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 Frank
Almond holds the Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair at the
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He returned to the MSO in the 03-04 season
after holding positions as Concertmaster of the Rotterdam Philharmonic
with Valery Gergiev in 02-03, and Concertmaster of the London
Philharmonic with Kurt Masur in 2001. He continues an active schedule of
solo and chamber music performances in the US and abroad including
recent appearances with the American String Project in Seattle, the Nara
Academy in Nara, Japan, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and various solo
appearances with orchestras. He is also a member of the chamber group An
die Musik in New York City, and is the Artistic Director of Frankly
Music, his highly acclaimed chamber music series based in Milwaukee.
More...
Transcript Recorded: 04-03-2006
- 07:00:19
PM
MyAuditions: Greetings Members. Welcome to MyAuditions celebrity chat. Our
featured artist this evening is with Frank Almond. Frank
holds the Charles and Marie Caestecker Concertmaster Chair
at the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He returned to the MSO
in the 03-04 season after holding positions as Concertmaster
of the Rotterdam Philharmonic with Valery Gergiev in 02-03,
and Concertmaster of the London Philharmonic with Kurt Masur
in 2001. He continues an active schedule of solo and chamber
music performances in the US and abroad. This is a moderated
chat and all comments are pre-screened and will be
pre-approved by Mr. Almond prior to public display on this
forum.
MyAuditions:
Welcome Frank!
Frank Almond:
Thanks- nice to be here.
MyAuditions: We
are happy that you've found time to join our merry little
band this evening.
Frank Almond: I'll
apologize in advance for my fairly pathetic typing skills.
MyAuditions: Can you tell us how you got your start on the violin?
Frank Almond: My
parents got me going on the violin when I was about 5. We
lived in San Diego, where one of the first Suzuki programs
was starting. So I was sort of a guinea pig. It went from
there.
MyAuditions:
Perhaps you can enlighten us as to the Suzuki method and how
it is used?
Frank Almond:
Well, these days it's a bit different, but early on the
whole idea was to use the idea of learning by ear and apply
it to music lessons. Suzuki figured if that's how people
learned to speak, it might transfer.
MyAuditions: The
forum is now open to questions from our audience.
<Elvis>: Hi Frank,
Great honor for you to be here. I am so excited!
<Simone>: Can you
tell us what's it like to be a concertmaster? What your role
is and how you work with the conductor?
Frank Almond: I'm
not sure there's enough time in this forum to adequately
describe the whole role. Basically, you are sort of a
liaison between the orchestra and conductor on many
different levels, artistic and otherwise. You also are
responsible for bowings, and of course any solos, along with
various other duties involving most auditions, etc. The job
requires a fair amount of skill in a number of areas, and I
find myself constantly trying to improve in all of them.
Musician: Hello
Mr. Almond. How would you compare your experience from the
American vs. European standard of playing?
Frank Almond: It
sort of depends on what you're specifically talking about.
Musician: Setup of
the orchestra, tempo's, difference in approach to a specific
work.
Frank Almond: In
general, I think European orchestras have a little looser
approach regarding many issues that are fairly regimented in
the US. For instance, people pay a bit less attention to the
clock, "rules" get bent here and there, etc. Also, in a
place like Rotterdam, there was a fairly comprehensive
knowledge of works, styles, etc that sort of amazed me. We
didn't rehearse a whole lot in general. Also, I often found
the audiences to be a bit more literate musically in
comparison to some places in the US. That's sort of a quick,
general answer.
<Elvis>: Do you
take on any students and if so, are they playing
professionally anywhere?
Frank Almond: I
have a few private students, and have a fair amount of
teaching experience even though I'm not currently associated
with a particular school. I give several master classes
every year, usually connected with a concert I'm playing
someplace. I have former students at Juilliard, Yale, IU,
and a few other notable schools; at the moment I'd like to
teach a little more, but scheduling can be a problem.
Musician: When you
participate in the audition committees, what do you look for
in a candidate's playing? What stands out? What impresses
you?
Frank Almond:
Depends on the position. If it's a Principal opening, we are
obviously looking for a player on an extremely high level
who also possesses some soloist qualities. But also someone
who knows how to blend, play chamber music, and has a kind
of intangible "leadership" streak.
MyAuditions: How
do you distinguish between the intangibles?
Frank Almond:
Sometimes it's very difficult and there are some spirited
discussions on the committee! But that usually is not the
case; one can generally sense if someone has experience as a
principal, and often you can sense if that person will "grow
into" that role if there's a question.
Frank Almond: To
finish the earlier answer- looking for a section player is
different, with an emphasis on overall expertise as well as
an ability to blend. We aren't looking for people who
necessarily play perfectly.
Musician: How
would you judge the state of orchestra's today? Will
musicians and management ever play nice?
Frank Almond: I
think there are some appropriately concerned discussions
going on regarding the entire classical business, orchestras
included. I do know of many situations in which orchestra
members work successfully and regularly with their
respective managements, but it's a tough balance.
Managements often don't understand various aspects of the
artistic side, and musicians often don't grasp the totality
of trying to run an orchestra these days. It works when
there's a knowledge base and a sense of trust on both sides
that allows for compromise and negotiation towards a mutual
goal. As far as where the business is headed overall, that's
a whole other discussion. My advice to anyone these days is
to try and amass as much experience in as many areas as you
can- orchestra, chamber music, solo playing, teaching,
whatever. Counting on an orchestra job is difficult now, and
anyway I think having a number of skills also makes for a
better overall musician.
<Simone>: What
kind of violin do you play?
Frank Almond: I
consider myself blessed to be playing on a violin by Antonio
Stradivari from 1701, nicknamed the "Dushkin" from a prior
owner.
