Meet the Musician Monday: Violinist Karen Lowry Tucker

When did you join the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra?

I was the first hire of our former music Director, Heinz Fricke in 1992. He had been the Music Director of the Berlin State Opera (Staatsoper) for 30 years prior, and our orchestra greatly benefited from his experience. At the beginning of his tenure the orchestra held auditions to fill 2 violin openings, 2 cello openings and a harp opening. Having won one of the violin openings, I welcomed a chance to try my German on the Maestro and it was a disaster! I had been a member of the Munich Chamber Orchestra from 1979-1981 and the 15 of us hailed from all over the world. I am from Louisville, KY, my stand partner was from Turkey, the concertmistress was from Texas, our principal second violinist was from Japan, the principal bassist was from Austria and the other musicians were German born. In his broken English Maestro Fricke told me my German accent was "all over the place". Go figure...

When did you begin playing the violin?

I began studying the piano at age 5 and at the beginning of the 6th grade, a member of the Louisville Orchestra came to my elementary school to give us a demonstration on the violin. I loved music and hated math so when I was told violin lessons would be once a week during our math hour, I SIGNED UP. I didn't escape math because music depends on math; however, little did I know that at age 12 I had just chosen my career path.

Because of my beginnings, I have for many years now chosen to perform fun, educational children's shows in the elementary schools of Washington, DC with my colleague Elizabeth Pulju-Owen and her husband Drew Owen. Our objective is to help expose young people to the joys of classical music. It is so rewarding when I detect that we have caused a young student to catch that same spark I had in the 6th grade.

Did you play in any ensembles previous to KCOHO?

I played with the Louisville Orchestra while working toward my Bachelor of Music Education degree from the University of Louisville. Subsequently, I decided I wanted to perform more than I wanted to teach, so I pursued a Masters Degree in Performance from the University of Texas at Austin under the tutelage of Stephen Clapp. I traveled to Europe to spend a year exploring before wanting to start the grind of auditioning for an orchestra job in the U.S.  In that I traveled nowhere without my violin, I heard of an opening in Munich, Germany with the Munich Chamber Orchestra and decided to test my auditioning skills. I thought I had nothing to lose for no one knew me there and I wouldn't be embarrassed if I got nervous and played poorly.  I GOT THE JOB. I was elated because I love to travel and they were a touring orchestra. We were in Munich less than 10 days a month so the rest of the time I was able to travel the world with this fantastic ensemble. When I was hired they had just returned from Japan to my dismay. I had always wanted to travel there because my early violin studies were based on the Japanese Suzuki method. Instead, the orchestra's next tour was 5 weeks in AMERICA! 

Upon returning permanently to the U.S., I was an apprentice with the Atlanta Symphony under Robert Shaw and the National Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav Rostropovitch. Both afforded me invaluable experiences which prepared me for an appointment as Associate Concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony and 2 years with the North Carolina Symphony. My summer studies and summer orchestral experiences have been at the Meadowmount School of Music, the Aspen Music Festival, the Eastern Music Festival and the Grant Park Music Festival. 

What do you enjoy doing when you are not playing the violin?

I LOVE to travel. Growing up my dad drove the family to a different part of the country for vacation every summer and I enjoyed it immensely. My dear husband, Del, is an avid swimmer and we have enjoyed traveling extensively throughout the Caribbean  He has twice participated in the 4.4 mile Chesapeake Bay Swim, swimming across the bay in under 3 hours. He also loves to drive so we now take long, well planned road trips in the summers. We enjoyed staying in the French Quarter of New Orleans last summer and witnessing the sights and sounds of that vibrant city. One year was a road trip to the Santa Fe Opera Festival and the Grand Canyon. Several years ago we drove to the one state I had never visited- Maine. We had a glorious time with my colleague Meg Thomas and her dear husband at their beautiful summer home in Camden.

Karen's husband & support system, Del

I also like to occasionally take the train to NYC to the Metropolitan Opera and be an audience for a change. I usually choose to attend an opera we have just performed or one we are about to perform. I get quite emotional and silently cry inside because I know every note and can finally see how it all fits together. I always meet an audience member who sees how emotional I am and is very impressed that I would go to such lengths to see an opera.

What is one of your most memorable moments during your tenure here at KCOHO?

