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Reflections

A native of New York City, JoAnn Falletta (M.M. '83, D.M.A. '89, orchestral conducting) is currently the music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and artistic advisor to the Honolulu Symphony. Winner of the Stokowski Competition, the Seaver, Toscanini, Ditson, and Bruno Walter awards, and eight consecutive awards from ASCAP for creative programming, Maestra Falletta has performed more than 300 works by American composers, including 60 world premieres. Her extensive discography includes more than 25 titles on the Naxos, Delos, Koch, and other labels.

JoAnn Falletta (Photo by Jim Bush)

What was behind your choice to attend Juilliard?

For me the choice was simple—the Juilliard conducting program was internationally renowned as the best in the world. My private studies with Maestro Sixten Ehrling had served to intensify my desire to study at Juilliard. I had even had the opportunity to come in as an "extra" to play guitar and mandolin in pieces by Respighi, Mahler, and Stravinsky, and was enormously impressed by the artistic excellence of the School. The limited class size, superb faculty, guest lecturers, and the significant conducting time afforded by a program with its own dedicated orchestra made the Juilliard conducting program unique in its intensity and possibilities for artistic development.

The depth of talent of the students was a conductor's dream—whether working with the full orchestra, conducting small ensembles in recital, or recruiting musicians to play with me in my own "training" orchestra, the Queens Philharmonic. … I often had the special opportunity of substituting in a rehearsal for a guest conductor who had not yet arrived. Dean Louis Brunelli learned that I would never refuse a chance to conduct the orchestra, even if it meant staying up all night to learn a piece I had never conducted before.

Can you recall a specific Juilliard experience that resulted in an important insight?

I can still remember the times that Leonard Bernstein would come to Juilliard to teach a master class. A Bernstein master class was profoundly inspiring for all of us. It was an extraordinary experience to be able to work with the maestro on the podium next to you, and then to observe him conduct our orchestra. Bernstein's passion for music and his intense communication were lessons that none of us will ever forget.

What Juilliard teacher made the largest impact on you and what was that impact?

Maestro Jorge Mester. I really feel that I owe my conducting career to him—to his belief in me, to his uncompromising standards, to his relentless pursuit of excellence. Twice weekly, Jorge's witty and scathingly accurate critiques of our fledgling efforts (to the great amusement of the members of the orchestra) helped us develop as conductors. Jorge's techniques for improvement are legendary. Whenever I guest conduct, I almost always find a colleague in the orchestra who laughs with me at the memory of us conducting with bags over our heads, books between our knees, arms tied behind our backs and other forms of Mesterian torture which I will leave to the imagination. Despite a tremor of horror at some of the times spent as hapless students under his merciless scrutiny, I find that time has served only to reinforce the conviction that we were in the presence of one of the great conducting teachers of all time.

Return to the Alumni Reflections index page.

How does what you learned at Juilliard shape your daily life?

At Juilliard, we were always surrounded by the best: extraordinary faculty, gifted students, incredible music-making. That environment nurtured a deep humility in me, a sense of profound gratitude to be a musician, a feeling of wonder at the indescribable riches of our musical heritage. Because of Juilliard I have been given the extraordinary opportunity to work with the great musicians who make up our symphony orchestras, a human mosaic of unparalleled talent that fills me with complete awe and respect. The lessons of Juilliard—the humility and passion of the endless search for excellence—inspire me every day of my life.

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