Tell us about one of the most memorable experiences during your years in the Civic Orchestra.
Multiple once in a lifetime opportunities were afforded to me during my time in the Civic Orchestra. As a part of Civic’s inaugural Brandenburg festival, not only did I get an opportunity to conquer the Everest of piccolo trumpet parts in Brandenburg 2, but I also personally arranged Handel’s Laschia ch’io pianga for cellist, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Civic brass ensemble, which was also performed as a part of the festival. Having the world’s most famous cellist perform my arrangement is a memory that I’ll always cherish.
The highlight of my time in Civic would undoubtedly be premiering another arrangement of mine - Suppé’s Light Cavalry Overture for brass ensemble with the Civic Brass Ensemble in Symphony Center on one of our season’s concerts in 2015. Working with our Music Director, Cliff Colnot, CSO coaches, and exceptional musicians involved, it was an evening I’ll never forget - and I still have the framed concert advertising poster and recording to remember it by!
How did your experience in the Civic Orchestra influence your musical career?
Performing in Symphony Center with the Civic Orchestra, hearing the Chicago Symphony on a regular basis, and receiving consistent coachings and interactions with members of the CSO was the best education any aspiring classical musician could possibly have. Of course going to music school provides you with necessary tools like fundamentals, pedagogy, history, and a teacher, however Civic was the perfect bridge between school and my career as a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Civic simulated the professional expectations of studying an orchestral piece at home, then showing up for the first rehearsal of a concert cycle prepared with a fraction the amount of rehearsals in most Universities. Through Civic, I got the unique opportunity to hear the CSO, a world class orchestra, perform nearly every week. With that growing sound concept paired with coachings from those same musicians, exponential improvement was constant and inevitable.
Do you stay in contact with any of your Civic colleagues and, if so, who and in what capacity?
I made lifelong friends during my time at Civic. My section mates were my groomsmen at my wedding. Any time I travel, I have friends whom I met in Civic that I can stay with all over the country. There’s certainly a special bond that is formed when you perform consistently with musicians who are striving towards the same goal. My colleagues in Baltimore and I frequently reminisce about our time performing in Civic (even though we were there at different times).
Share your thoughts on how to best prepare for a professional career in music performance.
My best advice for members who are preparing for auditions is become a student of YOU. Devise a plan to constructively address your weaknesses, particularly weaknesses that trusted teachers and mentors have pointed out to you. We’re all learning day by day how to practice more efficiently, so keep experimenting to find out what works for you. Perform as much as you can, and record yourself relentlessly.
When it comes down to specifics for auditions, I would say get organized early with your audition book - don’t procrastinate. Your work on the audition list should include familiarizing yourself with the repertoire in context, studying recordings, knowing your role, and knowing the character of the music. Make listening to your favorite players a daily occurrence - compare their playing with yours and figure out what they are doing differently, and ask trusted teachers questions if you run into roadblocks. We all have insecurities, bad days, and frustrations, but do your best to not linger on negative thoughts, and focus on solutions and even tiny victories. Also, although our field is naturally competitive with various opportunities and auditions, try not compare yourself with others - make auditions a competition with yourself to perform better than in your past. Make failures learning experiences so you can come back better for next time. When I’m preparing for an audition, my excerpt practice always comes second to my fundamental/health/etude practice. You should be actively improving every part of your playing every day, particularly when preparing for an audition - excerpts can wait. If you’re really busy with playing obligations on a particular day, try doing mental and visualization practice with your excerpts that can many times be more productive than playing on tired muscles. Finally, on the day of the audition, trust yourself and your preparation. A helpful cue for me has been to simply pretend I’m playing in context, with the rest of the orchestra and a conductor during an audition - it can really help put you in the right mindset.
