hopes of finding something to eat. It’s funny, because even though we had been perpetually stuffed with food our entire flight and it was the middle of the night to our stomachs, everyone was STILL hungry.

We walked, walked, and walked some more. Our supposed goal was Pier 39, apparently a big tourist site, and we began with Pier 1. When we finally arrived at Pier 39, I realized it was indeed a very touristy place, complete with a billion restaurants, souvenir shops, and photo ops. Another famous trait of Pier 39 is the sea lions that apparently have simply been showing up there since 1989 to hang out on the docks. We didn’t see the see lions when we arrived, but instead picked a wonderful seafood restaurant at which to eat called Neptune’s House. We had a giant platter of seafood as an appetizer, including shrimp, oysters, calamari, crab legs, and crab cakes, and then I had delicious Cajun pasta.

With Dietmar and Mark after our great meal

We were stumbling our way out of the Pier 39 area (stumbling due to full bellies mixed with jetlag) when we heard a mysterious barking sound. We rushed over behind the buildings to see the famed sea lions! We had apparently looked in the wrong place before. We spent a few minutes staring in awe at the hundred or so animals just hanging out on the dock. From the pier we had great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, and it was the perfect ending to a fun evening out.

At Pier 39 - Alcatraz island over my left shoulder

Day 3: Berkeley/San Francisco

I managed to sleep until 7:00 this morning, which is not bad for the first day of western-bound jetlag. I had a nice Skype session with Kristi and Eli for about 30 minutes before I took a long, hot shower and scraped off a bit from the long journey yesterday. After breakfast I returned to the room to relax and do a bit of work. I warmed up in my practice mute, wrote some emails, and finally transcribed the electric guitar solo from the Chick Corea jazz-fusion tune “Hymn of the 7th Galaxy” for our jazz concert in March.

A graduate student from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music named Brandon picked me up from the hotel after lunch and took me across the Bay Bridge to do a masterclass. I was invited by trombone teacher and long-time SFSO principal trombonist Mark Lawrence. I had the privilege of meeting Mark 2 years ago in Los Angeles when we were on tour with Zubin Mehta. He thought it would be beneficial for the students to hear my story and play a bit for me as well.

I thought the class itself went really well. I did a little “blah,blah” and took questions for the first part and then heard several of the students play. Boy, was it fun to work with them! The students were of the high caliber one would expect from the SF Conservatory, but most importantly they were willing to play musically, they were open to new ideas, and they were able to make the changes I wanted. It was just a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me. Hopefully it was the same for them.

As I talked through my audition story, I realized as never before how many San Francisco connections there were during that time. First, it was Mark’s recording of the Malcom Arnold Fantasy that I used as my reference when I recorded it for the ITA audition CD that sparked the whole thing. Then about 2 months before the audition I played in a masterclass at the Eastern Trombone Workshop for Paul Welcomer, 2nd trombonist in… you guessed it… the San Francisco Symphony. And finally, at the audition itself, the other candidate who made it through to the finals with me was Kyle Covington, who had studied at the San Francisco Conservatory. Kyle is now principal trombonist in the San Diego Symphony, and I hope to get together with him when we are there next week.

Brandon offered me a ride back to Berkeley, but after we hit a major traffic jam that would’ve forced him to miss a rehearsal, I convinced him to let me use the BART subway system to get back. It took just a little while, but by the time I got back to the hotel the dreaded jetlag was setting in big time. I decided all I wanted to do was adhere to all the American stereotypes. I grabbed a Papa John’s pizza (hadn’t had one in a long time) and took it back to the room, where I ate half of it while watching TV. And now I will crash.

UT Trombone Symposium: Part 4 (final)

2011-03-08T20:00:00.009+01:00

The final day of the symposium got underway with another lecture and masterclass on the subject of “The Jeremy Wilson Story”. My parents were especially anxious to hear this one! “It all began in 1982…”

I agreed to that title for lack of a better one, but I wanted to emphasize not so much my biography, but rather what auditioning for the Vienna Philharmonic had taught me, and what I thought other students could glean from my experiences. I spoke for over an hour, and tried to include every relevant detail I could remember. I started from the day I received the fateful email from Vern Kagarice and went all the way to the day of the audition. It was easily the most complete telling of the story I’ve ever done. I then had the chance to work with several talented high school students in a masterclass format.

After a wonderful and relaxing afternoon with several friends and family members, it was time for the final event of the week: my concerto with the UT Symphony Orchestra.

After a week of non-stop rehearsals, events, meals, and catching up with friends, I was exhausted. I think there was also a huge sense of relief and accomplishment that I had successfully pulled off my first major event as a professional solo artist. It had been more than a year in the planning, and after all my preparation I was ready to go out with a bang.

The orchestra began its Vienna-themed concert with Mozart’s Overture to the Magic Flute, a piece I’ve performed many times in the Staatsoper. I was warming up backstage when I got a text message from Joe Christian in the audience which read, “Your warm-up sounds great!” Even though I was playing in a closed green room that is sealed off from the auditorium, I was being heard in the main hall during the overture! I was mortified and also confused, but I guess the sound was traveling through ductwork or something. I immediately put in my practice mute and continued warming up.

The time for my concerto came up, and I once again got a tingly sensation as I walked out on stage. The nerves were gone, though, and I only had a sense of excitement and anticipation in their place. I think doing the previous nights’ performances really helped boost my confidence and calm my fears, if for no other reason than I knew what was coming.

I did a short on-stage interview with Jim Fellenbaum, the man who started this whole thing. We talked about what I had been doing during the week, a little bit about what it’s like to play and live in Vienna, and about the importance of certain composers (like Mozart and Brahms) in the legacy of the orchestra.

Then it was time to play. I was very eager to finally perform Grøndahl’s trombone concerto, a grand and wonderfully melodic piece that I fell in love with many years ago. It’s perhaps overplayed, but it’s beautiful and not so difficult to work up in a short time. I felt that if I were going to start a career as a soloist, this should be my starting point.

Again, the piece was not perfect, but the most difficult sections, the ones I was most worried about, came off really well. And I once again felt I stayed true to my musical self, unapologetically taking risks, singing tunes, and most importantly, having fun. When the last note had been played, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy. The entire week had been nothing but a positive experience, and I had done what I came there to do.

The evening and the symposium concluded in bombastic fashion when Don, Dan, and I took the stage one last time with the UT Symphony Orchestra to perform Berlioz’s Hungarian March. Yes, that’s correct. SIX trombones and tuba played the piece. It was loud, it was exciting, and it was, dare I say, a TROMBONE-FEST!

Here’s a video of highlights from the Grøndahl:

I want to publicly send a huge thanks to Jim Fellenbaum and the UT Symphony Orchestra for the opportunity to perform and make music together.

I want to again thank my new friend Dan Cloutier, who was an enormous help throughout the whole week and did a great job organizing everything.

To Don Hough, the man to whom I in large part owe my career, thanks for performing with us and for being there at nearly every minute of the whole symposium.   It was a delight to spend so much time with you.

To my accompanist Judith Bible, another new friend, I owe another gigantic thank you. I know it was not easy preparing for a massive recital in the midst of your already busy schedule, and you played beautifully.

To Dr. Sousa, it was a pleasure and honor to come back and perform with someone who taught me so much and whom I so admired as a student. A huge thanks for everything… maybe someday I’ll have the nerve to call you Gary.

To the TTP guys – Jon, Joe, Jeff, and Brian - playing with you guys was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Thanks for all the time and effort you put in, and for allowing me to be part of your group for a week.

To all the students (UT and high school alike), you’re the reason all this happened in the first place.   Thanks for your attentiveness, your support, and your open minds. It was a pleasure getting to know you, and thanks for letting me dig my hands into your playing in the masterclasses.

To the UT School of Music – my heart goes out to you and to the Stephens family. For those who don’t know, the director of the School of Music, Roger Stephens, passed away on February 20th after a long battle with cancer. He was a wonderful man.

To all the friends who came to the UTTS events, many from far away, it was truly amazing to see you all. The circumstances of our lives have dictated in many cases that we don’t stay in touch like we should. Seeing everyone makes me want to work harder at remedying that. Joe & Megan, you’re the greatest… thanks for a place to stay, for your wonderful friendship, and most importantly, for Oreo kugeln!

To my dear family members who came up to Knoxville, thanks for always supporting me and loving me. I love you right back.

It was an unforgettable week on Rocky Top. Can’t wait to do it again!

The end of a LONG week!

UT Trombone Symposium: Part 3

2011-03-07T20:00:00.010+01:00

On Friday night of UTTS was my solo recital. As I’ve stated in previous posts, one of my main personal goals for the week was to see how much stuff I could cram into a week and still perform to a high standard. Well, on Friday evening I got a taste of just where my limits were.

In my practice regime during the weeks prior to the symposium, I could easily play through my recital program twice and still be OK. But… that was without a whole week of rehearsals and masterclasses. It was also not in between two major concerti, and I was also not staying out late every night catching up with old friends.

I knew it was an ambitious program, but I wanted to push myself. Wish granted.

