WEBVTT 00:00:15.419 --> 00:00:18.879 Lindy West is an author and comedian, and like 00:00:18.879 --> 00:00:22.679 me, she is married to a trumpet player. In her 00:00:22.679 --> 00:00:43.079 book, The Witches Are Coming, she writes, Yet 00:00:43.079 --> 00:00:45.659 somehow, in modern times, it has become socially 00:00:45.659 --> 00:00:49.140 acceptable to toot the bad cone inside your house 00:00:49.140 --> 00:00:53.240 before 10am because it's your job and your wife 00:00:53.240 --> 00:00:57.799 should get up. What a world! If one was feeling 00:00:57.799 --> 00:01:00.240 uncharitable, one might describe the trumpet 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:02.579 as a machine where you put in compressed air 00:01:02.579 --> 00:01:06.819 and divorce comes out. But despite this, Despite 00:01:06.819 --> 00:01:09.500 operating a piece of biblical demolition equipment 00:01:09.500 --> 00:01:12.019 inside the home every bright, cold morning of 00:01:12.019 --> 00:01:14.959 his wife's one and only life, the trumpet is 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:17.019 not the most annoying thing about my husband. 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:35.060 Hi there, and welcome to a special April Fool's 00:01:35.060 --> 00:01:37.739 edition of Notes from the Stage. I'm your guest 00:01:37.739 --> 00:01:40.519 host, Catherine Davies. Joining me in the studio 00:01:40.519 --> 00:01:44.500 are Daniel Brown and Tiffany Fovell. If you are 00:01:44.500 --> 00:01:47.239 familiar with the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic, 00:01:47.519 --> 00:01:50.000 you will probably not recognize our names because 00:01:50.000 --> 00:01:52.959 we do not perform on stage. We are, in fact, 00:01:53.340 --> 00:01:56.120 spouses of members of the Calgary Philharmonic, 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.920 and we are tired of our spouses getting all the 00:01:58.920 --> 00:02:01.420 glory, so we've taken over the podcast today. 00:02:02.090 --> 00:02:05.170 As I said, my name is Catherine Davies. My partner 00:02:05.170 --> 00:02:08.050 is Adam Zanatelli, principal trumpet of the Calgary 00:02:08.050 --> 00:02:10.650 Philharmonic and regular host of this podcast. 00:02:11.189 --> 00:02:14.150 I am a musician by training. I am a pianist and 00:02:14.150 --> 00:02:16.770 I did a music degree many years ago, but I did 00:02:16.770 --> 00:02:20.370 not end up making a career of it. Being an orchestra 00:02:20.370 --> 00:02:22.669 spouse, I get the best of both worlds because 00:02:22.669 --> 00:02:24.909 I get to be part of this Calgary Philharmonic 00:02:24.909 --> 00:02:27.909 family. I get to attend concerts and socialize 00:02:27.909 --> 00:02:30.349 with musicians, but I don't actually have to 00:02:30.349 --> 00:02:33.569 practice daily. or deal with performance jitters. 00:02:35.250 --> 00:02:36.930 Daniel, would you like to introduce yourself? 00:02:37.620 --> 00:02:40.599 Hi, my name is Daniel Brown, or for this podcast 00:02:40.599 --> 00:02:45.060 I could be of Jen in Margaret Atwood style. Jen 00:02:45.060 --> 00:02:47.340 McAleady, Genevieve McAleady is my wife. She's 00:02:47.340 --> 00:02:49.800 a first violinist in the Calgary Philharmonic. 00:02:50.099 --> 00:02:52.479 My full -time job is I'm a teacher at William 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:55.520 Aberhart High School. I also have a music background 00:02:55.520 --> 00:02:58.240 and get to perform chamber music around town 00:02:58.240 --> 00:03:03.300 when called in. But my relationship with the 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:07.340 Calgary Philharmonic is one... as an enthusiastic 00:03:07.340 --> 00:03:10.419 audience goer when I get child care that allows 00:03:10.419 --> 00:03:13.759 me to do so. And my name is Tiffany Fullvell. 00:03:14.139 --> 00:03:17.219 I am married to Alex Cohen, principal timpanist 00:03:17.219 --> 00:03:21.139 of the Calgary Phil. I don't have a background 00:03:21.139 --> 00:03:25.020 in music per se. I did go to theater school and 00:03:25.020 --> 00:03:29.900 enjoy singing. I've been a player of the harmonica, 00:03:30.620 --> 00:03:34.939 the piano, the guitar, the recorder and the flute. 00:03:35.229 --> 00:03:38.509 Oh, and the clarinet, but at no level that would 00:03:38.509 --> 00:03:42.129 be worth anyone's ears. All at the same time 00:03:42.129 --> 00:03:44.090 or do you alternate? Oh, indeed, yeah. A big 00:03:44.090 --> 00:03:46.430 like moving band. Oh, that's impressive. One 00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:49.090 person band. I can't wait to see this in action. 00:03:50.389 --> 00:03:53.590 Now, Daniel, your wife plays the violin and my 00:03:53.590 --> 00:03:55.909 husband plays the trumpet. They are both fairly 00:03:55.909 --> 00:04:00.409 compact instruments. Tiffany, your husband plays 00:04:00.409 --> 00:04:02.810 the timpani. Can you tell us a bit about this 00:04:02.810 --> 00:04:05.150 instrument and how much space it takes up in 00:04:05.150 --> 00:04:07.750 your home? Oh, yeah, it takes up quite a bit 00:04:07.750 --> 00:04:10.110 of space in the basement, but they do kind of 00:04:10.110 --> 00:04:13.289 push to the side and make great coffee trays. 00:04:14.310 --> 00:04:16.449 Just kidding, I'm not allowed to touch them. 00:04:18.290 --> 00:04:20.350 So do you have an entire room in your house devoted 00:04:20.350 --> 00:04:24.889 to the timpani? They stay in the basement. However... 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:27.759 They are pretty much the one big thing down there, 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:30.579 along with our workout gear and the computer 00:04:30.579 --> 00:04:34.379 and things like that. Is that actually because 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:35.959 of the timpani or are you just trying to keep 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:38.180 Alex in the basement and allow him up only for 00:04:38.180 --> 00:04:41.660 food? Yeah, they are. It is a pretty loud instrument. 00:04:42.019 --> 00:04:44.420 It's nice having him down there, although I really 00:04:44.420 --> 00:04:47.240 do enjoy when he's practicing, which might sound 00:04:47.240 --> 00:04:49.449 bizarre, but... I've gotten to know a lot of 00:04:49.449 --> 00:04:52.689 the etudes that he plays and sometimes I'll like 00:04:52.689 --> 00:04:55.930 sing along upstairs going like, bum, bum, bum, 00:04:55.990 --> 00:05:03.050 bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. It's fun. I don't 00:05:03.050 --> 00:05:05.529 know if you guys do that. Well, funny that you 00:05:05.529 --> 00:05:07.689 should mention that because I hear a lot of. 00:05:07.829 --> 00:05:11.350 trumpet part music. So it's not the whole orchestral 00:05:11.350 --> 00:05:14.050 piece. It's just the trumpet part. And especially 00:05:14.050 --> 00:05:16.550 if Adam is taking an audition, he'll practice 00:05:16.550 --> 00:05:19.889 these little excerpts of trumpet music over and 00:05:19.889 --> 00:05:23.149 over again. And I know them intimately. And then 00:05:23.149 --> 00:05:25.329 sometimes I'll be at a concert and all of a sudden 00:05:25.329 --> 00:05:28.069 I'll hear the excerpt in the context of the music. 