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In Orpheus, All Players Are Created Equal By JONATHAN CHU
Playing in an orchestra can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it also comes with its share of drawbacks. String players often feel their contribution to the overall group is unimportant, especially from the middle of a 14-player section. Those same string players are often oblivious to the wind players next to them, who are playing beautifully but unable to penetrate the wall of string sound all but blocking every note. And the conductor—why is he dictating everything, when everyone seems to hate his ideas? Why is he waving so wildly when it's supposed to be pianissimo? And can he please stick with the tempo he set at the last rehearsal? No wonder so many musicians leave orchestras more apathetic than when they began.
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| Orpheus members rehearse in Room 309 on October 18. (Photo by Mei-Ting Sun) |
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Fortunately, there are other options. Enter Orpheus, one of the world's elite chamber orchestras, best known for its style of conductorless performance and self-governance. Since its inception in 1972, Orpheus has performed all over the world to wide acclaim, collaborating with the great artists of today. Orpheus has also recorded extensively for the Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Classical, Verve, BMG, Decca, RCA Red Seal, and Nonesuch labels, producing more than 70 disks. Its unique rehearsal technique has become a model for schools and businesses as an example of successful, grassroots democracy and teamwork that produces exemplary results. In Orpheus, principal player positions are never fixed, and musical direction is not provided by a central authority figure, as there is no conductor. For every work in a concert, the members of the orchestra select the concertmaster and principal players for each section. These form the core group, whose task is to decide upon the ideas guiding that piece and lead the rehearsals. During the rehearsal process, all members of the orchestra participate, providing comments and taking turns listening to the ensemble from the hall, until the piece is refined and performance-ready. "It's an empowering experience, and one can take it as far as one wants," says Alan Kay, a Juilliard alumnus and faculty member who is a clarinetist in Orpheus. Kay also serves as program coordinator, an elected position whose primary job is to decide the music the orchestra plays, as far as two years in advance. "Every participating musician in an Orpheus 'set' [any given program, shepherded through the process of rehearsals, concerts, and tours] has a chance to be a living part of the final interpretation of a piece. For some, this means score preparation; for others, it means bringing a special affinity for a particular composer's music to Orpheus; for still others, it might mean building on their knowledge of a particular piece by hearing what others have to say and arguing about it for an afternoon!"In a traditional orchestra setting—one which I also love—a conductor dictates the pacing of a rehearsal and the shaping of a piece; a good conductor knows how to keep a rehearsal stimulating and productive," explains Kay. "At Orpheus, if the rehearsal process 'sags,' we have no one to blame but ourselves. So an Orpheus musician has a different kind of responsibility."
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| Clarinetist David Singer discusses the score with another Orpheus member during the rehearsal at Juilliard. (Photo by Mei-Ting Sun) |
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Different skills are also required for an ensemble of this kind, compared to the traditional orchestra. "You must be a self-directed musician," says Frank Morelli, who teaches bassoon at Juilliard and has been a member of Orpheus since 1978. "You can't wait for people to tell you what to do. You must be able to give and take criticism. You need to think creatively and be prepared to give a lot of yourself. Players must take greater responsibility for learning the works in greater depth than one might in a conducted orchestra."Leading is important—both in persuading your colleagues of your ideas, and also communicating through body language—but equally so is knowing when to follow, according to Eric Bartlett, a Juilliard alum and faculty member, and cellist with both Orpheus and the New York Philharmonic. "While everyone has interesting and productive ideas in rehearsal, it is ultimately a very finely honed ability to follow that makes an ensemble sound like an ensemble."
Although Orpheus is a household name among musicians and the classical music-loving public, its roots are quite humble. Martha Caplin, violinist and Juilliard alumna, has been a member since 1982 but played with the group from the beginning. "I got involved originally because of my association with other Juilliard graduates I knew in the group. All of us were heading toward chamber music careers while in school," she explained. "We played in shopping malls and small churches—anywhere we could."For creative students who might be unsure of whether or not to follow the beaten path, Eric has some advice. "You never know if a new idea is going to fly until you try it. Orpheus's way of making music—which people are finally coming to accept after 30 years—was a radical new idea when it was introduced in 1972. The best time to pursue your new ideas is right after school, before you have made a lot of financial, personal, and geographical commitments. Sell your idea to a few like-minded colleagues, so that you are not laboring in darkness by yourself. Go and be creative; worry about getting rich later."Jonathan Chu is a master's student in violin. He has played with Orpheus as a violin alternate and is going on tour with them to Europe this month.
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