The concert started off fine, with probably my best overall run of the Bozza Ballade. I felt energized and optimistic. Then came the Ropartz Piéce in E-flat minor, which I had avoided my entire career because it’s so strenuous and concludes with a high E-flat. I was very happy with my performance overall (I managed all the high and technical stuff, including the high E-flat) but about halfway through I felt my chops tiring faster than I had expected. Next up was the killer, the Schumann Romances for Oboe. I’ve always loved these little romances, but never had a chance to perform them. The only problem is they stay in the middle and high register, and you never stop playing. In other words, a death sentence for even slightly tired chops. Even though I only performed the first two movements, these little romances caused trouble for me the rest of the evening. About halfway through the 2^nd romance, I started having random high notes stop working. Everything would feel fine, and suddenly I would go for something and it just wouldn’t happen. In all reality, the few chipped notes were not enough to ruin the performance, and most were probably promptly ignored by most of the audience, but it was hugely frustrating for me.

In the intermission, I considered dropping a piece or two from the program because I knew at the end were the quintet jazz pieces that had lots of high lead playing. The quartet guys talked me out of it, and I was glad they did. I had a good performance of the Crespo Improvisation No. 1, followed by three opera arias. I was very tired during the arias, but was committed to still taking risks and pouring my heart into the performances. It turned out to be the highlight of the program for me, a sentiment that was echoed by many people afterward.

This video contains my favorite moments from the solo portion of the recital:

I took a couple minutes after the arias to try to regain some strength in my chops, and then returned to the stage along with the quartet guys: Jon Walton, Joe Christian, Brian Jennings, and Jeff Mize. I was really looking forward to this part of the program, and it didn’t disappoint. Though I was tired and fighting my chops the whole time, I thought we put together some good performances of the Thom Ritter George Aria & Dance, Jim Kazik’s Ballade & Fantasia, and an arrangement of the jazz standard Fly Me to the Moon. We followed up with 2 Johann Strauss polkas as encores, Leichtes Blut and Pizzicato Polka. These were my Nanny’s favorite. For the Pizzicato Polka, we had a very special role for Jeff Mize. As we began to play, he slowly put on some black gloves and then pulled out of his pocket a single bell from a glockenspiel: an A-flat. He then used his mouthpiece as a beater and played along with us on the bridge of the tune. Everyone played really well, and I had so much fun I simply forgot about any tired chops.

Here’s a video of the quintet portion of the recital, including the encores:

In the end, I felt like I put together an enjoyable program of music, and the reactions I got were very positive. It was exactly what I had hoped it would be… a fun night of music-making and a learning experience. I got to share the evening with many friends and family that came in for the concert, and having the chance to finish out the evening with 4 great friends was the perfect icing on the cake.

UT Trombone Symposium: Part 2

2011-03-06T17:08:00.003+01:00

The first official day of the University of Tennessee Trombone Symposium got of to a great start with another Wind Ensemble rehearsal that included the Ewazen and the Daugherty. I was much more relaxed than the day before, and I felt I was able to play more naturally and more like a soloist.

Just after lunchtime I gave my first lecture of the week, which centered on the differences in American and European orchestral styles. All the UT brass students were in attendance, along with several other non-brass faculty and students. I spoke for well over an hour about the many important stylistic differences in American and European brass playing, including discussions on clarity of articulation, note shape, phrasing, vibrato, and sound concept. I did just a little bit of playing, attempting to demonstrate some of the differences I was discussing. I opened up the class for questions at the end, and ended up getting a pretty good discussion going, especially regarding the culture of music and the orchestra’s role in it.

That evening I gave another lecture followed by a master class. The subject of this one was ‘What it’s like to be a Philharmoniker’. I talked about the huge significance of the Vienna Philharmonic in the world of classical music, which lies in three traits of the orchestra: its history, its uniqueness, and its sound. I also covered the most basic items, such as the fact that the ‘Wiener Philharmoniker’ and the ‘Vienna Philharmonic’ are the same thing! I was able to hook up my laptop to the projection system to show maps of Europe both past and present. I felt a bit like I was in a war movie, talking and gesturing in front of a giant map of the continent! I discussed the workings of the orchestra, its traditions, and its unique attributes, and I talked at length about the orchestra’s dual role as the Philharmonic and State Opera orchestra.

After a short break, I worked with several students on solo trombone literature. It was great to finally be ‘getting my hands dirty’ after all those weeks of planning and preparation. The students played well, and I felt that I was able to give them some good comments and suggestions.

Before the evening’s lecture, Dan thought it would be good to have some music (imagine that) to open the week’s festivities. Our solution was to do an informal quartet concert. Here’s a video of some of the highlights of that performance:

The first major performance of the week was with the University of Tennessee Wind Ensemble. Even though I had had good rehearsals in the preceding days, I found myself becoming more and more nervous as Thursday wore on. My chops were in good shape; I had a good warmup that morning and had played little since then. As I warmed up backstage I kept reassuring myself with the thought that I was in good shape, well prepared, and playing for a friendly audience that wanted to hear me play well. But there were always those nagging voices in the back of my mind, reminding me of disappointing performances in the past and of the weaknesses in my playing. I suppose it’s something any professional musician deals with, and in a way it’s exactly the reason I wanted to do the symposium. I wanted to see if I could face those demons and still perform well. Could I rely on my preparation and experiences to produce an entertaining, skillful, and musically fulfilling performance?

My friend and colleague Ian Bousfield has done hundreds of solo performances, and he advised me as I prepared for UTTS that there would be a moment when I would profoundly question my ability to successfully carry through with the concerto. I experienced that moment as I walked out on stage to perform the Ewazen. It was an eerie sensation taking a bow in the middle of the Cox Auditorium stage where I had performed so many times just a few years earlier. I guess it was because there was one huge difference: there was a major university ensemble behind me. At that moment I became keenly aware of two things: 1) a sudden lack of moisture in my mouth, and 2) the pressure of performing as an ‘esteemed’ member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

I took a deep breath, said a little prayer, nodded to Dr. Sousa, and we were off!

The first page of the Ewazen is the perfect thing to shake off nerves and get the air moving naturally again. Yet somehow after I turned the first page I still felt pretty jittery, and I felt it was making the music come off as stilted. About 2 minutes into the piece there is a big moment; a loud cadence that has the solo part going up to a high C and resolving on a sustained high A. As we approached that measure, I was determined to nail it and hopefully in doing so finally shake off the nerves and cobwebs. I probably overdid it, but it was loud and it felt great. And afterwards I felt much less nervous… until…

(time for a backstory: you may remember from an earlier blog that I was toying with the idea of doing the concerti from memory. Well, I decided that with so much going on during the week I shouldn’t press my luck, and I used music for everything.)

I approached the end of the second page, and as I looked up to the top of page 3, I saw that it was actually page 10!!! My pages had somehow gotten out of order, and I was about to abruptly jump to halfway through the 3^rd movement! My heart sank, but luckily I knew this section well and was able to play the next 20 bars from memory. My mother says she noticed that when I finally had a few bars rest and reached to correct the page order that my hands were noticeably shaking. Yeah, no kidding!

I felt that by the 2^nd movement I was really getting into my element and feeling comfortable on stage, and then the 3^rd movement was in many ways a joyful expression of relief that I had made it through mostly unscathed. Again I felt encouraged that in spite of my nerves and lack of experience, I was able to pull off the most difficult aspects of the concerto and still stay true to my musical self. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it was nonetheless a huge victory for me. I was able to perform as a soloist without any major technical breakdowns, and I was able to keep my concentration throughout the piece and yet still have fun and enjoy myself.

Up next was the Michael Daugherty piece for three trombone soloists and wind band entitled Rosa Parks Boulevard. The work pays tribute to Rosa Parks and her famous peaceful protests during the civil rights movement by contrasting wild, percussive tutti passages (symbolizing Rosa Parks’ bus ride and her struggles against racism and civil injustice) with slow, lyrical passages played by the three trombone soloists (which symbolize the voice of the preacher and quote Rosa’s favorite spiritual “Oh, Freedom”). This was such great fun, and a real release of energy after my concerto. All during the rehearsals, I kept asking Dr. Sousa, “Are you sure I’m not playing too loudly?” He always said I was playing it perfectly fine and that it should be huge, just a boisterous African-American preacher might be. In the actual performance, I sure gave it all I had, and I think Don and Dan followed suit! We had so much fun playing those bluesy riffs together, and both Don and Dan sounded great.

l to r: Dr. Sousa, me, Don Hough, & Dan Cloutier

To bring the evening to a rousing conclusion, the three of us joined the rest of the UT Trombone Choir on the front of the stage for a trombone-tastic rendition of Henry Fillmore’s march, Lassus Trombone.

Here is a video of excerpts from all three pieces that I put together:

After the concert, I was surprised, stunned, and elated to meet one of my absolute favorite musicians of all time, legendary trumpet player Doc Severinsen!! This was easily one of the highlights of the week for me. He was in attendance at the concert and was very flattering and complimentary of my performance. I must’ve seemed like a bumbling idiot as I floundered around trying to figure out how to respond to positive reviews from someone I so admire. The first jazz CD I ever owned was one of his Greatest Hits albums with the Tonight Show Band. It was amazing to spend a few minutes ‘talking shop’ with such a legendary musician, who turned out to be an amazingly nice man as well. It was funny, because all I wanted to talk to him about was jazz, but all he wanted to talk to me about was Mahler! It was an absolute thrill, and my parents were star struck too!

