Shostakovich had never had it worse: his latest opera, Lady Macbeth, had been panned. And not just by an ordinary critic: Joseph Stalin himself had paid a visit to the opera house. The official Soviet opinion of the work? “Muddle instead of music.” Shostakovich therefore pulled his Symphony No. 4 out of rehearsals and regrouped. He determined to write “a Soviet artist’s response to justified criticism,” a work that would become his Symphony No. 5. Join me and Akiko as we talk Shostakovich, Saint-Saens, and Francisco Coll, along with guest artists Gustavo Gimeno, conductor, and Javier Perianes, piano!

Shostakovich had never had it worse: his latest opera, Lady Macbeth, had been panned. And not just by an ordinary critic: Joseph Stalin himself had paid a visit to the opera house. The official Soviet opinion of the work? “Muddle instead of music.” Shostakovich therefore pulled his Symphony No. 4 out of rehearsals and regrouped. He determined to write “a Soviet artist’s response to justified criticism,” a work that would become his Symphony No. 5. Join me and Akiko as we talk Shostakovich, Saint-Saens, and Francisco Coll, along with guest artists Gustavo Gimeno, conductor, and Javier Perianes, piano!

Music or muddle: Shostakovich’s 5th Symphony

Ma Vlast

Have you ever “discovered” a major piece, live, in the concert hall? Nathan remembers sitting right next to a big star performing Prokofiev’s second Piano Concerto, with its massive and breathtaking first-movement cadenza. Then he and Akiko talk about sitting right next to another big star this week for the same piece. They also reminisce about those stacks of records, cassette tapes, and ultimately CDs from which they learned all the repertoire. Finally, they debate the categories for this week’s rep: Qigang Chen’s l’eloignement, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, and Smetana’s Ma Vlast, with Bezhod Abduraimov as piano soloist and Xian Zhang conducting.

Have you ever “discovered” a major piece, live, in the concert hall? Nathan remembers sitting right next to a big star performing Prokofiev’s second Piano Concerto, with its massive and breathtaking first-movement cadenza. Then he and Akiko talk about sitting right next to another big star this week for the same piece. They also reminisce about those stacks of records, cassette tapes, and ultimately CDs from which they learned all the repertoire. Finally, they debate the categories for this week’s rep: Qigang Chen’s l’eloignement, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in g minor, and Smetana’s Ma Vlast, with Bezhod Abduraimov as piano soloist and Xian Zhang conducting.

The best cadenza ever? Prokofiev and Ma Vlast

This week’s landmark episode marks the return of Akiko, plus a pair of fellow stand partners for life: violists Kate Reddish and Eric Lea!  We discuss the slings and arrows of a career in music, what you can and can’t get from music school, what it’s like to be part of a string-playing pair, and much more. Kate Reddish is a Los Angeles-based freelance violist. She enjoys a busy and varied career subbing with nearly every major orchestra in the Southern California area, performing as a chamber musician, and teaching and coaching individuals and groups. Kate can be heard on hundreds of film scores, albums, and TV shows, and has appeared on television and on film. Kate comes from a “numbers” family: her father was a tax attorney and CPA and her mother a bookkeeper; her sister followed that path to work as a bookkeeper and financial analyst. Meanwhile, Kate, who started playing the viola through the public school system in Riverside, was certain that a life in music was the only life she wanted. Kate earned her BA and MM from UCLA (go Bruins!), studying with former Los Angeles Philharmonic principal violist Evan Wilson. Feeling nothing like a Master, she then trotted across town to USC (go Trojans!) to complete an artist’s diploma with eminent pedagogue Donald McInnes. Since finishing her formal schooling, Kate has also participated in intensive courses with Burton Kaplan, Rob Knopper, Noa Kageyama, and Nathan Cole. In June of 2021, Kate started her own business, KMR Creative, consulting for online educators and coaches. She currently works closely with Nathan Cole to design and implement his many online offerings and to build the communities that rise up around those courses. Kate enjoys yoga and dance, good food and wine, card games and crossword puzzles, and creating order out of chaos. She currently lives in South Pasadena with her husband, violist and composer Eric Lea, and their sweet kitty, Misha. Eric Lea is a reasonably tall violist.  He has a BM from the University of Arizona and an MM from USC (see above re: Trojans), both in viola performance.  He has subbed with many symphonies and played and recorded with many bands.  As the violist for the band Get Set Go, his playing could be barely discerned by millions under snappy dialogue in several episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, and he has toured Japan with songwriter/producer Mike Viola (coincidence?), with whom he and Kate recorded an album called Acousto de Perfecto.  He fancies himself as something of a composer now, and his song cycles can be heard at ericlea.bandcamp.com.

This week’s landmark episode marks the return of Akiko, plus a pair of fellow stand partners for life: violists Kate Reddish and Eric Lea! We discuss the slings and arrows of a career in music, what you can and can’t get from music school, what it’s like to be part of a string-playing pair, and much more. Kate Reddish is a Los Angeles-based freelance violist. She enjoys a busy and varied career subbing with nearly every major orchestra in the Southern California area, performing as a chamber musician, and teaching and coaching individuals and groups. Kate can be heard on hundreds of film scores, albums, and TV shows, and has appeared on television and on film. Kate comes from a “numbers” family: her father was a tax attorney and CPA and her mother a bookkeeper; her sister followed that path to work as a bookkeeper and financial analyst. Meanwhile, Kate, who started playing the viola through the public school system in Riverside, was certain that a life in music was the only life she wanted. Kate earned her BA and MM from UCLA (go Bruins!), studying with former Los Angeles Philharmonic principal violist Evan Wilson. Feeling nothing like a Master, she then trotted across town to USC (go Trojans!) to complete an artist’s diploma with eminent pedagogue Donald McInnes. Since finishing her formal schooling, Kate has also participated in intensive courses with Burton Kaplan, Rob Knopper, Noa Kageyama, and Nathan Cole. In June of 2021, Kate started her own business, KMR Creative, consulting for online educators and coaches. She currently works closely with Nathan Cole to design and implement his many online offerings and to build the communities that rise up around those courses. Kate enjoys yoga and dance, good food and wine, card games and crossword puzzles, and creating order out of chaos. She currently lives in South Pasadena with her husband, violist and composer Eric Lea, and their sweet kitty, Misha. Eric Lea is a reasonably tall violist. He has a BM from the University of Arizona and an MM from USC (see above re: Trojans), both in viola performance. He has subbed with many symphonies and played and recorded with many bands. As the violist for the band Get Set Go, his playing could be barely discerned by millions under snappy dialogue in several episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, and he has toured Japan with songwriter/producer Mike Viola (coincidence?), with whom he and Kate recorded an album called Acousto de Perfecto. He fancies himself as something of a composer now, and his song cycles can be heard at <a href="http://ericlea.bandcamp.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">ericlea.bandcamp.com</a>.

Stand Partners “Four” Life

I’m joined in the backyard this week by Violympian and VMC participant Travis Maril, as well as his fellow USC alum and my Director of Operations, Kate Reddish. Our wide-ranging conversation includes no small measure of pedagogical geekery, as well as such diverse topics as Tae Kwon Do bribery and Michael Jordan’s private Space Jam gym.Violist Travis Maril is String Coordinator and Viola Faculty at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he has taught since 2007. At SDSU he also serves as Co-Director of the Community Music School’s String Academy, a pre-college program for young musicians, which he co-founded in 2012. As violist with the Hyperion Quartet, Travis was a prizewinner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Over the years he has collaborated in chamber music projects with principal players of the LA Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Miró Quartet, and Brooklyn Rider, among others.  Locally he performs frequently with Camarada, Art of Elan, and with the San Diego Symphony.Inspired by the Violympics in 2021, Travis started String Gym, his own online program for violinists and violists. Through String Gym, Travis works with players across the US, Australia, Germany and Taiwan.  From time to time he also writes about music-related topics on his blog, String Theory. You can also follow Travis on Instagram.If you’re interested in joining us for the fifth iteration of VMC, starting in 2023, you can find out more information here, and apply here.