00:05:28.069 --> 00:05:33.069 And I'm like, oh, now it makes sense. And it's 00:05:33.069 --> 00:05:35.879 always funny to place the the orchestra part 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:40.339 within the broader context of the piece. I think 00:05:40.339 --> 00:05:44.079 it's really interesting to get to see how our 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.279 spouses interact together, because I know for 00:05:48.279 --> 00:05:52.060 Adam and Alex, they sometimes have parts that 00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:55.259 complement each other or follow each other. And 00:05:55.259 --> 00:05:59.160 so being able to come in at the right time and 00:05:59.160 --> 00:06:01.920 have that communication on stage, I think is 00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:05.389 is pretty special. And I think that really comes 00:06:05.389 --> 00:06:08.589 to the fore in Beethoven. I know that Adam just, 00:06:08.589 --> 00:06:12.470 he loves playing Beethoven with Alex. The trumpet 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:16.189 timpani synergy is really crucial in those pieces. 00:06:16.230 --> 00:06:18.490 And it's just really magical to watch them on 00:06:18.490 --> 00:06:22.750 stage together. Yeah. So cute. They're very cute 00:06:22.750 --> 00:06:25.970 together. Now, when people find out that my husband 00:06:25.970 --> 00:06:28.870 is a professional orchestra musician, they're 00:06:28.870 --> 00:06:31.290 sometimes surprised because they don't realize 00:06:31.290 --> 00:06:33.370 that it's a full -time job. And they think, oh, 00:06:33.430 --> 00:06:36.149 is that just a hobby? And I'm like, no, it is 00:06:36.149 --> 00:06:38.629 a full -time job. Dan, do you want to talk a 00:06:38.629 --> 00:06:41.389 little bit about the time commitment of being 00:06:41.389 --> 00:06:44.709 in an orchestra from the perspective of the spouse? 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:48.189 Well, the interesting thing about musicians, 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:51.230 of course, is that their performance is other 00:06:51.230 --> 00:06:54.449 folks downtime and off time. So oftentimes musicians 00:06:54.449 --> 00:06:57.310 have opposite schedules. to more traditional 00:06:57.310 --> 00:07:00.370 jobs. There's tons of shift work that exists 00:07:00.370 --> 00:07:02.629 in the world. There are lots of people that give 00:07:02.629 --> 00:07:06.490 up enormous amounts to support spouses, and so 00:07:06.490 --> 00:07:09.899 I certainly wouldn't want to. say there's an 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:13.959 exceptional duress on people who are living with 00:07:13.959 --> 00:07:17.660 or married to musicians at all. However, it can 00:07:17.660 --> 00:07:20.399 of course pose challenges, especially as you 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:24.819 start juggling childcare and family commitments 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:27.319 and stuff like that to work around schedules 00:07:27.319 --> 00:07:30.220 where other people are going in to a concert 00:07:30.220 --> 00:07:32.819 perhaps with a mindset of this is time off, this 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:35.740 is our Saturday evening, whereas musicians are 00:07:35.740 --> 00:07:38.730 kind of... Amping up their work schedule at that 00:07:38.730 --> 00:07:41.329 time point so there's the time commitment but 00:07:41.329 --> 00:07:44.089 then there's also that mentality aspect to it 00:07:44.089 --> 00:07:47.529 and and beyond the sort of hour to hour within 00:07:47.529 --> 00:07:50.750 a week feeling we really notice that in our family 00:07:50.750 --> 00:07:54.360 around the holidays when. we see friends and 00:07:54.360 --> 00:07:56.519 neighbours who are kind of relaxing into the 00:07:56.519 --> 00:07:58.819 holidays and getting ready for more family time 00:07:58.819 --> 00:08:02.279 and more ability to choose where they'll be or 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:05.300 how they celebrate and in the musician world 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:09.079 there's a lot of uh kind of intensity and more 00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:12.920 commitment and more demands of different performances 00:08:12.920 --> 00:08:16.379 which is a wonderful way to be able to help other 00:08:16.379 --> 00:08:18.800 people celebrate that holiday season and along 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.319 the way pick up uh you know perhaps some joy 00:08:22.319 --> 00:08:25.180 and holiday enjoyment for yourself but there 00:08:25.180 --> 00:08:30.160 is kind of that uh inverse relationship with 00:08:30.160 --> 00:08:35.309 calendar relaxation and work periods You know, 00:08:35.309 --> 00:08:38.990 I'm always impressed at how enthusiastic Alex 00:08:38.990 --> 00:08:43.230 is able to be throughout the course of 20 -some 00:08:43.230 --> 00:08:46.789 Nutcracker performances. I think he enjoys each 00:08:46.789 --> 00:08:49.330 and every one, which is a really special talent 00:08:49.330 --> 00:08:52.509 in itself. Yeah, Adam really enjoys the Nutcracker 00:08:52.509 --> 00:08:56.149 as well. Mercifully. I think he commented once, 00:08:56.289 --> 00:08:58.590 thank goodness it's Nutcracker, not a different 00:08:58.590 --> 00:09:01.730 Tchaikovsky ballet, because I think Adam estimates 00:09:01.730 --> 00:09:04.870 that he's played Nutcracker 150 times so far 00:09:04.870 --> 00:09:08.289 in his career. So yeah, I think people maybe 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:11.070 underestimate what an enormous time commitment 00:09:11.070 --> 00:09:13.549 being a musician is over the Christmas holidays. 00:09:14.149 --> 00:09:17.049 It's, uh, I mean, it's wonderful, but it's also, 00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:20.470 it places an interesting burden on the spouses. 00:09:21.369 --> 00:09:24.009 Catherine, do you know, has Adam ever been to 00:09:24.009 --> 00:09:26.029 a performance of the Nutcracker? Like has he 00:09:26.029 --> 00:09:29.629 seen the ballet? I can almost certainly say he 00:09:29.629 --> 00:09:32.250 has never seen the ballet. Yeah, I think that 00:09:32.250 --> 00:09:35.110 is so hilarious. I'm pretty sure Alex is the 00:09:35.110 --> 00:09:36.610 same. And what about Jen? Do you think she's 00:09:36.610 --> 00:09:39.490 seen it? Only out of the corner of her eye from 00:09:39.490 --> 00:09:43.259 a pit orchestra. Yeah. I remember we were in 00:09:43.259 --> 00:09:45.820 conversation with someone and, uh, Adam was asked, 00:09:46.080 --> 00:09:48.399 Oh, how's the dancing this year at the Nutcracker? 00:09:48.399 --> 00:09:52.519 And he was like, well, I don't know. I'm here 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:55.379 in the pit. I can't see anything on stage. Uh, 00:09:55.440 --> 00:09:57.620 it's interesting that, you know, I am a spectator. 00:09:57.820 --> 00:10:00.139 We are all frequent spectators at Calgary Philharmonic 00:10:00.139 --> 00:10:03.299 Concerts. And it's so rare that any of our partners 00:10:03.299 --> 00:10:05.440 have a chance to actually watch a performance. 