Judith Ingolfsson, violinist, winner of the 1998 Gold Medal at the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Vancouver Symphony and the National Symphony.

Judity is MyAuditions February 2005 Artist of the Month.

Judith,

very impressive credentials although I have not heard your playing as of yet. does your Web site have sample audio files I can download?

Hi,

I have no idea if I am doing this correctly! I am replying to Mac's question, which is yes. There are a few sound clips on my site, and a link to Amazon, if you are interested in my CD. A Tchaikovsky concerto recording is going to be released later this year. I'll post any news on that on my site as well.

Judith

Ms. Ingolfsson will be making her "Puget Sound" area debut with the Bellevue Philharmonic on February 12th and 13th, performing the Barber Concerto.

We are looking forward to your performances with us, Judith, and the master class. (The radio interview, too!) Have a safe trip - see you next Thursday.


Larry Fried
Executive Director
Bellevue (WA) Philharmonic

this is off-topic and for Larry. i've read many of your posts and i think it's great that there is an executive director from a professional orchestra participating in this forum and not just musicians to get the management perspective on things. i was wondering that since you post often on this forum, i never see jobs posted on myauditions from the Bellevue (WA) Philharmonic. why not?

quote:

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Originally posted by TrickySam9:
Ms. Ingolfsson will be making her "Puget Sound" area debut with the Bellevue Philharmonic on February 12th and 13th, performing the Barber Concerto.

We are looking forward to your performances with us, Judith, and the master class. (The radio interview, too!) Have a safe trip - see you next Thursday.


Larry Fried
Executive Director
Bellevue (WA) Philharmonic

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Thank you, Larry! I am looking forward to playing with the Bellevue Philharmonic next week. The Barber is one of my favorite concertos to perform.

Judith

Larry, question for you, how does your orchestra decide which soloists to have perform with Bellevue? perhaps you could outline the process? perhaps that should be a new post.

judy, i see only Ernest Bloch, Ned Rorem on your amazon CD but no Tchaikovsky.

Judith: go to www.icelandseattle.com.
We've notified your fellow countrymen and women -- of whom there are 5,000 in the Puget Sound region -- that you're on the way!

>>"posted Feb 2, 8:48 AM this is off-topic and >>for Larry. i've read many of your posts and i think it's great that there is an executive >>director from a professional orchestra participating in this forum and not just >>musicians to get the management perspective on things. i was wondering that since you post >>>often on this forum, i never see jobs posted on myauditions from the Bellevue (WA) >>>Philharmonic. why not?

Pianoman: you're the only one who thinks it's great which is why I've kept a low profile here lately. I'm not sure I understand your question. Do you mean advertising audtions or staff jobs? I only learned about MyAuditions a few months ago and it's fairly new, anyway. We advertise auditions locally -- that is, the Puget Sound area -- since we're a very small budget, free-lance orchestra. It's not a gig you would re-locate for.

I hired a staff person last December - advertised the job both nationally and locally. I hired someone who was living in Portland, Oregon.

>>>Larry, question for you, how does your >>>orchestra decide which soloists to have perform >>>with Bellevue? perhaps you could outline the process? perhaps that should be a new post.

There's no great secret to this, Mac. Once the rep is chosen, we then discuss which artists are best for this particular rep. Or, if we really want to work with a specific artist, I find out what rep they're offering. It can work either way.

Because BPO is a very small orchestra -- annual operating budget of $500,000 -- I naturally also have to take into consideration what the fee is for an artist we are interested in. Assuming the artist and rep are taken care of, I then check if the artist is interested and available.

Simple, no?

by rep, you mean repertoire? if so, you select which concertos the orchestra wants to perform and then afterwards, decide on which soloists to secure to perform it?

Yes, the concerto "repertoire." As I wrote, we either pick the piece first, then choose the soloist or else we say: "We'd really like to present Mr. or Ms. X. What concerti are they offering next season?"

The music director might also say: "I'd like to have a piano/violin/cello/flute -- whatever -- on the program. Who do you recommend?"

Judy,

How do you get prepared right before a concert? Do you have a routine and do you get nervous before you step out onto the stage?

Hi,

Do you mean a concert day routine? Over the years I have grown to accept that a routine is a luxury! But, ideally, if it is an evening concert, I like to take a nap sometime in the afternoon. Sometimes I don't sleep, just meditate. Experience has taught me, though, to sleep whenever I need it and whenever I can. With jet lag, that can mean sleeping all afternoon and studying all night; whatever gets the job done. I eat a very light meal 2-3 hours before the concert. There are really only 3 things I feel that I absolutely can't go without when I am on the road; sleep, coffee and bananas!

As for getting nervous; yes, I get nervous - but to various degrees. I actually worry when I don't get nervous. The "worst" time is usually before I step on stage, or if I have to stand around and wait for a long time backstage. I usually can't wait to get onstage and play! I love to perform, and I love to play the violin - no matter what. Music is my best voice.

Judith

Hi Judith,

I was at Music Academy of the West at the same time as you back in 1997, and I just wanted to send my best wishes. It's great to see that your career has really taken off!

Judy,

Good luck with your Bellevue Phil performance this week. Please post and update us on how it went!!

How come your last name is Ingolfsson and not Ingolfsdóttir? I thought Icelandic women would always be called something-dóttir.

I think that in Scandinavia, it is typical that the last name is part of the first name of the father. So, Ingolfsson translates into Son of Ingolf. Obviously, Judith is not of the male persuasion and most likely her father, grandfather, or great grandfather was most likely Son of Ingolf and past the name on through later generations.

Hi! My name is actually Judith Ketillsdóttir. In Iceland, someone's last name is always your father's first name plus -son or -dóttir. My father's name is Ketill Ingolfsson, and my grandfather's first name was Ingolfur.

When my family came to the USA in 1980, my parents decided to make my father's last name the family name. Since then, my name (much to the chagrin of my fellow Icelanders) has been Judith Ingolfsson.

So, try pronoucing Ketillsdóttir... now you know why my parents changed it!

Judith

Judith,

How did your concert go with the Bellevue Philharmonic?