My fondest memory is a staged concert we had honoring operatic legends such as the great Ms. Leontyne Price. As Ms. Price graced the stage to receive her honor, she said a few words in her ever so eloquent and elegant way and then she surprised us all. She began to sing "America the Beautiful" a cappella and we were in awe! What an unexpected honor.

What are you most looking forward to this season?

I look forward to playing Handel's Alcina for I love the era.  It's a new opera for me and I've already begun to do my muscle exercises to prepare myself for holding the violin up for very long periods of time. I was actually in line to be one of the musicians on stage who gets to wear period clothing, play a short memorized part and then go home. I declined because I really want to play the entire opera - besides, the thought of wearing a wig over my signature avant-garde hairdo is not an option. Sorry George Fredrich...

As a first violinist, you have a lot of notes to play. How do you handle your preparation?

Playing first violin in an opera orchestra is exciting and taxing at the same time. It has proven to be quite athletic for me personally because we seem to be playing constantly. My upper arms look like Popeye! I am grateful for my sensitive and caring physical therapist who was a marvelous pianist and therefore understands the demands of being a musician. She keeps me motivated to stretch my muscles correctly so as to prevent injury and helps me with ways to continually promote good posture. I am always anxious to receive my music so I can pace myself and not let it pile up.

I am in my 25th year with the KCOHO and I am grateful to the late Maestro Fricke, the audition committee in 1992 and for the prayers of my mommy for the chance to play at the Kennedy Center for a quarter of a century and counting. Thank you dear Del for your undying support, for your patience and for honestly enjoying listening to hours of scales and passages I repeat over and over and over again until it's finally to my liking. I am also grateful to perform on a beautiful 1783 Italian violin by Antonius Gragnani.

Meet the Musician Monday: Violinist Martha Kaufman

Where did you grow up? 

I was born in Kingsport, Tennessee and lived there until I went to college in Bloomington, Indiana.

Do you come from a musical family?

Yes! Both my mother and grandmother played the violin. My grandmother, who was also from Tennessee, went to New York City in the 1920’s and studied with one of Leopold Auer’s assistants at the Institute of Musical Art (later named Julliard).   She was very musical and loved all forms of music, but I don’t think she was ever too serious about studying. Ladies didn’t do this type of thing in her day and eventually she returned to Tennessee and married. 

My mother is a violinist who helped start the Suzuki program in Kingsport. After doing this for 5 years she decided to move into the school system and started a highly successful string program at the high school level where she worked for 20 years. She had major influences on high school age students and taught us that through working hard we could achieve and expect great things, even if a person was from a small town in East Tennessee.  

I believe my mom was the one who inspired and taught me the most in my formative years with the basic lesson to work hard, work steady and work honestly. During the time period I was growing up in Tennessee I was exposed to a lot of teaching philosophies and met and played for many people like Shinichi Suzuki, William Starr, Paul Rolland, Kato Havas, Samuel Applebaum, Dorothy Delay, Roman Totenberg to name a few. I went to many music festivals and camps so that I was introduced to a lot of different ideas and thoughts which helped me connect with players from around the globe at an early age. Music was the soul of our family and was my guiding force in my growing up years.

What is your position in the orchestra? 

I am a member of the second violin section of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. I joined the orchestra in September of 1999. Previous to this appointment I served as associate concertmaster of the Knoxville Symphony and principal second violin in the Savannah Symphony.

What made you play the violin?

I started taking violin lessons at the age of five. My mom and grandmother played, so I had heard a lot of violin music, but when my cousin started violin lessons I was motivated by jealousy, and demanded that I also be allowed to take lessons. I started in the Suzuki method, which was perfect for a five year old. I probably stayed with this approach a bit too long because I did not learn how to read music until age 10. I learned everything by ear which was sort of ridiculous because I was playing the Bach double and Bach violin concertos completely by ear. I joined the school orchestra in 7^th grade and was quite angry that I wasn’t placed as concertmaster because I thought that I played better than everyone, but I couldn’t read music well. Being in the school orchestra taught me to read for which I will always be grateful. Just a side note on this subject, I’m still not great at sight-reading and tend to always fall back on learning a lot of music by listening to it. I do advocate for my students to read music immediately so they don’t have huge gaps in their playing levels.  

Where did you do your musical studies after high school?