A HUGE thanks to Dr. Gary Sousa, Dan Cloutier, Don Hough, and all the UT students who made it a wonderful experience and a great night of music-making that I won't soon forget!

UT Trombone Symposium: Part 1

2011-02-24T02:18:00.004+01:00

Nearly a year-and-a-half ago I was contacted by James Fellenbaum, conductor of the University of Tennesee Symphony Orchestra and a former teacher of mine, about going back to my alma mater to perform a concerto with the UTSO. I was very excited about the idea, and we began a months-long process of working out what eventually developed into a five-day residency that included not one but two concerti, a solo recital, and several master classes.

Fourteen months of planning finally came to fruition in the form of the University of Tennessee Trombone Symposium, which took place February 8^th-12^th, 2011. It turned out to be an unbelievably awesome week. It was fun, fulfilling, and an incredible learning experience for me. I got to see and hang out with lots of people I hadn’t seen in years, but also got to meet some new people who will undoubtedly become lifelong friends. So much happened in such a short span of time that I will have to use several separate blog posts to describe it all.

So, here goes!

I flew into Nashville rather than Knoxville so that I could spend a couple days with my folks in Warren County, and it turned out to be a very good thing. I was able to get over the worst of my jet lag, have some nice quality time with my parents, and pick up the vehicle that they let me borrow for the week.

I drove up to Knoxville on Saturday, the 5^th. I made good time and arrived earlier than I expected, so I made the decision to use the extra time to do a bit of driving around. I took a couple detours and scenic routes, and it turned out to be a very special drive down ‘memory lane’. I went by the church Kristi and I attended when we first got married, now nearly 7 years ago. I drove by some of our favorite restaurants, many of which we frequented on Kristi’s trips to Knoxville while we were dating, 9 or even 10 years ago. I took a tour of the UT campus, noticing the many changes since my graduation day in 2005.

As I wound my way around town on that lazy and sunny Saturday morning, I felt a rush of emotion. Besides the fond nostalgic memories of people and places from my 5 years in Knoxville, I felt a sense of overwhelming joy and gratitude for the path my life has taken since then. I thought about all the hours of work & study on that campus that helped me get where I am today, and about the dedicated and wise teachers who guided me on the way. I found it difficult not to smile, and even more difficult not to weep, as I passed by the site where the UT Music Building once stood, now demolished to make way for a gleaming new facility. I thought of all the late nights spent practicing in the “Coke lobby” and how I never imagined in all those nights that in just a few short years I would be invited back as a guest artist… a real ‘professional’ and member of the Vienna Philharmonic.

More than anything, I noticed that the closer I got to campus the less nervous I felt about the week. I had felt some butterflies all the way up from Warren County, but as I pulled into my parking spot on the UT campus I felt them melt away. I felt only excitement at the great musical and personal experience to come.

I had three rehearsals that afternoon and evening. First up was my first rehearsal with my accompanist for the solo recital, UT staff pianist Judith Bible. It was a pleasure getting to finally meet Judith, a kind and sweet person who just happened to be a wonderful musician, too. We ran through my recital program and rehearsed some spots, and I enjoyed every second. It had been almost 4 years since I played a solo piece with a pianist (if you don’t count hymns for offertory at church), which is a staggeringly long amount of time for someone whose previous musical existence was so wrapped up in solo literature.

After that, there was a run-through scheduled Michael Daugherty’s Rosa Parks Boulevard. Director of Bands Gary Sousa found the piece and thought it would be a great addition to my concerto with the Wind Ensemble. The piece is for three trombone soloists and wind band, and Dr. Sousa had the idea that I should play it with current professor of trombone at UT, Dan Cloutier, and my trombone professor while at UT, professor emeritus Don Hough. It turned out to be a fantastic idea! It was a great chance to spend some time with Don, the ‘man who taught me everything’, and also to get to know Dan, whom I had never met. We spent most of our rehearsal time chatting rather than playing, but somehow managed to get through the piece.

My last appointment of the day was a quartet rehearsal. I had the idea several months ago to involve the Tennessee Trombone Project in some of my events, mostly because I’m good friends with two of the members: Jon Walton and Joe Christian. The rehearsal was at Joe’s house, which also gave me the opportunity to unpack my bags because Joe and his wonderful wife Megan were my hosts for the week! We had a great rehearsal in Joe’s ‘man cave’, and again I enjoyed every nanosecond. We were joined by Brian Jennings on bass trombone and played for well over two hours before our chops screamed, “NO MORE!” The idea was to have me be the 4^th member of the quartet for the evening event on Tuesday, but then bring in Jeff Mize for my solo recital to form a quintet, with me performing as a soloist with quartet accompaniment.

We scheduled another quartet rehearsal for the next afternoon, but in reality we played together much earlier. On Sunday morning I attended Sevier Heights Baptist Church, where Joe, Jon, and Brian all play in the orchestra, and where Kristi and I attended church for a year before we moved to Texas. It was one of the highlights of the week for me to be able to worship with those guys. I love that the four of us spent the night before playing Bruckner, Strauss, and Brahms, and the following morning playing “Revive us again” and “Jesus Saves”. I spent lots of time hugging folks and catching up with people I hadn’t seen in way too long. We went out to lunch at Jason’s Deli (highly recommended) and spent the afternoon playing music with bellies full of muffalettas, salad, and soft serve. Sunday evening brought another good rehearsal with Judith, after which I crashed on the Christians’ cozy armchair and watched Super Bowl commercials while jetlag kicked in.

I was a bit anxious about Monday because it would be my first day rehearsing with the large ensembles. I felt confident about my playing, but was just a bit unsure what to expect from something I had never done before. First up was the Ewazen with the Wind Ensemble.

I walked into the temporary makeshift band room, which is located just across the street from the empty pit where the old building was, and had a nice reunion with Dr. Gary Sousa (even though I had rudely interrupted his 9 o’clock conducting class). The rehearsal went well in general, but I was thrust into my first big learning experience of the week. As we ran through the concerto, I found myself instinctively being a bit passive rather than active and soloistic. It was a struggle to remind myself constantly that I was the soloist and not just another ensemble member. Once I truly grasped that concept, the timing, intonation, and balance of the piece improved exponentially. I took that morning’s experience with the Wind Ensemble into my rehearsal of the Grøndahl concerto with the orchestra later that afternoon, which also went quite well.

In both of the large ensemble rehearsals I experienced something encouraging that would become a theme during the whole symposium. It seemed that when the pressure was on, I was still able to do two things that I had been concerned about; I was able to navigate the difficult technical passages and yet also play musically. A few things would go wrong in pretty much every rehearsal and performance, but in the end effect I would be pleased with my performance of the most challenging things and I would feel that I had said something musically in spite of the things that went wrong.

That Monday evening, I had dinner with some friends from our days at SHBC, the Cormacks, and then afterward I caught the tail end of a Knoxville Jazz Orchestra rehearsal at the Bijou Theater. It was great to hear some real jazz from such a great group, of which I was a member for two or three years while in Knoxville. After rehearsal I conned the trombone section into coming out with me.

Don Hough, me, Jamie Warren, and Brad Mcdougall

The week was off to a great start, and the symposium hadn’t officially even started yet!

A Story Worth Sharing

2011-02-17T08:58:00.003+01:00

I planned all week long to have my first posts since January 27th be all about my amazing and wonderful trip to Tennessee last week. And don't get me wrong, plenty of posts about the UT Trombone Symposium are in the works right now. But something happened yesterday that I simply must share with you all and preserve for my own records.

I guess I need a way to tie this in to music, since that's what this blog is all about! Let me think...

OK. Yesterday morning was the dress rehearsal for last night's Philharmonic concert under Seymon Bychkov. The program is a fun one, with Schubert's Symphony No. 2, Wagner's Prelude from Tristan und Isolde, and Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin Suite. It's my first time doing the Bartók, and I've been playing principal for this particular program, which has been great.

I decided to come back to Sommerein during the midday break to get some work done, get a bit of rest, and see my awesome family which I was away from last week. I was sitting on the S-Bahn reading my Kindle, and was so engrossed in the book I was reading (Laura Hildebrand's Unbroken- highly recommended) that I didn't realize when the train was approaching my stop. At the last second, I looked up to see the train sitting at my station. I hopped out of my seat, threw on my coat, and rushed out the train doors just as they were closing.

In the parking lot, I looked in my messenger bag (AKA my man purse) for my iPhone, only to realize it was gone! When I hastily put on my coat, it must have fallen out of the pocket!

I raced home as fast as safely possible, logged on to my MobileMe account, and launched the 'find my iPhone' application, which told me that my device was located somewhere in downtown Bruck and der Leitha. Bruck is a couple towns northeast of here, and I thought maybe someone on the train had seen me drop the phone and had turned it in. In particular, there was a woman sitting across from me with a young girl, and I thought maybe she grabbed it with the intent to return it since she knew what I looked like.

