Lindy West is an author and comedian, and like
me, she is married to a trumpet player. In her
book, The Witches Are Coming, she writes, Yet
somehow, in modern times, it has become socially
acceptable to toot the bad cone inside your house
before 10am because it's your job and your wife
should get up. What a world! If one was feeling
uncharitable, one might describe the trumpet
as a machine where you put in compressed air
and divorce comes out. But despite this, Despite
operating a piece of biblical demolition equipment
inside the home every bright, cold morning of
his wife's one and only life, the trumpet is
not the most annoying thing about my husband.
Hi there, and welcome to a special April Fool's
edition of Notes from the Stage. I'm your guest
host, Catherine Davies. Joining me in the studio
are Daniel Brown and Tiffany Fovell. If you are
familiar with the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic,
you will probably not recognize our names because
we do not perform on stage. We are, in fact,
spouses of members of the Calgary Philharmonic,
and we are tired of our spouses getting all the
glory, so we've taken over the podcast today.
As I said, my name is Catherine Davies. My partner
is Adam Zanatelli, principal trumpet of the Calgary
Philharmonic and regular host of this podcast.
I am a musician by training. I am a pianist and
I did a music degree many years ago, but I did
not end up making a career of it. Being an orchestra
spouse, I get the best of both worlds because
I get to be part of this Calgary Philharmonic
family. I get to attend concerts and socialize
with musicians, but I don't actually have to
practice daily. or deal with performance jitters.
Daniel, would you like to introduce yourself?
Hi, my name is Daniel Brown, or for this podcast
I could be of Jen in Margaret Atwood style. Jen
McAleady, Genevieve McAleady is my wife. She's
a first violinist in the Calgary Philharmonic.
My full -time job is I'm a teacher at William
Aberhart High School. I also have a music background
and get to perform chamber music around town
when called in. But my relationship with the
Calgary Philharmonic is one... as an enthusiastic
audience goer when I get child care that allows
me to do so. And my name is Tiffany Fullvell.
I am married to Alex Cohen, principal timpanist
of the Calgary Phil. I don't have a background
in music per se. I did go to theater school and
enjoy singing. I've been a player of the harmonica,
the piano, the guitar, the recorder and the flute.
Oh, and the clarinet, but at no level that would
be worth anyone's ears. All at the same time
or do you alternate? Oh, indeed, yeah. A big
like moving band. Oh, that's impressive. One
person band. I can't wait to see this in action.
Now, Daniel, your wife plays the violin and my
husband plays the trumpet. They are both fairly
compact instruments. Tiffany, your husband plays
the timpani. Can you tell us a bit about this
instrument and how much space it takes up in
your home? Oh, yeah, it takes up quite a bit
of space in the basement, but they do kind of
push to the side and make great coffee trays.
Just kidding, I'm not allowed to touch them.
So do you have an entire room in your house devoted
to the timpani? They stay in the basement. However...
They are pretty much the one big thing down there,
along with our workout gear and the computer
and things like that. Is that actually because
of the timpani or are you just trying to keep
Alex in the basement and allow him up only for
food? Yeah, they are. It is a pretty loud instrument.
It's nice having him down there, although I really
do enjoy when he's practicing, which might sound
bizarre, but... I've gotten to know a lot of
the etudes that he plays and sometimes I'll like
sing along upstairs going like, bum, bum, bum,
bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. It's fun. I don't
know if you guys do that. Well, funny that you
should mention that because I hear a lot of.
trumpet part music. So it's not the whole orchestral
piece. It's just the trumpet part. And especially
if Adam is taking an audition, he'll practice
these little excerpts of trumpet music over and
over again. And I know them intimately. And then
sometimes I'll be at a concert and all of a sudden
I'll hear the excerpt in the context of the music.
And I'm like, oh, now it makes sense. And it's
always funny to place the the orchestra part
within the broader context of the piece. I think
it's really interesting to get to see how our
spouses interact together, because I know for
Adam and Alex, they sometimes have parts that
complement each other or follow each other. And
so being able to come in at the right time and
have that communication on stage, I think is
is pretty special. And I think that really comes
to the fore in Beethoven. I know that Adam just,
he loves playing Beethoven with Alex. The trumpet
timpani synergy is really crucial in those pieces.
