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Crescendo Ignace "Iggy" Jang |
The real lives
of conductorsIn the music world, conductors are at times perceived as fiery-tempered prima donnas, dull academics or ogres who never crack a smile. But what we see on stage varies wildly from the daily lives of modern-day conductors. Drama works well in the movies, but it wreaks havoc in the orchestra.
Today, we'll talk story about the myths and realities of conducting. To help me in this task is the Honolulu Symphony's assistant conductor Joan Landry.
I've worked with many conductors, and each has a unique story about how they came to the podium. I'll pass the baton to Joan, or, as she's known in the concert hall, Maestra Landry:
I'm often asked why I pursued conducting as a career. Most people see it as an obscure or even odd vocation, but to me it was a natural choice because I love music. As a teenager, my goal was to become a professional French horn player. Then I injured my lip and wasn't able to practice the usual amount of time each day. I began to listen to a lot of music and took musical scores out of the library to read. It was only during college that I admitted my secret ambition to become a conductor.
In the United States, most conductors begin by earning a degree in music and then pursue a graduate degree in conducting. Undergraduates can pursue majors in a performing instrument, composition, and music theory or history. Degrees in conducting are offered only at the graduate level, so grades are important if you want to make the cut.
I began my conducting studies while an undergraduate at the New England Conservatory. During summer breaks, I traveled to a workshop run by Harold Farberman, a former member of the Boston Symphony who later became a conductor. I studied with him for three summers, then attended the Hartt School of Music in Connecticut to earn a master's in orchestral conducting.
Beginning a conducting career at such a late age -- most violinists start to practice by age 5 -- can be a heart-wrenching experience, as it takes many additional years of study to master the skill. Practical training is also hard to find. When I graduated from Hartt, I moved to Minnesota to observe and study with Eiji Oue, a former music director of the Minnesota Orchestra. Then, I won the position of apprentice conductor with the Oregon Symphony -- one of the only jobs of its kind in the country. While in Portland, I conducted on more than 20 concert programs.
THE MAIN CHALLENGE of conducting is to thoroughly understand the musical score, or written music. A conductor's score may have as many as 30 different simultaneous instrumental parts on one page, so that means hours of dedicated study for every piece.
People assume the work of an orchestra and conductor begins at first rehearsal, but that actually marks the halfway point of the process. Weeks or months of study may be required before a composition feels familiar. Youth compounds the issue. In my 30s, I'm performing some pieces for the first time. Your technical skills must be perfected in order to create clear and musical gestures with your baton. This is definitely not a profession for anyone with stage fright.
Another aspect of a conductor's job is programming: determining what the audience would like to hear and what the orchestra is eager to perform. Here in Honolulu, maestro Samuel Wong guides programming for our MasterWorks series, and it's my job to program the music for our education concerts -- weekday performances for students ranging in age from 5 to 18.
The education concert series offers the opportunity for children to visit the concert hall and, for some, to experience a live symphony orchestra, often for the first time. It's my job to develop programs that teach lessons about music, the arts and life in general. I chat with the children from the stage and guide them through the program. The orchestra and I strive to open their eyes to all the arts, and it's a privilege to play a role in educating Hawaii's keiki. It's a thrill to watch as each child learns how various sounds are made, and that they aren't just magically generated by a machine.
This year, our theme for students in fourth- to 12th-grade is "Around the World with the Orchestra," in which concepts of geography and language are woven together with music from Italy, Russia, Hungary, China and the United States.
For students in kindergarten to third grade, we focus on the orchestra itself and introduce them to instrument families such as the woodwinds, brass and percussion, while hoping that each child leaves with a sense of enthusiasm about music and live performances.
WHILE AN AVERAGE day in conducting isn't filled with high drama, there are always surprises. I've been lucky to have avoided hitting myself in the head with my baton or falling off the podium. I did have a minor mishap in Portland when my music stand kept falling down. I was conducting the college orchestra at Lewis & Clark College and had to bend over and lift it up while conducting. Talk about multitasking!
Outdoor concerts have their own hazards. I've conducted outside during a windstorm as music flew off and clouds threatened rain. When you're a musician, the show must go on, and we made it. I can't say that our audience was as dedicated; they ran for cover as soon as the first raindrop fell.
The unexpected can happen on stage too, especially when you're an assistant conductor. Part of my job is to act as cover conductor -- another way of saying "understudy." If the conductor falls ill or gets stuck in traffic, the cover conductor steps to the podium. It can happen at a moment's notice. One minute you're heading to your seat to enjoy the concert, the next you're borrowing a baton.
This April, I'll have the opportunity to conduct our "Carmina Burana" concerts, but this time I'll have plenty of time to prepare. I look forward to seeing you in the audience!
Ignace "Iggy" Jang is the Honolulu Symphony's concertmaster. His column will appear on the Monday prior to each concert of the season to illuminate works to be performed. E-mail comments and questions to Jang at suggestions@honolulusymphony.com