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:09.379 Very rarely Adam and I will be. out of town and 00:10:09.379 --> 00:10:11.799 we'll go to a show or he'll have a week where 00:10:11.799 --> 00:10:13.700 he's not scheduled and we'll actually sit in 00:10:13.700 --> 00:10:16.039 the audience together. And it's really a special 00:10:16.039 --> 00:10:20.019 experience and also a very, very rare experience. 00:10:21.100 --> 00:10:23.659 I have that experience as well. Although there 00:10:23.659 --> 00:10:25.679 are some other really great things going on in 00:10:25.679 --> 00:10:28.059 the city. So we've had the opportunity to go 00:10:28.059 --> 00:10:31.179 and attend some of those other performances through 00:10:31.179 --> 00:10:34.309 Pro Musica. Alex's sister Diana has a chamber 00:10:34.309 --> 00:10:37.570 music festival that we also get to go to fairly 00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:42.269 regularly. And Diana's husband is a pianist, 00:10:42.450 --> 00:10:46.269 a very amazing pianist. And so getting to attend 00:10:46.269 --> 00:10:50.490 music by both Diana and Roman or just one of 00:10:50.490 --> 00:10:53.549 them has been a really special treat. I love 00:10:53.549 --> 00:10:56.129 those moments together. But Dan, I do have a 00:10:56.129 --> 00:10:59.409 question for you. Until a few years ago, I used 00:10:59.409 --> 00:11:02.149 to see you very frequently at weekend evening 00:11:02.149 --> 00:11:05.490 concerts. In fact, you used to be my regular 00:11:05.490 --> 00:11:08.710 orchestra date, but you can use the term Catherine. 00:11:08.889 --> 00:11:11.570 We were orchestra wives together. I have no shame. 00:11:12.690 --> 00:11:16.169 I haven't seen you out. Too much lately. What 00:11:16.169 --> 00:11:20.370 changed? Well, you probably haven't seen me at 00:11:20.370 --> 00:11:24.629 a concert since April 17th of 2021, approximately. 00:11:25.110 --> 00:11:28.049 That would be when our first child was born. 00:11:28.429 --> 00:11:32.570 And that's when concerts changed a lot. The first 00:11:32.570 --> 00:11:34.769 few years that Jen and I were together in Calgary, 00:11:35.350 --> 00:11:38.309 I got to go to concerts. I probably went to every... 00:11:39.259 --> 00:11:41.419 cycle of concert so if they had the same show 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:43.139 friday and saturday night i would choose one 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:46.879 evening to go but i was really on top of the 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:49.539 cpo schedule is amazing exposure to all sorts 00:11:49.539 --> 00:11:52.779 of different music and give me a great sort of 00:11:52.779 --> 00:11:54.840 insight for the cultural happenings in the city 00:11:54.840 --> 00:11:57.720 because it's not just the cpo but the calgary 00:11:57.720 --> 00:12:00.399 philharmonic has tie -ins with the opera, of 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.159 course. And then there's also different organizations 00:12:03.159 --> 00:12:06.480 that would co -sponsor concerts or be part of 00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.879 it, or if there were special projects, like when 00:12:09.879 --> 00:12:12.759 Jeremy Dutcher played with the orchestra, there's 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:16.000 an amazing indigenous fashion exposition that 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.820 was going on. So it was really cool to see how 00:12:18.820 --> 00:12:20.940 the music was a nexus point for all those different 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:25.860 organizations. And then the greatest joy in my 00:12:25.860 --> 00:12:29.740 life. came and took those weekends away from 00:12:29.740 --> 00:12:33.500 me. And I've been, I think since my first child 00:12:33.500 --> 00:12:37.259 was born in 2021, I've been to one single CPO 00:12:37.259 --> 00:12:41.600 concert when my parents were in town. Jen was 00:12:41.600 --> 00:12:43.419 playing in the orchestra. It was a Mahler symphony 00:12:43.419 --> 00:12:46.299 weekend. Uh, and we had plans that I'd be able 00:12:46.299 --> 00:12:48.600 to go in the audience. Uh, and then we were going 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:52.360 to go out for a drink afterwards. What? Yeah. 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:55.159 It's something that adults do sometimes. I know, 00:12:55.159 --> 00:12:56.740 I know. We were going to stay out till 11 PM 00:12:56.740 --> 00:13:00.720 and then our kids got sick and I still went out 00:13:00.720 --> 00:13:03.480 to the show, but we didn't get the drink afterwards. 00:13:03.519 --> 00:13:08.279 So, uh, so it was just me, my wife, Runa, Mahler 00:13:08.279 --> 00:13:11.830 and a few thousand people. on a really special 00:13:11.830 --> 00:13:14.909 night for me. You'll get out for that drink sometime, 00:13:15.250 --> 00:13:18.549 Dan. Someday, someday. Actually, you know, if 00:13:18.549 --> 00:13:21.129 I remember correctly, I think Adam and Alex were 00:13:21.129 --> 00:13:23.029 probably part of that special evening with us. 00:13:23.230 --> 00:13:25.009 So thank you. Thank you for sharing. That was 00:13:25.009 --> 00:13:28.289 very kind. Dan, I think I have seen you at some 00:13:28.289 --> 00:13:30.990 of the Sunday afternoon kids concerts, though. 00:13:32.250 --> 00:13:34.250 Oh yeah. Yeah, that was a learning curve. We 00:13:34.250 --> 00:13:36.490 went to our first one this year and I brought 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:39.309 some toys for the kids to play with. We started 00:13:39.309 --> 00:13:45.309 with a rolling car for Babar and we went to Babar. 00:13:45.370 --> 00:13:47.750 The kids brought their little toy cars. They 00:13:47.750 --> 00:13:49.809 put it on the floor and that's when I realized 00:13:49.809 --> 00:13:53.490 that Jack Singer Hall has a sloped audience and 00:13:53.490 --> 00:13:55.629 those cars are still maybe in the front row. 00:13:55.789 --> 00:13:57.870 So I think that the cars had a better seat than 00:13:57.870 --> 00:14:00.769 we did. It is cool to have the kids at the concert. 00:14:00.990 --> 00:14:04.929 and have them recognize mom from on stage with 00:14:04.929 --> 00:14:07.330 her bright red hair, Jen's pretty easy to find. 00:14:08.029 --> 00:14:11.190 And so it is cool and special that they can see 00:14:11.190 --> 00:14:13.950 that and watch their mom sort of perform and 00:14:13.950 --> 00:14:16.330 bring these stories to life for other children. 