And it's just really magical to watch them on
stage together. Yeah. So cute. They're very cute
together. Now, when people find out that my husband
is a professional orchestra musician, they're
sometimes surprised because they don't realize
that it's a full -time job. And they think, oh,
is that just a hobby? And I'm like, no, it is
a full -time job. Dan, do you want to talk a
little bit about the time commitment of being
in an orchestra from the perspective of the spouse?
Well, the interesting thing about musicians,
of course, is that their performance is other
folks downtime and off time. So oftentimes musicians
have opposite schedules. to more traditional
jobs. There's tons of shift work that exists
in the world. There are lots of people that give
up enormous amounts to support spouses, and so
I certainly wouldn't want to. say there's an
exceptional duress on people who are living with
or married to musicians at all. However, it can
of course pose challenges, especially as you
start juggling childcare and family commitments
and stuff like that to work around schedules
where other people are going in to a concert
perhaps with a mindset of this is time off, this
is our Saturday evening, whereas musicians are
kind of... Amping up their work schedule at that
time point so there's the time commitment but
then there's also that mentality aspect to it
and and beyond the sort of hour to hour within
a week feeling we really notice that in our family
around the holidays when. we see friends and
neighbours who are kind of relaxing into the
holidays and getting ready for more family time
and more ability to choose where they'll be or
how they celebrate and in the musician world
there's a lot of uh kind of intensity and more
commitment and more demands of different performances
which is a wonderful way to be able to help other
people celebrate that holiday season and along
the way pick up uh you know perhaps some joy
and holiday enjoyment for yourself but there
is kind of that uh inverse relationship with
calendar relaxation and work periods You know,
I'm always impressed at how enthusiastic Alex
is able to be throughout the course of 20 -some
Nutcracker performances. I think he enjoys each
and every one, which is a really special talent
in itself. Yeah, Adam really enjoys the Nutcracker
as well. Mercifully. I think he commented once,
thank goodness it's Nutcracker, not a different
Tchaikovsky ballet, because I think Adam estimates
that he's played Nutcracker 150 times so far
in his career. So yeah, I think people maybe
underestimate what an enormous time commitment
being a musician is over the Christmas holidays.
It's, uh, I mean, it's wonderful, but it's also,
it places an interesting burden on the spouses.
Catherine, do you know, has Adam ever been to
a performance of the Nutcracker? Like has he
seen the ballet? I can almost certainly say he
has never seen the ballet. Yeah, I think that
is so hilarious. I'm pretty sure Alex is the
same. And what about Jen? Do you think she's
seen it? Only out of the corner of her eye from
a pit orchestra. Yeah. I remember we were in
conversation with someone and, uh, Adam was asked,
Oh, how's the dancing this year at the Nutcracker?
And he was like, well, I don't know. I'm here
in the pit. I can't see anything on stage. Uh,
it's interesting that, you know, I am a spectator.
We are all frequent spectators at Calgary Philharmonic
Concerts. And it's so rare that any of our partners
have a chance to actually watch a performance.
Very rarely Adam and I will be. out of town and
we'll go to a show or he'll have a week where
he's not scheduled and we'll actually sit in
the audience together. And it's really a special
experience and also a very, very rare experience.
I have that experience as well. Although there
are some other really great things going on in
the city. So we've had the opportunity to go
and attend some of those other performances through
Pro Musica. Alex's sister Diana has a chamber
music festival that we also get to go to fairly
regularly. And Diana's husband is a pianist,
a very amazing pianist. And so getting to attend
music by both Diana and Roman or just one of
them has been a really special treat. I love
those moments together. But Dan, I do have a
question for you. Until a few years ago, I used
to see you very frequently at weekend evening
concerts. In fact, you used to be my regular
orchestra date, but you can use the term Catherine.
We were orchestra wives together. I have no shame.
I haven't seen you out. Too much lately. What
changed? Well, you probably haven't seen me at
a concert since April 17th of 2021, approximately.
That would be when our first child was born.
