Backstage at the CSO: Antonio Padilla Denis, Civic Orchestra manager

For many years after it was founded in 1919, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago served as a kind of farm team for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. 

These days, the Civic remains an elite training ground for promising young orchestral musicians. As a talent pipeline, the Civic has long reached far beyond Chicago. After honing their skills for two or three years, Civic musicians regularly earn positions in orchestras and other top-tier ensembles around the country and world.

The staffer in charge of overseeing the group’s ever-shifting roster is Antonio Padilla Denis, who for the past two years has served as the Civic’s orchestra manager. A native of Venezuela, he grew up in Meridian, Mississippi. He received undergraduate degrees at The University of Alabama and a master’s at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. We caught up with Tony, as he’s widely known, on a rare day off to learn more about his crucial role.

What are your main duties as orchestra manager?

I manage all aspects of personnel related to the Civic Orchestra, such as overseeing auditions, creating and publishing rosters for each concert, and resolving personnel matters — kind of like an H.R. function. Since Civic is a training orchestra, I’m responsible for ensuring members receive mentorship and training that will aid their careers. Our coaching roster is made up of CSO musicians who, needless to say, are brilliant players and teachers. I’m also the staff leader of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee of the Negaunee Music Institute. That’s a very important part of what I do, and it’s a big passion of mine.

Additionally, I oversee the orchestra’s budget and contribute to long-term strategic planning — recommending efficiencies in our processes and suggesting changes that will make the work we do even more equitable. I’m thinking about what I want Civic to be doing in five or 10 years. I want to be an important part of the pipeline that produces greater diversity in our field than we currently have.

What brought you to this job?

I started in music at a very young age, playing a variety of instruments, and was always on the path to pursuing music as a career in some way. In college I studied music education and performance and very much had a passion for both. I have two undergraduate degrees, one in music education and one in French horn performance. Then I got a master’s degree in French horn performance as well. With the BLM movement and the COVID pandemic both beginning during my graduate studies, I saw great need for strong leadership and diversity in classical music. As a result of that, I pivoted to pursue a path in music administration rather than being on stage performing, because I thought I could have a greater impact and help shape what our field looks like in the future.

How do you go about managing musicians and artists?

I think my prior experience as a musician informs how I go about my duties and trying to anticipate any needs that might come up related to operations or questions. In some ways, it’s about reacting, but improvising is also a big part of the job. When you’re working with so many people — the orchestra musicians alone number about 90 — things come up that I have to resolve in the moment by figuring out the best way to move forward.

Can you pinpoint one or two favorite aspects of your work?

The highlight for me is working with the musicians. There are so many personalities and so much for me to learn from each one of them. By far, my favorite part of the Civic season is when I actually get to see and hear the musicians in the building from October through June. And it’s especially great to see the growth a lot of people have from when they join Civic to two or three years later when they win positions with various groups.

Just in the past few months we’ve had musicians join the Rochester Philharmonic, the Tucson Symphony, the Sarasota Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony, to name a few. Others earned fellowship positions with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony and our very own CSO. I’m proud that those fellowships might lead to full-time careers that contribute to more diversity in our field. That is really exciting for me.

What do you do for fun?

I recently joined the Chicago Gay Men’s Chorus, and I’m really enjoying being a part of that so far. I’ve met some great people and super talented musicians, but because it’s a volunteer group rather than professional, it’s just for fun. It’s something I look forward to each week.

The Civic Orchestra of Chicago begins its 2023-24 season on Oct. 23 with a concert titled Symphonic Dances, conducted by James Gaffigan. Tickets, which are free (with a $5 handling charge), become available Oct. 8. For details about the full Civic season, click here.