I used the MobileMe program to first lock the phone and then display a message on the home screen that read, "The owner of this phone is Jeremy Wilson. Please call me at (number)." I sped off towards Bruck, with the hope that when I found the coordinates the program was giving me I would be able to easily figure out where it was. I thought maybe it was at a police station or an ÖBB office (the Austrian rail system) and I could just walk in and retrieve it. No such luck. The 'Find my iPhone' program wasn't able to exactly pinpoint the location of the device, and the blue radius it was giving me actually encompassed several buildings, none of which seemed to be an obvious place to return a lost phone. There was a real estate office, a book store, an Irish pub, and several other businesses on the street level, and then loads of apartments above them. I went to each business, asking them, "Have you maybe found an iPhone?" It's such a random question to get, and I understandably got several funny looks. No one had the phone.

After striking out for half an hour, I realized my only option was to begin ringing doorbells of the upstairs apartments. I would estimate there were probably 25 apartments within the 'search area'. After confirming with Kristi at home that the phone had not changed locations, I slowly walked up to the buzzer panel on the westernmost edge of the blue circle. As I scanned the list of names, I suddenly remembered that the woman across from me in the train had been speaking what I thought was Hungarian. I decided to look for a non-Austrian surname on the panel... Strasser...Müller...Hoffmann...Radics! BINGO!

I pushed the button...
"Hallo?"
"Grüss Gott. Have you perhaps found an iPhone?" (In German)
* pause *
"Hold on! Just a second, just a second!" (In English)

I waited for about a minute, still astounded that I had found someone in Bruck who was more comfortable with English than with German, but had apparently recognized the word 'iPhone'. I looked up to see a girl in her early twenties bounding down the stairs...could it be??

She had my phone in her hand.

She opened the door and asked, "Are you American?" She had seen my name and the orange 'Power T' on the phone's home screen and put two and two together. She was also an American, originally from Seattle, but now living in Bruck with her aunt, who had seen me drop my phone and had brought it home to try and return it. The very first apartment I had buzzed in this massive block of buildings had been the correct one, and with an American living there to boot. Now, how's THAT for a story!?

A Quick Update and a video TREAT!

2011-01-27T22:59:00.008+01:00

Hey everyone,

As the preparations for my week at the University of Tennessee intensify, I'm not taking too much time out to blog. It's only a week until I fly out! But here's a quick update on what I've been working on:

- I really want to memorize the two concertos I'm doing. I've been working pretty hard on that the past couple of days, but it's been more difficult than I expected. I've historically been pretty good at memorizing things, even intricate or complex things, which makes me wonder why it's not going faster. I guess it's the sheer amount of stuff I have going on besides the Grøndahl and the Ewazen that makes it all run together in my mind

- A big part of my practice routine is strengthening my chops so I can make it through full days of heavy playing, including rehearsal during the day and performances at night. I've been toying with the order of my recital repertoire to see what works the best. Right now it seems to be working well to open up with something moderately strenuous (Bozza Ballade followed by Ropartz), then cool it a bit, then bring the level back up after intermission.

- I'm also excited about getting back into some jazz playing and some quartet playing. On Tuesday evening, the 8th, I'll be performing some quartet stuff with the Tennessee Trombone Project, who are great players (and all UT students & alumni) and also great guys! The TTP will also join me on my recital on the 11th.

- I'm scheduled to give 4 masterclasses/lectures, and I've been feverishly trying to organize my ideas for those. I've got a Word document on my USB drive that I carry around with me at all times, so when I think of another idea I can open it up and jot it down. I'm interested to see which ideas land and which ones bomb... but that's how you learn, right?

As a treat this week, I'll share with you all the following video which was shot from my new iPhone. It's a 'behind-the-scenes' view of the Richard Strauss Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare that we play every year to open the Wiener Philharmoniker Ball. You can read about my first experience at the ball here, and I'm sure Kristi will post about this year's experience soon over at The Vienna Wilsons.

Anyway, enjoy the video, and watch all the way through to see some photos! It was a great time, and I always get chill bumps when we play this thing:

PS: I'll be posting this and all subsequent videos on my new VIDEOS page. Check it out!

Back in VOL Country!

2011-01-24T12:16:00.006+01:00

During our recent trip to the US, I took a day to travel back to my old 'college town'. Knoxville is just a couple hours from Warren County, so I drove up one morning late in December to do something I hadn't done in several years... play some PEP TUNES! That's right, I had the opportunity to join the UT Pride of Southland Alumni Band, which performs at many UT basketball games during the winter break.

The Alumni Band especially needed people to come for the Lady Vols game versus Rutgers because the 'regular' Pride of the Southland was in Nashville with the football team for the Music City Bowl.

Megan Christian leads the band in some pregame tunes

The opening tip-off

It was amazing how quickly my playing and musical mentality changed during the game. I hadn't played any of that stuff for years, but within 5 minutes of the first rendition of 'Rocky Top' I felt like a sophomore in college again, wailing and glissing my way through all the old favorites. It was really alot of fun, even if only for nostalgic reasons. The biggest challenge I faced was that I had forgotten almost all of the hand signals used to call up the various fight songs and cheers.

Megan shows us which tune is up next

Probably my favorite part was getting the chance to hang out and catch up with several college friends. Plus, it was fun to see the Lady Vols shellac Rutgers! I hadn't been to a UT sporting event in a really long time, so it was nice to be amongst so much orange again.

And we got to wear awesome pullovers!

UT Trombone Symposium Schedule

2011-01-22T23:13:00.010+01:00

After several requests for this info, I've decided to post it here. Below is a schedule of my upcoming events at the University of Tennessee. This whole thing (nicknamed UTTS) has been more than a year in planning, and it looks like it's going to be an absolute blast! I'm having so much fun preparing for the many different events that are happening. There's concerti, a solo recital, masterclasses, high school events, and even some quartet playing! Check this website for venue information and other assistance. Hope to see you there!!

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

AMB = Alumni Memorial Building

Tuesday Feb. 8

12:40-1:55PM Session 1: Differences between American and European Orchestral Style (Lecture/Demonstration), Choir Room, Melrose D58

6:00-7:00PM Registration, Pre-Concert (TN Trombone Project), AMB 32

7:15-10:00PM Session 2: Life as a Philharmoniker (Lecture followed by Masterclass), AMB 32

Thursday February 10th

12:40-1:55PM Masterclass with UT Trombone Studio (all others welcome), location TBA

8:00PM Concert with UT Wind Ensemble (Eric Ewazen's Concerto for Trombone & Wind Band and Michael Daugherty's Rosa Parks Boulevard), AMB Cox Auditorium

Friday February 11th

8:00PM Solo Recital with Judith Bible, piano. AMB 32 (works TBA... it's a surprise!)

Saturday February 12th

10:15-12:30PM Session 3: My Story (Lecture followed by Masterclass), AMB 32

8:00PM Concert with UT Symphony Orchestra (Launy Grøndahl's Concerto for Trombone), AMB Cox Auditorium

And.. we're back!

2011-01-18T16:48:00.005+01:00

Today I'm in Hamburg on a short little Philharmonic tour, and it's the first time I've had in weeks to actually sit down and blog. When I started the blog, I was afraid that there would be times where I would get ultra-busy and go a couple weeks without blogging, but I never imagined more than a month! But lo and behold, my last post was on December 15th. But... I've dealt with my blogger guilt, and I guess blog goes on, as they say.

The main reason for my dry spell was the three wonderful weeks we spent in America during Christmas and New Year's. I must admit the last thing on my mind during all that fun, food, and fellowship was blogging. We had a truly memorable trip, which Kristi has done a great job of chronicling over at The Vienna Wilsons. There were a couple fun music-related things that happened during our visit, which I'll share in later posts. But I will note that I was very proud of myself for one very important reason: this was the first extended trip home since we've been in Vienna where I regularly practiced my trombone!

Normally my practice time just goes by the wayside, which ends up putting me in survival mode when we get back to Austria and I have to start being a professional again. Naturally, I don't like doing it that way, so I was determined to keep some sort of practice regimen going. I didn't get the amount of time each day I normally get, and I didn't play absolutely every day, but I nevertheless kept my chops in working order, and didn't have a ton of catching up to do when we returned. It feels nice, both literally and figuratively, to have accomplished that feat, especially given the limited amount of time we always have with our family and friends (and favorite foods).

Now we've been back in Austria for almost two weeks, and it's been quite busy at work. My colleague Mark played all during December and into January while I was away, so he now gets some much-deserved free time while I play every night in the opera. I've also been playing a Philharmonic block with Mariss Jansons (chief conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra) since last week. We're performing Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer, Shostakovich's Symphony No. 6, and Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

It's been a great experience, especially getting to know such a landmark work as the Berlioz. I've had some quite surreal moments when I remember studying the piece in my music history classes just a few years ago. It really is a 'fantastic' work, even though it's another of those pieces where the trombones sit with nothing to play for the majority of the work. I prefer to think Berlioz was reserving the trombones for just the right moment, which happens to be the "March to the Scaffold". My only reservation about the piece is the third movement, which depicts a "Scene in the Country". It's very slow, very long, and very pretty. Let me introduce you to a tried and true orchestral equation, where A = (slow, long, and pretty), B = (haven't played any notes since the intermission), and C= (warm concert hall).

