Eastman Symphony Orchestra, rehearsal. October 2006. Room 120. Varon conductor.
Conductor Neil Varon rehearsing the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra in 2006.
The first concert of the year seems to always be a jitter-filled one for students of all ages and instruments. This is especially true for first-years here at Eastman, who this past weekend performed in their first major ensemble concerts in Kodak Hall. On Friday evening, September 25, the Eastman Wind Orchestra gave an impressive performance of Hindemith’s Symphony in B-flat, a transcription of Bach’s Fantasia in G, and Thorne’s Adagio Music under conductor Mark Davis Scatterday. On Monday, September 28, the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra under Neil Varon performed Rossini’s William Tell Overture, Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 17, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol.
Among the first-years performing on the Kodak Hall stage for the first time was Joseph Hagen, a first-year violist from Skaneateles, New York studying Music Performance with Phillip Ying. I recently had the opportunity to meet with Joe and discuss his personal preparation leading up to the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra’s concert.
John: Tell us about your experience rehearsing with the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra thus far.
Joe: Rehearsals have been quite fun, and I’ve been learning a lot about group articulation and emotion. I have learned that one of the most important things in such a large group is to listen more than you play.
John: Tell us about the music you performed on Monday. What does this music mean to you? Are there any specific parts that stand out to you?
How has rehearsing and performing with this ensemble compared to your previous orchestral experiences?
Joe: I loved the music we performed Monday evening. It was so moving and well prepared. I know it is funny to say, but it is not high school orchestra anymore. It is such an intense and incomparable feeling to play with students of such prestige and care for the music.
I remember playing the William Tell Overture with the New York State Summer School of the Arts Orchestra and it was such a rewarding experience. It brought back such fond memories because it was played with the same love and joy that it was played with back then, and lucky for me, some of my best friends from that summer camp were also in the concert this past Monday. It was such a touching and intense experience. When the basses started the pizzicato in the middle of the cello soli, it made me think of how much I love what I am doing, and it added to the inspirations that keep me pursuing music.
John: Have you had support from your teacher, upperclassmen in your studio, or other members of the orchestra that has helped you prepare for this performance?
Joe: Absolutely! It was so nice for Daniel Spink, one of the sophomore violists, to help me develop the spiccato bowing articulation that I needed to be successful in the concluding part of William Tell. My friend also got a great deal of help from Daniel, and David Ying, his teacher, was even texting him from Alaska with some tips to do better!
John: What are some of your musical and personal goals for your first semester here at Eastman?
Joe: Personal goals for me having to do with organization include getting a little better at time management, finding a good balance between studying and practicing, and having a more organized practice session. Goals on viola include finding more depth in my sound, creating more clarity in phrasing, and gaining the necessary technique to do these things most efficiently and effortlessly.
— John Fatuzzo