<Elvis>: How is it
different playing in Milwaukee vs. Rotterdam? Pros vs. cons?
Frank Almond:
Amsterdam has a much better soccer team. Seriously, there
are many differences outlined in some previous answers, but
for me the decision to stay in the US had more to do with
quality of life. In general, US orchestras pay better, and
the overall standard of living is quite high. Plus I found
it was a little odd living as an expatriate in 2001-03 with
the world political situation
<Anajune>: Would
you ever consider hiring a string principal with a modern
instrument? Do you know of anyone who has... not owning a
significant instrument?
Frank Almond:
Personally I don't care what someone's instrument is as long
as they sound good on it. I know a number of soloists and
well-known chamber musicians who play on "modern"
instruments. Usually no one knows. The Emerson Quartet, for
example, or the violinist Christian Tetzlaff. Hilary Hahn
plays on a Vuillaume; not exactly modern, but not a name one
would necessarily associate with one of the top soloists in
the world.
<Anajune>: Thank you so much for your response. It definitely clears
a lot of questions.
Frank Almond:
You're very welcome. Instruments are important tools, but
not as much as the person playing.
Frank Almond:
Zukerman sounds like Zukerman no matter whose instrument
he's got; I've witnessed it.
<Simone>: I am
interested in your audition experience when you first
auditioned for the concertmaster post. Can you elaborate
please?
Frank Almond: For
the Milwaukee job, I remember I played the Tchaikovsky
concerto in Texas someplace on a Sunday afternoon. I went to
the airport at intermission and flew to Milwaukee, where
they lost my bag. I got to the hall at 8AM with about 100
other people and stayed all day. I played two rounds behind
a screen, and the finals about 6pm for 45 or so. I sort of
had it when they asked me to sight read something from
Electra. They invited me to play two weeks and offered me
the job on the last day. Actually I was kind of shocked; I
remember feeling like the audition wasn't my best day.
<Leal>: Hello Mr.
Almond. What about the discipline of preparing for an
orchestra job? How long do you suggest a musician should
prepare for an orchestra job?
Frank Almond:
Until you get one you want, I suppose. Auditions are highly
subjective and often may not seem to make a lot of sense, so
you need to be pretty tough mentally. I think most
orchestras (not all) genuinely try to have a fair process
that results in a great candidate. But it isn't a perfect
process, just the only one in use right now. Preparing for
an audition is a very specific undertaking, much different
than preparing for a concert, for instance.
<Simone>: Have you
ever failed at one of the auditions you took and if so, what
do you think was the cause and how did you correct it with
the next audition?
Frank Almond:
What's your definition of "failure"?
<Simone>: You
didn't get the job?
Frank Almond: I've
taken a few CM (concertmaster) auditions where I did not get
the job, but sometimes it was my choice, sometimes not. I'm
at the point where I wouldn't necessarily take a "bigger"
job than this one, for a variety of reasons. The only time
I've been frustrated about an audition is if I didn't think
I played as well as I could have overall. That often had
nothing to do with whether or not I won the job. Also,
remember that a search for CM is very different than pretty
much any other position in an orchestra.
<Anajune>: My
husband is a cellist, but unfortunately he's not around to
be part of this chat... he did not have a chance to audition
for the recent principal audition, but would definitely like
to go next time. Unfortunately we live nowhere near
Milwaukee and there aren't many Milwaukee recordings. What
would you say are the most distinct things about the way
Milwaukee plays (do's and don'ts?) that might make a
difference in final rounds of the audition?
Frank Almond: It
would be difficult to examine all the aspects of our current
Principal Cello opening. But if you want to hear the
orchestra, there are quite a few recordings on ITunes now,
mostly live broadcasts. In addition, the MSO is one of the
few orchestras to still have fairly regular syndicated
broadcasts. Maybe there's a station near you that carries
them.
<Anajune>: We do
have a few, Berlioz and some contemporary stuff; I guess I
meant the standard repertory.
Frank Almond:
There's quite a bit of standard rep on ITunes now; it was a
big deal since the MSO was the first US orchestra to really
do it so it made sense. The Los Angeles Philharmonic and the
New York Philharmonic are sort of following the lead, which
definitely involves the musicians being compensated (however
little the amounts are). No one expects to get rich off of
the ITunes deal.
Musician: Do you
have aspirations beyond Milwaukee?
Frank Almond: I'm
already doing quite a few things around the MSO (Milwaukee
Symphony Orchestra) duties, many of them away from home.
I've got a website if you want to see what I'm up to. On the
other hand, one never knows if the "perfect" position will
show up, CM or otherwise.
MyAuditions:
Frank, we have time for one last question.
Frank Almond: ok,
one more
<Elvis>: Do you
think the Brewers will have a chance this year?
Frank Almond:
Maybe if they start playing soccer.
MyAuditions: That
is the last question for this evenings celebrity chat.
MyAuditions would very much like to thank Frank for taking
the time this evening to chat with us. A transcript of this
evening's chat will be made available to members in the
coming days. Look for the link “Event Transcripts” on the
celebrity chat main page if you wish to access it.
MyAuditions: Also,
please make sure that you check our schedule for next
month's featured celebrity chat with Carl Topilow,
Conductor, Cleveland Institute of Music, Cleveland Pops,
National Repertory Orchestra. His chat is scheduled for
Wednesday, May 3, 2006 at 7pm Eastern Time. We hope to see
you there!
Frank Almond: Many
thanks for having me.
MyAuditions: It's
been a pleasure!
MyAuditions: Thank
you again Frank and thank you members. This concludes this
evening’s program. Good night. |
