WEBVTT 00:00:36.140 --> 00:00:38.000 Hi there, and welcome to Notes from the Stage, 00:00:38.100 --> 00:00:40.259 a show from the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic. 00:00:40.619 --> 00:00:42.259 We're the people playing our hearts out every 00:00:42.259 --> 00:00:45.280 week of the orchestra's season. I'm Adam Zanatelli. 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.799 Usually I play first trumpet in the CPO, but 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:49.899 today I'm your host and I'm here with Alex Cohen, 00:00:50.179 --> 00:00:52.020 principal timpanist in the orchestra. Hi, Alex. 00:00:52.140 --> 00:00:54.600 Hey, Adam. Nice to be here with you. Well, Alex, 00:00:54.600 --> 00:00:56.979 it's always a treat to chat with you and we often 00:00:56.979 --> 00:00:59.119 are working so closely together in the orchestra 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:00.740 that we have a lot of work stuff to chat about 00:01:00.740 --> 00:01:03.520 most of the time. But it's nice to get together 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:05.780 with you outside of work sometimes as well. For 00:01:05.780 --> 00:01:09.060 sure, even from the first couple of weeks with 00:01:09.060 --> 00:01:10.680 this orchestra, it was one of the big joys for 00:01:10.680 --> 00:01:13.140 me to get to work closely with you, especially 00:01:13.140 --> 00:01:16.280 in the classical repertoire, where we are really 00:01:16.280 --> 00:01:19.659 on the same part most of the time. And I remember 00:01:19.659 --> 00:01:21.200 those first couple of years when we were getting 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:22.980 together and actually going through the repertoire 00:01:22.980 --> 00:01:25.319 in the practice room ahead of time together and 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:27.560 getting on the same page. And it's been really 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:29.319 fun from the get -go. Yeah, I remember one of 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:30.760 the very first things I was thinking about this 00:01:30.760 --> 00:01:33.340 today. getting ready for this interview, one 00:01:33.340 --> 00:01:34.859 of the very first things we played together was 00:01:34.859 --> 00:01:37.859 the Handle Fireworks. And, you know, the timpani 00:01:37.859 --> 00:01:40.760 really is fourth trumpet in that music. So we 00:01:40.760 --> 00:01:43.459 got to really figure these things out right off 00:01:43.459 --> 00:01:46.180 the bat. That was week one for me. Yeah. Oh, 00:01:46.340 --> 00:01:48.439 wow. Boy, how long have you been in the orchestra 00:01:48.439 --> 00:01:53.319 now, Alex? This is about 14 years. I arrived 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:59.640 in 2011 in February on a minus 35 day. And you 00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:01.980 were coming from San Diego, right? Yeah, by way 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:04.159 of Cleveland. But yeah, that was a big shock. 00:02:04.260 --> 00:02:06.379 You know, I was thinking Fahrenheit then and 00:02:06.379 --> 00:02:10.180 I left San Diego in December and it was about 00:02:10.180 --> 00:02:12.539 80 degrees Fahrenheit and I got here and it was 00:02:12.539 --> 00:02:16.340 minus 35 was more than 100 degree swing. It was 00:02:16.340 --> 00:02:19.699 a bit of a shock. But yeah, no, it's been wonderful. 00:02:19.879 --> 00:02:22.400 It's been a great 14 years and and I'm really 00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:24.620 happy to be here. So excellent. Well, we're really 00:02:24.620 --> 00:02:27.219 happy to have you. You know. I think that a lot 00:02:27.219 --> 00:02:29.599 of people don't really understand the job of 00:02:29.599 --> 00:02:32.219 the timpanist in the orchestra. And I'm not sure 00:02:32.219 --> 00:02:34.159 how complete of an understanding I have even, 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:36.900 but I think that what I do as principal trumpet 00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:39.879 is really straightforward, right? Like I play 00:02:39.879 --> 00:02:43.120 the trumpet solos, you know, everyone hears everything 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:45.659 that I do, you know, it sort of does what it 00:02:45.659 --> 00:02:49.680 says on the tin. But for the timpanist, like 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:51.819 I think, you know, everyone sees the instrument 00:02:51.819 --> 00:02:54.780 is of course very visually striking and playing 00:02:54.780 --> 00:02:57.479 the instrument is very visually striking. Striking. 