And that's when concerts changed a lot. The first
few years that Jen and I were together in Calgary,
I got to go to concerts. I probably went to every...
cycle of concert so if they had the same show
friday and saturday night i would choose one
evening to go but i was really on top of the
cpo schedule is amazing exposure to all sorts
of different music and give me a great sort of
insight for the cultural happenings in the city
because it's not just the cpo but the calgary
philharmonic has tie -ins with the opera, of
course. And then there's also different organizations
that would co -sponsor concerts or be part of
it, or if there were special projects, like when
Jeremy Dutcher played with the orchestra, there's
an amazing indigenous fashion exposition that
was going on. So it was really cool to see how
the music was a nexus point for all those different
organizations. And then the greatest joy in my
life. came and took those weekends away from
me. And I've been, I think since my first child
was born in 2021, I've been to one single CPO
concert when my parents were in town. Jen was
playing in the orchestra. It was a Mahler symphony
weekend. Uh, and we had plans that I'd be able
to go in the audience. Uh, and then we were going
to go out for a drink afterwards. What? Yeah.
It's something that adults do sometimes. I know,
I know. We were going to stay out till 11 PM
and then our kids got sick and I still went out
to the show, but we didn't get the drink afterwards.
So, uh, so it was just me, my wife, Runa, Mahler
and a few thousand people. on a really special
night for me. You'll get out for that drink sometime,
Dan. Someday, someday. Actually, you know, if
I remember correctly, I think Adam and Alex were
probably part of that special evening with us.
So thank you. Thank you for sharing. That was
very kind. Dan, I think I have seen you at some
of the Sunday afternoon kids concerts, though.
Oh yeah. Yeah, that was a learning curve. We
went to our first one this year and I brought
some toys for the kids to play with. We started
with a rolling car for Babar and we went to Babar.
The kids brought their little toy cars. They
put it on the floor and that's when I realized
that Jack Singer Hall has a sloped audience and
those cars are still maybe in the front row.
So I think that the cars had a better seat than
we did. It is cool to have the kids at the concert.
and have them recognize mom from on stage with
her bright red hair, Jen's pretty easy to find.
And so it is cool and special that they can see
that and watch their mom sort of perform and
bring these stories to life for other children.
What's less cool is 45 minutes in when My kids
are less excited to share their mom with other
people and they start saying wait, come on Come
on back. Come on back. What's going on? Like
that? Let's wrap this show up And that's when
we have to wait patiently for mom in the lobby
Yes, I am familiar with that. I will say though,
I've got young kids as well and we love going
to the kids shows. Mom particularly loves going
to the kids shows because there's not really
an expectation that the kids need to be absolutely
quiet or sit absolutely still. So it's pretty
friendly for wiggly children and the music is
generally well done and I highly recommend them
to any listeners with young children. Not only
is it not the expectation, but when you do have
a kid who sits there quietly the whole time,
I wonder what's going on with that kid. I hope
it's all good, but get up and move, dance to
the music. I wonder, do either of you have a
favorite spot to sit in the Jacksinger? With
kids close to the exit, otherwise, you know,
we have the luxury. of sometimes getting free
tickets from my spouse so beggars can't be chooser
and wherever I sit is like a surprise to me and
more than where I sit it's sort of who I sit
around and in the jack sometimes you get to overhear
wild conversations you never know who's going
to be in the audience with you and so sort of
the surprise I've always loved the surprise of
not knowing what's sort of on people's mind on
a Friday Saturday night and getting to eavesdrop
a little bit. That brings a funny memory to mind
for me. Once, um, Alex was out sick and when
everyone was gathering on stage, um, there was
someone else at the timpani and this lady beside
me said quite loudly, where is Alex Cohen? And
I don't think she knew that I, well, she definitely
did not know that I was his spouse and I was
not sure if she wanted me to answer her question.
But I just sat quietly and didn't really comment,
but that was a funny moment for me and I chuckled
to myself. Amazing. You didn't invent a fictitious
response. You didn't say, yeah, where's that
lazy do -gooder up to no -gooder? I think I said
something like, oh, I think maybe he must be
sick. For some reason, I felt the need to remain
incognito and not say anything. So speaking of
lazy good for nothings, Um, not my spouse. Well,
let's talk about this because we see orchestra
musicians on stage and they're clearly giving
it their all. What are they doing outside of
orchestra time? Well, I can start, my husband
is practicing all the time and when he's not
practicing, he's often studying his scores. Yeah.
