I'm a professional orchestral musician, but I love conducting. I see stories of people just 'switching' because someone says to them they should try it. Do you think you could see anyone in your orchestra becoming a conductor just based on personality traits and musical talent? Or can you only become a conductor via a specialist training scheme/

Another question - I love playing Puccini, but the tempo changes seem ridiculous at times. How do you know when to rall and accel when it's not written in the score?

If you're interested in a more folk approach, look for a group in your area. I'm in New England and there's several good sacred harp and shape note groups which take a more casual drop-in approach; members are encouraged but definitely not required to attend meetings regularly, and the emphasis is more on the joy of singing in a group, rather than rehearsal for a performance.

It could be. Some people mature early. But the road is long in conducting. The skills needed are many and are a life’s process. Marin Alsop is largely believed to be the person behind Tar. She was a student with me at Tanglewood with Bernstein. But I believe she was 30 when she first met Lenny.

That's France for you. Somebody's always striking at the most inconvenient time. 😄

If you could make an opera from any modern film, what would you choose?

You mean my life overall?

Best memory: Hitting all of my goals:

• Getting MY person i love her so much
• Studying computer since and graduating with a score of 1.9
• Working as software engineer and making a name of myself
• Overcoming my Body issues and being ripped and CAPABLE ( Even tough i destroyed my skin by being way to overweight)

Least proud:

• Letting myself getting very overweight AND BEING OK WITH IT FOR A FEW YEARS
• Not having the chances i could have had because i was to self conscious and thinking i'm not smart enough - never let anyone tell you you can't do something. Even good friends told me 'you really should think about trying university... its hard!'
  I'm so glad i tired. I rather fail then don't try

I’m a big fan of Carlos Kleiber. Great conductors are many, Karajan, Toscanini, Bernstein, etc. still alive today are Mehta, Ozawa, Muti, Barenboim, but they are all in their 80’s now…

[removed]

There have been instances of performers falling into the orchestra pit. It can be very dangerous to the musicians…

Sometimes, singers get off or skip a bar. What ensues is kind of cacophonous and pretty scary if you’re the conductor. Many people will notice though it usually doesn’t last long! I already told my story at the Paris opera of the electricians going on strike in the big ending of my overture to Faust. In the darkness, the orchestra just played on by memory. It was quite amazing!

Conductors are on Reddit now too?? Where are we going to complain about The Establishment now 😁 Just kidding! How do you find the differences between European and American opera houses, and how do you think we could have more opera performances outside large opera houses?

Favorite Glass opera? And would you have the fortitude to conduct something like Einstein? ;)

What do you think of conductors who go “scoreless”? I am biased by Birgit Nilsson’s opinions in her memoir that conductors who do this are showing off for no reason but vanity, but curious if there might be other reasons conductors do this

i saw it in your post history that you made a gaming table with your dad you were really proud of. That’s pretty awesome! It honestly looks really great and I have so much respect and admiration for you. I couldn’t do that.

Im sure your dad is also super proud of you, u/Reiiser!

The most important instruments in an orchestra are the stringed instruments. Violins, cellos, etc. They usually get the most to do and the nicest lines of music. But every instrument is important to the mix of colors and sounds

This is an odd request but I REALLY hope you can help...

I've been chasing a piece of music that I played in Junior High for years. I've posted it here, emailed it my local PBS station and ran it through online music identifiers with no luck.

This is me akwardly plunking out the intro... I'm not sure if it's in the right key but it's played by the violas and violins while the cellos and basses play an repeating one-note pulse.

Is there any chance at all that you know what piece of music this is?

Favorite modern day song?

A trained human voice. No greater instrument!

Hello. Have you seen the movie Tár? The Cate Blanchett character claims to be a protege of Bernstein, to the point of referring to him as "Lenny" throughout. Assuming her character and actual age are the same, she would've been 21 when Bernstein died. At that elite level, does that seem plausible to have been his protege at that age?

I would check out the universal favorites. The pieces that make the list of most beloved works by the great composers. In opera, Puccini’s operas, Bizet’s Carmen, Mozart operas, Wagner, and Verdi are the big names.

For classical works, listen to Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, then to Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and lots of Baroque Music favorites like the Pachelbel Canon, Albinoni Adagio. Many pieces have been turned into rock versions, or used in the movies.

I asked the same question to my doctor - there is no definitive answer that can be given.
If the cancer would have reoccurred on the same testicle? i would also think about the possibly. But the cancer occurred, after 2 years, in my stomach next do a lymph node. So my guess is good as yours, or any of the other doctors.

Who are contemporary colleagues that inspire you? Who are some of your inspirations from the past?

Do you have any stories of something that went “wrong” on stage or in the pit that the audience didn’t even notice? Or any funny stories of mishaps in performances?

Are some instruments more vital in general to use when conducting music? Is there some kind of ranking of which ones are given the most attention or are they all rather considered equal?

If you could only hear one instrument for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Classical music is no different than anything else in the world of humans. I haven’t seen the movie Tar, but I will as from what I understand it asks a lot of questions.

Movies tend to portray classical music in a way which is not very authentic, for commercial reasons. So I can’t really recommend any media as such. Best thing you can do is go to a live performance. Like our Puccini double bill here in San Diego!