I’m joined in the backyard this week by Violympian and VMC participant Travis Maril, as well as his fellow USC alum and my Director of Operations, Kate Reddish. Our wide-ranging conversation includes no small measure of pedagogical geekery, as well as such diverse topics as Tae Kwon Do bribery and Michael Jordan’s private Space Jam gym.Violist Travis Maril is String Coordinator and Viola Faculty at San Diego State University (SDSU), where he has taught since 2007. At SDSU he also serves as Co-Director of the Community Music School’s String Academy, a pre-college program for young musicians, which he co-founded in 2012. As violist with the Hyperion Quartet, Travis was a prizewinner at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Over the years he has collaborated in chamber music projects with principal players of the LA Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Miró Quartet, and Brooklyn Rider, among others.  Locally he performs frequently with Camarada, Art of Elan, and with the San Diego Symphony.Inspired by the Violympics in 2021, Travis started String Gym, his own online program for violinists and violists. Through String Gym, Travis works with players across the US, Australia, Germany and Taiwan.  From time to time he also writes about music-related topics on his blog, <a href="https://www.travis-maril.com/blog" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">String Theory</a>. You can also follow Travis on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tmaril/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Instagram</a>.If you’re interested in joining us for the fifth iteration of VMC, starting in 2023, you can <a href="https://natesviolin.lpages.co/vmc-5/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">find out more information here</a>, and <a href="https://nathancole048027.typeform.com/to/GRJ4m6np" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">apply here</a>.

Travis Maril, Violympic Champion

Kerstin Tenney

Nathan, Kerstin and Kate (and Kate’s SPFL Eric) in PasadenaToday I’m talking with Kerstin Tenney, VMC violinist par excellence, as well as my Director of Operations, violist (and VMC alumna par equally excellence) Kate Reddish. We talk about Kerstin’s musical education, her experience in the Virtuoso Master Course, and the new album she’s recorded with Simon Kiln and the English Symphony Orchestra! Violinist Kerstin Tenney finished recording her first solo violin album in England earlier this year, and is now preparing for its release in the early months of 2023. Her 16-track album, Light, features four newly commissioned pieces, and 8 new arrangements written specifically for this project. Following a lifelong desire to learn, Kerstin has worked with Nathan Cole in every iteration of his Virtuoso Master Course. She plays with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, does freelance work, and has a private violin studio, teaching in person and online. In her teaching, along with focusing on the musical and technical aspects involved with playing, Kerstin incorporates the mental in addressing thoughts and fears that inhibit progression, the physiological and anatomical components of playing in understanding the structure of the body and how this affects one’s playing, and looks at the role the neurological system has in playing the violin.   Kerstin can be found on her website at http://www.kerstintenney.com, her newsletter at https://bit.ly/KerstinsNewsletter, and on Instagram at @kerstintenney. If you’re interested in joining us for the fifth iteration of VMC, starting in 2023, you can find out more information here, and apply here.

Nathan, Kerstin and Kate (and Kate’s SPFL Eric) in Pasadena Today I’m talking with Kerstin Tenney, VMC violinist par excellence, as well as my Director of Operations, violist (and VMC alumna par equally excellence) Kate Reddish. We talk about Kerstin’s musical education, her experience in the Virtuoso Master Course, and the new album she’s recorded with Simon Kiln and the English Symphony Orchestra! Violinist Kerstin Tenney finished recording her first solo violin album in England earlier this year, and is now preparing for its release in the early months of 2023. Her 16-track album, Light, features four newly commissioned pieces, and 8 new arrangements written specifically for this project. Following a lifelong desire to learn, Kerstin has worked with Nathan Cole in every iteration of his Virtuoso Master Course. She plays with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, does freelance work, and has a private violin studio, teaching in person and online. In her teaching, along with focusing on the musical and technical aspects involved with playing, Kerstin incorporates the mental in addressing thoughts and fears that inhibit progression, the physiological and anatomical components of playing in understanding the structure of the body and how this affects one’s playing, and looks at the role the neurological system has in playing the violin.  Kerstin can be found on her website at <a href="http://www.kerstintenney.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.kerstintenney.com</a>, her newsletter at <a href="https://bit.ly/KerstinsNewsletter" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bit.ly/KerstinsNewsletter</a>, and on Instagram at @kerstintenney. If you’re interested in joining us for the fifth iteration of VMC, starting in 2023, you can <a href="https://natesviolin.lpages.co/vmc-5/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">find out more information here</a>, and <a href="https://nathancole048027.typeform.com/to/GRJ4m6np" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">apply here</a>.

Kerstin Tenney and the Light Album

It’s tour time! While you’re listening, we’ll be flying, driving, and playing our way through Boston, New York, Mexico City, and Guanajuato. So to kick off the trip, let’s talk tour repertoire and hand out some awards. Tour rep includes Copland’s Third Symphony and Mahler 1 as the “big pieces”, plus violin concertos from Arturo Marquez and Gabriela Ortiz. Which composers would we love to have dinner with? What are the scariest moments in these concerts? And what was the most memorable on-stage exchange during tour prep?

It’s tour time! While you’re listening, we’ll be flying, driving, and playing our way through Boston, New York, Mexico City, and Guanajuato. So to kick off the trip, let’s talk tour repertoire and hand out some awards. Tour rep includes Copland’s Third Symphony and Mahler 1 as the “big pieces”, plus violin concertos from Arturo Marquez and Gabriela Ortiz. Which composers would we love to have dinner with? What are the scariest moments in these concerts? And what was the most memorable on-stage exchange during tour prep?

Tour-ready? Copland 3, Mahler 1, and more

Akiko and I are back for the 2022-2023 season! In this first episode we share with you a fun new format: awards in all kinds of different categories. Next week we’ll focus on the season-opening tour prep weeks at the LA Phil, but for today we’re handing out some All-Time awards. Discover which composers we’d love to have dinner with, which excerpts terrify us in auditions, and which conductor gestures stand the test of time. And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, just by clicking the link below the podcast player. Welcome back to SPFL!

Akiko and I are back for the 2022-2023 season! In this first episode we share with you a fun new format: awards in all kinds of different categories. Next week we’ll focus on the season-opening tour prep weeks at the LA Phil, but for today we’re handing out some All-Time awards. Discover which composers we’d love to have dinner with, which excerpts terrify us in auditions, and which conductor gestures stand the test of time. And don’t forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, just by clicking the link below the podcast player. Welcome back to SPFL!

Welcome back with the All-Time Awards

039: Summer motivation, plus Q & A

038: Do we really need a conductor?

037: Orchestra Players Anonymous

Violinists (and husband and wife) Nathan Cole and Akiko Tarumoto give you an inside look at performing with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Each week brings new repertoire, conductors, soloists… and new stories from their life-long love affair with classical music, the violin, and their family.

I really enjoy listening to these episodes. Enlightening and entertaining!

Wonderful podcast!

Great podcast.  Looking forward to hearing more.

5 stars.