00:14:17.389 --> 00:14:21.110 What's less cool is 45 minutes in when My kids 00:14:21.110 --> 00:14:23.929 are less excited to share their mom with other 00:14:23.929 --> 00:14:26.909 people and they start saying wait, come on Come 00:14:26.909 --> 00:14:28.889 on back. Come on back. What's going on? Like 00:14:28.889 --> 00:14:31.629 that? Let's wrap this show up And that's when 00:14:31.629 --> 00:14:34.889 we have to wait patiently for mom in the lobby 00:14:36.030 --> 00:14:38.889 Yes, I am familiar with that. I will say though, 00:14:38.970 --> 00:14:41.730 I've got young kids as well and we love going 00:14:41.730 --> 00:14:44.850 to the kids shows. Mom particularly loves going 00:14:44.850 --> 00:14:46.809 to the kids shows because there's not really 00:14:46.809 --> 00:14:49.509 an expectation that the kids need to be absolutely 00:14:49.509 --> 00:14:53.289 quiet or sit absolutely still. So it's pretty 00:14:53.289 --> 00:14:55.950 friendly for wiggly children and the music is 00:14:55.950 --> 00:14:58.549 generally well done and I highly recommend them 00:14:58.549 --> 00:15:02.470 to any listeners with young children. Not only 00:15:02.470 --> 00:15:04.429 is it not the expectation, but when you do have 00:15:04.429 --> 00:15:06.250 a kid who sits there quietly the whole time, 00:15:06.710 --> 00:15:09.070 I wonder what's going on with that kid. I hope 00:15:09.070 --> 00:15:12.169 it's all good, but get up and move, dance to 00:15:12.169 --> 00:15:15.629 the music. I wonder, do either of you have a 00:15:15.629 --> 00:15:20.049 favorite spot to sit in the Jacksinger? With 00:15:20.049 --> 00:15:24.309 kids close to the exit, otherwise, you know, 00:15:24.370 --> 00:15:27.149 we have the luxury. of sometimes getting free 00:15:27.149 --> 00:15:30.769 tickets from my spouse so beggars can't be chooser 00:15:30.769 --> 00:15:35.190 and wherever I sit is like a surprise to me and 00:15:35.190 --> 00:15:38.289 more than where I sit it's sort of who I sit 00:15:38.289 --> 00:15:43.210 around and in the jack sometimes you get to overhear 00:15:43.210 --> 00:15:45.789 wild conversations you never know who's going 00:15:45.789 --> 00:15:48.370 to be in the audience with you and so sort of 00:15:48.370 --> 00:15:51.470 the surprise I've always loved the surprise of 00:15:51.470 --> 00:15:53.990 not knowing what's sort of on people's mind on 00:15:53.990 --> 00:15:56.559 a Friday Saturday night and getting to eavesdrop 00:15:56.559 --> 00:16:00.360 a little bit. That brings a funny memory to mind 00:16:00.360 --> 00:16:04.899 for me. Once, um, Alex was out sick and when 00:16:04.899 --> 00:16:07.740 everyone was gathering on stage, um, there was 00:16:07.740 --> 00:16:10.879 someone else at the timpani and this lady beside 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:16.200 me said quite loudly, where is Alex Cohen? And 00:16:16.200 --> 00:16:19.179 I don't think she knew that I, well, she definitely 00:16:19.179 --> 00:16:23.000 did not know that I was his spouse and I was 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.139 not sure if she wanted me to answer her question. 00:16:25.949 --> 00:16:29.870 But I just sat quietly and didn't really comment, 00:16:30.169 --> 00:16:32.570 but that was a funny moment for me and I chuckled 00:16:32.570 --> 00:16:36.429 to myself. Amazing. You didn't invent a fictitious 00:16:36.429 --> 00:16:38.029 response. You didn't say, yeah, where's that 00:16:38.029 --> 00:16:40.230 lazy do -gooder up to no -gooder? I think I said 00:16:40.230 --> 00:16:42.269 something like, oh, I think maybe he must be 00:16:42.269 --> 00:16:46.570 sick. For some reason, I felt the need to remain 00:16:46.570 --> 00:16:52.629 incognito and not say anything. So speaking of 00:16:52.629 --> 00:16:57.990 lazy good for nothings, Um, not my spouse. Well, 00:16:57.990 --> 00:17:01.190 let's talk about this because we see orchestra 00:17:01.190 --> 00:17:03.509 musicians on stage and they're clearly giving 00:17:03.509 --> 00:17:06.650 it their all. What are they doing outside of 00:17:06.650 --> 00:17:09.470 orchestra time? Well, I can start, my husband 00:17:09.470 --> 00:17:12.869 is practicing all the time and when he's not 00:17:12.869 --> 00:17:16.769 practicing, he's often studying his scores. Yeah. 00:17:16.869 --> 00:17:21.269 Studying scores is a huge part of how Alex prepares. 00:17:21.809 --> 00:17:25.789 He sits at the table every day. and studies his 00:17:25.789 --> 00:17:28.450 scores. He's always marking down which notes 00:17:28.450 --> 00:17:31.950 are going to be played on which drums. He likes 00:17:31.950 --> 00:17:34.930 to have a clear understanding of who he's playing 00:17:34.930 --> 00:17:37.910 with all the time so that he always knows how 00:17:37.910 --> 00:17:40.430 to kind of make those little nuanced moments 00:17:40.430 --> 00:17:43.210 happen the best he can. There are other things 00:17:43.210 --> 00:17:46.250 like how he's going to be playing, what colors 00:17:46.250 --> 00:17:48.809 he's going to bring to the music. He listens 00:17:48.809 --> 00:17:52.670 to pieces over and over to get a really good 00:17:52.670 --> 00:17:55.769 sense of what's been done and how he might want 00:17:55.769 --> 00:17:58.730 to approach it before the rehearsals even start. 00:17:59.150 --> 00:18:01.529 So that's just the initial prep and then it kind 00:18:01.529 --> 00:18:04.890 of just ramps up from there. I think Genevieve 00:18:04.890 --> 00:18:08.450 was able to do her own episode, so I'll let her 00:18:08.450 --> 00:18:11.890 speak for herself on this one. The only comment 00:18:11.890 --> 00:18:14.609 I can give as an orchestra spouse is that when 00:18:14.609 --> 00:18:20.049 she's going in expecting one thing, be it speed 00:18:20.049 --> 00:18:24.660 of a piece or sort of an interpretation, It is 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:27.880 always fun to sort of be therapist at home when 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:29.720 she comes home and says, oh, the conductor is 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.660 going so much faster, so much slower. What's 00:18:32.660 --> 00:18:35.799 that all about? And now that I'm not going to 00:18:35.799 --> 00:18:39.519 the concerts, it's interesting to only get commentary 00:18:39.519 --> 00:18:42.000 and not see any product. So I feel like I have 00:18:42.000 --> 00:18:45.980 this shadowy understanding of how the preparation 00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:51.890 is turning into product. But in reality, I take 00:18:51.890 --> 00:18:54.750 her word for it. So I hear good things. That's 00:18:54.750 --> 00:18:56.670 the word on the street is that things are going 00:18:56.670 --> 00:19:01.069 musically, swimmingly. So the orchestra schedule 00:19:01.069 --> 00:19:03.410 is interesting. The orchestra performs almost 00:19:03.410 --> 00:19:06.569 every Friday and Saturday night, sometimes Sundays 00:19:06.569 --> 00:19:09.829 during the day, sometimes other evenings, sometimes 00:19:09.829 --> 00:19:12.009 kids shows or education shows during the week. 00:19:12.049 --> 00:19:14.210 Sometimes there will be two or three. programs 00:19:14.210 --> 00:19:17.170 during the week. It is always surprising to me 00:19:17.170 --> 00:19:21.049 how little preparation time there is. So there 00:19:21.049 --> 00:19:23.529 will be a Mahler Symphony. Rehearsals for that 00:19:23.529 --> 00:19:25.950 Mahler Symphony will start on Tuesday of the 00:19:25.950 --> 00:19:30.130 week it's being performed. Which means that our 00:19:30.130 --> 00:19:32.490 partners, they have to show up to that Tuesday 00:19:32.490 --> 00:19:35.009 rehearsal. Their part has to be learned. Everything 00:19:35.009 --> 00:19:37.930 has to be penciled in. They're there to fine 00:19:37.930 --> 00:19:40.269 tune things. They're not there to learn the music. 00:19:40.430 --> 00:19:43.589 And so in addition to the official orchestra 00:19:43.589 --> 00:19:46.890 schedule, there's so much work that goes in before 00:19:46.890 --> 00:19:51.369 those rehearsals even start. Yeah. So we've talked 00:19:51.369 --> 00:19:53.509 a lot about music. What do you and your spouses 00:19:53.509 --> 00:19:57.150 do in your spare time? Well, Catherine. There 00:19:57.150 --> 00:20:00.029 has been a noticeable lack of spare time in my 00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:03.789 life to be able to hang out with Alex. I'm a 00:20:03.789 --> 00:20:07.109 full -time student going to school for a master's 00:20:07.109 --> 00:20:09.369 in occupational therapy and I'm nearly done. 00:20:09.390 --> 00:20:14.009 I'll be done in October. So coming right up and 00:20:14.009 --> 00:20:17.430 just trying to really push to get to the end. 00:20:17.930 --> 00:20:21.849 When we do have time, we love to be outside together. 