Studying scores is a huge part of how Alex prepares.
He sits at the table every day. and studies his
scores. He's always marking down which notes
are going to be played on which drums. He likes
to have a clear understanding of who he's playing
with all the time so that he always knows how
to kind of make those little nuanced moments
happen the best he can. There are other things
like how he's going to be playing, what colors
he's going to bring to the music. He listens
to pieces over and over to get a really good
sense of what's been done and how he might want
to approach it before the rehearsals even start.
So that's just the initial prep and then it kind
of just ramps up from there. I think Genevieve
was able to do her own episode, so I'll let her
speak for herself on this one. The only comment
I can give as an orchestra spouse is that when
she's going in expecting one thing, be it speed
of a piece or sort of an interpretation, It is
always fun to sort of be therapist at home when
she comes home and says, oh, the conductor is
going so much faster, so much slower. What's
that all about? And now that I'm not going to
the concerts, it's interesting to only get commentary
and not see any product. So I feel like I have
this shadowy understanding of how the preparation
is turning into product. But in reality, I take
her word for it. So I hear good things. That's
the word on the street is that things are going
musically, swimmingly. So the orchestra schedule
is interesting. The orchestra performs almost
every Friday and Saturday night, sometimes Sundays
during the day, sometimes other evenings, sometimes
kids shows or education shows during the week.
Sometimes there will be two or three. programs
during the week. It is always surprising to me
how little preparation time there is. So there
will be a Mahler Symphony. Rehearsals for that
Mahler Symphony will start on Tuesday of the
week it's being performed. Which means that our
partners, they have to show up to that Tuesday
rehearsal. Their part has to be learned. Everything
has to be penciled in. They're there to fine
tune things. They're not there to learn the music.
And so in addition to the official orchestra
schedule, there's so much work that goes in before
those rehearsals even start. Yeah. So we've talked
a lot about music. What do you and your spouses
do in your spare time? Well, Catherine. There
has been a noticeable lack of spare time in my
life to be able to hang out with Alex. I'm a
full -time student going to school for a master's
in occupational therapy and I'm nearly done.
I'll be done in October. So coming right up and
just trying to really push to get to the end.
When we do have time, we love to be outside together.
So we find a way to fit in a daily walk. Because
I study downtown at the Calgary University through
the U of A, I get to walk with Alex pretty much
every morning and then we try and meet up at
some time as well. So just doing those daily
walks is a really great way to catch up and spend
time together. Sometimes Jen and I have breakfast
together. And if we're really lucky, we can finish.
the whole breakfast in one sitting and it's just
amazing. Kids are so hard. Week to week is one
thing. I think one of the huge perks of me being
a teacher and Jen being in the orchestra is that
we both get summers off and that's something
where for the craziness of the year to have that
amount of committed time is amazing because we
can Go to Banff on a Tuesday we can go for walks
and with daycare Which a wise woman once told
me daycare helps you love your children You know
we can just kind of go and explore nature and
have moments together and catch up on the past
year. And, you know, we're busy enough that sometimes
you hit July and go out for coffee and say, so
how was October for you? And there's a lot to
catch up on. Well, you and Alex spend quite a
bit of time in the mountains too, don't you?
Maybe not so much this year when you're a full
-time student, but. Yeah, I think that's something
that we used to love to do. skiing and camping
in our van. I will say too though something that
I didn't necessarily expect to be able to have
is really strong relationships with other musicians
in the Calgary Phil. There are many people on
stage who are my friends and that's part of what
I love about attending concerts is seeing my
friends up there doing their thing, seeing their
reactions to stuff. and their incredible musicianship.
