An engaged, enthusiastic, and diverse audience is one of the strongest measurements for justifying an orchestra’ value. During my years as a violinist in various orchestras around the country, I have witnessed audiences lose their enthusiasm for live concerts and turn their backs to orchestras as the result of behavior from those inside the ensemble. A growing reality is nobody seems to learn from these mistakes and instead, treats them as though they should be expected behavior. Concerts and rehearsals are becoming as predictable as bad sitcoms but instead of turning preachy ... Continue Reading

One of the best activities after a concert is to talk about it over drinks. For musicians, talking about a concert that has just been performed boils down to a musical postmortem. What went well, what went horribly wrong, how it could (read: should) have been better, are all tossed about over beer or wine. By the nature of their training, musicians are trained to be hyper-critical with their own performances. Whether it is solo, chamber music, or orchestral music, the inner critic never shuts off. And while this is a very ... Continue Reading

Crazy things happen during the final weeks at some music festivals, and this summer was no different. I was wrapping up my fourth week at the Grand Teton Music Festival when sudden inspiration hit me. I wondered how easy it was to play the trombone solo in Bolero! Fortunately, my brother is a professional trombonist and since we were both playing the festival and sharing housing, I coaxed him to play the Bolero trombone solo. I asked if he could teach me, and what started out as a crazy joke turned into ... Continue Reading

Over the past 20 years, the Slow Food movement has grown from being characterized as a gimmick created by a small group of culinary elitists to mainstream acceptance throughout much of Europe and the US. Along the way, the movement has overcome a number of obstacles that are similar to those currently facing the world classical music. But the message classical music portrays isn’t as clear or unified as the Slow Food movement. There is no doubt that classical music organizations are working hard to build support for classical music but many ... Continue Reading

In the wake of rising oil prices and increased interest in environmentalism, there has been substantial attention focused on the Slow Food movement. Some of the basic ideals behind the 20 year old movement include opposing fast food in favor of learning to taste and enjoy a meal, favoring organic and/or family farms over industrialized farms, and teaching gardening to develop a new appreciation for where food comes from. As recently as a few years ago, many considered the Slow Food movement as a gimmick created by a small group of culinary ... Continue Reading