00:20:22.430 --> 00:20:26.000 So we find a way to fit in a daily walk. Because 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:30.039 I study downtown at the Calgary University through 00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:33.539 the U of A, I get to walk with Alex pretty much 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:36.099 every morning and then we try and meet up at 00:20:36.099 --> 00:20:38.440 some time as well. So just doing those daily 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:41.579 walks is a really great way to catch up and spend 00:20:41.579 --> 00:20:45.920 time together. Sometimes Jen and I have breakfast 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:50.279 together. And if we're really lucky, we can finish. 00:20:50.539 --> 00:20:53.960 the whole breakfast in one sitting and it's just 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:57.680 amazing. Kids are so hard. Week to week is one 00:20:57.680 --> 00:21:02.079 thing. I think one of the huge perks of me being 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:05.400 a teacher and Jen being in the orchestra is that 00:21:05.400 --> 00:21:08.660 we both get summers off and that's something 00:21:08.660 --> 00:21:13.980 where for the craziness of the year to have that 00:21:13.980 --> 00:21:16.380 amount of committed time is amazing because we 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:20.920 can Go to Banff on a Tuesday we can go for walks 00:21:20.920 --> 00:21:25.180 and with daycare Which a wise woman once told 00:21:25.180 --> 00:21:29.220 me daycare helps you love your children You know 00:21:29.220 --> 00:21:33.240 we can just kind of go and explore nature and 00:21:33.240 --> 00:21:36.640 have moments together and catch up on the past 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:40.660 year. And, you know, we're busy enough that sometimes 00:21:40.660 --> 00:21:43.339 you hit July and go out for coffee and say, so 00:21:43.339 --> 00:21:46.279 how was October for you? And there's a lot to 00:21:46.279 --> 00:21:49.140 catch up on. Well, you and Alex spend quite a 00:21:49.140 --> 00:21:50.819 bit of time in the mountains too, don't you? 00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:53.140 Maybe not so much this year when you're a full 00:21:53.140 --> 00:21:55.480 -time student, but. Yeah, I think that's something 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:59.289 that we used to love to do. skiing and camping 00:21:59.289 --> 00:22:02.809 in our van. I will say too though something that 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.609 I didn't necessarily expect to be able to have 00:22:06.609 --> 00:22:10.789 is really strong relationships with other musicians 00:22:10.789 --> 00:22:14.150 in the Calgary Phil. There are many people on 00:22:14.150 --> 00:22:16.829 stage who are my friends and that's part of what 00:22:16.829 --> 00:22:19.349 I love about attending concerts is seeing my 00:22:19.349 --> 00:22:23.269 friends up there doing their thing, seeing their 00:22:23.269 --> 00:22:27.470 reactions to stuff. and their incredible musicianship. 00:22:27.970 --> 00:22:29.890 And then, you know, we just go hang out together 00:22:29.890 --> 00:22:33.809 and have coffee or go for a walk or go camping 00:22:33.809 --> 00:22:38.170 and support each other. So I think that's a really 00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:42.829 special part of being in this community is having 00:22:42.829 --> 00:22:46.329 close friends who are so caring, so sensitive 00:22:46.329 --> 00:22:50.569 and responsive to understanding the ways of the 00:22:50.569 --> 00:22:53.170 world. And it really is such a beautiful tight 00:22:53.170 --> 00:22:56.059 knit community. when the whole orchestra gets 00:22:56.059 --> 00:22:59.480 together for their postseason celebrations or 00:22:59.480 --> 00:23:02.500 sometimes mid -season celebrations, it really 00:23:02.500 --> 00:23:06.019 is cool to see these people who are, many of 00:23:06.019 --> 00:23:10.299 them spend 30, 40 years in the orchestra, just 00:23:10.299 --> 00:23:13.380 the bonds that develop when you're... working 00:23:13.380 --> 00:23:15.460 together for so long and spending your free time 00:23:15.460 --> 00:23:18.339 together, raising kids together, sometimes it 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:21.480 is a wonderful community and it feels lovely 00:23:21.480 --> 00:23:24.319 to sort of be the plus one and swept up along 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:28.259 with that. It is a very collegial environment 00:23:28.259 --> 00:23:31.359 I have found and I agree it's really a wonderful 00:23:31.359 --> 00:23:34.440 experience to go to a concert and see not only 00:23:34.440 --> 00:23:37.240 your spouse whom you love but many wonderful 00:23:37.240 --> 00:23:41.049 friends as well on stage. And Dan, you may not 00:23:41.049 --> 00:23:42.750 remember what it's like to go out for drinks 00:23:42.750 --> 00:23:47.829 after concerts, but it's also worth noting that 00:23:47.829 --> 00:23:50.190 not only are the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic 00:23:50.190 --> 00:23:52.990 extraordinarily talented, but they're quite fun 00:23:52.990 --> 00:23:56.650 as well. In my role as a high school teacher, 00:23:57.309 --> 00:23:59.690 mostly I teach social studies, but I also have 00:23:59.690 --> 00:24:02.609 the portfolio of running the string orchestra 00:24:02.609 --> 00:24:04.869 program at Aberhart High School. And it's fun 00:24:04.869 --> 00:24:08.329 to sometimes get... offers from the Calgary Philharmonic 00:24:08.329 --> 00:24:12.069 or from Chamberfest West, Diana Cohen's summer 00:24:12.069 --> 00:24:15.869 chamber series. They recently reached out to 00:24:15.869 --> 00:24:18.670 offer some outreach and the coordinator there 00:24:18.670 --> 00:24:21.630 didn't know I'm married into the CPO and I got 00:24:21.630 --> 00:24:24.630 this very professional liaison connecting me 00:24:24.630 --> 00:24:28.309 to one Maria van der Sloot from the orchestra 00:24:28.309 --> 00:24:30.930 and I was typing back very professionally between 00:24:30.930 --> 00:24:33.619 this mediator and meanwhile it's like I know 00:24:33.619 --> 00:24:36.759 Maria, I'm texting her, can you come on this 00:24:36.759 --> 00:24:39.359 day? Yes, but we have to coordinate through the 00:24:39.359 --> 00:24:43.839 coordinator. It's fun to be part of that and 00:24:43.839 --> 00:24:47.519 seeing how the outreach goes beyond the CPO community 00:24:47.519 --> 00:24:52.259 and to kind of be able to be on both sides of 00:24:52.259 --> 00:24:55.059 that is a fun little insight and perspective. 