Stand Partners for Life

This week, we're talking scales and etudes. Are they the foundational blocks on which your entire technique is built? Or more like raw vegetables that you have to choke down if you want to stay healthy?Akiko actually had a scale class as a kid, while I got a crash course in scales from my Curtis teacher Felix Galimir (who had studied with Carl Flesch himself).Etudes were a different story. Both of us went through a progression of Sevcik, Schradieck, Kretuzer, Dont, and all the rest. But back then, we just played without knowing why. These days, we like to know the point of an etude before we dive in: the key that unlocks each etude's benefit.Developing my Virtuoso Master Course has given me a chance to reevaluate my relationship with the classics, but I wanted Akiko's take on the topic as well. Enjoy a roll in the hay of fundamental violin techniques!Key pointsAkiko recounts her distaste for practicing scales at JuilliardScales: more like meditation or workout?Akiko's time at Juilliard pre-college with Ševčík, Schradieck, Kreutzer, Paganini and YostWhy Akiko stopped practicing scales after a Paganini concerto got her downScales and etudes as prep for challenging piecesNathan's first scale, at the end of Suzuki studiesHow Ivan Galamian adjusted a three-octave scale to give it 24 notesAkiko's scale classNathan and Akiko's take on Simon Fischer’s Warming UpThe times in life to discover etudes (i.e. bachelor freedom)Thirds for 20 minutes a day, thanks to Ruggiero RicciNathan's first lesson with Felix Galimir, and the four-hour-a-day scale workoutEvery etude has a key to unlock its benefitHow to practice scales so they lead to confident performanceAkiko’s feeling of impending violinistic disaster, as inThe Godfather.Quotes“I feel like the goal for the Delay students was to get to Paganini ASAP.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:10:31]“I think that’s the real argument for learning skills in scales and etudes, so that when you get to them in in the repertoire, you feel like you can say, ‘I’ve got this.’” — @natesviolin  [0:14:43]“Opening up an etude book, trying to play one and just – whether your reaction is just stopping and closing it or breaking down crying, it is actually a pretty common thing.” — @natesviolin  [0:26:56]“Great strides are made when there is not a lot else going on.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:29:17]“it wasn’t like I was sitting here watching TV and you came up to me and you said, ‘You need to work on your arpeggios.’” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:47:04]Links from the episodeJuilliard Pre-CollegeAspen FestivalThe Virtuoso Master CourseKreutzer SonataHenry SchradieckOtakar ŠevčíkNicolò PaganiniFranz WohlfahrtJacques Féréol MazasGaylord YostCurtis Institute of MusicSuzuki Violin BooksMozart Fifth Concerto in A MajorMozart’s Fourth Concerto in D majorJohannes BrahmsJoachim CadenzaDan MasonVienna Philharmonic OrchestraCarl FleschIvan GalamianPierre Gaviniès Simon FischerMoritz MoszkowskiSaint Paul Chamber OrchestraAnimal FarmRuggiero RicciSergei ProkofievJack Benny William PreucilThe GodfatherTranscript[0:00:00.7] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan Cole.[0:00:04.7] AT: I am Akiko Tarumoto.[0:00:18.7] NC: That’s it, it’s just the two of us this time. We’ve had a couple of episodes lately with some very special guests, especially cellists.[0:00:26.6] AT: Yeah, I guess it goes along with my theory that violinists aren’t really friends with other violinists.[0:00:32.9] NC: Well, we’re married to other violinists but just not friends.[0:00:36.3] AT: I said friends.[0:00:37.8] NC: That’s true, it took us a while to become friends.[0:00:39.8] AT: Yeah, right?[0:00:41.7] NC: Because of that, I thought that maybe this episode could be a little bit more violin centric, you know, we talk a lot about the orchestra life, playing in orchestra, obviously Stand Partners refers to the orchestra life but sometime we can nerd out a ...

This week, we're talking scales and etudes. Are they the foundational blocks on which your entire technique is built? Or more like raw vegetables that you have to choke down if you want to stay healthy? Akiko actually had a scale class as a kid, while I got a crash course in scales from my Curtis teacher Felix Galimir (who had studied with Carl Flesch himself). Etudes were a different story. Both of us went through a progression of Sevcik, Schradieck, Kretuzer, Dont, and all the rest. But back then, we just played without knowing why. These days, we like to know the point of an etude before we dive in: the key that unlocks each etude's benefit. Developing my Virtuoso Master Course has given me a chance to reevaluate my relationship with the classics, but I wanted Akiko's take on the topic as well. Enjoy a roll in the hay of fundamental violin techniques! Key points Akiko recounts her distaste for practicing scales at JuilliardScales: more like meditation or workout?Akiko's time at Juilliard pre-college with Ševčík, Schradieck, Kreutzer, Paganini and YostWhy Akiko stopped practicing scales after a Paganini concerto got her downScales and etudes as prep for challenging piecesNathan's first scale, at the end of Suzuki studiesHow Ivan Galamian adjusted a three-octave scale to give it 24 notesAkiko's scale classNathan and Akiko's take on Simon Fischer’s Warming UpThe times in life to discover etudes (i.e. bachelor freedom)Thirds for 20 minutes a day, thanks to Ruggiero RicciNathan's first lesson with Felix Galimir, and the four-hour-a-day scale workoutEvery etude has a key to unlock its benefitHow to practice scales so they lead to confident performanceAkiko’s feeling of impending violinistic disaster, as inThe Godfather. Quotes “I feel like the goal for the Delay students was to get to Paganini ASAP.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:10:31] “I think that’s the real argument for learning skills in scales and etudes, so that when you get to them in in the repertoire, you feel like you can say, ‘I’ve got this.’” — @natesviolin  [0:14:43] “Opening up an etude book, trying to play one and just – whether your reaction is just stopping and closing it or breaking down crying, it is actually a pretty common thing.” — @natesviolin  [0:26:56] “Great strides are made when there is not a lot else going on.” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:29:17] “it wasn’t like I was sitting here watching TV and you came up to me and you said, ‘You need to work on your arpeggios.’” — @Akiko Tarumoto  [0:47:04] Links from the episode Juilliard Pre-CollegeAspen FestivalThe Virtuoso Master CourseKreutzer SonataHenry SchradieckOtakar ŠevčíkNicolò PaganiniFranz WohlfahrtJacques Féréol MazasGaylord YostCurtis Institute of MusicSuzuki Violin BooksMozart Fifth Concerto in A MajorMozart’s Fourth Concerto in D majorJohannes BrahmsJoachim CadenzaDan MasonVienna Philharmonic OrchestraCarl FleschIvan GalamianPierre Gaviniès Simon FischerMoritz MoszkowskiSaint Paul Chamber OrchestraAnimal FarmRuggiero RicciSergei ProkofievJack Benny William PreucilThe Godfather Transcript [0:00:00.7] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan Cole. [0:00:04.7] AT: I am Akiko Tarumoto. [0:00:18.7] NC: That’s it, it’s just the two of us this time. We’ve had a couple of episodes lately with some very special guests, especially cellists. [0:00:26.6] AT: Yeah, I guess it goes along with my theory that violinists aren’t really friends with other violinists. [0:00:32.9] NC: Well, we’re married to other violinists but just not friends. [0:00:36.3] AT: I said friends. [0:00:37.8] NC: That’s true, it took us a while to become friends. [0:00:39.8] AT: Yeah, right? [0:00:41.7] NC: Because of that, I thought that maybe this episode could be a little bit more violin centric, you know, we talk a lot about the orchestra life, playing in orchestra, obviously Stand Partners refers to the orchestra life but sometime we can nerd out a ...

034: The spirit is willing, but the Flesch is weak

Nathan comes from a musical family, which might have saddled him with unmanageable expectations. But his parents were careful to keep things light and fun, while making sure he had a strong foundation.In this episode, Akiko learns about Nathan’s beginnings in the Suzuki method with Donna Wiehe, his transition to Daniel Mason (who was a Heifetz student), and that always-awkward teen period when we all have to figure things out for ourselves. For Nathan, that included his first memory slip (terrifying), his introduction to chamber music, and his lifelong habit of keeping a practice journal.We wrap up where we did in the last episode: at the moment just before we met for the very first time!

Nathan comes from a musical family, which might have saddled him with unmanageable expectations. But his parents were careful to keep things light and fun, while making sure he had a strong foundation. In this episode, Akiko learns about Nathan’s beginnings in the Suzuki method with Donna Wiehe, his transition to Daniel Mason (who was a Heifetz student), and that always-awkward teen period when we all have to figure things out for ourselves. For Nathan, that included his first memory slip (terrifying), his introduction to chamber music, and his lifelong habit of keeping a practice journal. We wrap up where we did in the last episode: at the moment just before we met for the very first time!

003: Nathan’s journey from Kentucky to Curtis

Virtuoso Ray Chen hardly needs an introduction, but let's start with his Gold Medal at the Queen Elisabeth competition in 2009, at the age of 20! His career since then, by all appearances, has been an effortless climb. But as you're about to hear, that isn't the whole story.As I've gotten to know Ray (during his solo appearances with the LA Phil, including that one time he stole my bow for a Paganini encore!) I've been impressed with how open he is in person and on social media.Let's start here: if you don't follow Ray on Instagram and YouTube, you're missing out big time! Here are those links:Ray's InstagramRay on YouTubeFor example, one of Ray's videos deals with the topic of insecurity. It's so rare for a world-class soloist to open up about this topic, and you certainly won't hear any insecurity in his playing! But as we discuss in this episode, it's a feeling every violinist deals with at some point, and it's a necessary step along the way to mature artistry.Ray Chen's biographyRay Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. With a media presence that enhances and inspires the classical audience, reaching out to millions through his unprecedented online following, Ray Chen's remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world.Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) Competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, he has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia both live and on disc. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the summer of 2017 has seen the recording of the first album of this partnership with the London Philharmonic as a succession to his previous three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award. Profiled as “one to watch” by the Strad and Gramophone magazines, his profile has grown to encompass his featuring in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, appearing in major online TV series “Mozart in the Jungle”, a multi-year partnership with Giorgio Armani (who designed the cover of his Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach) and performing at major media events such as France’s Bastille Day (live to 800,000 people), the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm (telecast across Europe), and the BBC Proms.“It’s hard to say something new with these celebrated works; however, Ray Chen performs them with the kind of authority that puts him in the same category as Maxim Vengerov.”— CORRIERE DELLA SERAHe has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra Nazionale della Santa Cecilia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and upcoming debuts include the SWR Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Sakari Oramo, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, Krystof Urbanski, Juraj Valcuha and many others. From 2012-2015 he was resident at the Dortmund Konzerthaus and in 17/18 will be an “Artist Focus” with the Berlin Radio Symphony. His presence on social media makes Ray Chen a pioneer in an artist’s interaction with their audience, utilising the new opportunities of modern technology. His appearances and interactions with music and musicians are instantly disseminated to a new public in a contemporary and relatable way. He is the first musician to be invited to write a lifestyle blog for the largest Italian publishing house, RCS Rizzoli (Corriere della Sera, Gazzetta dello Sport, Max). He has been featured in Vogue magazine and is currently releasing his own design of violin case for the industry manufacturer GEWA.

