The Short End of the Stick

Nov 28 2007
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JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta

Few artists are as important to the fabric of their communities as JoAnn Falletta. Acclaimed by The New York Times as “one of the finest conductors of her generation”, she serves as the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Falletta has been invited to guest conduct many of the world’s finest symphony orchestras. Highlights of her recent and upcoming guest conducting appearances include her debuts with the Orchestra National de Belgique, the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester, the Dallas Symphony, the Orchestre National De Lyon, the Northwest German Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Lisbon Metropolitan Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony and the Seoul Philharmonic, and return engagements with the Seattle, Utah, San Antonio, Louisville and Colorado Symphony Orchestras, the Orchestra of Asturias (Spain), the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (Japan), and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. She has guest conducted over 100 orchestras in North America. Highlights of her recent North American guest conducting appearances include the orchestras of Philadelphia, Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Indianapolis, and the National Symphony.

Ms. Falletta is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award for exceptionally gifted American conductors, the coveted Stokowski Competition, and the Toscanini, Ditson and Bruno Walter Awards for conducting. She is an ardent champion of music of our time, introducing over 400 works by American composers, including more than 80 world premieres, and has received nine awards from ASCAP for creative programming, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra League’s prestigious John S. Edwards Award.

Maestro Falletta’s 2007/08 season with the Buffalo Philharmonic will be a prolific recording period, with the Orchestra recording four CDs and releasing two new discs on the Naxos label, including a world premiere recording of John Corigliano’s [i]Mr. Tambourine Man[/i] and the international release of a disc of the works of Ottorino Respighi. Continuing to raise the BPO’s national and international prominence, Ms. Falletta will once again lead the orchestra in a number of concerts to be broadcast nationally on NPR’s Performance Today and SymphonyCast, and international broadcasts through the European Broadcasting Union. This season will see the release of two new recordings by the Virginia Symphony: the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Norman Krieger, and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and Massenet’s Meditation with violinist Michael Ludwig.

Maestro Falletta’s growing discography, which includes over 40 titles, consists of recordings with the London Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Czech National Symphony, the Philadelphia Philharmonia and the Women’s Philharmonic, among others. In addition to her upcoming releases with the BPO and the VSO, Ms. Falletta’s current projects include her first recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for the Naxos label, featuring the violin concertos of Dohnanyi. Other upcoming releases for this season include a world premiere recording of the orchestral music of Kenneth Fuchs with the London Symphony to be released on the Naxos label, and a recording of the music of Paul Schoenfield with the Prague Philharmonia. This summer, the Virginia Arts Festival released [i]Borrowed Treasures[/i], Ms. Falletta’s third disc of chamber music for guitar, featuring Ms. Falletta as guitarist.

Together with English Horn soloist Thomas Stacy and the London Symphony Orchestra, Falletta received a 2006 Grammy nomination for Eventide (Concerto for English Horn, Percussion, Harp, Celesta and String Orchestra) by Kenneth Fuchs, from the CD An American Place (Naxos American Classics).

Ms. Falletta received her undergraduate degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School.

For more information on Ms. Falletta, visit her website at www.joannfalletta.com.

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I must say that no one has ever asked me this question before, and I spent a good deal of time thinking about it.

What are five things that I feel could change about behavior of musicians that would help create a better work environment? (as much as I pondered this, I could only come up with three suggestions).

1. I wish that musicians could truly realize how crucial they are to the process of making music, and never abdicate responsibility because there is a conductor waving his/her arms in front of them. If each musician were to play with the commitment and personal investment that they exhibit in solo and chamber music performances, the orchestral experience would be overwhelming in its intensity. I recently asked a string section to accompany a pianist as if they were playing with her on their own, and not following me. When they did that, the playing was amazingly beautiful. (a very humbling experience!!) But it meant that when each musician was fully present and playing with ears wide open, they played at a different level of excellence, expressivity and sensitivity.