00:24:56.220 --> 00:24:59.559 Or fun things like the lovely Chris Leslie lives 00:24:59.559 --> 00:25:03.339 just down the street from us. And when the orchestra 00:25:03.339 --> 00:25:05.880 is playing at the Jubilee, sometimes we'll walk 00:25:05.880 --> 00:25:09.319 to the concert together or he'll warm up in the 00:25:09.319 --> 00:25:12.920 SAIT grounds that are just so beautiful at sunset 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:15.619 and I'll just hang out and dance along to his 00:25:15.619 --> 00:25:19.700 little warm -ups and it's a really special, special 00:25:19.700 --> 00:25:22.279 relationship I think that we kind of have with 00:25:22.279 --> 00:25:24.900 each other and understanding what musicians go 00:25:24.900 --> 00:25:28.420 through and being able to kind of bring that 00:25:28.420 --> 00:25:31.259 to our relationships with others as well. So 00:25:31.259 --> 00:25:33.099 is that who's keeping my kids up at night with 00:25:33.099 --> 00:25:37.920 his trombone playing likely? Yes So Dan and Tiffany 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:40.539 are there any concerts that have been particularly? 00:25:40.660 --> 00:25:42.920 Meaningful to you over the last little while 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:45.259 or that you're particularly looking forward to 00:25:45.259 --> 00:25:49.200 coming up Yes, the last one of the season is 00:25:49.200 --> 00:25:53.980 always so meaningful because I get my wife back 00:25:57.150 --> 00:26:00.029 One concert that made a huge impact on me and 00:26:00.029 --> 00:26:03.190 has stayed with me for many years was in 2017. 00:26:03.230 --> 00:26:05.450 It was my first year living in Calgary with Jen 00:26:05.450 --> 00:26:08.490 and the CPO performed this amazing work called 00:26:08.490 --> 00:26:11.509 Afghanistan Requiem for a Generation by Jeffrey 00:26:11.509 --> 00:26:15.990 Ryan, librettist Suzanne Steele. And it was this 00:26:15.990 --> 00:26:20.390 amazing celebration and observance of Remembrance 00:26:20.390 --> 00:26:23.789 Day. And I am Canadian, but I grew up outside 00:26:23.789 --> 00:26:27.599 Canada and That was my first Remembrance Day 00:26:27.599 --> 00:26:31.880 that I was in Canada. And at that performance, 00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:36.819 that performance brought together the mayor and 00:26:36.819 --> 00:26:40.819 the mayor's office and lots of dignitaries and 00:26:40.819 --> 00:26:43.579 representatives from different military units 00:26:43.579 --> 00:26:47.160 and different community leaders. And it was my 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:51.380 first time learning that in Canada's participation 00:26:51.380 --> 00:26:55.759 in the Afghan War. There was a poet who was sent 00:26:55.759 --> 00:26:58.140 to sort of capture sentiment and mood and the 00:26:58.140 --> 00:27:03.119 artistry or rather emotion through art and just 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:06.839 the importance of having that humanist approach 00:27:06.839 --> 00:27:12.900 to these huge global conflicts and seeing that 00:27:12.900 --> 00:27:16.279 the CPO was able to bring all this together into 00:27:16.279 --> 00:27:18.980 this amazing work. It was so moving, it was so 00:27:18.980 --> 00:27:24.470 profound. I was quite patriotic at that moment. 00:27:24.630 --> 00:27:27.150 It just felt like such an amazing thing to be 00:27:27.150 --> 00:27:31.230 part of and to be in a new city and be swept 00:27:31.230 --> 00:27:34.910 into that a few months in. I was just so proud 00:27:34.910 --> 00:27:39.069 and blown away by the musical abilities and the 00:27:39.069 --> 00:27:42.250 poetry and seeing all the community come together 00:27:42.250 --> 00:27:45.170 as something I hadn't experienced before in other 00:27:45.170 --> 00:27:49.579 countries. And it was an amazing work. And I 00:27:49.579 --> 00:27:52.779 can't wait for the CPO to do it again. Well, 00:27:52.940 --> 00:27:56.220 my favorite concerts are the ones where Alex 00:27:56.220 --> 00:28:03.119 has a big role. Get it? Roll. That's so good. 00:28:04.539 --> 00:28:08.119 But no, seriously, I really enjoy Beethoven concerts. 00:28:08.420 --> 00:28:12.359 I grew up listening to from a very young age, 00:28:12.500 --> 00:28:16.230 maybe three. or four, I was listening to Beethoven 00:28:16.230 --> 00:28:18.890 Lives Upstairs as one of my favorite bedtime 00:28:18.890 --> 00:28:24.630 tapes. I also was obsessed with the Emperor Concerto. 00:28:24.990 --> 00:28:27.309 So when that was played here in Calgary, that 00:28:27.309 --> 00:28:29.690 was a very special moment, a very emotional moment 00:28:29.690 --> 00:28:32.730 for me, just getting to reflect on my life as 00:28:32.730 --> 00:28:35.910 those beautiful notes were played. Mahler is 00:28:35.910 --> 00:28:38.750 another favorite, and that's because Mahler is 00:28:38.750 --> 00:28:41.680 something that Alex enjoys so much. And I won't 00:28:41.680 --> 00:28:44.019 say too much more because I'm realizing that 00:28:44.019 --> 00:28:48.279 I've beat Alex onto this podcast. So I better 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:52.559 not give everything away. Sorry, you said bedtime 00:28:52.559 --> 00:28:56.039 tape. Can you what is a tape? I've never heard 00:28:56.039 --> 00:29:00.960 of this. Oh, you know, it's those things that 00:29:00.960 --> 00:29:04.140 you can fast forward and rewind. And there's 00:29:04.140 --> 00:29:07.559 nice long strand that you can play with a cat 00:29:07.559 --> 00:29:10.799 with. I'll also point out you said it was Beethoven 00:29:10.799 --> 00:29:14.180 lives upstairs and you're recreating this amazing 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:16.519 memory but you still shoved his timpani in the 00:29:16.519 --> 00:29:19.440 basement so you know you had that opportunity. 00:29:21.210 --> 00:29:24.450 You know, Tiffany, I love Beethoven, and I was 00:29:24.450 --> 00:29:26.569 reminded of how much I loved Beethoven a year 00:29:26.569 --> 00:29:28.769 or two ago when Calgary Philharmonic performed 00:29:28.769 --> 00:29:31.750 Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. And I remember 00:29:31.750 --> 00:29:33.910 waffling on whether or not I should go to the 00:29:33.910 --> 00:29:36.450 concert, and I was like, oh, not Beethoven again. 00:29:36.670 --> 00:29:39.109 Like, can we do something more interesting? And 00:29:39.109 --> 00:29:40.950 then I went to the show and partway through, 00:29:41.009 --> 00:29:45.380 I was like, oh, right. Beethoven. There's a reason 00:29:45.380 --> 00:29:48.119 that this is performed over and over again. And 00:29:48.119 --> 00:29:51.099 I will say that Adam and Alex have this magic 00:29:51.099 --> 00:29:53.940 when it comes to the timpani and trumpet. Yeah. 00:29:54.099 --> 00:29:55.960 And so it's really fun to watch them both on 00:29:55.960 --> 00:29:58.279 stage and they have a great time doing that. 00:29:59.099 --> 00:30:02.380 I'll echo your mention of Mahler. There is the 00:30:02.380 --> 00:30:05.500 last performance of this season will be Mahler's 00:30:05.500 --> 00:30:09.059 second symphony, which is maybe one of the greatest 00:30:09.059 --> 00:30:12.220 pieces of music ever written. And so I know that 00:30:12.220 --> 00:30:14.319 a lot of musicians are looking forward to that. 00:30:14.460 --> 00:30:16.839 I think the orchestral or the broader community 00:30:16.839 --> 00:30:20.319 is also very excited for this. It will be Maestro 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:22.460 Rune Bergman's final concert with the Calgary 00:30:22.460 --> 00:30:25.559 Philharmonic. And so I think it will be definitely 00:30:25.559 --> 00:30:27.920 an event worth seeing. So I'm really excited 00:30:27.920 --> 00:30:30.880 for that one. Normally, at this point in the 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:34.059 podcast, Adam asks his interviewee if there's 00:30:34.279 --> 00:30:37.000 any musician in the orchestra that they particularly 00:30:37.000 --> 00:30:40.180 admire. So I'd like to ask that same question 00:30:40.180 --> 00:30:45.180 to you, Dan. I love my wife, Genevieve Micheletti. 