Virtuoso Ray Chen hardly needs an introduction, but let's start with his Gold Medal at the Queen Elisabeth competition in 2009, at the age of 20! His career since then, by all appearances, has been an effortless climb. But as you're about to hear, that isn't the whole story. As I've gotten to know Ray (during his solo appearances with the LA Phil, including that one time he stole my bow for a Paganini encore!) I've been impressed with how open he is in person and on social media. Let's start here: if you don't follow Ray on Instagram and YouTube, you're missing out big time! Here are those links: Ray's Instagram Ray on YouTube For example, one of Ray's videos deals with the topic of insecurity. It's so rare for a world-class soloist to open up about this topic, and you certainly won't hear any insecurity in his playing! But as we discuss in this episode, it's a feeling every violinist deals with at some point, and it's a necessary step along the way to mature artistry. Ray Chen's biography Ray Chen is a violinist who redefines what it is to be a classical musician in the 21st Century. With a media presence that enhances and inspires the classical audience, reaching out to millions through his unprecedented online following, Ray Chen's remarkable musicianship transmits to a global audience that is reflected in his engagements with the foremost orchestras and concert halls around the world.Initially coming to attention via the Yehudi Menuhin (2008) and Queen Elizabeth (2009) Competitions, of which he was First Prize winner, he has built a profile in Europe, Asia, and the USA as well as his native Australia both live and on disc. Signed in 2017 to Decca Classics, the summer of 2017 has seen the recording of the first album of this partnership with the London Philharmonic as a succession to his previous three critically acclaimed albums on SONY, the first of which (“Virtuoso”) received an ECHO Klassik Award. Profiled as “one to watch” by the Strad and Gramophone magazines, his profile has grown to encompass his featuring in the Forbes list of 30 most influential Asians under 30, appearing in major online TV series “Mozart in the Jungle”, a multi-year partnership with Giorgio Armani (who designed the cover of his Mozart album with Christoph Eschenbach) and performing at major media events such as France’s Bastille Day (live to 800,000 people), the Nobel Prize Concert in Stockholm (telecast across Europe), and the BBC Proms. “It’s hard to say something new with these celebrated works; however, Ray Chen performs them with the kind of authority that puts him in the same category as Maxim Vengerov.” — CORRIERE DELLA SERA He has appeared with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, Munich Philharmonic, Filarmonica della Scala, Orchestra Nazionale della Santa Cecilia, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and upcoming debuts include the SWR Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Berlin Radio Symphony, and Bavarian Radio Chamber Orchestra. He works with conductors such as Riccardo Chailly, Vladimir Jurowski, Sakari Oramo, Manfred Honeck, Daniele Gatti, Kirill Petrenko, Krystof Urbanski, Juraj Valcuha and many others. From 2012-2015 he was resident at the Dortmund Konzerthaus and in 17/18 will be an “Artist Focus” with the Berlin Radio Symphony. His presence on social media makes Ray Chen a pioneer in an artist’s interaction with their audience, utilising the new opportunities of modern technology. His appearances and interactions with music and musicians are instantly disseminated to a new public in a contemporary and relatable way. He is the first musician to be invited to write a lifestyle blog for the largest Italian publishing house, RCS Rizzoli (Corriere della Sera, Gazzetta dello Sport, Max). He has been featured in Vogue magazine and is currently releasing his own design of violin case for the industry manufacturer GEWA.

020: Ray Chen – how insecurity leads to maturity

Everything would have been so easy if we’d just known then what we know now! In this episode, we revisit what auditioning was like back when we started, and what’s changed for us as we’ve both taken, and judged, so many orchestra auditions.Nathan likes to compare auditions to blind dates: you’ve only got a minute to show what kind of player you are, and all the details you’ve worked so hard to refine need to add up to a beguiling package.Akiko talks about how it’s all about playing to your strengths while deftly concealing your weaknesses. Some of those weaknesses may be with you all the time, while others may only show up under pressure. You have to be savvy enough to know what’s coming when the spotlight’s on you.We discuss what immediately signals to us that someone’s a great player, or not-so-great. Then we each finish with an audition blunder from our early days. Nathan’s involves the cadenza to the Brahms violin concerto, while Akiko’s has her playing for a friend the night before the big day.

Everything would have been so easy if we’d just known then what we know now! In this episode, we revisit what auditioning was like back when we started, and what’s changed for us as we’ve both taken, and judged, so many orchestra auditions. Nathan likes to compare auditions to blind dates: you’ve only got a minute to show what kind of player you are, and all the details you’ve worked so hard to refine need to add up to a beguiling package. Akiko talks about how it’s all about playing to your strengths while deftly concealing your weaknesses. Some of those weaknesses may be with you all the time, while others may only show up under pressure. You have to be savvy enough to know what’s coming when the spotlight’s on you. We discuss what immediately signals to us that someone’s a great player, or not-so-great. Then we each finish with an audition blunder from our early days. Nathan’s involves the cadenza to the Brahms violin concerto, while Akiko’s has her playing for a friend the night before the big day.

004: Audition advice for our younger selves

OK, you guessed it: it's going to be impossible for us to narrow things down to one "best"! But Akiko and I give it our best shot, outlining the pluses and minuses for all the popular choices.In this episode we refer to an article I wrote a few years ago, "Which violin concerto has the toughest opening?"

OK, you guessed it: it's going to be impossible for us to narrow things down to one "best"! But Akiko and I give it our best shot, outlining the pluses and minuses for all the popular choices. In this episode we refer to an article I wrote a few years ago, "Which violin concerto has the toughest opening?"

021: The best orchestra audition concerto

Joseph Bein

I met Joseph Bein almost as soon as I moved to Chicago to join the CSO in 2002. We've talked great instruments and bows ever since, over dinners, glasses of wine, and even Cubs games! Come to think of it, at Wrigley Field the talk is all baseball...Joe has been immersed in the world of fine string instruments his entire life, and when he visited LA I couldn't pass up the chance to talk with him about how his father, Robert Bein, and Robert's friend Geoffrey Fushi started Bein &amp; Fushi in Chicago.We also delve into how (and why) fantastic instruments make their way into the hands of world-class players. And we eventually get to all those phone calls the shop receives about old violin cases in the attic!Here's more on Joseph from the Bein &amp; Fushi site.

I met Joseph Bein almost as soon as I moved to Chicago to join the CSO in 2002. We've talked great instruments and bows ever since, over dinners, glasses of wine, and even Cubs games! Come to think of it, at Wrigley Field the talk is all baseball... Joe has been immersed in the world of fine string instruments his entire life, and when he visited LA I couldn't pass up the chance to talk with him about how his father, Robert Bein, and Robert's friend Geoffrey Fushi started Bein &amp; Fushi in Chicago. We also delve into how (and why) fantastic instruments make their way into the hands of world-class players. And we eventually get to all those phone calls the shop receives about old violin cases in the attic! Here's more on Joseph from the Bein &amp; Fushi site.