00:02:57.860 --> 00:03:00.240 I didn't even mean to make that joke. That's 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:04.080 great. Reliable, Adam. I am. But I don't want 00:03:04.080 --> 00:03:06.360 to put words into your mouth. So much of your 00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:10.460 job, I think, is not obvious to a casual listener 00:03:10.460 --> 00:03:12.580 in terms of what you're actually contributing 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:15.879 to the orchestra and how integral a part of the 00:03:15.879 --> 00:03:18.120 orchestra you are. Can you tell us a bit about 00:03:18.120 --> 00:03:23.139 what your job actually is? Yeah. So I think of 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:27.639 my job. as a few things. One is to be kind of 00:03:27.639 --> 00:03:30.659 a rhythmic backbone in the low end in the bass 00:03:30.659 --> 00:03:34.759 register of the orchestra. Part of the job that 00:03:34.759 --> 00:03:38.620 really is fun for me and I think is really an 00:03:38.620 --> 00:03:44.840 integral part is to be a colorist and the timpani 00:03:44.840 --> 00:03:47.280 is an instrument that has such a wide range of 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:51.800 different sounds that we can make and so that's 00:03:51.800 --> 00:03:54.979 a really big part is finding those colors that 00:03:54.979 --> 00:03:58.979 really add texture to the orchestra. So that's 00:03:58.979 --> 00:04:02.020 really fun. One thing that probably audience 00:04:02.020 --> 00:04:06.099 members notice is that I have a whole range of 00:04:06.099 --> 00:04:09.379 different timpani mallets in my case or cases 00:04:09.379 --> 00:04:13.159 that stay on stage with me during concert. And 00:04:13.159 --> 00:04:16.459 I'll usually start a week with something like, 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:20.279 I don't know, 30 or 40 pairs of sticks on the 00:04:20.279 --> 00:04:24.240 case. and figuring out what colors I wanna use. 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:29.259 And each different mallet has a different palette 00:04:29.259 --> 00:04:31.779 of sounds that it can make. But also, of course, 00:04:31.860 --> 00:04:34.420 the way that you strike the instrument with the 00:04:34.420 --> 00:04:37.019 mallet can change the color of sound that comes 00:04:37.019 --> 00:04:39.540 out. So yeah, usually by the time the concert 00:04:39.540 --> 00:04:41.980 comes around, maybe I only have 20 pairs of sticks 00:04:41.980 --> 00:04:46.339 there. But yeah, so that's a big part. Early 00:04:46.339 --> 00:04:50.990 in my time here, there was a very, very strong 00:04:50.990 --> 00:04:55.110 connection between myself and Roberto, our former 00:04:55.110 --> 00:04:57.709 music director, and I think he kind of thought 00:04:57.709 --> 00:05:03.209 of my position as the instrument by which tempo 00:05:03.209 --> 00:05:07.129 and particularly tempo changes could be affected. 00:05:07.129 --> 00:05:09.009 If he felt the orchestra was slowing down, he'd 00:05:09.009 --> 00:05:11.649 almost always look at me and say, you know, with 00:05:11.649 --> 00:05:15.490 his eyes, let's push. So yeah, that's in a nutshell, 00:05:15.569 --> 00:05:17.829 I think that's kind of more or less what the 00:05:17.829 --> 00:05:20.550 way I see it. It's also one of the things I love 00:05:20.550 --> 00:05:23.149 about the timpani as being distinct from the 00:05:23.149 --> 00:05:25.189 rest of the percussion section. And it's one 00:05:25.189 --> 00:05:28.069 of the main reasons that I gravitated towards 00:05:28.069 --> 00:05:33.149 the timpani is that almost every work for orchestra 00:05:33.149 --> 00:05:36.569 includes the timpani. This goes back as far as 00:05:36.569 --> 00:05:40.610 Bach handle, you know, early pieces for orchestra 00:05:40.610 --> 00:05:43.519 already have timpani. And percussion didn't come 00:05:43.519 --> 00:05:47.180 into the repertoire until, well, you know, widespread 00:05:47.180 --> 00:05:52.939 use until I'd say the, the late, uh, late classical 00:05:52.939 --> 00:05:56.339 early romantic, even, even composers like Beethoven 00:05:56.339 --> 00:05:59.879 and Brahms didn't write much for percussion. 