Today is a big day for the #BirthdayQuest, as weve reached the halfway point! Its hard to belive that 183 days have passed already, and there are only 182 to go. Coincidentally, today is the third day of the #BirthdayQuest where I have no friends with listed birthdays. So, its an honor to do a tribute to one of my most important mentors, the late, great Erich Kunzel. Erich and I clicked from the moment we first worked together. I was a stage performer at the time, and considered myself to be a bit of a grizzled veteran. I had never really reflected on this until recently, but I think the reason we got along so well is that we had a number of important similarites. In short, the two of us didnt take ourselves too seriously, and enjoy it when those around us (audience members, colleagues, friends) are having a great time. So, well do silly/crazy things behind the scenes, or do some funny schtick onstage, as long as it results in the enjoyment of others. However, when it comes to the quality of our work product, thats something we were both incredibly serious about. While I dont personally believe in the term workaholic, many folks would describe us as such. We were both very demanding of ourselves, and similarly demanding of the folks around us. I had never mentioned anything to him about conducting- as I explained in the video, even though I was doing quite a bit of conducting/rehearsing at my performing arts school, the thought of a kid conductor seemed almost silly. I leave out the story of the sequence of events that led to my debut at age 13, though I do share the story that turned that likely 1-time gimmick into something much more. Erich was a phenomenal musician, with an amazing skill set, made even stronger by his work and focus. Many people dont realize that Erichs entire career/music path was in symphonic orchestral music until the Pops thing suddenly caught fire. One of many things that separates Erich from most other conductors is that he treated the music he conducted like *music*. Then, he had the chops and tools to make sure that it was performed at a high level. So many people who conduct Pops music for a living have an embarrassingly thin skill set, and have little to no idea of how to actually work with an orchestra, much less have any idea about quality in general. This is a much longer topic for another time, and there are a lot of parallels with some of the troubles in the classical music world. In short, quality matters. There is a misconception amongst many in the classical music world that the Pops audience has no understanding or care for the quality of the performances they attend...but then remained baffled when ticket sales continue to decline (or, even better: they hire someone who is an established disater with ticket sales, but then are shocked when this individual remains a disaster in sales.) Erich knew his audience better than anyone, and while people remember the many funny/crazy/silly stories and anecdotes he was famous for, it was the quality of the product that kept people coming back. Theres so much more to say about Erich and his life & career. At some point in the near future, I plan on writing an extensive article about the state of Pops in the US...while I have alluded to the quality issues above, there is so much to be learned from Erichs time in Cincinnati. Erich was one-of-a-kind, and had an enormous impact on so many folks around the world. I certainly would not be where I am today without his guidance and leadership. The opportunities and experiences I got as a young kid led to so many more opportunities, and also inspire me to try and do the same for the young talent of today. Its an honor to have been his very first protégé. Todays theme pays tribute to him, and I borrow a quote from each of the seven pieces I conducted as a kid. Thanks so much for everything, Erich- I miss you, my friend. https://youtube/watch?v=IR7uA7VZcK0
Posted on: Sun, 30 Nov 2014 22:52:12 +0000
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