I decided to try to become a professional violinist when I was 15 years old. I had won a few concerto competitions and I enjoyed soloing with the orchestras so I thought that maybe I would like to try this professionally. I was wrong about becoming a soloist and I learned quickly that I was going to have to work really hard to be in a professional orchestra. I did my undergraduate studies at Indiana University where I received a Bachelor of Music degree. I then went to the Cleveland Institute of Music and earned a Master of Music degree while studying with David Cerone and Kathleen Winkler. I loved college and enjoyed all the musicians and teachers I met, many of whom I’m still in contact with today.

What has been your favorite musical experience at the Kennedy Center?

I would definitely have to say that playing the Wagner’s Ring Cycle conducted by Maestro Philippe Auguin was a highlight. The work was so massive and intense. I remembered being in college and saying to all my friends, “I will never be in an opera orchestra and I definitely will never play Wagner.” Guess what? Thankfully, I was wrong again! I am still amazed that our orchestra was so successful with this undertaking. Everyone worked so well together, we were definitely on a musical high and I believe everyone learned so much. The thought of having to start working this prior to our first rehearsal made me very nervous but once we started preparing I realized we were doing something amazing with someone (Maestro Auguin) who had studied the scores meticulously and I was going to learn a lot during this time period. I will always remember this time.

Do you have any hobbies outside the orchestra?

I have always enjoyed teaching privately. I have had excellent students who now play professionally and I have had students who enjoy music and learned a little on their violin journey but don’t play anymore. I have two daughters who play the violin a bit. They will never major in music but hopefully I have taught them to love music. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called music “the universal language of mankind.” During these tumultuous times in which we live, music is one thing humans can come together and enjoy regardless of race, gender, intellect or politics. All the walls and barriers can come down for this art form and we can live in harmony.      

Meet the Musician Monday: Violist Elizabeth Pulju-Owen

Photography by Ning Fan

1. Where did you grow up? Do you come from a musical family?

I was born in Minnesota but grew up here in the DC area, in Fairfax, VA. My family is both musical and large. My mother is a pianist and church music director so we all played an instrument and sang in the church choir. We still like to sing together and often start singing whenever we have a family get together. "Happy Birthday " always has at least two harmony parts. I was never as good a singer as some of the others, though, so I guess I concentrated on my viola playing.

2. What is your position in the orchestra? When did you join?

I joined the orchestra as a member of the viola section in September of 1998. Prior to that I had been a member of the New Orleans Symphony and its successor orchestra-The Louisiana Philharmonic, for 8 years. I also played in the Alabama Symphony and Savannah Symphony for one season each.

3. What made you decide to play the viola (at first and professionally) and where did you do your musical studies?

I began on piano at age seven. Later, I wanted to play the drums in my elementary school band. However, my mother suggested that I play the violin instead as we already had one at home and didn't have the drum kit. To this day, I'm not sure if she really just didn't want to buy the drum kit, or didn't want to listen to me practice drums. I'm not sure beginning violin was much better. When I started high school, I made the decision to switch to viola. I found that I preferred the darker, lower tone of the viola and also enjoyed the role that it plays in the orchestra. Even though we don't get much glory, I like being in the middle of things. I can really be aware of all the other parts around me, and I enjoy fitting my sound into the mix. I wasn't sure at first if I wanted to pursue music as a career, so I started college as a double major in Music and English at the Catholic University of America. It wasn't long before I started resenting the time my academic classes were taking away from my practice hours, and I decided that I needed to focus on music and find out if I had what it takes to succeed in this highly competitive field.

4. You are a member of a chamber group that plays for children. What kinds of performances d o you do?

Get ready for a long answer because this is one of the things I am passionate about. I perform with the groups Dynamic Duo and Presto! Karen Lowry-Tucker, a KCOHO first violinist, and I have been performing children's shows as the Dynamic Duo for ten years or so. We use music and storytelling, complete with costumes and props, to engage children while teaching about the music and instruments of the string family. When my husband, cellist Drew Owen, began a second career as a magician, we knew that we had the makings of another great show and Presto! was born. In our Presto! shows, magic is added to the music and story to create a memorable experience for our audiences. While the focus of our programs is music, our stories also provide life lessons about things like cooperation and friendship. Most of all, we hope to inspire children to find their own creativity, something we all need in our lives. Bringing music to children who may have never seen or heard a string instrument up close is one of the most important things I do. I'm incredibly lucky that it's also one of the most fun things that I do! I get to write stories (something I've done since childhood), make costumes and props, and then act out the stories. In Dynamic Duo's "Karen Builds a Violin" for instance, I get to be a chipmunk, swan, cat, horse, duck, and Karen's Grandma all in the space of thirty minutes! 