A + B + C = Z³

Yes, I had trouble staying awake, even at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. It's the equation... there's no helping it!

Jansons puzzles me. He's one of the most famous and in-demand conductors in the world, and yet I can't put my finger on exactly what sets him apart from the rest. He has impeccable conducting technique, but so do several others. Musically, he has (in my opinion) some great ideas and some not so great ideas, but that's every conductor. And yet, he received an ovation this past weekend from our subscription audience the likes of which I've never seen (this was echoed by Ian, who has been a principal trombonist for 25 years).

I think it has to do with his understanding of the music and understanding how an audience hears the music. Or maybe it's more correct to say he understands how an audience ought to hear the music. I watched him closely over the weekend (I had lots of rests, remember) and I noticed that he may be the best I've ever seen at showing an audience what to listen to. With his gestures he shows the listener not only what to hear, but HOW to hear it. It's astonishing to watch! To see what I'm talking about, you almost just have to look for a video of him somewhere. If you do, see if you agree with me that he shows you with his body how you should interpret the music he's conducting.

In short, he is a great salesman! Someone in the orchestra commented that the Shostakovich 6th Symphony has all but been banned in most major orchestras because it's perceived as unbelievably miserable and boring. Yet Jansons made it a great success, both for the orchestra members and the public. I think it's because you just have to watch him conduct, and you immediately begin to understand the complicated turmoil of Shostakovich.

Well, that's enough for today. We've got one final Mahler/Berlioz concert tonight in Hamburg (which is a BEAUTIFUL city, by the way) and we head back to Vienna in the morning. Since this is my first post of 2011, hope you all have a wonderful year. Prosit Neujahr!! It's good to be back on BRP!

Some Upcoming Events I'm Excited About

2010-12-14T09:02:00.001+01:00

We're fully in packing mode now, with suitcases, clothes, and North American outlet adapters strewn all over the house. And it's all because we're heading home for the holidays! We haven't been home at Christmas since 2007, so I am really looking forward to being around our family and friends, relaxing instead of playing a million performances of The Nutcracker and Die Fledermaus, and eating Nanny's chocolate gravy and biscuits. Mmmmmm.

I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging while we're there, but I'll try to do a couple posts, probably recapping stuff that happened months ago. In the meantime, I thought I would let everyone know about some upcoming events I'm involved in.

First, as I alluded to in a previous post, I have been invited back to my alma mater, the University of Tennessee, to do a week-long residency at the School of Music. It will take place February 7th-12th, and I'll be teaching and performing in a variety of ways. On Monday & Tuesday of that week, I'll be giving several masterclasses on various topics. On Thursday I'll be performing a concerto with the UT Wind Ensemble, on Friday I'll give a solo recital, and on Saturday I'll do another concerto with the UT Symphony Orchestra. There are also some events involving local high-school students interspersed throughout the week.

I also just found out this last week that I've been officially invited to be a featured faculty artist at the 2011 International Trombone Festival, which this year just happens to be in Nashville, TN. It will be in late June, and I'm planning on giving a solo recital and a masterclass. The ITF was held for many years in Nashville, and now they're bringing it back there for the 40th anniversary of the festival. It will be held at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University.

I'm really, really excited about these two events. Before I moved to Vienna and immersed myself in opera and orchestra, my musical life consisted of solo playing, small ensembles, teaching, and jazz. I'm thrilled that now after 3 seasons in Vienna, I'm slowly but surely getting some opportunities to "re-branch" out and involve myself in some other areas of music besides orchestra. Although I love my job beyond words, it makes me feel sometimes a bit one-dimensional. But now with these upcoming opportunities, I am feeling like my old musical self again. It is so nice to have a thick stack of solo works on my stand in the office, and to spend my practice time digging into pieces which I haven't played in years, or in some cases have never played.

I've also got an opportunity coming up to play some jazz in Vienna, if you can believe it. One of our principal trombonists, Dietmar Küblböck (don't try to pronounce it), is an avid jazz performer, and he had an idea several months ago to put together a jazz trombone group based around me and him. We've now got a concert planned in March in one of the recital halls of the Musikverein for a 5-bone ensemble with rhythm section. Though if I'm truthful, it's not really 5 trombones... it's 4 bones and a cimbasso! There's a local tuba player who is an unbelievable cimbasso player (cimbassist?), and he's apparently got lots of jazz experience. Should be fun! I've really missed playing and hearing jazz in Vienna, and I am SO looking forward to pulling out my King 2B and wailing on these Wieners!

I'll post more exact schedules of all these things as they get closer.

Rome

2010-12-03T19:00:00.000+01:00

Back in October, just before the long tour to Tokyo, the Philharmonic did a miniature tour, or 'tour-let', to Rome. I think almost every year the orchestra travels to this same giant church near the Vatican City to play a concert for the upper-ups of the Roman Catholic church. I've been once before, in 2008, and the pope himself was in attendance.

This year, it was a much smaller deal (no pope, and only one short piece with trombones), but I made sure to take my camera because the place where we played is one of the most awe-inspiring church buildings I've ever seen.

It's called the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and you can follow this link to read more about its history. The orchestra always enters through a secluded rear door, and from that perspective the building looks somewhat like a run-down old warehouse. You would never think that waiting inside was this absolutely breathtaking and gigantic space.

The gold-inlayed stucco on the ceiling is my favorite part.

They set up a stage for us in front of the altar, with thousands of chairs that dissolved into the horizon at the back of the nave. The above photo was in the middle of rehearsal, Andris Nelsons conducting. If you look close, you can see the part for the one piece I played, the prelude to Wagner's Parsifal.

They have friezes of all the popes in a row above the hundreds of tall columns. Below you can see they have a spotlight on the portrait of the current pope, Benedict XVI.

The orchestra dressed and warmed up in an area just outside the main hall. It had a beautiful and peaceful courtyard with these really beautiful columns all around.

Behind the orchestra's stage is the literal and also spiritual centerpiece of the basilica, the tomb of Saint Paul. Yes, THE Saint Paul. According to church tradition, Paul was interred here after his martyrdom and a memorial was erected at the site, which eventually became the basilica. Below you can see the altar, and just in front of it is a pit which leads to Paul's alleged sarcophagus. Kinda creepy and cool at the same time.

Musically, the concert felt like a bit of a joke, mostly because the place is just too large. The quiet stuff probably can't be heard by the back half of the audience, and the loud stuff just bounces around the ginormous nave for 18 minutes. Everything sounds either anemic or completely muddled. But it was still a neat place to visit, and I hope to take Kristi there sometime to show her around.

Back to school

2010-12-02T00:18:00.000+01:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I had a cold throughout the weekend (as did Kristi & Eli), but had a good holiday anyway. Luckily, I've not been working that much, so I was able to get well pretty quickly.

Not much is going on in the opera. We've had a run of pieces that don't have interesting trombone parts, but a real surprise for me has been Puccini's Manon Lescaut. I've played it a couple times before, but for some reason I didn't remember how good it was. Two nights ago was my second performance for this run, and I enjoyed it immensely. Many times it's hard to pay attention to the content of an opera the first few times you play it, especially if you're performing it without rehearsal. It takes so much concentration to play (or NOT play) at the right time, and sometimes I don't actually 'hear' the music until I have some performances under my belt.

Well, in the absence of exciting things going on now, I thought I would share with you something coming up in the future.

As many of you know, when I auditioned for my spot here in Vienna, I was pursuing my master's degree in trombone performance from the University of North Texas. And ever since I interrupted my studies to come to Austria, people have been asking me if I would ever be interested in complete my degree. I think most people in my situation would just forget about it. After all, the end goal of a master's performance curriculum (theoretically) is a job just like the one I already have. I don't 'need' a degree to do what I'm doing.

But I feel differently about it. To me, a graduate degree is not about putting letters beside your name or earning a diploma, but rather continued learning and becoming more of an expert in your field of study. I've written and talked a lot about the fact that in my first couple of years here I had to put my head down, work hard, and learn how to survive in a major professional orchestra. When you come in the way I did, with no prior experience and from a different continent, it's almost all you can manage to simply make it through the season without massively embarrassing yourself. The mantra becomes: "Don't lose this job! Don't lose this job!"

Well, I'm ready to start challenging myself again. The timing and circumstances are now such that I can poke my head out of the foxhole and begin to cultivate a broader musical existence outside the orchestra. I believe that finishing my master's degree would be a great way to kickstart that.

Some other major reasons I want to do this:

- I'm already SO close! As I look back at my transcript, I only have four more courses remaining.

- There's a huge 'finish what you started' component. This is a life value that was instilled in me, and that I would like to pass on to Eli.

- A little bit of pride. It would feel nice to hang a master's diploma up in my office. (My brother Jacob is currently working on his MBA, so I just need to finish before he does!) :)

- A little bit of school pride. I think it would also be great for me and for UNT for me to be an alumnus rather than just an attendee.

