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the orchestra world

the latest generation

This past Saturday at the Oregon Symphony’s Music Box space downtown I attended an introduction of our new ‘class’ of musicians that have recently joined the orchestra to a select group of donors and supporters. This may have been something that the orchestra has done before – it’s entirely possible that I missed it in the past – but it sure was a great idea to get to know these wonderful additions to the orchestra and have them answer questions from the audience.

Before I go into what my takeaways were from the session, I’ll let you know who our new musicians are:

  • Jessica Lee* – Associate concertmaster
  • Harrison Linsey* – Principal oboe
  • Tim Rinehart* – Principal double bass
  • Justin Park* – Assistant principal/Acting principal cello
  • Aidan Ip – violin
  • Shintaru Taneda – violin
  • Haojian Wang* – viola
  • Su-Han Yang – Associate conductor

*The panelists were Jessica Lee, Harrison Linsey, Tim Rinehart, Justin Park, and Haojian Wang.

For the most part, these new members are in their 20’s, with a few exceptions. I found their thoughts about music and what it means to be in an orchestra and in Portland, Oregon to be so positive and affirming that I feel like the future of the orchestra is incredibly bright and in the best hands.

VP of Development Hilary Blakemore led the discussion, asking keen questions about the musicians’ backgrounds – how they got into music, what their career path had been up to this point, and details about their instruments and how they came by those instruments. Some of the most impactful thoughts were those that had to do with audition preparation and the process of teaching students. I’d forgotten (since I haven’t been actively teaching for several years now) how good teaching is for a performer’s brain. Both Jessica and Harrison talked about the process of taking technical demands that are largely internalized and unconscious and having to explain them to students in a way that is useful (with the realization that one student’s brain is going to need information presented to them in different ways than another student’s brain might need. Tim talked very eloquently about the process that he underwent as he tried to quiet his brain during and before auditions – arriving at a place where he was thinking only about what he wanted to say with the music rather than editorializing on what had just happened. So helpful to hear!

As each successive generation of musicians comes into the orchestra, I’m struck by how each one is ever more technically accomplished, yes, but also so much more well-rounded and well-spoken about the art and craft of being a musician in the 21st century. It was such a pleasure to hear them speak about their stories and hopes for the future, and I look forward to getting to know them all better as colleagues and friends.

If you are at a performance or other symphony function this season, make a point to introduce yourself to them and say hello!

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