Photography by Ning Fan

Photography by Ning Fan

Over the years, we have performed for thousands and thousands of kids throughout the DC area, primarily in DC Public Schools. We have been lucky to be a part of the National Symphony Orchestra's In School Ensemble program which sponsors the performances in DC and in Title I schools in Maryland and Virginia. Performing for children is so important and I love the fact that we are bringing music to them in a way that really enables them to connect with us and what we are teaching. So many of the children we play for have little opportunity to hear live music. They haven't learned to think classical music is "uncool" and are excited to hear our music and learn what we are teaching. And they remember it! We played at a school last year that we had visited several times over the years. While we were setting up, some 4th grade students came in to get ready for their band class. When they saw us, they remembered that they had seen us perform when they were in the 1st grade, then proceeded to tell us what the story had been and what instruments we played! It wasn't the first time something like that has happened; it's great to know that we're having an impact. 

Photography by Ning Fan

5. What has been your favorite musical experience at the Kennedy Center or elsewhere? 

How can I not start with The Ring Cycle? That was a tremendous musical experience and I am very proud to have been a part of it. Wagner's music is incredible and every aspect of the production was top notch. It's also the hardest thing I have ever played. It felt like my version of Mt Everest-keeping all that music in my head and in my fingers, keeping my focus for each performance, and meeting the physical demands of performances up to five hours long. I also remember my very first opera here, Fedora, with Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo. What a great way to start my new job!

6. Do you have any hobbies outside of the orchestra? 

I enjoy gardening, hiking and flying stunt kites, though not at the same time. I also try to work out regularly. Mostly, I seem to spend my time driving my teenaged daughter to all her activities. I really do enjoy that, though. It's our time to talk and catch up on what's going on in her life.

7. What are you most looking forward to this season?

I'm really looking forward to Don Carlo and also to Hamilton, which I'll play this summer. My daughter knows the entire thing by heart and is teaching me the lyrics.

Meet the Musician Monday: Bassoonist Chris Jewell

Assistant Principal Bassoon, Chris Jewell

Where are you from and when did you start playing the bassoon?

Kansas City, Missouri
Freshman year of high school. I switched from saxophone once I realized I couldn't be in orchestra unless I played something else.

When did you join the orchestra and move to the DC area?

Joined in 2000

What is your role in the orchestra? Are you on any committees?

I am the clown of the orchestra. Take two....
As a bassoonist, we anchor the woodwind section and provide the bass line, as well the occasional solo passage.
I've served on the orchestra committee since 2005.

Which performances have stood out in your mind?

Certainly Wagner's Ring Cycle last year was a sublime experience. It was as rewarding as it was difficult. I also never forget my first time playing Turandot and hearing the soprano come to the edge of the stage at the end of the opera and just bury the orchestra! It was thrilling every night to witness such power and beauty.

What you most looking forward to this season?

Aida is one of my favorite operas, and I loved this production.

Rite of Spring with the Mariinsky Ballet

Do you have any performances outside of the Kennedy Center this season?

I'm looking forward to playing a concerto with the American Youth Symphony Orchestra in November.

Who have been your greatest musical influences?

Certainly all my bassoon teachers taught me so many things that I draw upon every single day.  I think of them fondly when I'm teaching and I find myself repeating something my teacher told me 20 years ago. Other big influences have been Leontyne Price and Ella Fitzgerald, two of the greatest there ever were.

What are some of your passions outside of music?

Does reedmaking count? It shouldn't. Trying new gins?

Meet the Musician Monday: Violinist Michelle Kim

Photography by Danielle Cho

Where did you grow up and what made you choose violin? 

I was born in Seoul, South Korea and moved to Los Angeles when I was 10. My mom grew up listening to classical music and started me on piano lessons when I was five. After a few months, she switched me to violin so I could play duets with my older sister who had already been playing the piano for a year.

Where did you get your musical training?  When did you know you wanted to be a professional musician?

I didn’t take a straight path to becoming a professional musician. Growing up in LA, I took lessons with Laura Schmieder at Colburn School and played for the Colburn Chamber Orchestra every Saturday. But by my junior year in high school, my family decided that I should give up the violin to prepare for college and a traditional career.

Even though I hadn’t played for two years, I still brought my violin to UC Berkeley. I knew that music could open many doors in life, including traveling to performances, meeting people, learning different cultures and building lasting friendships.

