Conductors Archives

Myth Busters — by Brant Taylor

Instrumentalists often prepare for an orchestra audition by seeking feedback on their preparation from a teacher or colleague. Perhaps because my career includes both orchestral playing and teaching, I am frequently asked to coach players who are preparing solo work(s) and orchestral excerpts for a given audition. Some players I hear are very new to the audition game, while others are already seasoned professionals looking to step up to another ensemble or for a promotion in their current group. After years of talking with these musicians about auditions in general and about the specifics of their preparation, I've noticed several assumptions that players sometimes make about auditions. While some of these assumptions are true, and made with good reason, many others are best described as myths. Some of these are half-truths, and [...]

By Brant Taylor|2017-11-09T02:42:34-05:00November 16th, 2011|Categories: Auditions, Orchestra, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: fingerings, Audition, tempo, coaching, expression, repertoire, mistakes, cello, Conductors, Brant, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, potential, CSO, assumptions, orchestra, Instruments, Preparation, musicianship, Taylor, recordings|

Taking it on the Road — by Brant Taylor

One of the most interesting and rewarding aspects of life in a major orchestra is the touring. After "What difference does the conductor really make?" and "How did the orchestra like _____?" (conductor or soloist), the questions I'm asked most frequently by members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's devoted audience are almost always about touring. Organizing an extended trip for a large orchestra, especially abroad, is an immense undertaking. The initial planning begins years before the event itself, and all of the logistics that must be in place for things to run smoothly take the full-time attention of dedicated members of the orchestra's administration. There are a couple of travel companies in the U. S. who specialize in taking orchestras on tour, and the CSO uses one of these companies [...]

By Brant Taylor|2017-10-30T05:23:10-04:00October 16th, 2011|Categories: Cello Travel, Orchestra|Tags: Taylor, flying, cello, Travel, cellobello, Conductors, Brant, Touring, cello section, organization, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, orchestral tours, CSO, cello cases, flying with instruments, orchestra, trips|

Seeing a Bigger Picture — by Yeesun Kim

As a young cellist, I gratefully accepted my teachers' generous offers of bowings, fingerings and phrasing suggestions to many pieces I studied. These suggestions were well tested in numerous performances, were given thoughtful evaluation that took into account the personal convictions of many great musicians. At that time, I was not particularly in the habit of questioning and reasoning for myself. In a sense, other than what I HAD to contribute, I trusted that all this work would and should settle into a successful interpretation. Since becoming the cellist of a professional string quartet (the Borromeo String Quartet), my attitude HAD to change completely. Now, it was not possible to participate in making music without evaluating ALL that was in the score. The pieces in the repertoire of the string [...]

By Yeesun Kim|2019-06-17T12:24:15-04:00March 15th, 2011|Categories: Beyond the Traditional, Chamber Music, In the Practice Room|Tags: talent, Borromeo String Quartet, Yeesun, Conductors, Technology, confidence, device, Interpretation, Habits, Preparation, Kim, making music, rehearsals, fingerings, string quartet, success, suggestions|