The Natural: Garrick Ohlsson’s Mind Was Built To Master The Piano
Feb 24th
The Classical Encyclopedia
If you need to learn the ins and outs of a classical concerto, there are two sources you could start with: Wikipedia or Garrick Ohlsson. The man knows his stuff.
Whenever I interview a musician or composer for InSymphony, I usually start by asking them discuss the piece they’ll be playing with the Oregon Symphony. It’s a good way to warm them up and make small talk before the interview really begins.
But Ohlsson surprised me. “Oh. Well. There’s a lot to say,” he replied, and then launched into a 10-minute dissertation of Mozart Piano Concerto No. 9 (or 271, as More >
Sounding Off
Oct 8th
“Society’s going in the ocean,” says the wonderfully talented – and surprisingly frank – Pinchas Zukerman. But thanks to his violin, audiences have enjoyed the ride for 50 years.
By Matt Williams
When I was preparing to interview violinist Pinchas Zukerman, I expected us to cover the standard “classical musician interview” topics: his long and storied artistic biography, his thoughts on conducting vs. performing, who he likes coming up today. Little did I know that Zukerman had larger issues on his mind. A few minutes into the interview—at the first of several profanities—it was clear that age hasn’t mellowed the 63-year-old legend More >
Double Dare
Oct 6th
Christopher Stowell and Nicolo Fonte talk about the risks they’ve taken to update Carmen and Petrouchka for OBT.
By Matt Williams
Put two harried choreographers in a room and you’re never quite sure what you’ll get. That was my concern when preparing for a joint interview with OBT’s Christopher Stowell and Guest Choreographer Nicolo Fonte. Both were finalizing their interpretations of Carmen and Petrouchka, and had carved out an hour during the final rush of choreography and creation. Would they be distracted, hurried, frazzled? On the contrary, the energy was great, no doubt thanks to the “always-on” vibe at OBT as a show approaches. Both More >
Grounded. Where’s the Ego?
Mar 1st
Violinist James Ehnes has critics fawning, but you’ll never hear it from him.
Any time I’m interviewing a celebrity of any sort, I assume that a touch of ego will come up during the conversation. And I’m fine with that. After all, whether you’re a professional athlete or classical musician, if you’ve reached the point where people want to read about you, you probably have a bit of hubris ingrained in your personality. It’s just human nature.
But once in a while you get someone like violinist James Ehnes, who begins the interview by apologizing if his cell phone cuts out (he’s More >
Alondra de la Parra’s Boundless Energy
Feb 1st
Photo by Brian Hatton
Conductor Alondra de la Parra is one of those people who force you to re-evaluate your own accomplishments in this world. And I mean that in the nicest way. After all, by the time she was 25—when I was still trying to figure out how buy groceries on a regular basis—she had created the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas, shouldering big decisions like choosing the musicians, assembling a board of directors, raising funding, overseeing marketing and handling the thousands of nitty gritty details that went into every step. “I honestly had no idea I was going to More >
On the Rise: Yuja Wang
Jan 7th
At 23, Yuja Wang is one of classical music’s fresh faces, which means that unlike most of her peers, she’s just as interested in chatting about Facebook and tennis as she is the master works she plays on a regular basis. Perhaps even more so.
But just before we were set to talk, her PR person asked to reschedule, reporting that Wang had come down with a nasty headcold. We couldn’t come up with a better time, however, so we went for it anyway. Wang’s fever—and the spotty cell reception—made establishing a rapport difficult, but she was a gamer, keeping upbeat More >
Colin Currie, Master of Timing
Dec 4th
Photo by William Ellis
Talk about timing. After a guest artist (who will remain nameless) who was to be interviewed for the Oregon Symphony’s December program seemingly dropped off the face of the earth, we were left with about three days to find and research another subject, get the Q&A designed and get the book off to the printers. Enter percussionist Colin Currie, who knows nothing if not timing. He was happy to talk with literally a day’s notice, taking my call on a Tuesday evening in Amsterdam, where he was serving as a judge for a percussion festival called TROMP.
Currie More >
Stephen Hough Is Smarter Than You
Nov 8th
It’s always intimidating to interview someone who is light years ahead of you intellectually. And yes, I’m not afraid to admit that Stephen Hough—author, philosopher, theologian, journalist, lecturer (and, oh yes, world-renowned pianist)—certainly qualifies. But luckily for me, he is also very much a gentleman. In fact, when I called his London flat, the connection was so rough that every 30 seconds he’d hear an electronic rumble in the phone and pause during his answer to let it pass without complaint. It was only after about 5 minutes that I suggested I call back to try a new connection, to More >
Is Ballet Really For Sissies?
Oct 4th
Skies America / Renata Kosina
Here’s a secret—even though I’ve been editing the Oregon Ballet Theatre’s program for a few years now, I couldn’t tell you a brisé from a glissade to save my life. So it was enlightening for me (and, hopefully, the readers) to write this feature on the physical rigors the dancers go through. My favorite quote came from dancer Lucas Threefoot, who talked about his friend who threw up every night he performed the role that Threefoot was taking on.
The dancers work just as hard as the Blazers, but they obviously enjoy a fraction of the exposure. More >
The Fun-Loving Hilary Hahn
Sep 22nd
Photo by Mathias Bothor
I’ve been interviewing the Oregon Symphony’s guest artists for two years, but no one has matched Hilary Hahn’s enthusiasm and personality. Hahn is super-accessible—she takes fan questions on her own You Tube channel, blogs constantly about the minutia a traveling musician faces and tweets like crazy. During the interview I found myself almost having to cut her off to get to the next question—definitely a problem an interviewer likes to have.
Here’s a story that didn’t make it to print: At one point, the conversation turned to performing on the street, and Hahn revealed she busked on a Seattle sidewalk More >