00:05:59.920 --> 00:06:02.660 Uh, but that's where I have these meaty, beautiful 00:06:02.660 --> 00:06:05.620 timpani parts. And so that was something that 00:06:05.620 --> 00:06:08.720 really, I thought, Oh, if I'm going to have a 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.220 life as a musician, I really want to play all 00:06:11.220 --> 00:06:13.879 that stuff. So there's a level of consistency 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:17.439 of the role of the timpani player in the orchestra 00:06:17.439 --> 00:06:21.420 that extends across the repertoire in a different 00:06:21.420 --> 00:06:23.019 way than it does for percussion. And I really 00:06:23.019 --> 00:06:25.740 appreciate having that role in all the different 00:06:25.740 --> 00:06:29.379 Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Brahms, 00:06:29.620 --> 00:06:32.579 Beethoven, all of these wonderful composers that 00:06:32.579 --> 00:06:35.259 I really love to be able to play. Yeah. And I 00:06:35.259 --> 00:06:37.060 know that every time a Beethoven piano concerto 00:06:37.060 --> 00:06:38.579 rolls around, it's going to be a good week for 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:40.720 you. That's your absolute favorite to play. Oh, 00:06:40.720 --> 00:06:43.139 I love it. Yeah. I mean, it's one of the things 00:06:43.139 --> 00:06:46.279 that's really nice about the earlier, earlier 00:06:46.279 --> 00:06:49.079 stuff, especially the early classical and the 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:52.040 lighter, lighter classical repertoire is it's 00:06:52.040 --> 00:06:56.279 not so technically demanding and that lack of 00:06:56.279 --> 00:07:02.399 technical demand makes for a really open blank 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:06.430 slate. for expression. Yeah. And, um, you know, 00:07:06.449 --> 00:07:09.269 there aren't the constraints of difficulty on 00:07:09.269 --> 00:07:11.509 the instrument so much so you can really just 00:07:11.509 --> 00:07:14.449 focus your energy on making the phrases you want 00:07:14.449 --> 00:07:18.170 and shaping things in, in, in a nice way. And, 00:07:18.250 --> 00:07:20.209 um, yeah, of course that's, that's a lot of stuff 00:07:20.209 --> 00:07:22.470 that we enjoy playing together. Yeah. I mean, 00:07:22.529 --> 00:07:24.550 those trumpet parts have, you know, the same 00:07:24.550 --> 00:07:27.170 sort of low degree of difficulty. I mean, it's 00:07:27.170 --> 00:07:29.149 hard in a different way. You don't want to step 00:07:29.149 --> 00:07:31.589 on it. You can certainly ruin a concert. Sure. 00:07:31.829 --> 00:07:34.829 Uh, but. When we're playing, we played Mozart 00:07:34.829 --> 00:07:37.930 mass earlier this season and like it's so much 00:07:37.930 --> 00:07:39.529 fun playing that stuff with you because it's 00:07:39.529 --> 00:07:42.990 like all phrasing all the time. We try stuff, 00:07:43.149 --> 00:07:44.709 you know, we'll play something one way and we'll 00:07:44.709 --> 00:07:47.850 look at each other and be like, yeah, you know, 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:49.790 and we sort of figured out how to communicate 00:07:49.790 --> 00:07:52.069 all that stuff. And it's so much fun. It is fun 00:07:52.069 --> 00:07:54.189 because we all I think every musician spends 00:07:54.189 --> 00:07:56.449 so much time trying to get good at their instrument, 00:07:56.850 --> 00:08:00.610 trying to understand the music that they're going 00:08:00.610 --> 00:08:02.790 to be playing. But when it comes to the actual 00:08:02.790 --> 00:08:04.910 moment, what you want to be in is that state 00:08:04.910 --> 00:08:07.990 of just like being creative and being responsive 00:08:07.990 --> 00:08:11.629 and really making something come alive. And it 00:08:11.629 --> 00:08:13.810 always feels like that playing classical repertoire 00:08:13.810 --> 00:08:15.870 with you, Alex. Likewise. Yeah. It's a real treat. 