first day back

Today was the first day back to work for the Oregon Symphony and the beginning of the 2010-2011 season.  It was good to be back in the Arlene, and there were both some new faces as well as missing familiar ones. Introduced at this morning’s rehearsal were our new Principal timpanist Jonathan Greeney (whose wife gave birth to their daughter just days before – many congratulations to them!), and new section violist Silu Fei.  Our new English horn player, Kyle Mustain, will be joining us very soon. We also were informed that two members of the orchestra were retiring – violinist Virginia McCarthy, who would not be returning from last season’s sabbatical, and bassist William Ofstad, who will be retiring in November.

The first day of rehearsal in a professional orchestra is a lot like the first day of school at a small school where everyone knows one another and has come up through the grades together.  It’s nice to reconnect with everyone, regardless of the history we might share – the new season is like a clean slate, and it’s pretty much nice to see everyone.  Then the rehearsal starts.

With Carlos, there’s not much time for idle chit chat.  We got right to work, and there were a lot of pieces for Thursday’s Waterfront Concert that needed to be gotten into shape quickly.  It is a strange sensation, returning to work with a good professional orchestra after a summer off.  I liken it to putting back on a pair of well-worn and comfortable house slippers that haven’t been worn for a long time.  There are things that feel just right, and there are also new sensations that come from new players, new repertoire, and the attitude adjustment that comes from a couple months away from the workplace and being exposed to different players, works, and situations.  My first impression of today’s rehearsal?  The orchestra sounds good – even in the first rehearsal.  There was little of the shakedown mentality that used to pervade the first rehearsal of the season.  The orchestra was prepared and ready to go, and the playing was really good.  It bodes well for the coming season, one in which we must bring our ‘A’ game to New York for our Carnegie Hall debut concert in May 2011.

It was fun to see what some of my colleagues have been up to over the summer.  Many go to perform at music festivals around the country.  Concertmaster Jun Iwasaki went on tour in Europe with the Cleveland Orchestra, which included a residency at the super-prestigious Lucerne and Salzburg Festivals.  My stand partner, principal violist Joël Belgique, was at the Steamboat Chamber Music Festival and the Grand Tetons Festival, among others.  Principal trombonist Aaron LaVere spent last season on sabbatical playing with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, and just got back from recording Mahler’s 2nd Symphony with that group under music director Myung Whun Chung.

So, it was great to be back, and if you’re looking for something to do between 9:30 – 12:00 p.m. Thursday morning, we’ll be at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park bowl (just south of the west side of the Hawthorne bridge) rehearsing for Thursday night’s concert.