So, how do I accomplish this goal? Well, first off, with a lot of help and cooperation from the UNT College of Music. I began discussing this idea with Vern Kagarice (my trombone teacher at UNT) several months ago, and he put me in touch with Dr. Warren Henry, who is a high-ranking administrator in the College of Music. As luck would have it, Dr. Henry, who is also a Professor of Music Education, had planned a visit to Austria in late October. He brought 20 UNT music education majors to visit the Orff Institute in Salzburg, and then they came over to Vienna to sightsee.

The whole group had tickets to an opera I was playing, so I met with Dr. Henry beforehand and discussed how exactly I might be able to finish my degree while living abroad. We worked it out so that I will complete special projects on my own time, working under the supervision of several UNT professors, and each special project will then count as one of my remaining courses. I could not do this without the help of Dr. Henry, as he is able to cut through most of the red tape so that I don't have to try and deal with it from another country. I am planning on doing two classes this Spring semester and two more next Summer.

I really enjoyed spending some time with Dr. Henry and the UNT students. I got to meet them all after the performance of Salome, and I invited them to watch one of our Philharmonic rehearsals on the third day they were here. I think they really enjoyed it. I remember in particular a couple horn students that I watched melt in their seats every time our horn section played something awesome.

Me and Dr. Henry at the Musikverein

With the students at the opera.

No, we don't have malformed hands. That's the UNT Eagle Claw!

I actually registered for my first two classes today, so I guess it's official. I'm a college student again! I'll keep you all posted on my progress, and by this time next year I'll be a North Texas grad!

I've got the Philharmonic blues

2010-11-25T10:33:00.000+01:00

It is a major milestone for any orchestral musician when he/she gets the opportunity to stand in front of an orchestra and perform. For those of us that have a passion for solo playing, there is nothing more exciting (and sometimes terrifying) than the idea of leaving the comfort of your ‘back row perspective’ and stepping into the spotlight. It is a chance to express yourself musically, test your mettle under pressure, and hopefully make enjoyable music.

I always assumed that I would get my first chance in front of a lesser-known orchestra, and that it would come in the form of a trombone concerto. For instance, in February I’ll be performing a concerto at my alma mater with the University of Tennessee Symphony Orchestra. (more on that later)

But as it turned out, my first moment in the spotlight came in front of my own orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic, and it came in the form of... that’s right, you guessed it... the blues.

Let me explain.

I received a call from the director of our VPO children’s program entitled “passwort:klassik” in August asking me if I would like to participate in two children’s concerts during the Dudamel block in September. The idea was to use Bernstein’s Divertimento to teach the children about different styles of music from all over the world. Bernstein wrote the piece as a sort of love letter to the city of Boston, his childhood home, in commemoration of the Boston Symphony’s 100th anniversary. It’s a very lighthearted work, and it contains several short movements in various styles of music Berstein heard while growing up, including a waltz, a mazurka, a Sousa-style march, a turkey trot, a samba, and a blues.

The concept of the concert involved using Google Earth satellite animations to ‘fly’ from one location to another, each time exploring the music and culture of the new location. The kids were told to ‘fasten seat belts’ as we started in Vienna, playing a Viennese waltz, then the Bernstein waltz. We flew to Dudamel’s home country of Venezuela, where a small ensemble played a samba, then the full orchestra played the Bernstein samba. And then we flew to McMinnville, Tennessee, where it was my time to shine!

When the children’s director Hanne called me about doing the concert, I quickly agreed because from the way she described it, I would stand up, play a blues, and sit down. Easy, right? But then a couple days before the concert she called me to arrange a ‘script meeting’. Huh? Script? Turns out she wanted to play up the whole Tennessee connection with the blues and do an interview and horse-and-pony show up in FRONT of the orchestra... in GERMAN! I didn’t mention to her that Memphis, the city famous for the blues, is 4 hours west of my hometown. :) I reluctantly agreed to the full ‘shebang’, and spent the next 48 hours running through my German-language script in front of Kristi, who didn’t understand a word I was saying! I became incredibly nervous, not about the playing, but about speaking a foreign language in front of 2,500 school children! I imagined the giggles and smiles as I tried in vain to clearly enunciate my lines.

So anyway, back to the concert. As Google Earth slowly flew over the southeastern US and zoomed in on McMinnville, I did as Hanne instructed me and walked briskly towards center stage, all the while enthusiastically describing in English what I was seeing on the screen:

“There’s my school, and the pool where I learned to swim, and the street where I rode my bike, and my parent’s house. That’s where I practiced trombone, Hanne! Look everyone, it’s my hometown! This is crazy!”

You get the idea.

She ‘calmed me down’ and convinced me to speak to the children in German. We talked about the go-cart track visible out behind my house, about my practice habits growing up, and about my favorite types of music to play. I told the children about the various types of music that are prevalent in Tennessee: the Appalachian folk music and bluegrass of the East, the country/western music of Nashville, and of course Memphis’ claim to fame, the blues. I described what makes the blues special, namely the ‘blue notes’, and played “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” as an example. I first played it straight and then with blues notes so they could hear the difference. They went crazy for it, and Hanne told me later the kids thought that was my whole spiel.

But we kept on going, discussing the improvisatory and unwritten nature of the blues. “Yes, Hanne, I love to play the blues. Yes, I would love to play a real blues for you right now. But I’ll need some help from my colleagues.” At this point, Christoph played a bass line on the tuba, and was joined by a drum set for some rhythm. And I played five choruses of b-flat blues!

I was so relieved and happy to be finished with the German-speaking portion that I think I released some of my tension in the blues. I started really simply and sparsely and tried to build throughout. By the end, I was playing high and loud, growling and glissing and generally just letting go. The kids in Luzern were really quiet throughout, but in Vienna they began to cheer as I played, and around about the third chorus, they began to clap along on 2 and 4. What a blast!! We finished with the traditional “A Train” ending, and the kids went nuts! Fellow trombonist Mark Gaal said there would definitely be an influx of beginning trombone students next year!

The orchestra was very appreciative of my performance as well. Many of them didn’t know I could speak more than a few words, in German OR in English, and I think they were impressed and surprised that I was able to hold together a whole 10-minute script without messing anything up! Most of them had never heard me play jazz before, and for the day I felt like the hero of the orchestra. It was a great feeling to have had success in a somewhat pressure situation. I mean, it was ‘just’ a kiddie concert, and it was ‘just’ a blues... but I nevertheless feel very proud that I was able to stand in front of the group, perform competently and successfully, and have fun doing so.

The whole experience was a real confidence booster, but in a way very surreal. I still can’t believe we zoomed in on McMinnville at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Another unexpected benefit was that so many colleagues who I hadn’t really gotten to know (and in some cases had never talked to) came up to me and struck up conversations, some about jazz, some about Tennessee, and some just about my performance. I hope I get the opportunity again soon... who knows? Maybe next will be “Rocky Top” with the Berlin Philharmonic!

Look out below!

2010-11-23T00:30:00.002+01:00

Sorry I've been away a while. After we returned from Tokyo, there was lots of catching up to do... mostly on playing with Eli, but nevertheless lots to do! I haven't really been that busy at work. I'll be taking a break from the Philharmonic until January, mostly because I did basically all the VPO work from the beginning of the season until now. We'll be heading to the US for Christmas and New Year's, so that takes out three weeks right there. In the meantime, I've got some easy operas and ballets, but nothing spectacular.

Something did happen the other night that caught us all off guard. It was right in the middle of a 'potpourri' ballet called "Jewels from the New World". The ballet directors basically have taken several pieces they wanted to do and smashed them all together with a common visual theme, essentially creating their own ballet. Anyway, after one of the pieces finished (namely, the finale of Schubert's Symphony No. 9) the dancers came to the front of the stage to take their bows. Suddenly I heard ---

CLANG!!!

and I felt something wet spray the back of my neck. What the WHAT?! As it turned out, some old lady in the front row had tried to throw a bouquet of flowers on stage for one of the dancers but had horribly overestimated her throwing capabilities. Instead of floating gently to the front of the platform, the colorful congratulatory carnations (triple C's) slammed into the side of my poor colleague's tuba. They were apparently quite fresh, because the whole brass section was showered with water. Our tubist just sat there with mouth agape in utter disbelief at this development. After exchanging dirty looks with the old lady, he slowly bent over, picked up the bouquet, and tossed it up and onto the stage. I don't think I was the only one sort of hoping he would 'mistakenly' hit one of the dancers in the face. :)

It's not the first time a foreign object has flown into the opera pit during my time here, although it usually comes from the stage rather than the audience. We're one of the only opera houses in the world where the orchestra pit is completely open, so in a way we're asking for it. The most common thing is when the smoke machine gets turned up a bit high and a nice think fog rolls off the stage and sometimes makes it difficult to see the conductor.

A couple other notable examples:

Once in a production of Shostakovich's opera Lady Macbeth, the male lead took off his jacket as he was supposed to during a particularly heated exchange with another singer. I think he decided to dramatically throw it on the ground to aid the drama, but he had apparently lost his orientation on the stage, because the jacket ended up landing on the back row of cellists!

In the first act of Wagner's Siegfried, the title character has to shatter a sword that was forged by the dwarf Mime. When Stephen Gould broke his prop sword on stage a couple of years ago, a huge piece of it flew out front and nearly hit some orchestra members.