019: Joseph Bein and the myth of the “Attic Stradivarius”

“All music was new music once,” we often have to remind ourselves, and the same is true of conductors: they were all young once upon a time. But what does age have to do with a conductor’s artistic vision, or prowess with a baton? That’s what we figure out in today’s episode.Just how necessary is a conductor in the first place? Well, maybe not strictly necessary, but pretty important, as Akiko and the Chicago Symphony found out back in 2010 when Riccardo Muti fell ill just an hour before the season-opening gala! The orchestra and soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter went ahead with the Beethoven violin concerto and a Mozart symphony without anyone on the podium. It was hair-raising stuff, and anything but easy.Nathan talks about his first job, in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, where conductor-less weeks were (and remain) a feature, not a bug.We get into how conductors were trained in the old days (and the old countries), versus how they’re brought up now. Hint: it’s faster now, and that leads to consequences both good and bad for orchestras.Back when Nathan was at Curtis, the conducting teacher Otto-Werner Mueller stuck to the old ways when he selected his students. Only the cream of the analytical crop survived his grueling tests and earned the right to conduct Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring under his watchful eye at the audition finals. But not all them instinctively knew how to use the baton.We recall our (still young) boss, Gustavo Dudamel, making his first appearance with us and the Chicago Symphony while he was still in his 20s. A senior member of the orchestra challenged him in rehearsal, and the way Dudamel handled himself set the tone for his illustrious career.Likewise, Daniel Harding has appeared with us both in Chicago and in Los Angeles. We take our own remembrances of those not-always-happy meetings, and combine them with Harding’s own interview on the subject, to discover what experience taught him about orchestras. Here’s the link to the 2011 New York Times interview with Harding:Prodigy Ages into a Merely Young ConductorFinally, we round up the things young conductors can do, or not do, to start off on the right foot with a new group. There’s a lot to be said for trust, in both directions!

“All music was new music once,” we often have to remind ourselves, and the same is true of conductors: they were all young once upon a time. But what does age have to do with a conductor’s artistic vision, or prowess with a baton? That’s what we figure out in today’s episode. Just how necessary is a conductor in the first place? Well, maybe not strictly necessary, but pretty important, as Akiko and the Chicago Symphony found out back in 2010 when Riccardo Muti fell ill just an hour before the season-opening gala! The orchestra and soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter went ahead with the Beethoven violin concerto and a Mozart symphony without anyone on the podium. It was hair-raising stuff, and anything but easy. Nathan talks about his first job, in the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, where conductor-less weeks were (and remain) a feature, not a bug. We get into how conductors were trained in the old days (and the old countries), versus how they’re brought up now. Hint: it’s faster now, and that leads to consequences both good and bad for orchestras. Back when Nathan was at Curtis, the conducting teacher Otto-Werner Mueller stuck to the old ways when he selected his students. Only the cream of the analytical crop survived his grueling tests and earned the right to conduct Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring under his watchful eye at the audition finals. But not all them instinctively knew how to use the baton. We recall our (still young) boss, Gustavo Dudamel, making his first appearance with us and the Chicago Symphony while he was still in his 20s. A senior member of the orchestra challenged him in rehearsal, and the way Dudamel handled himself set the tone for his illustrious career. Likewise, Daniel Harding has appeared with us both in Chicago and in Los Angeles. We take our own remembrances of those not-always-happy meetings, and combine them with Harding’s own interview on the subject, to discover what experience taught him about orchestras. Here’s the link to the 2011 New York Times interview with Harding: Prodigy Ages into a Merely Young Conductor Finally, we round up the things young conductors can do, or not do, to start off on the right foot with a new group. There’s a lot to be said for trust, in both directions!

005: What we love (and loathe) about young conductors

Maybe it's the proverbial "seven minutes to midnight", or maybe you've still got a week or two. It never feels like enough time, trust us.So here's some advice for those last few days, hours, and minutes before your big day, inspired by the recent violin auditions at the LA Philharmonic.

Maybe it's the proverbial "seven minutes to midnight", or maybe you've still got a week or two. It never feels like enough time, trust us. So here's some advice for those last few days, hours, and minutes before your big day, inspired by the recent violin auditions at the LA Philharmonic.

028: Help, my audition’s tomorrow!

Let me start by saying that I just spent five minutes looking up the proper and accepted way to spell “do’s and don’ts”, so you can rest assured that I’ve nailed it!Do you want to be the kind of stand partner that your colleagues dream of playing with? Or do you want them to look at the new week’s roster, and mutter something under their breath? Let us break down the ways to get on your stand partner’s good side, and to stay there through the ups and downs of orchestra life. Of course, we also get into the big-time no-no’s so that you can steer clear!In fact, let’s break it down in the style of Family Feud! First, Nathan tries to guess Akiko’s top 5 “Don’ts”, then she attempts to guess his “Do’s”. We’re moderately successful, with just a few strikes against us.Along the way, Nathan shares a story about his first week with the Chicago Symphony, and what happened when he attempted to mark a fingering in his music. You can read much more about Nathan’s first few weeks with the CSO in his article on Audition Cafe.Listen now for all the inside information about pre-rehearsal chit-chat, touching the music stand, personal hygiene, warmups, part marking, pencils, balance, and even the elusive art of “staying in the moment”.By the end of this episode, you may have some changes to make to your orchestra routine! At least once in this episode, Nathan said, “I’m so guilty of that…”

Let me start by saying that I just spent five minutes looking up the proper and accepted way to spell “do’s and don’ts”, so you can rest assured that I’ve nailed it! Do you want to be the kind of stand partner that your colleagues dream of playing with? Or do you want them to look at the new week’s roster, and mutter something under their breath? Let us break down the ways to get on your stand partner’s good side, and to stay there through the ups and downs of orchestra life. Of course, we also get into the big-time no-no’s so that you can steer clear! In fact, let’s break it down in the style of Family Feud! First, Nathan tries to guess Akiko’s top 5 “Don’ts”, then she attempts to guess his “Do’s”. We’re moderately successful, with just a few strikes against us. Along the way, Nathan shares a story about his first week with the Chicago Symphony, and what happened when he attempted to mark a fingering in his music. You can read much more about Nathan’s first few weeks with the CSO in his article on Audition Cafe. Listen now for all the inside information about pre-rehearsal chit-chat, touching the music stand, personal hygiene, warmups, part marking, pencils, balance, and even the elusive art of “staying in the moment”. By the end of this episode, you may have some changes to make to your orchestra routine! At least once in this episode, Nathan said, “I’m so guilty of that…”

006: Stand Partner Feud – Etiquette Do’s and Don’ts

Today we're talking concertmaster, and what it means to sit in the hot seat. What are the duties and expectations, and what makes "first chair violin" attractive or unattractive to different players?Is playing concertmaster more like being the point guard in basketball, or the quarterback in football? Remember: besides playing all those juicy solos, you have to deal with walk-outs, bowings, section concerns and principal relationships.Just know that even though the concertmaster position puts you in the spotlight, there's a price to pay for all that attention. How happy you are depends not just on the rest of orchestra but your own temperament.As Akiko says, "Let's just say it plainly. I don't like being concertmaster." But should we take her seriously?Key Points From This Episode:The position and duties associated with the title of ConcertmasterWalk-outs, hitting the right piano octave and making sure not to fall overComparing the role of the concertmaster with positions in team sportsHow the concertmaster relates to the other members of the orchestraThe issues that arise when a conductor is ahead or behindCommunicating with the conductor; bringing issues up at the right timeThe importance of solos in getting hired as concertmasterBowing decisions, and shutting out some of the noise and chatterLeadership principles and focusing on what is most importantOur best and worst experiences as a concertmasterQuotes“If you had to pick one leader of the orchestra that isn't the conductor, but a player, it's the concertmaster. They're visible, they're up front.” — Nathan Cole [0:07:29]“No one even really knows I'm technically a concertmaster, so I have to give myself the title of emergency concertmaster!” — Akiko Tarumoto [0:10:15]“It's a fun job. It's fraught with danger, but fun and rewarding and you get those juicy solos too.” — Nathan Cole  [0:51:48]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Stand Partners for LifeCarnival of the AnimalsHolly Mulcahy: More than wearing pretty shoesThe Suzuki MethodSeinfeldDavid KimWest Side StoryPines of RomeThe 14 Leadership Principles that Drive AmazonJeff BezosTranscript[INTRO][0:00:00.6] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan.[0:00:03.5] AT: I’m Akiko.[EPISODE][0:00:17.5] NC: Today, we thought we’d talk about the concertmaster, the duties of a concertmaster and what it’s all about. I mean, should we at least define the concertmaster, the first chair of violinists?[0:00:28.7] AT: Sure. I assumed people know that, but there are times, a lot of times people don’t necessarily get what that means.[0:00:36.3] NC: We don’t even say that. We don’t say concert mistress, right?[0:00:39.4] AT: Not that I know of.[0:00:40.3] NC: Because I hear people say that sometimes.[0:00:42.2] AT: Yes. I think some people still say it.[0:00:44.9] NC: It’s like president, right?[0:00:46.0] AT: Well, it's like stewardess. We don’t say it anymore.[0:00:49.3] NC: Right. I'm not sure if people ever did say concert mistress, if that was ever really appropriate.[0:00:53.4] AT: Sure, they did. I don’t remember.[0:00:56.6] NC: Yeah. Concertmaster, it's the first chair violinist. Both of us get to do that duty sometimes and we both have concertmaster somewhere in our titles, First Associate Concertmaster and your assistant. That's largely the reason we came out to LA from the Chicago Symphony was the chance to do be concertmaster sometimes. Why is this a special position and why? What does the concertmaster do?[0:01:24.8] AT: So are we – start enumerating the duties?[0:01:27.5] NC: Yes. We're going to tell what the concertmaster does.[0:01:30.8] AT: Well, so my first disclaimer is that I don't play concertmaster very often, as you know. I'm drawing on a very small amount of experience. I just want to get that out of the way.[0:01:43.5] NC: I mean, you did it before college.