I got a degree in statistics while playing in the University Symphony for four years.   I also gave recitals on and off campus with faculty members and fellow student musicians, and was a soloist with the orchestra for two separate performances after twice winning the orchestra’s concerto competition.

Through David Milnes, the Music Department Director and University Symphony Conductor, the University Music Department paid for my lessons with Zoya Leybin, a San Francisco Symphony member and a faculty of the SF Conservatory.  In the beginning of my senior year, just as I was putting my violin away for good to focus on finishing school and looking for a job, David convinced me that I had a future in music and encouraged me to follow my passion. We discussed career options in music and, on that day, I decided to become a professional musician! 

I spent the next several months applying to conservatories and decided to get a Master’s Degree in Music at Manhattan School of Music to study with Laurie Carney, a founding member of the American String Quartet. The summer after I graduated from MSM, I was very lucky to win a position in the first violin section in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra! 

Could you name any favorite artists you’ve worked with or productions you’ve performed in since being in the orchestra?

I am extremely fortunate to have worked with Placido Domingo at the Washington National Opera.  He has brought so much passion and beauty to our music.  He was – and still is -- a great inspiration in my career and in my life.

with Maestro Domingo at intermission

I enjoy working on the standard opera and ballet repertoire and also love playing new music.  I was especially moved by playing The Little Mermaid ballet by John Neumeier and Lera Auerbach this past season. And I found Jake Heggie’s opera Dead Man Walking compelling and satisfying.  I also saw Miami Music Festival’s performance of this opera this past summer.   

 

Do you perform outside of the Kennedy Center?

Quite often.  Four years ago, I started to play the electric violin and perform different genres of music such as rock, crossover, EDM and adult contemporary.  I also do some composing/arranging/covering. 

Playing various types of music and in different Kennedy Center productions (Kennedy Center Honors, gala concerts, etc.) -- and working with talented orchestra colleagues -- inspired me to find my own sound. 

Some of my cool electric violin gigs include performing at the Peace Institute for then Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Korean National Defense Minister Han Min-Koo, at the IMF Annual Meetings in DC, and at the National Association of Health Underwriters Capitol Conference.

Performing in a recital at the
In Spiritum Music Festival in Portugal

Performing for the IMF Annual Meetings

Performing at the MGM National Harbor
Grand Opening private event, Dec. 2016

This is a short demo/music video of my performance at the Italian Embassy in DC for Becky’s Fund Walk This Way fundraising fashion show. 

Recently, I performed my own composition Con Spero at the United Nations Headquarters in New York celebrating the UN General Assembly’s passing of the new International Name Day for Micro, Small, and Medium Sized Enterprises. 

Michelle performing her composition Con Spero at
the UN Headquarters in NY

What has been the most inspiring concert experience since being in the KCOHO?

The most inspiring concert I’ve played at the Kennedy Center was in 2012 with visiting musicians from Tunisia to commemorate the Jasmine Revolution in their country.  It was a side-by-side concert with Kennedy Center orchestra musicians as we all performed Hannibal Barca, a symphony written by a Tunisian composer.  I started a humanitarian organization, Culture Saves, after seeing and feeling this music bring hope and inspiration to the audience and to the musicians.  Culture Saves connects artists from around the globe and enables them to find commonalities in different cultures, and to help restore hope and promote peace in areas of conflict through the arts.

with Tunisian Violist, Mourad Frini

Do you have any hobbies outside of the orchestra?

I picked up squash (the game and not the fruit!) several years ago at my gym in DC. I’ve participated in amateur squash tournaments and camps in the DC area, San Francisco, Rye (New York), Baltimore and France.  And I like to prepare things that I enjoy eating – such as simple Italian dishes, sushi and Korean food.  I also love movies, especially sci-fi and independent films. And I’m thinking seriously of getting a dog…    

playing in a squash tournament

In the recent past, you severely injured your hand. What was it like coming back from an injury like that, and how has it changed your playing? Any advice to other musicians recovering from injuries that require time off their instrument?