And then, you know, we just go hang out together
and have coffee or go for a walk or go camping
and support each other. So I think that's a really
special part of being in this community is having
close friends who are so caring, so sensitive
and responsive to understanding the ways of the
world. And it really is such a beautiful tight
knit community. when the whole orchestra gets
together for their postseason celebrations or
sometimes mid -season celebrations, it really
is cool to see these people who are, many of
them spend 30, 40 years in the orchestra, just
the bonds that develop when you're... working
together for so long and spending your free time
together, raising kids together, sometimes it
is a wonderful community and it feels lovely
to sort of be the plus one and swept up along
with that. It is a very collegial environment
I have found and I agree it's really a wonderful
experience to go to a concert and see not only
your spouse whom you love but many wonderful
friends as well on stage. And Dan, you may not
remember what it's like to go out for drinks
after concerts, but it's also worth noting that
not only are the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic
extraordinarily talented, but they're quite fun
as well. In my role as a high school teacher,
mostly I teach social studies, but I also have
the portfolio of running the string orchestra
program at Aberhart High School. And it's fun
to sometimes get... offers from the Calgary Philharmonic
or from Chamberfest West, Diana Cohen's summer
chamber series. They recently reached out to
offer some outreach and the coordinator there
didn't know I'm married into the CPO and I got
this very professional liaison connecting me
to one Maria van der Sloot from the orchestra
and I was typing back very professionally between
this mediator and meanwhile it's like I know
Maria, I'm texting her, can you come on this
day? Yes, but we have to coordinate through the
coordinator. It's fun to be part of that and
seeing how the outreach goes beyond the CPO community
and to kind of be able to be on both sides of
that is a fun little insight and perspective.
Or fun things like the lovely Chris Leslie lives
just down the street from us. And when the orchestra
is playing at the Jubilee, sometimes we'll walk
to the concert together or he'll warm up in the
SAIT grounds that are just so beautiful at sunset
and I'll just hang out and dance along to his
little warm -ups and it's a really special, special
relationship I think that we kind of have with
each other and understanding what musicians go
through and being able to kind of bring that
to our relationships with others as well. So
is that who's keeping my kids up at night with
his trombone playing likely? Yes So Dan and Tiffany
are there any concerts that have been particularly?
Meaningful to you over the last little while
or that you're particularly looking forward to
coming up Yes, the last one of the season is
always so meaningful because I get my wife back
One concert that made a huge impact on me and
has stayed with me for many years was in 2017.
It was my first year living in Calgary with Jen
and the CPO performed this amazing work called
Afghanistan Requiem for a Generation by Jeffrey
Ryan, librettist Suzanne Steele. And it was this
amazing celebration and observance of Remembrance
Day. And I am Canadian, but I grew up outside
Canada and That was my first Remembrance Day
that I was in Canada. And at that performance,
that performance brought together the mayor and
the mayor's office and lots of dignitaries and
representatives from different military units
and different community leaders. And it was my
first time learning that in Canada's participation
in the Afghan War. There was a poet who was sent
to sort of capture sentiment and mood and the
artistry or rather emotion through art and just
the importance of having that humanist approach
to these huge global conflicts and seeing that
the CPO was able to bring all this together into
this amazing work. It was so moving, it was so
profound. I was quite patriotic at that moment.
It just felt like such an amazing thing to be
part of and to be in a new city and be swept
into that a few months in. I was just so proud
and blown away by the musical abilities and the
poetry and seeing all the community come together
as something I hadn't experienced before in other
countries. And it was an amazing work. And I
can't wait for the CPO to do it again. Well,
my favorite concerts are the ones where Alex
has a big role. Get it? Roll. That's so good.
But no, seriously, I really enjoy Beethoven concerts.
I grew up listening to from a very young age,
maybe three. or four, I was listening to Beethoven
Lives Upstairs as one of my favorite bedtime
tapes. I also was obsessed with the Emperor Concerto.
So when that was played here in Calgary, that
was a very special moment, a very emotional moment
for me, just getting to reflect on my life as
those beautiful notes were played. Mahler is
another favorite, and that's because Mahler is
something that Alex enjoys so much. And I won't
say too much more because I'm realizing that
I've beat Alex onto this podcast. So I better
not give everything away. Sorry, you said bedtime
tape. Can you what is a tape? I've never heard
of this. Oh, you know, it's those things that
you can fast forward and rewind. And there's
nice long strand that you can play with a cat
with. I'll also point out you said it was Beethoven
lives upstairs and you're recreating this amazing
memory but you still shoved his timpani in the
basement so you know you had that opportunity.