Who knew opera could be so dangerous to one's health? I mean, according to the cartoons, large operatic sopranos can shatter glass and cause buildings to crumble, but never EVER do they say anything about being skewered with swords or bludgeoned with flowers!

A New Feature!

2010-11-08T14:24:00.004+01:00

I'm really excited today to introduce a new feature to Back Row Perspectives! About 6 months after I came to Vienna, I had the idea that it might be cool to keep a running tally of how many performances I've done in the Staatsoper and in the Philharmonic. So I went back through my calendar dating back to my very first performance (Verdi's Simone Boccanegra on September 5th, 2007), and established 3 separate spreadsheets that kept track of various things. I have kept up with it ever since then, and now with the advent of Google Docs I have published them all to the web so that anyone interested can view them. It's still a work in progress as I convert all my info into Google's format, but let me explain the 3 documents.

- Opera Performance Tally: This is just what it sounds like... a list of all the operas and ballets I've performed in the Vienna State Opera, and how many times I've done each one. You'll see a column for 1st trombone, 2nd trombone, and then the total number. As you can see, the current performance count is at 380 and my most-performed opera is The Magic Flute (no surprise there).

- Philharmonic Concert Blocks: This sheet has the most info on it. It is a record of my Philharmonic performances by concert block, divided by conductor and arranged in reverse chronological order. With this sheet I keep track of how many concerts I've played in the Philharmonic, what the repertoire was, where I toured, and with which colleagues I played. You'll notice I'm approaching 200 VPO concerts! Won't hit it until January, though.

- Philharmonic Works Performed: This one is just which pieces I've played with the Philharmonic, and how many times on 1st, 2nd, and "other" (i.e. euphonium, bass trumpet). I've got it listed alphabetically by composer. My most-performed work is Beethoven's 6th with 15 performances, most of which are on 1st bone. That's thanks to the big European tour with Maazel back in February. But coming up rapidly is Dvorak's 9th, mainly due to the last month!

The links for all 3 sheets will be permanently on the right side of the blog, in the "Orchestra Repertoire Lists" section. They will be updated regularly, probably about once a month. Check back often to see the tallies climb! And as always, I would love your feedback & suggestions.

Tokyo Tour - The Musical Side

2010-11-06T11:37:00.003+01:00

We've been in Tokyo now for a week, and I'm having an absolute blast. I'm so glad I was able to bring Kristi along, even though it means we are both away from Eli. Kristi has been doing a great job journaling our sight-seeing adventures on the Vienna Wilsons, so I thought I would just talk a little about the musical side of the trip. After all, this is an orchestra blog, and it is an orchestra tour... though it sure doesn't feel like work!

Because of all the conductor shuffling I mentioned in an earlier post, there were also a lot of program changes. Four of the eight concerts were supposed to be Mahler 6 and Bruckner 6 with Salonen, but after he dropped out, Franz Welser-Möst took on 1 concert of Bruckner 9, and Georges Pretre took the remaining 3 concerts with a program of Beethoven and Schubert. The Pretre program doesn't have any trombones, which is nice because it means I have the weekend off to explore the Japanese countryside with Kristi.

The other 4 Tokyo concerts were done this past week by a young Latvian conductor named Andris Nelsons. He's a student of renowned conductor and fellow Latvian Mariss Jansons, and many of the colleagues can't believe how similar Nelsons and Jansons are in so many ways. I've not worked with Jansons much, but I must say the two speak very similarly, and I have noticed they both sweat more than any other conductors I've ever worked with. :)

The Nelsons program only had trombones in the second half, for Dvorak's "New World" symphony. We just finished a long run of this same symphony under Gustavo Dudamel a few weeks back, and it was the first time I've repeated a work with a different conductor in such a short period of time. It was very interesting to see the work develop a totally new personality under a different baton, even though many of the orchestra personnel were unchanged from the Dudamel block. There were certain things that stayed exactly the same, and I found myself wondering if those things were sort of "Philharmonic constants" that will never change for any conductor. It was mostly melody issues... timing and phrasing... that Nelsons seemingly could not budge. But almost everything else seemed surprisingly flexible, and slowly but surely the famous masterpiece became a new creature specially created for this visit to Tokyo. At first I was somewhat partial to the Dudamel version, but as the orchestra 'bought in' to Nelsons' ideas, some of the changes won me over. I am learning from this orchestra every day that the same music can take on many different but equally beautiful personalities at various times. For most music, there are multiple ways it can sound, each way with its own advantages and disadvantages. A person can certainly prefer one way to another, but I'm finding personally that with certain works (like Dvorak 9) the strictness of my musical preference often fades with time until I can equally enjoy vastly different interpretations. It's like seeing the same painting different ways depending on the lighting. Kinda neat, I think.

I debated for a long time whether or not I should mention this next item. It's a sad piece of news that involves another orchestra member, and I'm still not sure if it is ethical or professional to post something of this nature on a personal blog. However, two factors make me want to go ahead with it. First, the news has been reported by the AP in several mainstream news outlets, so it's no longer a secret. Second, this family needs lots of prayers right now, and I know that many BRP readers can aid in that area.

This past Wednesday, November 3rd, the orchestra had the day off. One of our double-bassists, an experienced mountaineer, was on his way down from the summit of Mt. Fuji along with one of the orchestra's support staff. The bassist had been up Fuji about 15 times before, but on Wednesday slipped and fell a great distance to his death. He was 41 years old and leaves behind a wife and several young daughters. The other climber went down to him and waited for several hours in below-freezing weather until the rescuers could extract them both. I don't want to mention the names, because I don't want my blog to get publicity of any kind from this tragedy, and I'm afraid other folks that might Google the names would get sent here.

This is obviously an enormous tragedy for all the colleagues, and the mood has been understandably quite somber since the accident. The orchestra decided to continue the tour as scheduled, but all non-essential events have been cancelled (i.e. post-concert receptions). The family needs lifting up in prayer at this moment, and probably for a long time to come. I can't imagine the grief they are feeling, and the whole thing has affected me quite strongly even though I didn't know the colleague that well. The morning after it happened, the orchestra met for our scheduled rehearsal and responded in the only way we know how... we played music. Georges Pretre had just arrived, and he led the group through the slow movement of Beethoven's 3rd symphony, fittingly a Trauermarsch, after which we stood for a minute of silence. The funeral is set for tomorrow (Sunday), and since I can't be there, I just wanted to lift up this man's family in my own little way. And I don't want to overlook the suffering of the orchestra's violin maker/repairman, who watched it all happen and undoubtedly needs our thoughts and prayers as well.

Flórez brings down the house... twice!

2010-10-25T18:04:00.003+02:00

There are many reasons that my job rarely ever actually feels like a job, which is one of my favorite things about it. And if there ever is a fleeting moment where I start feeling like I am punching the clock, going through the motions, and 'paying the bills', it is almost always in the opera. I think this is only because the opera has the highest likelihood of monotony. Every now and again, when I've had a really busy week, and I'm really tired, and it's the fifth performance of some boring piece where the trombones have two notes total, I feel like I'm actually earning my paycheck.

I thought it might be one of those nights this past Friday. I had already played a rehearsal during the day, plus I was tired from not sleeping well the night before (more on that in another post), and the piece was Donizetti's Elixir of Love, which is pleasant but has the potential to be a real snoozer. But when I saw that the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez was singing the lead male role, I thought it might be an exciting evening. As it turns out, I was right, and instead of having to prop my eyelids open with toothpicks, I got to experience one of the most rare happenings in the world of opera.

In one of the opera's final scenes, Flórez took the stage and performed the famous aria, Una furtiva lagrima. I. was. floored. In the world of live music, a perfect performance is almost non-existent. There is nearly always a phrase left unfinished, a pitch not exactly in tune, or a word not precisely enunciated. Not so much with Flórez. I have heard the top opera singers in the world in the past three years, and I've never heard anything like this. He sang so beautifully, with the perfect balance of musicality and technical proficiency, that it nearly brought tears to my eyes.

The audience went insane. I've heard maybe only one or two ovations that were as loud. But it wasn't the volume but rather the length of the cheering and applause which triggered an event that is the rarest of the rare. One older colleague told me later that he had only seen this happen twice in 30 years in the orchestra; both prior instances were for Pavarotti.

When a singer gets a great ovation after a solo like that, there is a certain standard practice for receiving it. First, they ignore it and stay in their dramatic pose. If the ovation continues for more than a minute or so, the singers usually nod their head in thanks and acknowledgment of the ovation. If the audience still won't stop clapping, the next step is to come to the front of the stage and either nod again or bow in appreciation. I've seen this happen a few times, and Flórez did all these steps on Friday night. But the crowd would not give up. They kept yelling "Bravo!", clapping, and stomping for several minutes without the slightest sign of stopping. So, it came to the final step... repeat the aria!

Flórez nodded to the conductor, the crowd died down, and the harp began the slow introduction again. He has obviously had this happen to him before, because he seemed totally prepared and at ease singing the same aria for a second time. He changed some of the embellishments and also sang from the opposite side of the stage, so as to give the other half of the audience a chance to hear it better. It was another stellar rendition, of course, and afterwards he had to sort of force the issue by simply walking off stage to let the opera continue. It was definitely one of those rare performances I think I'll remember for a long time, and I hope I get to hear more from Juan Diego Flórez in the future.