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:48.160 I mean, she's one of many first violins, but 00:30:48.160 --> 00:30:50.720 she's number one in the first violins as far 00:30:50.720 --> 00:30:54.599 as I'm concerned. Really? But have you seen the 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:58.299 beaming smile on one Alexander Kenneth Cohen, 00:30:58.839 --> 00:31:02.240 because when he takes his bow, that smile just 00:31:02.240 --> 00:31:05.180 radiates to the very back of the upper balcony. 00:31:06.319 --> 00:31:09.859 He's my number one tympanist. I see. Well, there's 00:31:09.859 --> 00:31:12.900 one member of the trumpet section that I particularly 00:31:12.900 --> 00:31:17.019 admire. His name is Adam Zanatelli. There's a 00:31:17.019 --> 00:31:19.819 wonderful comedian in the United States and she 00:31:19.819 --> 00:31:21.680 wrote a book. She's also married to a trumpet 00:31:21.680 --> 00:31:25.319 player and she described it as a machine where 00:31:25.319 --> 00:31:28.140 you put in compressed air and divorce comes out. 00:31:28.359 --> 00:31:31.180 And I would like to rebut that because it is 00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:34.180 wonderful being married to a trumpet player and 00:31:34.180 --> 00:31:37.220 being awoken very early in the morning with a 00:31:37.220 --> 00:31:40.279 standard trumpet warmup. I will mention one other 00:31:40.279 --> 00:31:42.880 person though. Tiffany, you alluded to the fact 00:31:42.880 --> 00:31:45.940 that it is a really collegial orchestra and we 00:31:45.940 --> 00:31:48.079 all have many, many friends in this community. 00:31:48.519 --> 00:31:52.420 But I will say that there have been some amazing 00:31:52.420 --> 00:31:55.000 entrants to the brass section over the past few 00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:58.559 years. One is Miranda Canonico, who is the second 00:31:58.559 --> 00:32:00.539 trumpet player, and she's currently on leave, 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:02.339 but we're very excited for her to come back. 00:32:02.359 --> 00:32:04.400 And she's a wonderful performer and a wonderful 00:32:04.400 --> 00:32:07.180 colleague. The other is Nikki Labonte, who's 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:10.539 been in the orchestra for about a year. She is 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:13.420 an amazing French horn player. In fact, Adam 00:32:13.420 --> 00:32:15.579 and I were in New York City last year at one 00:32:15.579 --> 00:32:17.859 point, and we happened to go hear the New York 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:20.319 Philharmonic perform. And there was Nikki on 00:32:20.319 --> 00:32:22.740 stage subbing with them. And I think it really 00:32:22.740 --> 00:32:26.279 speaks to the extremely high caliber of musician 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:28.819 that this orchestra attracts. So we have orchestra 00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:32.240 members who play on our stage every week, but 00:32:32.240 --> 00:32:34.420 they also play on other stages throughout North 00:32:34.420 --> 00:32:37.079 America and Europe as well. And so we're very 00:32:37.079 --> 00:32:40.660 fortunate to have such a high caliber of musician 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:42.740 here. You know, Catherine, I think we should 00:32:42.740 --> 00:32:45.960 also give a shout out to the new principal percussionist. 00:32:46.410 --> 00:32:49.490 Chris Sighs, who has joined the Calgary Phil 00:32:49.490 --> 00:32:53.049 recently and is doing a phenomenal job with the 00:32:53.049 --> 00:32:56.130 percussion section. He's a really remarkable 00:32:56.130 --> 00:32:59.349 musician. I mean, there are not many people out 00:32:59.349 --> 00:33:01.910 there that can play all the classical rep and 00:33:01.910 --> 00:33:04.309 then just jump on a drum set and play nirvana, 00:33:04.430 --> 00:33:08.269 so we're really lucky to have him. My plus one 00:33:08.269 --> 00:33:11.130 goes out to the amazing David Sussman in the 00:33:11.130 --> 00:33:14.859 oboe section. There are a few... kinder people 00:33:14.859 --> 00:33:18.799 in the world, extraordinary musician, not just 00:33:18.799 --> 00:33:21.220 oboe, but the English horn solos are always to 00:33:21.220 --> 00:33:24.539 be looked forward to. And when I first, again, 00:33:24.599 --> 00:33:27.220 going back to when I first got to Calgary, he 00:33:27.220 --> 00:33:32.359 was so welcoming and inviting, and he opens up 00:33:32.359 --> 00:33:36.400 his home for Jewish holidays and invites any 00:33:36.400 --> 00:33:38.920 other Jews new to the orchestra, he invites us 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:44.720 in. for a Seder or for the Jewish New Year. And 00:33:44.720 --> 00:33:48.500 I think it was weeks in, he kind of found me 00:33:48.500 --> 00:33:51.700 and Jen brought home perhaps a handwritten note 00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:53.960 from David and said, you know, dear Daniel, if 00:33:53.960 --> 00:33:55.680 you don't have anywhere to go for the holidays, 00:33:55.839 --> 00:33:58.960 would you please join our family for the Jewish 00:33:58.960 --> 00:34:02.059 New Year? And he's just been such a wonderful, 00:34:02.079 --> 00:34:06.460 wonderful presence since then. David was the 00:34:06.460 --> 00:34:08.960 first one to take me sailing. I've never been 00:34:08.960 --> 00:34:11.380 sailing before and he took me out sailing. What 00:34:11.380 --> 00:34:14.719 a guy. What a treat. Well, he's never taken me 00:34:14.719 --> 00:34:18.559 sailing, but he is great with puns. Should we 00:34:18.559 --> 00:34:20.699 just turn this into a David Sussman appreciation 00:34:20.699 --> 00:34:24.980 podcast? I think so. I'll also bring up, we've 00:34:24.980 --> 00:34:27.380 talked so much about the extraordinary level 00:34:27.380 --> 00:34:32.139 of musicianship and how much musically our spouses 00:34:32.139 --> 00:34:34.659 bring to the symphony and how much the Philharmonic. 00:34:34.750 --> 00:34:38.590 brings to the city. But just to also recognize 00:34:38.590 --> 00:34:41.590 that as we share our musician spouses with the 00:34:41.590 --> 00:34:45.289 orchestra, they do have full lives outside of 00:34:45.289 --> 00:34:47.289 the rehearsal hall and outside of the concert 00:34:47.289 --> 00:34:50.789 stage. They're not just summoned to appear on 00:34:50.789 --> 00:34:54.489 a Saturday night when Beethoven's on the docket. 