Baton down the hatches

Oct 19 2007
Browse archives for October 19, 2007
Gaylon Patterson
Gaylon Patterson

Gaylon Patterson joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1985, where he is is currently acting principal second violin. He is very active in strategic planning and in developing community engagement initiatives with the MSO, and served as negotiation chair for the most recent contract renewal.

He spent seven years as ROPA delegate for the MSO and two years on ROPA’s executive board, and was the local host for ROPA’s 2003 conference in Memphis. He is still ROPA’s trustee for the AFM Strike Fund. Gaylon enjoys playing chamber music, and is regularly featured at Memphis Chamber Music Society concerts. He has taught violin and chamber music at the University of Memphis and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Gaylon’s day jobs before becoming a full-time musician ranged from retail sales through cotton marketing to ag-chem research, in keeping with his perplexing educational background. He studied electrical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and transited through the architecture and fine arts departments at the University of Arkansas before finally completing a B.A. in Music Performance. He also holds an M.M. in performance from the University of Memphis.

All posts from Gaylon Patterson
0

No comments yet.

Add your comment
Posted in

Spread the love

One word stood out in this entire discussion: Trust. All the musicians in an orchestra, even the one who doesn’t make a sound (well, ideally not, at any rate) must have a pretty high level of mutual trust, or they’ll get in each other’s way when it comes time to actually create art, live, in the moment, with an audience.

We don’t have to love each other. We don’t even have to like each other. But if personal disdain or animosity cross into our professional lives as artists, we do ourselves and our art a great disservice.

The relationships in an orchestra are a lot like an arranged (and weirdly polygamous) marriage. We don’t get to choose our multiple “spouses,” and often never meet them until the contracts are already signed. We may end up falling in musical love, and we may not, but our lives together can still work in an atmosphere of trust, respect, and occasionally forgiveness.

Many thanks to Ann and Robert for inviting me to participate. It’s been a great pleasure to exchange ideas with such insightful and articulate colleagues.

About the author

Gaylon Patterson
Gaylon Patterson

Gaylon Patterson joined the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in 1985, where he is is currently acting principal second violin. He is very active in strategic planning and in developing community engagement initiatives with the MSO, and served as negotiation chair for the most recent contract renewal.

He spent seven years as ROPA delegate for the MSO and two years on ROPA’s executive board, and was the local host for ROPA’s 2003 conference in Memphis. He is still ROPA’s trustee for the AFM Strike Fund. Gaylon enjoys playing chamber music, and is regularly featured at Memphis Chamber Music Society concerts. He has taught violin and chamber music at the University of Memphis and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts.

Gaylon’s day jobs before becoming a full-time musician ranged from retail sales through cotton marketing to ag-chem research, in keeping with his perplexing educational background. He studied electrical engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, and transited through the architecture and fine arts departments at the University of Arkansas before finally completing a B.A. in Music Performance. He also holds an M.M. in performance from the University of Memphis.

View all posts

Leave a Reply