Today we're talking concertmaster, and what it means to sit in the hot seat. What are the duties and expectations, and what makes "first chair violin" attractive or unattractive to different players? Is playing concertmaster more like being the point guard in basketball, or the quarterback in football? Remember: besides playing all those juicy solos, you have to deal with walk-outs, bowings, section concerns and principal relationships. Just know that even though the concertmaster position puts you in the spotlight, there's a price to pay for all that attention. How happy you are depends not just on the rest of orchestra but your own temperament. As Akiko says, "Let's just say it plainly. I don't like being concertmaster." But should we take her seriously? Key Points From This Episode: The position and duties associated with the title of ConcertmasterWalk-outs, hitting the right piano octave and making sure not to fall overComparing the role of the concertmaster with positions in team sportsHow the concertmaster relates to the other members of the orchestraThe issues that arise when a conductor is ahead or behindCommunicating with the conductor; bringing issues up at the right timeThe importance of solos in getting hired as concertmasterBowing decisions, and shutting out some of the noise and chatterLeadership principles and focusing on what is most importantOur best and worst experiences as a concertmaster Quotes “If you had to pick one leader of the orchestra that isn't the conductor, but a player, it's the concertmaster. They're visible, they're up front.” — Nathan Cole [0:07:29] “No one even really knows I'm technically a concertmaster, so I have to give myself the title of emergency concertmaster!” — Akiko Tarumoto [0:10:15] “It's a fun job. It's fraught with danger, but fun and rewarding and you get those juicy solos too.” — Nathan Cole  [0:51:48] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Stand Partners for LifeCarnival of the AnimalsHolly Mulcahy: More than wearing pretty shoesThe Suzuki MethodSeinfeldDavid KimWest Side StoryPines of RomeThe 14 Leadership Principles that Drive AmazonJeff Bezos Transcript [INTRO] [0:00:00.6] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan. [0:00:03.5] AT: I’m Akiko. [EPISODE] [0:00:17.5] NC: Today, we thought we’d talk about the concertmaster, the duties of a concertmaster and what it’s all about. I mean, should we at least define the concertmaster, the first chair of violinists? [0:00:28.7] AT: Sure. I assumed people know that, but there are times, a lot of times people don’t necessarily get what that means. [0:00:36.3] NC: We don’t even say that. We don’t say concert mistress, right? [0:00:39.4] AT: Not that I know of. [0:00:40.3] NC: Because I hear people say that sometimes. [0:00:42.2] AT: Yes. I think some people still say it. [0:00:44.9] NC: It’s like president, right? [0:00:46.0] AT: Well, it's like stewardess. We don’t say it anymore. [0:00:49.3] NC: Right. I'm not sure if people ever did say concert mistress, if that was ever really appropriate. [0:00:53.4] AT: Sure, they did. I don’t remember. [0:00:56.6] NC: Yeah. Concertmaster, it's the first chair violinist. Both of us get to do that duty sometimes and we both have concertmaster somewhere in our titles, First Associate Concertmaster and your assistant. That's largely the reason we came out to LA from the Chicago Symphony was the chance to do be concertmaster sometimes.  Why is this a special position and why? What does the concertmaster do? [0:01:24.8] AT: So are we – start enumerating the duties? [0:01:27.5] NC: Yes. We're going to tell what the concertmaster does. [0:01:30.8] AT: Well, so my first disclaimer is that I don't play concertmaster very often, as you know. I'm drawing on a very small amount of experience. I just want to get that out of the way. [0:01:43.5] NC: I mean, you did it before college.

031: That’s life in the hot seat, Mr. Concertmaster!

Akiko is back to take on what could be a depressing subject: the inevitable erosion of your skills as a violinist when you play in an orchestra. But don’t every violinist’s skills go away eventually, or is there something about being in an orchestra that makes it happen faster?We got the idea for this episode from listener Helen Smit, who brought my attention to a discussion thread over at violinist.com:http://www.violinist.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=1105As it happened, I had actually read that thread without commenting, and found it very interesting. It all started with a young person wondering if she had a chance to make it as a professional. That’s a pretty common question over at v.com, and this was a more enlightening thread than some of those can be.A lot of comments warned the original poster against putting too much stock in a pro orchestra career, partly because it’s so competitive, and then because one’s skills are bound to disappear.So in this episode, we get into whether or not that’s true, and if so, what is it about the orchestra life that contributes to it? And is there anything we can do about it?

Akiko is back to take on what could be a depressing subject: the inevitable erosion of your skills as a violinist when you play in an orchestra. But don’t every violinist’s skills go away eventually, or is there something about being in an orchestra that makes it happen faster? We got the idea for this episode from listener Helen Smit, who brought my attention to a discussion thread over at <a href="http://violinist.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">violinist.com</a>: <a href="http://www.violinist.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=1105" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.violinist.com/discussion/thread.cfm?page=1105</a> As it happened, I had actually read that thread without commenting, and found it very interesting. It all started with a young person wondering if she had a chance to make it as a professional. That’s a pretty common question over at <a href="http://v.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">v.com</a>, and this was a more enlightening thread than some of those can be. A lot of comments warned the original poster against putting too much stock in a pro orchestra career, partly because it’s so competitive, and then because one’s skills are bound to disappear. So in this episode, we get into whether or not that’s true, and if so, what is it about the orchestra life that contributes to it? And is there anything we can do about it?

