Editor's Note: The Journal learned on Dec. 9 that Leonard Slatkin had to cancel his appearance with the Juilliard Orchestra due to a routine medical procedure. Taking his place at the podium will be James DePreist, director of conducting and orchestral studies.

Leonard Slatkin, a Juilliard alumnus (B.M.'67, orchestral conducting) now in his 10th season as music director of the National Symphony, returns to conduct the Juilliard Orchestra in Avery Fisher Hall in January. The concert, part of the School's centennial celebration, contains works by two former Juilliard presidents. Maestro Slatkin took time out to speak with oboe student Toni Marie Marchioni, generously offering his insights on this program and on pursuing a career in today's music world.

Conductor Leonard Slatkin (Photo courtesy of Wolf Trap)

Toni Marie Marchioni: Are there any changes you have observed in Juilliard students since your first visit to conduct here in 1993?

Leonard Slatkin: I think students now are more broad-minded than students of my era in that music is what they want to do, but they also have more focus on other aspects of life. They're not so isolated from the rest of the world as we were. Truly when I was a student, that was all we did: live, breathe, eat music. I think, actually, an approach of having a broader outlook on things in the world is probably healthier.
On the other side, though, I think that a lot of young people are moving professionally too quickly. A lot of times students will not have enough time to devote to the music because they have so many outside activities—playing gigs and doing whatever they can to supplement an already meager income. Sometimes, that takes away from the chance to hear what other artists are doing. For me, one of the great things is just going to concerts and to rehearsals of other people. Take advantage of what New York is and what you can see and hear. Even things you don't like, you should go just to get the experience. I think that's changed a little bit.

TMM: Is there anything about this particular trip to Juilliard that will make this concert stand out for you?

LS: Well, I'm honoring two people who were Juilliard presidents. I knew both of them very well. Bill Schuman was like a father to everybody, and he was a composer that I admired for years. To actually be in the School where he served as president was very exciting. The first piece of music I conducted at Carnegie Hall was also a piece by William Schuman, so that was important to me. He was just a wonderful man whose music deserves much wider hearing. And Peter Mennin, as well; he may not have had the originality of Schuman, but he had the energy and the drive. There is some very special quality in Peter's music, and it deserves to be heard as well. All these American voices who we don't hear anymore, I think for me that's the most important thing.

TMM: Why exactly these three pieces? How does the Shostakovich Symphony No. 7 fit in?

Leonard Slatkin (left) and philanthropist Lawrence A. Wien at Juilliard commencement in May 1988, when they were presented with honorary doctorate degrees. (Photo by Peter Schaaf)

LS: Well, the Mennin piece, Moby Dick, is a piece that I started doing since school. It was one of the first pieces I saw my teacher, Jean Morel, do at Juilliard. I remember it very well. He conducted the Juilliard Orchestra with the piece, and I just loved its harmonic language and its rhythmic drive. I've been playing it ever since. I do most of the pieces Schuman's written, but A Song of Orpheus, which was actually written for the dedication of Lincoln Center where Schuman was to become president, made great sense on this program. It's a very powerful and lyric piece. The Shostakovich is there simply for showing off. It's not connected to the other two pieces particularly, but it's just there to be the big moment for the orchestra.

TMM: As Juilliard students, we are lucky to work with artists of your stature. How does it feel to come back to your alma mater knowing you might make an impact on a current student?

LS: First of all, going back feels a little different, because I was not a student at the "Juilliard Hilton." I was a student up on 122nd Street, so it doesn't exactly feel like coming home, and that part's a little distant. But it's nice to wander the hallways and see a teacher who was there when I was—or somebody who taught me, even. Once I get on the podium and it's young people [in front of me], I don't feel the strength of Juilliard as much as I do the power of the people themselves. Once I see the kids, I connect right away into a slightly different mode of teaching.
As far as people looking up to me, well, I'm grateful if I've been able to be a good influence on anyone. I'd like to hope that some people take away good messages. I try to teach orchestras about what to expect when they enter the professional ranks. I try to teach them to enjoy music and remember why we got into this in the first place, and when the concert's going on, to have a good time.

TMM: You are a well-respected arts educator across the country. How has your work with young students impacted the rest of your career?

LS: As you get older, you want to give back. It becomes less about what you do, and more about what you're doing for others to help them. I would say I'm at a stage in my career where I'm more interested in making sure that we have an audience 20 years from now that's knowledgeable and that comes to the concerts not frightened at all, that they are brought into music rather than feeling separated from it.

Juilliard Orchestra James DePreist, conductor (substituting for Leonard Slatkin) Avery Fisher Hall Monday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m. For ticket information, please see the calendar.

TMM: Tell me about the challenges for young conductors today. Are they different from when you graduated?

LS: I think they are a little too anxious to have careers too early. You see a couple of younger ones succeed, which is good, and they're talented. But now there's this pressure to succeed younger as a conductor rather than later. And that's backwards. Conducting is something that takes a long time. You need to go to people's rehearsals, conduct as much as possible, and build the repertoire slowly. You have to have the kind of command that comes mostly with a little bit of age and seasoning. So I would suggest that most conductors wait it out. Don't go for the quick flash. You have a chance of a career falling apart very quickly.

TMM: Are there any specific things they can do to prepare?

LS: Go to other conductors' rehearsals. Watch and see where those conductors are effective, and watch in particular where they are not effective, and avoid those problems. Don't go jumping into agents' offices at the age of 23. It's not going to do you any good. But on the other hand, any opportunity that comes up, or any that you can create, go ahead. The more you can physically wave your arms, the more experience you can get.

TMM: Finally, though I'm sure this is a trite question for you, do you have any words of advice for all current young musicians? For all of us trying for the big job?

LS: Don't be concerned about the job at the moment. Be concerned that you're your own person. Do not take an audition, for instance, and try to think, "Oh, I know what kind of playing that place wants, so that's how I'm going to play." Don't do that. Go there and be yourself. You have to find the right job for you. It's not just a question of going and finding one just to make ends meet. Eventually you want to settle into a place where your style is compatible with theirs. And a lot of musicians make a mistake of just getting whatever job comes along, because they think it's important to do that. And I think you have to be more careful than that.

Toni Marie Marchioni is a master's student in oboe.