00:08:16.189 --> 00:08:18.509 One of the things that, well, so I studied the 00:08:18.509 --> 00:08:22.189 Cleveland Institute of Music. I grew up in Cleveland 00:08:22.189 --> 00:08:25.569 and studied at the Institute there and my teacher, 00:08:25.709 --> 00:08:28.050 Paul Jančić, who was the principal timpanist 00:08:28.050 --> 00:08:30.430 of the Cleveland Orchestra for roughly 40 years. 00:08:31.000 --> 00:08:33.200 in one of my first lessons with him, he said, 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:36.600 you're a tympanist or you're going to be a tympanist 00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:38.820 or something like that. But he said, don't think 00:08:38.820 --> 00:08:40.980 of yourself as a tympanist. Think of yourself 00:08:40.980 --> 00:08:45.120 as a musician that plays tympani. And that's 00:08:45.120 --> 00:08:48.419 really stuck with me because executing the parts 00:08:48.419 --> 00:08:52.580 on paper is, it can be hard, but it's, it's kind 00:08:52.580 --> 00:08:54.919 of irrelevant. The, the meaning in the music 00:08:54.919 --> 00:08:57.519 is between the notes and how you shape them. 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:00.789 And again, what colors you create and I feel 00:09:00.789 --> 00:09:04.230 like, you know, you can, I can make as we all 00:09:04.230 --> 00:09:09.190 can, a range of colors from sublime, calm, gentle 00:09:09.190 --> 00:09:13.210 to really scary. I mean, there's, there's all 00:09:13.210 --> 00:09:16.990 sorts of places we can put the audience members 00:09:16.990 --> 00:09:21.629 the way we can, we can make them feel. And, uh, 00:09:21.629 --> 00:09:24.750 that's what makes it fun for me and working with, 00:09:24.809 --> 00:09:29.059 with my colleagues. The timpani is often featured 00:09:29.059 --> 00:09:31.659 as, you know, you have lots of small solos all 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:34.799 over the repertoire, but most of the time I sort 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:37.399 of think of you as like the ultimate accompanist, 00:09:37.580 --> 00:09:41.580 right? Because what you do makes everyone else 00:09:41.580 --> 00:09:44.919 sound so much better, right? And that way that 00:09:44.919 --> 00:09:47.940 you can nudge the time or bring us all together, 00:09:48.059 --> 00:09:51.639 even in the most gentle flowing things, there's 00:09:51.639 --> 00:09:54.909 always this incisiveness. to the sound of the 00:09:54.909 --> 00:09:57.450 timpani that makes everything come together in 00:09:57.450 --> 00:09:59.210 a beautiful way. And I think that that speaks 00:09:59.210 --> 00:10:02.190 also to the great ears that you have, that you 00:10:02.190 --> 00:10:05.450 bring to work all the time. I think that honestly, 00:10:05.649 --> 00:10:07.169 I think you're a great timpanist, but yeah, I 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:11.149 think you're an amazing musician. And that's 00:10:11.149 --> 00:10:13.970 the thing that every day at work, when I see 00:10:13.970 --> 00:10:16.549 you over there, eyes out across the orchestra 00:10:16.549 --> 00:10:18.669 and ears out across the orchestra, certainly. 00:10:19.479 --> 00:10:21.460 That's the magic that I think you're able to 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:24.120 bring to things and I really appreciate seeing 00:10:24.120 --> 00:10:26.539 that week in week out. Yeah, that's really what 00:10:26.539 --> 00:10:28.799 makes it fun is being able to connect to different 00:10:28.799 --> 00:10:31.940 people across the stage. Not too long ago, we 00:10:31.940 --> 00:10:35.019 played the Enigma variations and everyone knows 00:10:35.019 --> 00:10:37.720 Nimrod, the beautiful slow movement, but it occurred 00:10:37.720 --> 00:10:40.019 to me and I talked to you about this afterwards. 00:10:40.360 --> 00:10:43.379 The best part. of Nimrod is, you know, they get 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:45.740 the big statement of the theme and all that stuff. 00:10:46.019 --> 00:10:48.039 And then there's this middle section. And when 00:10:48.039 --> 00:10:50.700 it pivots into that middle section, you just 00:10:50.700 --> 00:10:56.039 play this. And it's just right. It's absolutely 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:58.320 magic the way it pivots the whole color of the 00:10:58.320 --> 00:11:02.399 orchestra into this new thing. It's understated. 