2. It would be wonderful if musicians felt absolutely free to be passionate. I have never thought that there was anything admirable about being blasé. Is that what professionalism means? We are in the middle of the greatest heritage in western culture- shouldn’t we feel moved and elated and emotional? Don’t we expect and want that from our audience? We – who are surrounded by this extravagantly beautiful art form – should never feel that acting bored or unemotional is a job requirement. I know how much audiences love seeing musicians who are unafraid to show that they love the music they are playing. I don’t mean that musicians should act in any way that is uncomfortable – but just react naturally to the incredible music that they are bringing alive.

3. If only musicians would talk to conductors more!! I have had my best and most insightful comments and suggestions from musicians who were not hesitant to share their feelings and opinions. How are conductors going to continue to learn and develop without input from the people who are their most powerful teachers – the musicians who play in their orchestras?

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JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta

Few artists are as important to the fabric of their communities as JoAnn Falletta. Acclaimed by The New York Times as “one of the finest conductors of her generation”, she serves as the Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra.

Ms. Falletta has been invited to guest conduct many of the world’s finest symphony orchestras. Highlights of her recent and upcoming guest conducting appearances include her debuts with the Orchestra National de Belgique, the BBC Philharmonic in Manchester, the Dallas Symphony, the Orchestre National De Lyon, the Northwest German Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Lisbon Metropolitan Symphony, the New Jersey Symphony and the Seoul Philharmonic, and return engagements with the Seattle, Utah, San Antonio, Louisville and Colorado Symphony Orchestras, the Orchestra of Asturias (Spain), the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa (Japan), and the Rotterdam Philharmonic. She has guest conducted over 100 orchestras in North America. Highlights of her recent North American guest conducting appearances include the orchestras of Philadelphia, Montreal, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee and Indianapolis, and the National Symphony.

Ms. Falletta is the recipient of many of the most prestigious conducting awards, including the Seaver/National Endowment for the Arts Conductors Award for exceptionally gifted American conductors, the coveted Stokowski Competition, and the Toscanini, Ditson and Bruno Walter Awards for conducting. She is an ardent champion of music of our time, introducing over 400 works by American composers, including more than 80 world premieres, and has received nine awards from ASCAP for creative programming, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra League’s prestigious John S. Edwards Award.

Maestro Falletta’s 2007/08 season with the Buffalo Philharmonic will be a prolific recording period, with the Orchestra recording four CDs and releasing two new discs on the Naxos label, including a world premiere recording of John Corigliano’s [i]Mr. Tambourine Man[/i] and the international release of a disc of the works of Ottorino Respighi. Continuing to raise the BPO’s national and international prominence, Ms. Falletta will once again lead the orchestra in a number of concerts to be broadcast nationally on NPR’s Performance Today and SymphonyCast, and international broadcasts through the European Broadcasting Union. This season will see the release of two new recordings by the Virginia Symphony: the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with Norman Krieger, and Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy and Massenet’s Meditation with violinist Michael Ludwig.

Maestro Falletta’s growing discography, which includes over 40 titles, consists of recordings with the London Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Virginia Symphony, the English Chamber Orchestra, the New Zealand Symphony, the Long Beach Symphony, the Czech National Symphony, the Philadelphia Philharmonia and the Women’s Philharmonic, among others. In addition to her upcoming releases with the BPO and the VSO, Ms. Falletta’s current projects include her first recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for the Naxos label, featuring the violin concertos of Dohnanyi. Other upcoming releases for this season include a world premiere recording of the orchestral music of Kenneth Fuchs with the London Symphony to be released on the Naxos label, and a recording of the music of Paul Schoenfield with the Prague Philharmonia. This summer, the Virginia Arts Festival released [i]Borrowed Treasures[/i], Ms. Falletta’s third disc of chamber music for guitar, featuring Ms. Falletta as guitarist.

Together with English Horn soloist Thomas Stacy and the London Symphony Orchestra, Falletta received a 2006 Grammy nomination for Eventide (Concerto for English Horn, Percussion, Harp, Celesta and String Orchestra) by Kenneth Fuchs, from the CD An American Place (Naxos American Classics).

Ms. Falletta received her undergraduate degree from the Mannes School of Music in New York, and her master’s and doctorate degrees from The Juilliard School.

For more information on Ms. Falletta, visit her website at www.joannfalletta.com.

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