You know, Tiffany, I love Beethoven, and I was
reminded of how much I loved Beethoven a year
or two ago when Calgary Philharmonic performed
Beethoven's Seventh Symphony. And I remember
waffling on whether or not I should go to the
concert, and I was like, oh, not Beethoven again.
Like, can we do something more interesting? And
then I went to the show and partway through,
I was like, oh, right. Beethoven. There's a reason
that this is performed over and over again. And
I will say that Adam and Alex have this magic
when it comes to the timpani and trumpet. Yeah.
And so it's really fun to watch them both on
stage and they have a great time doing that.
I'll echo your mention of Mahler. There is the
last performance of this season will be Mahler's
second symphony, which is maybe one of the greatest
pieces of music ever written. And so I know that
a lot of musicians are looking forward to that.
I think the orchestral or the broader community
is also very excited for this. It will be Maestro
Rune Bergman's final concert with the Calgary
Philharmonic. And so I think it will be definitely
an event worth seeing. So I'm really excited
for that one. Normally, at this point in the
podcast, Adam asks his interviewee if there's
any musician in the orchestra that they particularly
admire. So I'd like to ask that same question
to you, Dan. I love my wife, Genevieve Micheletti.
I mean, she's one of many first violins, but
she's number one in the first violins as far
as I'm concerned. Really? But have you seen the
beaming smile on one Alexander Kenneth Cohen,
because when he takes his bow, that smile just
radiates to the very back of the upper balcony.
He's my number one tympanist. I see. Well, there's
one member of the trumpet section that I particularly
admire. His name is Adam Zanatelli. There's a
wonderful comedian in the United States and she
wrote a book. She's also married to a trumpet
player and she described it as a machine where
you put in compressed air and divorce comes out.
And I would like to rebut that because it is
wonderful being married to a trumpet player and
being awoken very early in the morning with a
standard trumpet warmup. I will mention one other
person though. Tiffany, you alluded to the fact
that it is a really collegial orchestra and we
all have many, many friends in this community.
But I will say that there have been some amazing
entrants to the brass section over the past few
years. One is Miranda Canonico, who is the second
trumpet player, and she's currently on leave,
but we're very excited for her to come back.
And she's a wonderful performer and a wonderful
colleague. The other is Nikki Labonte, who's
been in the orchestra for about a year. She is
an amazing French horn player. In fact, Adam
and I were in New York City last year at one
point, and we happened to go hear the New York
Philharmonic perform. And there was Nikki on
stage subbing with them. And I think it really
speaks to the extremely high caliber of musician
that this orchestra attracts. So we have orchestra
members who play on our stage every week, but
they also play on other stages throughout North
America and Europe as well. And so we're very
fortunate to have such a high caliber of musician
here. You know, Catherine, I think we should
also give a shout out to the new principal percussionist.
Chris Sighs, who has joined the Calgary Phil
recently and is doing a phenomenal job with the
percussion section. He's a really remarkable
musician. I mean, there are not many people out
there that can play all the classical rep and
then just jump on a drum set and play nirvana,
so we're really lucky to have him. My plus one
goes out to the amazing David Sussman in the
oboe section. There are a few... kinder people
in the world, extraordinary musician, not just
oboe, but the English horn solos are always to
be looked forward to. And when I first, again,
going back to when I first got to Calgary, he
was so welcoming and inviting, and he opens up
his home for Jewish holidays and invites any
other Jews new to the orchestra, he invites us
in. for a Seder or for the Jewish New Year. And
I think it was weeks in, he kind of found me
and Jen brought home perhaps a handwritten note
from David and said, you know, dear Daniel, if
you don't have anywhere to go for the holidays,
would you please join our family for the Jewish
New Year? And he's just been such a wonderful,
wonderful presence since then. David was the
first one to take me sailing. I've never been
sailing before and he took me out sailing. What
a guy. What a treat. Well, he's never taken me
sailing, but he is great with puns. Should we
just turn this into a David Sussman appreciation
podcast? I think so. I'll also bring up, we've
talked so much about the extraordinary level
of musicianship and how much musically our spouses
bring to the symphony and how much the Philharmonic.
brings to the city. But just to also recognize
that as we share our musician spouses with the
orchestra, they do have full lives outside of
the rehearsal hall and outside of the concert
stage. They're not just summoned to appear on
a Saturday night when Beethoven's on the docket.