Well, it's official!

2010-10-21T13:53:00.003+02:00

Yesterday, although it felt like any other cloudy mid-October Wednesday, was a major day in my career as a musician. Late in the afternoon I received a call from my colleague Dietmar, and he informed me that during the VPO's monthly business meeting I had been unanimously voted in as an official member of the Vienna Philharmonic Society!

What does this mean, you ask? Well, it's a little complicated, but I'll try to explain it. Basically, when I auditioned back in 2007, I was technically auditioning for a spot in the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. By winning that audition, I was then entitled to perform with the Philharmonic, but not to receive the full benefits of orchestra membership. It is the orchestra's policy that new members must wait three years before applying for membership into the Wiener Philharmoniker Verein. A 'verein' could be roughly translated as a group, club, association, or society.

So for the past three seasons I, along with fellow trombonist Mark Gaal, have had little stars or asterisks beside our names on the VPO website and in the programs that meant we were State Opera members, but not yet Philharmonic members. By virtue of the vote yesterday, the asterisk will soon be removed! The only real changes we'll notice will be the ability to vote in VPO meetings and also a nice-sized pay increase. :) It's also the absolute final step in my confirmation process that assures my spot in the orchestra for as long as I want it.

It feels really nice to finally be 100% finished with all the hearings and juries and applications, even though it was more a formality than anything. It's a true honor to have my name join the long and storied list of Philharmoniker musicians dating all the way back to 1842, and even more so considering I'm now one of just a handful of Americans to ever do so. Here in Austria, I'm no longer a member of the Wiener Philharmoniker... they now say I am a Wiener Philharmoniker.

Although they'll probably never read this, I want to thank my colleagues, both trombone and otherwise, for this great privilege and for their friendships. I can't believe I get paid to get up every day and make music with you.

And most importantly, I am truly humbled every day by the blessings God pours out on me and my family, and this one is no exception. I am eternally filled with wonder and gratitude, and I owe everything to Him.

The season's first 'Abo'

2010-10-16T22:55:00.008+02:00

Today was the first of our subscription concerts for this season, and it was a pleasant surprise. We do ten "Abo" concert weekends (the German word for subscription = "Abonnement") every season. The concerts are always on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings, and the wait time to get tickets is well over a decade. This is the Philharmonic's 152nd subscription season. What a history!

This weekend's concerts are the beginning of a big block that will eventually take us on tour in a couple weeks to Rome and Japan. The whole block was originally supposed to be conducted by Seiji Ozawa, but for health reasons he had to drop out. He was replaced with Essa-Pekka Salonen, but just six days before we started rehearsals he had to drop out as well, citing personal reasons. So...we were left scrambling for a conductor at the last minute, and in stepped the young conductor of the Lower Austrian Tonkünstler Orchestra, Columbian native Andrés Orozco-Estrada.

The concert began with a Mendelssohn concert overture called Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, in which I played the part originally written for the serpent. It's basically a bass part, but I did my best to make it as serpent-y as possible. Don't know what a serpent is? Here's an article.

The highlight of today's concert for me was our final piece, Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D Minor. I had never played it before, and had only really heard a recording once or twice, but I really fell in love with it today. As with the 9th Symphony that we played throughout last month, the 7th has some really great sweeping melodies and an exhilarating scherzo and finale. Orozco-Estrada really knows the piece and conducted quite well, and both the colleagues and the audience were very appreciative. Dietmar and I both said afterwards that it is a shame the piece isn't played more often.

The Sound of Music in the Bluegrass - Part 3 (final)

2010-10-14T13:18:00.007+02:00

As I stood backstage and warmed up just minutes before the concert, I began to worry a little bit. Everyone was very tired and still quite jet-lagged (we flew in just 48 hours before the concert), the hall and stage were quite different from what we are used to, everyone (including myself) had spent the past two days partying and having fun, and then add on top of this the pressure inherent in the massive build-up and publicity of the event. From a trombone perspective, our principal player, Ian Bousfield, had a severe cold (which is not good at all when you have to play the Bolero solo), and as I mentioned in my last post, my own chops were not feeling great. The circumstances were perfect for a group meltdown and a disappointing performance.

As we took the stage to thunderous applause from the capacity audience at the Norton Center for the Arts, I found myself hoping that all my guests in attendance would not end up regretting that they came. But thankfully, the orchestra showed it’s true colors the entire evening by rising to the occasion and playing beautifully!

The concert got off to a rousing start when John Roush, president of Centre College, came onstage to present Dudamel with an honorary doctorate from Centre. He also announced that Gustavo had been made a Kentucky Colonel! I guess he needs to open a franchise in Caracas.

We finally got underway with Dvorak’s Symphony 9 “From the New World”. This is one of those pieces that makes the VPO come alive. It’s got great melodies, wonderfully varied characters, and drama. From the very first phrases all the way to the final chord, I felt that the orchestra really dug in and gave a fantastic performance. And of course Dudamel played a huge part. I really like his interpretation because he knows when to inject energy and when to get out of the way, and he let especially the lyrical melodies become a bit “Wiener-ized”. He wasn’t afraid to let the characteristic VPO sound and style influence the final musical product, and in the end it turned out great. It’s great when a conductor trusts the musicians in front of him/her to take ownership of the music and make decisions. Apparently, the audience appreciated it as well, because they applauded heartily for every movement... including after the tender conclusion of the Largo.

As we approached the conclusion of the 4th movement and prepared to “play real loud” to close the symphony, I found myself becoming a bit emotional. It was hard not to, considering I was getting to help bring home a work like that with an orchestra of that caliber in front of so many friends that mean so much to me. Definitely a special moment. Apparently it had a similar effect on some of my guests. I saw a couple of them at intermission that had red and watery eyes (I won’t mention names, ‘cause it could’ve been horse allergies, I guess). :) As soon as the final chord ended, the audience jumped their feet and delivered the first first-half standing ovation I’ve ever seen.

The second half included three works and three standing ovations. I’ve never seen anything like it. I think some of them wanted to jump onstage, and I half expected to be hit in the head with roses or a first-born child or something. Something I’ll never forget (although maybe I should) is glancing at the TV monitor on my way to the stage for the second half and seeing a great close-up of none other than a Colonel Sanders impersonator. Only in Danville, right? I also heard there were 5 present and former governors of Kentucky in attendance. I got to meet current governor Steve Beshear after the concert, who had wanted to meet “the American in the orchestra”. That’s me! He was very nice, but I was upset I never got a chance in our conversation to impress him by calling Kentucky a commonwealth. Oh, well.

So, back to the concert. We had a blast with the Bernstein Divertimento (which I’ll go more in depth about in a later post), then chilled out with Ravel’s Pavane, and finally it was time for Bolero. The thing about Bolero for a principal trombonist is that you have to sit a wait for several minutes before you play anything, and then you play something that does NOT feel good. I was concerned for Ian, only because he was so sick. The whole day he had been coughing, sneezing, and just generally feeling like crud. Plus, he had to know that I wanted him to play well for all my guests. But, wouldn’t you know it, he proved why he’s one of the best in the world when he casually lifted his horn and played one of the most beautiful, well-executed, and musical Bolero solos I’ve ever heard. It’s always a privilege to sit next to Ian. That night it was an honor.

After the concert, most of my guests split and headed back to Knoxville. I hated I didn’t get to say bye to them all, but I totally understood because it was so late. I would’ve done the same thing.

Some folks did hang around, though, and we decided we’d try to find someplace for a quick dessert. I had heard that there was a local restaurant that had agreed to stay open late especially for the VPO, so we all headed over the Reno’s Steakhouse. It was yet another collision of worlds for me when I walked in and saw two dozen Philharmoniker colleagues sitting there in this honky-tonk type steakhouse, with deer heads on the wall, peanut buckets on the tables, and the greatest hits of Travis Tritt blaring on the jukebox.

I had just ordered my delicious peanut butter pie and sweet tea when Maestro Colonel Doctor Dudamel walked in with his ‘entourage’ and sat at the table with us. We spent the next hour just talking to him (what a great guy) about all sorts of things, from his favorite American food (hot dogs) to funny conducting stories. I think my friends got a huge kick out of just chillin’ at Reno’s steakhouse with the conductor of the LA Philharmonic. And after Chris Sharpe finally gave up on trying to finish his giant chocolate cake called the Texas Tornado, we had a nice photo op with “the Dude”.

Notice the Outhouse sign in the background... nice.

Just after that photo was taken, the travel organizer for the orchestra came into the restaurant and loudly announced that Governor Beshear had declared the ENTIRE ORCHESTRA officially Kentucky Colonels!!! That's right... you can call me Colonel Wilson now. After jumping around like giddy little schoolgirls and yelling "We're colonels! We're colonels!", we decided to call it a night. As we were heading out the door, I couldn’t help but do what any normal person does when he sees a saddle on a pole... he straddles it and yells “Yee-Haw!!”.

I swear I only drank sweet tea

It was truly a great day and a great weekend. I still can’t believe that a lot of that stuff even happened. Now I just have to try and get the Philharmonic to go play in McMinnville!!