00:34:55.210 --> 00:34:58.510 So a lot of these musicians, or all the musicians 00:34:58.510 --> 00:35:01.440 rather, They have outside interests. They have 00:35:01.440 --> 00:35:04.159 outside hobbies. They're doing amazing things 00:35:04.159 --> 00:35:07.039 to make the city a better place, to improve their 00:35:07.039 --> 00:35:10.059 own lives and their family's lives and to explore 00:35:10.059 --> 00:35:14.380 interests. And, you know, I would be remiss not 00:35:14.380 --> 00:35:18.500 to... highlight in no specific terms, but just 00:35:18.500 --> 00:35:22.000 all the amazing sort of work Jen is doing connecting 00:35:22.000 --> 00:35:24.360 different communities, sometimes through music, 00:35:24.440 --> 00:35:26.760 and sometimes the music is a bridge to other 00:35:26.760 --> 00:35:30.219 things, or Jen is able to take playground and 00:35:30.219 --> 00:35:33.000 library conversations with new parents that we 00:35:33.000 --> 00:35:36.119 meet, and transform it sometimes through art, 00:35:36.320 --> 00:35:39.280 and sometimes not through art, but just as a 00:35:39.280 --> 00:35:41.920 connection between people. And I think one of 00:35:41.920 --> 00:35:44.880 the threads there is that At the end of the day, 00:35:44.900 --> 00:35:48.019 music is written to connect people and to tap 00:35:48.019 --> 00:35:52.360 into human emotion. And that's just one of many 00:35:52.360 --> 00:35:55.760 facets that can connect people. So to have varied 00:35:55.760 --> 00:35:58.239 interests and to be doing different activities 00:35:58.239 --> 00:36:01.840 outside the music world, it allows Jen and other 00:36:01.840 --> 00:36:04.219 musicians to be able to connect with people with 00:36:04.219 --> 00:36:07.840 the same intensity, but in myriad different ways. 00:36:08.599 --> 00:36:11.610 Alex likes to engage in other activities. go 00:36:11.610 --> 00:36:15.510 backcountry skiing. He loves swimming. He plays 00:36:15.510 --> 00:36:18.809 a variety of sports. He can maintain our vehicles 00:36:18.809 --> 00:36:23.130 like no one's business. He's got great style 00:36:23.130 --> 00:36:26.949 and he loves many different genres of music. 00:36:28.070 --> 00:36:31.750 Alex is always willing to jam and play some jazz. 00:36:31.989 --> 00:36:34.969 He's got a drum kit as well, so he'll also be 00:36:34.969 --> 00:36:38.500 playing some jazz beats. He has a couple of students 00:36:38.500 --> 00:36:42.159 that he really enjoys teaching. Yeah, I think 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:44.239 when you're sitting in the audience, you may 00:36:44.239 --> 00:36:47.079 not realize how interesting the people on stage 00:36:47.079 --> 00:36:49.880 are. Now, I have a bias, but I think Adam is 00:36:49.880 --> 00:36:52.280 a very interesting person. He's an excellent 00:36:52.280 --> 00:36:55.710 cook. He's an excellent cyclist. He's so well 00:36:55.710 --> 00:36:58.730 read and so interested in so many things. There's 00:36:58.730 --> 00:37:00.909 this trivia show that we love to watch called 00:37:00.909 --> 00:37:03.630 University Challenge, and he just knows all the 00:37:03.630 --> 00:37:06.849 answers. And it's so frustrating how smart he 00:37:06.849 --> 00:37:11.090 is. But there is just a tremendous wealth of 00:37:11.090 --> 00:37:13.409 talent. I'll say it's adjacent to musical talent. 00:37:13.530 --> 00:37:15.949 I mean, we've got some amazing knitters in the 00:37:15.949 --> 00:37:18.969 orchestra. And there's a French horn player, 00:37:19.130 --> 00:37:22.880 Max Stein, who spins his own yarn. And we've 00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:27.059 got talented athletes, we've got mountain explorers, 00:37:27.119 --> 00:37:29.039 we've got all kinds of people doing all kinds 00:37:29.039 --> 00:37:31.679 of interesting things in their downtime. World 00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:35.659 -class climbers. Right. I'm so proud of the work 00:37:35.659 --> 00:37:38.619 that Jen is doing with the CPO and all that the 00:37:38.619 --> 00:37:42.699 CPO musicians do to bring music and live experiences 00:37:42.699 --> 00:37:46.820 to the audience in Calgary. I think one of the 00:37:46.820 --> 00:37:51.460 big takeaways I had during COVID was when you 00:37:51.460 --> 00:37:57.500 took away experiences for people, we lost so 00:37:57.500 --> 00:38:02.199 much of what it means to live for and the joy 00:38:02.199 --> 00:38:05.780 that we have to look forward to. So to be able 00:38:05.780 --> 00:38:08.940 to open up and know that any weekend you can 00:38:08.940 --> 00:38:13.219 go to a CPO concert and be inspired, transformed, 00:38:13.940 --> 00:38:17.239 entertained, whatever it is, it's just one of... 00:38:17.179 --> 00:38:21.679 so many offerings in Calgary that means so much 00:38:21.679 --> 00:38:23.780 to so many people. So I'm just really proud of 00:38:23.780 --> 00:38:26.619 all the musicians for sharing their incredible 00:38:26.619 --> 00:38:29.260 talents in such a collaborative way with the 00:38:29.260 --> 00:38:33.900 amazing Calgary community. I think having something 00:38:33.900 --> 00:38:38.360 that is a regular thing that challenges you, 00:38:38.559 --> 00:38:42.039 broadens your mind, entertains you, gets you 00:38:42.039 --> 00:38:46.079 thinking is such a gift. And being able to go... 00:38:46.119 --> 00:38:49.800 to the Calgary Phil performances nearly every 00:38:49.800 --> 00:38:52.260 week is something I look forward to so much. 00:38:52.320 --> 00:38:55.480 It's a break from school. It's a chance to see 00:38:55.480 --> 00:38:59.500 my partner really thrive and all of my friends. 00:38:59.820 --> 00:39:03.559 So I just find it to be the highlight of my week. 00:39:04.119 --> 00:39:08.179 And I can't wait to go this weekend. Well, maybe 00:39:08.179 --> 00:39:12.219 I'll see you there. You will. Thank you so much 00:39:12.219 --> 00:39:14.960 for coming on this podcast. I had a great time 00:39:14.960 --> 00:39:17.650 taking it over. and maybe we'll have to do this 00:39:17.650 --> 00:39:20.269 again someday. Thanks to both of you for being 00:39:20.269 --> 00:39:24.070 such good friends and podcast guests, and I will 00:39:24.070 --> 00:39:26.489 see you at the orchestra. Even you too, Dan. 00:39:26.750 --> 00:39:28.789 We'll get that post -orchestra concert drink 00:39:28.789 --> 00:39:30.829 one of these days. We can do a GoFundMe for a 00:39:30.829 --> 00:39:32.869 child caregiver. I'll see you at the Resurrection 00:39:32.869 --> 00:39:38.429 Symphony. Notes from the Stage is an independent 00:39:38.429 --> 00:39:40.489 production of the Calgary Philharmonic Players 00:39:40.489 --> 00:39:43.619 Association. The opinions expressed here are 00:39:43.619 --> 00:39:45.980 our own and do not reflect those of the Calgary 00:39:45.980 --> 00:39:48.579 Philharmonic Orchestra. Our thanks to Nathan 00:39:48.579 --> 00:39:51.699 Chandler for his technical expertise. The music 00:39:51.699 --> 00:39:54.119 you heard on this episode was My Husband Adam 00:39:54.119 --> 00:39:57.559 Warming Up This Morning, Alex Cohen practicing 00:39:57.559 --> 00:40:00.139 Tiffany's favourite etude to sing along with, 00:40:00.539 --> 00:40:03.159 and a madrigal by Bohuslav Martinu performed 00:40:03.159 --> 00:40:06.099 by Genevieve Michaletti on violin and Daniel 00:40:06.099 --> 00:40:09.900 Brown on viola. On the next episode in two weeks, 00:40:10.239 --> 00:40:13.099 Adam will be talking with violinist Craig Hutchinruther. 00:40:13.679 --> 00:40:14.420 Talk to you soon!