So a lot of these musicians, or all the musicians
rather, They have outside interests. They have
outside hobbies. They're doing amazing things
to make the city a better place, to improve their
own lives and their family's lives and to explore
interests. And, you know, I would be remiss not
to... highlight in no specific terms, but just
all the amazing sort of work Jen is doing connecting
different communities, sometimes through music,
and sometimes the music is a bridge to other
things, or Jen is able to take playground and
library conversations with new parents that we
meet, and transform it sometimes through art,
and sometimes not through art, but just as a
connection between people. And I think one of
the threads there is that At the end of the day,
music is written to connect people and to tap
into human emotion. And that's just one of many
facets that can connect people. So to have varied
interests and to be doing different activities
outside the music world, it allows Jen and other
musicians to be able to connect with people with
the same intensity, but in myriad different ways.
Alex likes to engage in other activities. go
backcountry skiing. He loves swimming. He plays
a variety of sports. He can maintain our vehicles
like no one's business. He's got great style
and he loves many different genres of music.
Alex is always willing to jam and play some jazz.
He's got a drum kit as well, so he'll also be
playing some jazz beats. He has a couple of students
that he really enjoys teaching. Yeah, I think
when you're sitting in the audience, you may
not realize how interesting the people on stage
are. Now, I have a bias, but I think Adam is
a very interesting person. He's an excellent
cook. He's an excellent cyclist. He's so well
read and so interested in so many things. There's
this trivia show that we love to watch called
University Challenge, and he just knows all the
answers. And it's so frustrating how smart he
is. But there is just a tremendous wealth of
talent. I'll say it's adjacent to musical talent.
I mean, we've got some amazing knitters in the
orchestra. And there's a French horn player,
Max Stein, who spins his own yarn. And we've
got talented athletes, we've got mountain explorers,
we've got all kinds of people doing all kinds
of interesting things in their downtime. World
-class climbers. Right. I'm so proud of the work
that Jen is doing with the CPO and all that the
CPO musicians do to bring music and live experiences
to the audience in Calgary. I think one of the
big takeaways I had during COVID was when you
took away experiences for people, we lost so
much of what it means to live for and the joy
that we have to look forward to. So to be able
to open up and know that any weekend you can
go to a CPO concert and be inspired, transformed,
entertained, whatever it is, it's just one of...
so many offerings in Calgary that means so much
to so many people. So I'm just really proud of
all the musicians for sharing their incredible
talents in such a collaborative way with the
amazing Calgary community. I think having something
that is a regular thing that challenges you,
broadens your mind, entertains you, gets you
thinking is such a gift. And being able to go...
to the Calgary Phil performances nearly every
week is something I look forward to so much.
It's a break from school. It's a chance to see
my partner really thrive and all of my friends.
So I just find it to be the highlight of my week.
And I can't wait to go this weekend. Well, maybe
I'll see you there. You will. Thank you so much
for coming on this podcast. I had a great time
taking it over. and maybe we'll have to do this
again someday. Thanks to both of you for being
such good friends and podcast guests, and I will
see you at the orchestra. Even you too, Dan.
We'll get that post -orchestra concert drink
one of these days. We can do a GoFundMe for a
child caregiver. I'll see you at the Resurrection
Symphony. Notes from the Stage is an independent
production of the Calgary Philharmonic Players
Association. The opinions expressed here are
our own and do not reflect those of the Calgary
Philharmonic Orchestra. Our thanks to Nathan
Chandler for his technical expertise. The music
you heard on this episode was My Husband Adam
Warming Up This Morning, Alex Cohen practicing
Tiffany's favourite etude to sing along with,
and a madrigal by Bohuslav Martinu performed
by Genevieve Michaletti on violin and Daniel
Brown on viola. On the next episode in two weeks,
Adam will be talking with violinist Craig Hutchinruther.
Talk to you soon!