This is the second in a series of podcasts focusing on the topic of what orchestras of all budget size should be considering when planning for post-COVID concert activity. This installment focuses on what musicians think so I invited a trio from each major section of an orchestra: strings, brass, and winds.
Guests Jon Boen, Catherine Chen, and Yumi Hwang-Williams, talk about their views on the topic. It is an all around fascinating conversation.
Here are a few highlights from the discussion:
[easy-tweet tweet=”It was 11.5 months since my last performance with other musicians. – Shop Talk S01E15: Musician Injuries Could Soar After COVID: Musician Perspective” template=”qlite”]
[easy-tweet tweet=”We’ve talking a lot about physical injuries after COVID, but what about the emotional aspect of performing and performance anxiety? – Shop Talk S01E15: Musician Injuries Could Soar After COVID: Musician Perspective” template=”qlite”]
[easy-tweet tweet=”I live in a condo and one of the things I’ve had is even though I’ve kept my playing up, it’s at lower volume levels. When we return, the volume encourages us to bring it, but that’s where we can really trigger injury and overuse of extreme dynamic. – Shop Talk S01E15: Musician Injuries Could Soar After COVID: Musician Perspective” template=”qlite”]
With a career covering opera, symphonic, chamber, Baroque, solo performing, and even Broadway and jingles, Jon Boen combines these components to offer a unique musical perspective. Widely recognized as one of the most technically commanding performers of the horn, Jon believes that his experience at the opera adds a layer of lyricism to his interpretations not commonly found in brass playing today. He has served as Principal Horn for the Lyric Opera of Chicago since 1979, a position he secured at the age of 22. Since 1998, he holds the position of Principal Horn of the Grant Park Orchestra.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, she currently serves as Principal Bassoon of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, a position she has held since 2017 at the age of 24. Prior to her current appointment, Catherine was the Associate Principal Bassoon with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra at the age of 22.
Working from the belief that music is more than playing the right notes at the right time, Catherine Chen approaches each piece as an opportunity to sing through her instrument and connect with the audience.
Since 2000, Yumi has been Concertmaster of the Colorado Symphony and was Concertmaster of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra for twelve years.
Strings magazine calls Yumi Hwang-Williams “a modern Prometheus” who has “emerged as a fiery champion of contemporary classical music.”
Yumi made her debut at the age of fifteen as a soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, she’s known today both for her stylish performances of the classics and her commitment to the works of present-day composers.
Yumi plays on a violin made by Carlo Landolfi in Milan, circa 1752. For context, in that same year Thomas Jefferson was enjoying life as a nine year old.
If you've been watching any of the early efforts from orchestras experimenting with socially distanced concerts, you've probably noticed that on-stage musicians are wearing…