008: The decline and fall of an orchestra player

Robert deMaine

Today we're joined by our good friend and LA Phil principal cello, Robert deMaine. Bob tells us about his childhood, his musical family and an early teacher who gave him a complete musical education, including piano and composition.He also unpacks how he fell out of love with the cello during his teen years and took an extended break from playing. Eventually he found his way back and went on a tear, pursuing a solo career and at the same time winning principal jobs in Hartford, Detroit, and finally Los Angeles.Bob doesn't hold back as he discusses anxiety, negative self-talk, and the long road toward mastery of an instrument.Key Points From This Episode:Different orchestral seating arrangementsBob's upbringing, important places and inspiration from his familyHaving and then losing the best music teacher in the worldThe difference between relative pitch and perfect pitchDisasters in ice cream shops and disasters on stageBob's early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musiciansThe Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LABob's audition for the LA Phil and the hand problem he had leading up to it The steps toward improvement and how they widen as you grow as a musician Differences between teaching and coaching; bringing out the best in students Recreating sounds, learning accents and the power of cultivating the ear The event that precipitated Bob's performance anxiety, and the way through it Upcoming projects for Bob, including his Tweetables:“I grew up playing on my mother's cello, and my sister played the cello that my mother played when she was a child, and it was a real beater.” — @robertdemaine [0:06:35]“I don’t think I would have played as well as I did had it not been exactly that way. So much of it has to do with just timing.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:15]“I’ve never really separated how one prepares for a symphony concert versus how one prepares for a concerto.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:51]Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:Robert deMaine on TwitterRobert deMaineStrings MagazineMariano RiveraLeonard RoseJanos StarkerEastern Music FestivalJuilliardCurtisCentral State UniversityEastmanGood Will HuntingDexterDays of Wine and RosesIrving Klein CompetitionPaul ParayGeorge SzellNeeme JarviJoseph SilversteinSliding DoorsThe MatrixGoofus and GallantFear and Loathing in Las VegasGuido LamellAnthony BourdainNow Hear ThisHandelJoe Rogan MashTaxiTranscriptEPISODE 32[INTRO][00:00:00] NC: Hi and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am thrilled to be here not only with Akiko. [00:00:07] AT: Hello.[00:00:07] NC: But our good friend and close colleague, Bob deMaine, principal cello here at the L.A. Phil, and actually we’re right here in Disney Hall, the bowels of the hall. [00:00:16] BD: Our home away from home.[00:00:18] NC: Yeah. [INTERVIEW][00:00:32] BD: Thanks for having me on. I feel like I’m sort of your honorary stand partner, because I sit next to you in the orchestra. [00:00:37] NC: Yeah. Actually – I mean, yeah, the usual. If everybody's there, we've got Martin, and then I'm sitting second right next to him, and then on my other side is you. When I first came to the orchestra, they had the violas where you are instead. So principal viola was on my other side. [00:00:53] BD: The viola was there?[00:00:55] NC: They did.[00:00:55] BD: That’s something I’ve never seen before. [00:00:58] AT: Wrong seating number two.[00:00:59] BD: That’s right. Isn’t that David Sanders, like his lingo from Chicago or something?[00:01:04] AT: I think we’re currently in wrong seating number four. [00:01:06] BD: I like right seating number one. I mean, cello is on the left. [00:01:10] NC: The outside. [00:01:10] BD: Yeah, the outside.[00:01:12] AT: Everybody wants the outside.[00:01:13] BD: So much more room over there. I don’t care how it sounds.

Today we're joined by our good friend and LA Phil principal cello, Robert deMaine. Bob tells us about his childhood, his musical family and an early teacher who gave him a complete musical education, including piano and composition. He also unpacks how he fell out of love with the cello during his teen years and took an extended break from playing. Eventually he found his way back and went on a tear, pursuing a solo career and at the same time winning principal jobs in Hartford, Detroit, and finally Los Angeles. Bob doesn't hold back as he discusses anxiety, negative self-talk, and the long road toward mastery of an instrument. Key Points From This Episode: Different orchestral seating arrangementsBob's upbringing, important places and inspiration from his familyHaving and then losing the best music teacher in the worldThe difference between relative pitch and perfect pitchDisasters in ice cream shops and disasters on stageBob's early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musiciansThe Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LABob's audition for the LA Phil and the hand problem he had leading up to it The steps toward improvement and how they widen as you grow as a musician Differences between teaching and coaching; bringing out the best in students Recreating sounds, learning accents and the power of cultivating the ear The event that precipitated Bob's performance anxiety, and the way through it Upcoming projects for Bob, including his Tweetables: “I grew up playing on my mother's cello, and my sister played the cello that my mother played when she was a child, and it was a real beater.” — @robertdemaine [0:06:35] “I don’t think I would have played as well as I did had it not been exactly that way. So much of it has to do with just timing.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:15] “I’ve never really separated how one prepares for a symphony concert versus how one prepares for a concerto.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:51] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Robert deMaine on TwitterRobert deMaineStrings MagazineMariano RiveraLeonard RoseJanos StarkerEastern Music FestivalJuilliardCurtisCentral State UniversityEastmanGood Will HuntingDexterDays of Wine and RosesIrving Klein CompetitionPaul ParayGeorge SzellNeeme JarviJoseph SilversteinSliding DoorsThe MatrixGoofus and GallantFear and Loathing in Las VegasGuido LamellAnthony BourdainNow Hear ThisHandelJoe Rogan MashTaxi Transcript EPISODE 32 [INTRO] [00:00:00] NC: Hi and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am thrilled to be here not only with Akiko. [00:00:07] AT: Hello. [00:00:07] NC: But our good friend and close colleague, Bob deMaine, principal cello here at the L.A. Phil, and actually we’re right here in Disney Hall, the bowels of the hall. [00:00:16] BD: Our home away from home. [00:00:18] NC: Yeah. [INTERVIEW] [00:00:32] BD: Thanks for having me on. I feel like I’m sort of your honorary stand partner, because I sit next to you in the orchestra. [00:00:37] NC: Yeah. Actually – I mean, yeah, the usual. If everybody's there, we've got Martin, and then I'm sitting second right next to him, and then on my other side is you. When I first came to the orchestra, they had the violas where you are instead. So principal viola was on my other side. [00:00:53] BD: The viola was there? [00:00:55] NC: They did. [00:00:55] BD: That’s something I’ve never seen before. [00:00:58] AT: Wrong seating number two. [00:00:59] BD: That’s right. Isn’t that David Sanders, like his lingo from Chicago or something? [00:01:04] AT: I think we’re currently in wrong seating number four. [00:01:06] BD: I like right seating number one. I mean, cello is on the left. [00:01:10] NC: The outside. [00:01:10] BD: Yeah, the outside. [00:01:12] AT: Everybody wants the outside. [00:01:13] BD: So much more room over there. I don’t care how it sounds.

032: What about Bob? Robert deMaine, our principal cello

As Kramer says in Seinfeld’s “The Wig Master” episode, “I don’t argue with the body, Jerry. It’s an argument you can’t win.”Sooner or later, we all learn the truth of that statement, especially those of us who are forced to rely on little tiny muscles to do things like play the violin! In the picture above, you can see Nathan celebrating his twelfth birthday with two fingers taped together. His daily neighborhood basketball game was the culprit.Nowadays, we’d think twice before playing that much basketball. Or a number of other activities. But we do hit the gym quite a lot. What makes an activity OK for violin playing, and what puts it out of bounds?More than that, what can you do to prepare for your daily practicing and performing? Are there ways to play so that you stay injury-free? And what kind of music is the worst for the body?We talk violin fitness here in episode 13, so join us for the discussion and leave your thoughts below!TranscriptNathan Cole: Hi, and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I’m Nathan.Akiko Tarumoto: I’m Akiko.Nathan Cole: And today’s episode is going to be all about injury, well more fitness, violin fitness, staying healthy, hopefully avoiding injury! But then also what to do when you’re hurt, how to work around it, and just to talk about the reality that everybody has aches and pains and sometimes worse. So, I know at this point in the LA Phil season, basically the last few weeks, we’re sort of like a hospital ward. At this point, I feel like everybody’s one step away from falling to pieces. Do you see that in our sections?Akiko Tarumoto: I don’t know. I haven’t talked to too many people. We’ve lost one.Nathan Cole: Right.Akiko Tarumoto: But, yeah, and I’m kind of hobbling along here. My-Nathan Cole: Oh, yeah. What do you-Akiko Tarumoto: My wrist, and you got your shoulder … Okay, so that’s three of us that we know of, so maybe you’re right.Nathan Cole: Well, and that’s understandable. I mean we always — jokingly a lot of the time, but we compare ourselves to sports teams, especially NBA. I watch a lot of basketball, so coming into the playoffs just about everybody is beat up. In basketball it’s literally one step away from some season-ending injury. We’re not quite as bad as that, but-Akiko Tarumoto: But our season doesn’t really end, so we can’t really afford to … We don’t have four months off to …Nathan Cole: No, but we do — We’ve got four weeks off from the orchestra coming up, which is something.Akiko Tarumoto: Goes fast.Nathan Cole: It does go fast but it is a chance to rest things, which in pretty much all endeavors, rest and recovery are the real keys if you’ve got an issue going on. And as the weeks go by during the season, yeah, I mean it’s hard to find even a 48-hour period when you’re not playing, and we like to play every day to stay in shape. Those are the issues we’ll be talking about. What do you have going on right now?Akiko Tarumoto: Well, I mentioned my wrist, so, yeah, that’s hurting me.Nathan Cole: And my right shoulder just a few days ago started up on me.Akiko Tarumoto: Not coincidentally, probably, we’ve been going to the gym a lot, so we’ll see how that ties in…Nathan Cole: Yeah. Well, we’re going to talk about that because I don’t intend to stop going to the gym and I’m sure you don’t either, but we’re going to talk about how to do it smart, smartly. Before we launch into it, I wanted to thank those of you who’ve gone to iTunes and given us a nice rating, and even better, a review, just a short little written review. What that does is it helps other people find the show, and we just really appreciate it so much. Nathan Cole: As you probably heard in some other episodes, we read those and take them to heart and try to improve Stand Partners based on your feedback. So, if you can take a moment to go to iTunes and leave that rating and/or review, it’s amazing. I don’t do it enough to the shows I listen to. I always think, “Oh,