Two years ago, I broke my left (fingerboard) hand in a car accident. I had two surgeries during the following year and months of occupational therapy.  A serious hand injury like this can often end a violinist’s career.  I was broken physically and mentally and spent months moping around.  Eventually, I accepted the fact that it would take time before I could play again (if at all!). So I focused on things I couldn’t do before when I was working as a full-time violinist.  When you’re displaced from your passion and your career, it’s important to put your energy into other interests that you weren’t before able to fully develop. With this philosophy and this attitude, I organized events for Culture Saves with visiting artists from around the globe. I also participated in other volunteer projects in the Washington area.  When my hand finally healed and regained its strength and motion, I was able to return to my career as a performer… with a new perspective and appreciation for my work.  

 

What do you most look forward to playing this season?

I look forward to working with our Music Director Philippe Auguin in Don Carlo later this season.  Maestro Auguin always brings a robust but sensitive, and an elegant but modern, interpretation to every piece of music. 

with Maestro Auguin

And a week from today (Monday, September 25), I’ll be performing the Debussy Trio on the Millennium Stage with two gifted musicians - KCOHO cellist Igor Zubkovsky and pianist Grace Eun Hae Kim. 

In November, Washington National Opera is performing Handel’s baroque opera Alcina for the first time.  Although Handel wrote over 40 operas, the last one that WNO performed was Tamerlano in 2008 with Placido Domingo, David Daniels, and Sarah Colburn.  I’m thrilled to be playing in Alcina, especially since I’ll be on stage in full costume playing the solo violin part with the Morgana character in Act II.  I’ve been performing on stage since I was seven, but I’ve never performed on an opera stage before! There will be seven performances of Alcina.     

Currently, I’m enjoying our run of Verdi’s Aida.  This is my first time playing this opera in its entirety and this work has quickly become one of my favorites.

Meet the Musician Monday: Percussionist Greg Akagi

Where did you grow up and where did you go to college?

I grew up in Oregon.  After graduating from high school, I headed east to Oberlin College where I earned my BA in Biology and Music Performance, and a minor in Chemistry.  During my time at Oberlin, I studied percussion with Michael Rosen. For grad school, I went on to study with Tom Freer at Cleveland State University where I earned my master’s degree. 

What is your position in the orchestra and when did you join?

I am the assistant timpanist/section percussion and I’ve been with the orchestra since 2006.

What made you choose percussion at your instrument and what made you want to pursue music as a career?

I started playing the piano with I was 3 years old.  From there I never really thought about another instrument.  Around grade 3, I decided I wanted to play the saxophone (I still do), my parents thought I should play the trumpet … Somehow, I picked the drums and began taking lessons from Roger Allen.  My dreams of playing along with Careless Whisper, Baker Street, and Harden My Heart are still placed on hold.  As far as a career goes, music was just a hobby for me.  But, after attending the Music Academy of the West for a summer and after working in an infectious diseases lab at the University of Michigan, I decided that drums was more fun.  My goal was to find a steady, non-freelance job by the age of 30. 

Most people don't know this about you, but tell us about your cameo in a famous music teacher movie when you were young. What was that like?

Growing up I was pretty involved in fashion modeling and commercials.  I’ve actually been in 2 movies.  The first one was when I was in the third grade, it’s called “Wee Sing Together.” Doug Rosenthal (2^nd trombone in our orchestra), tells me that he used to sing along to the VHS tape of this movie when he was little; which kind of makes me feel a bit old.  Next up was “Mr. Holland’s Opus.”  I was able to play in the 90’s orchestra and got to kick off the opening drum solo for the “American Symphony” with Richard Dreyfuss.  It was good fun, a lot of waiting around, and many extra scenes were cut from the final movie.  I remember specifically filming 2-3 days worth of a prom story line scene that got cut completely.


What has been your favorite concert experience since being in the orchestra?

Boy, this one is very difficult for me to answer.  There have been many concerts, operas, and musicals that I have been fortunate to be a part of.  Off the top of my head, my favorite opera was probably Madame Butterfly or Elektra; leaning more towards all the Strauss we’ve done.  For ballet, this one’s easy – We played Khachaturian's Spartacus with the Bolshoi Ballet (they are so good).  And for musicals, it’s probably “Beautiful” the Carole King musical.  I grew up listening to all her music, so that was a treat to perform. 

Do you have any hobbies outside of the orchestra?

Well, my wife and I have 5 kids at home, so most of our free time is spent preparing for the next day or week.  Doing laundry, making food, helping with homework, or chauffeuring people around takes up a lot of the day.  However, I do enjoy rec league sports like softball and volleyball, which I’ve been playing for 20+ years, and Major League Baseball. The Atlanta Braves are my favorite team and have been since about 1982.  Dale Murphy is my favorite player of all time.  My son and I got to meet him once, so that was a thrill.  A goal of mine is to watch a game at all the MLB stadiums in the country.  So far, I’ve been to 22, with Pittsburgh’s PNC Park or San Francisco’s AT&T Park as my favorites.  Most recently, my family and I attended a game at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia this past summer.