As Kramer says in Seinfeld’s “The Wig Master” episode, “I don’t argue with the body, Jerry. It’s an argument you can’t win.” Sooner or later, we all learn the truth of that statement, especially those of us who are forced to rely on little tiny muscles to do things like play the violin! In the picture above, you can see Nathan celebrating his twelfth birthday with two fingers taped together. His daily neighborhood basketball game was the culprit. Nowadays, we’d think twice before playing that much basketball. Or a number of other activities. But we do hit the gym quite a lot. What makes an activity OK for violin playing, and what puts it out of bounds? More than that, what can you do to prepare for your daily practicing and performing? Are there ways to play so that you stay injury-free? And what kind of music is the worst for the body? We talk violin fitness here in episode 13, so join us for the discussion and leave your thoughts below! Transcript Nathan Cole: Hi, and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I’m Nathan. Akiko Tarumoto: I’m Akiko. Nathan Cole: And today’s episode is going to be all about injury, well more fitness, violin fitness, staying healthy, hopefully avoiding injury! But then also what to do when you’re hurt, how to work around it, and just to talk about the reality that everybody has aches and pains and sometimes worse. So, I know at this point in the LA Phil season, basically the last few weeks, we’re sort of like a hospital ward. At this point, I feel like everybody’s one step away from falling to pieces. Do you see that in our sections? Akiko Tarumoto: I don’t know. I haven’t talked to too many people. We’ve lost one. Nathan Cole: Right. Akiko Tarumoto: But, yeah, and I’m kind of hobbling along here. My- Nathan Cole: Oh, yeah. What do you- Akiko Tarumoto: My wrist, and you got your shoulder … Okay, so that’s three of us that we know of, so maybe you’re right. Nathan Cole: Well, and that’s understandable. I mean we always — jokingly a lot of the time, but we compare ourselves to sports teams, especially NBA. I watch a lot of basketball, so coming into the playoffs just about everybody is beat up. In basketball it’s literally one step away from some season-ending injury. We’re not quite as bad as that, but- Akiko Tarumoto: But our season doesn’t really end, so we can’t really afford to … We don’t have four months off to … Nathan Cole: No, but we do — We’ve got four weeks off from the orchestra coming up, which is something. Akiko Tarumoto: Goes fast. Nathan Cole: It does go fast but it is a chance to rest things, which in pretty much all endeavors, rest and recovery are the real keys if you’ve got an issue going on. And as the weeks go by during the season, yeah, I mean it’s hard to find even a 48-hour period when you’re not playing, and we like to play every day to stay in shape. Those are the issues we’ll be talking about. What do you have going on right now? Akiko Tarumoto: Well, I mentioned my wrist, so, yeah, that’s hurting me. Nathan Cole: And my right shoulder just a few days ago started up on me. Akiko Tarumoto: Not coincidentally, probably, we’ve been going to the gym a lot, so we’ll see how that ties in… Nathan Cole: Yeah. Well, we’re going to talk about that because I don’t intend to stop going to the gym and I’m sure you don’t either, but we’re going to talk about how to do it smart, smartly. Before we launch into it, I wanted to thank those of you who’ve gone to iTunes and given us a nice rating, and even better, a review, just a short little written review. What that does is it helps other people find the show, and we just really appreciate it so much. Nathan Cole: As you probably heard in some other episodes, we read those and take them to heart and try to improve Stand Partners based on your feedback. So, if you can take a moment to go to iTunes and leave that rating and/or review, it’s amazing. I don’t do it enough to the shows I listen to. I always think, “Oh,

013: Violin fitness – staying healthy or playing hurt

Brant Taylor

A reminder that if you don’t yet have our free guide to evaluating and upgrading your violin, make sure to click this link to download it. Even if you’re not in the market, you never know when you’ll be called upon to help a friend pick a new instrument…so be prepared!For the first time, we’ve got a special guest here on Stand Partners for Life. Akiko is still alive and well, but her voice needed a break after some extra parenting this week! So I’m thrilled to have our great friend and former colleague Brant Taylor here with me.Brant is a cellist in the Chicago Symphony, and before that he was (very briefly) a member of the Saint Louis Symphony and the New World Symphony. You’ll hear why those stays were brief here in the episode!You’ll also hear why he decided to take a break from the CSO recently, or as it’s technically known, a sabbatical. The fact is that Brant was a professional quartet player before he ever played in a professional orchestra, so (like me and Akiko) the symphony has never defined his entire scope musically. That’s one of the things that gave us an instant connection when I joined the CSO back in 2002.Over the years, Akiko and I, along with Brant and his partner, have traveled the world, with the symphony and without it. But since we’ve moved out to LA, our visits are far too infrequent, so I really enjoyed getting to sit down for an in-depth conversation with Brant. He’s a tremendous teacher as well, so we get into a variety of great topics this episode.We start by talking about the intense bond that develops among the members of a string quartet. It’s often been compared to a marriage, and for good reason! That made Brant’s quartet’s decision to break up that much more painful, even if it was necessary.Next Brant reveals why his quartet background put him in perfect position to win an orchestra audition.How should you approach a new piece before getting together with your chamber group or orchestra to rehearse it for the first time? How much of yourself should you bring to the piece, and how do you learn what that means for you?We talk about the New World Symphony, and how it helped Brant transition to a full-time professional orchestral career.We also get into what a sabbatical is all about. For Brant, it was a magnification of all the musical activities he loves best, and it made his return to orchestra that much sweeter. But it also included some surprising pursuits, all of which eventually relate to his passion as a cellist and musician.We close with some thoughts on how to accentuate the positive in what can be a demanding, and at times, demeaning job!

A reminder that if you don’t yet have our free guide to evaluating and upgrading your violin, make sure to click this link to download it. Even if you’re not in the market, you never know when you’ll be called upon to help a friend pick a new instrument…so be prepared! For the first time, we’ve got a special guest here on Stand Partners for Life. Akiko is still alive and well, but her voice needed a break after some extra parenting this week! So I’m thrilled to have our great friend and former colleague Brant Taylor here with me. Brant is a cellist in the Chicago Symphony, and before that he was (very briefly) a member of the Saint Louis Symphony and the New World Symphony. You’ll hear why those stays were brief here in the episode! You’ll also hear why he decided to take a break from the CSO recently, or as it’s technically known, a sabbatical. The fact is that Brant was a professional quartet player before he ever played in a professional orchestra, so (like me and Akiko) the symphony has never defined his entire scope musically. That’s one of the things that gave us an instant connection when I joined the CSO back in 2002. Over the years, Akiko and I, along with Brant and his partner, have traveled the world, with the symphony and without it. But since we’ve moved out to LA, our visits are far too infrequent, so I really enjoyed getting to sit down for an in-depth conversation with Brant. He’s a tremendous teacher as well, so we get into a variety of great topics this episode. We start by talking about the intense bond that develops among the members of a string quartet. It’s often been compared to a marriage, and for good reason! That made Brant’s quartet’s decision to break up that much more painful, even if it was necessary. Next Brant reveals why his quartet background put him in perfect position to win an orchestra audition. How should you approach a new piece before getting together with your chamber group or orchestra to rehearse it for the first time? How much of yourself should you bring to the piece, and how do you learn what that means for you? We talk about the New World Symphony, and how it helped Brant transition to a full-time professional orchestral career. We also get into what a sabbatical is all about. For Brant, it was a magnification of all the musical activities he loves best, and it made his return to orchestra that much sweeter. But it also included some surprising pursuits, all of which eventually relate to his passion as a cellist and musician. We close with some thoughts on how to accentuate the positive in what can be a demanding, and at times, demeaning job!

007: Why cellist Brant Taylor took a break from the Chicago Symphony

We were pretty good back in the day, but even so we weren’t winning auditions on our own. Here are those moments when we got a helping hand!

015: We all need an audition helping hand

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