What are you most looking forward to playing this season?

Anything ballet.  I love it when we get to perform ballet. 

Meet the Musician Monday: Hornist Peter de Boor

Where are you from originally and where did you go to school? 

I was born in Indiana, but raised in Madison, Wisconsin. I got a Bachelor's degree from Princeton, attended Cambridge University on a Churchill scholarship, and entered the PhD program in mathematics at the University of Chicago. I left without completing that degree, and got a Master of Music degree in performance from the University of Michigan.

What's your position in the orchestra and when did you join? 

I am the Third horn. For historical reasons, in an orchestra, unlike in a band, the horns come in pairs—high and low. So I'm the high horn of the second pair. I joined the orchestra in 1997, three months after my first child was born. So I never have to think hard to remember how long I've been working here.

What are you most looking forward to playing this season? 

Don Carlo. It has some fantastic music in it, in particular a dramatic horn quartet to open the second act. And our music director Philippe Auguin will be conducting, and he always brings a special level of energy.

What has been the highlight of your time here? 

The Ring Cycle that we performed in 2016 has to be right at the top, but the tour to Japan in 2002 is a very close second. 

Japan Tour 2002

Japan Tour Horn Section 2002

Japan Tour 2002

Ring Cycle Horns

Ring Cycle 2016

When did you start playing the instrument and what made you choose it?

I started in sixth grade, in 1977. I had seen an army band on tour in concert the previous year, and my mother had told me that the French horn players didn't use any valves to change pitches, only their lips. She was anachronistic by about two hundred years, but I guess something about the challenge of that intrigued me.

What made you want to become a  professional musician? 

I was planning to be a mathematician, but in the middle of getting my PhD I found myself completely unmotivated. I began thinking about what else I could do, and around that time I heard that a high school friend and horn-quartet colleague, who had gone on to music school, was achieving professional success as a horn player (she has been playing in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for about as long as I've been here). She inspired me to start down this road.

You currently serve as the Chair of our orchestra committee. How long have you served and what it is like being Chair? What are your duties? Have you served in any other committees or worked with our local union? 

The orchestra committee is a team of five musicians who represent the orchestra in dealings with the management, including during labor negotiations. We very recently finished negotiating one-year renewals of our agreements with the Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center, a task that took 12 full days of talks across the table and many more days of internal planning. And we are already starting the planning process for the next round. 

I have been on the Committee since my second year in the orchestra, and I've been the Chair for five years. We have a very egalitarian committee, and try to make all decisions by consensus, so my role as Chair is more one of facilitator—I'm the point of contact on the committee for management, and when there's an issue that needs to be resolved, they'll come to me and then I will huddle with my fellow committee members to come to a decision.

For the last ten years I've also been the Administrator of the orchestra's Benefits Fund. Because we have two employers, we had to come up (thirty years ago) with an unusual arrangement to get health insurance and other benefits, namely a fund into which both employers contribute. The fund has two employer trustees and two union trustees (who make all the big decisions), as well as an Administrator who handles all the day-to-day business on their behalf—enrolling people in coverage, mailing premium payments to insurers, etc. So it's almost like I have a second job in Human Resources. 

I served for one three-year term on the Executive Board of the D.C. Federation of Musicians, the local musicians union, but stepped down so I could serve on the governing board of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM), which is a players conference of the American Federation of Musicians representing the musicians of the 52 largest-budget orchestras in the country. I serve as the editor of their quarterly publication, Senza Sordino, which you can also find online at www.icsom.org/senzasordino.

What do you like to do in your spare time? 

What does "spare time" mean?  I used to do a fair bit of gardening, but that has fallen by the wayside. In the last decade I've become a fairly serious recreational runner—meaning that I do a lot of it, not that I'm particularly fast. I completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 2013, and this past May I organized a group of my colleagues to take part in the Semper Fi 5k and raise money for wounded vets and their families. To motivate me I embarked on a project to run the length of every street in Arlington. I'm currently in the third iteration of that, in which I'm taking the streets in alphabetical order.

the Semper Fi 5K 2013