00:11:03.419 --> 00:11:05.919 It's great writing. You play it so well. And 00:11:05.919 --> 00:11:08.940 like I just think that I think that to a lot 00:11:08.940 --> 00:11:11.299 of people who don't play in an orchestra. The 00:11:11.299 --> 00:11:14.940 expressive power that the timpani has is often 00:11:14.940 --> 00:11:17.679 overlooked. I just think you'd work such magic 00:11:17.679 --> 00:11:21.139 over there. Oh, thanks, Adam. Yeah, it's feel 00:11:21.139 --> 00:11:24.779 privileged to to do this for a living. So and 00:11:24.779 --> 00:11:26.759 especially with such a wonderful group of people, 00:11:26.820 --> 00:11:31.360 I think we're so lucky here. It struck me from 00:11:31.360 --> 00:11:36.200 from day one just how much and I remember you 00:11:36.200 --> 00:11:38.200 speaking to Heather about this. And of course, 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:43.909 she's one of the that makes this working environment 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:45.870 a family. I'm speaking of Heather Wooten, who's 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:49.730 retiring soon, unfortunately. I mean, congratulations 00:11:49.730 --> 00:11:53.570 to her. For sure, unfortunately for us. It's 00:11:53.570 --> 00:11:56.909 such a wonderful group of people and of all the 00:11:56.909 --> 00:12:00.549 orchestras I've worked with, it is the most community 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:03.840 -based. workplace. It's the nicest working environment 00:12:03.840 --> 00:12:05.379 I've worked in. You know, I don't know exactly 00:12:05.379 --> 00:12:07.240 what to attribute it to. Sometimes I wonder if 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.580 it has to do with the lockout that happened a 00:12:10.580 --> 00:12:12.659 couple decades ago that people really banded 00:12:12.659 --> 00:12:15.980 together and supported each other. I don't know 00:12:15.980 --> 00:12:18.299 if it's that or if it's just they were uniquely 00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:22.080 wonderful group of people. I don't know. But 00:12:22.080 --> 00:12:25.139 yeah, I noticed that very early and I've really 00:12:25.139 --> 00:12:29.659 appreciated it across generations. I remember 00:12:29.659 --> 00:12:33.620 being welcomed into the homes of colleagues in 00:12:33.620 --> 00:12:38.100 my first years, who were about to retire. And 00:12:38.100 --> 00:12:40.460 I just always felt really welcomed here. And 00:12:40.460 --> 00:12:44.899 so it makes it a joy to play on the stage. That's 00:12:44.899 --> 00:12:47.759 great. But your whole job is not on the stage, 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.620 Alex, because like with many instruments in the 00:12:50.620 --> 00:12:53.960 orchestra, not only do you have to play the instrument, 00:12:54.019 --> 00:12:57.679 but you have a lot of invisible work as well. 00:12:57.720 --> 00:13:01.299 And some of that Like, you know, double replayers 00:13:01.299 --> 00:13:04.320 get their little woodworking hobby along with 00:13:04.320 --> 00:13:07.679 their main job. But I know you do a lot of your 00:13:07.679 --> 00:13:09.039 own instrument maintenance, which is something 00:13:09.039 --> 00:13:11.279 that's like a constant concern with timpani. 00:13:11.700 --> 00:13:13.539 And again, that's not obvious. I think most people 00:13:13.539 --> 00:13:16.580 think it's a drum. What do you need to maintain? 00:13:16.899 --> 00:13:18.639 But I know you also do a lot of work on your 00:13:18.639 --> 00:13:20.519 own mallets. Do you make some of your own mallets? 00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:25.600 So typically I buy the mallets and essentially 00:13:25.600 --> 00:13:28.470 they're... They're usually they consist of a 00:13:28.470 --> 00:13:34.549 shaft made of either bamboo lathed wood carbon 00:13:34.549 --> 00:13:37.789 fiber or graphite and then on the end of it there's 00:13:37.789 --> 00:13:40.889 a little ball that's usually made of wood or 00:13:40.889 --> 00:13:45.269 leather or very hard compressed felt and then 00:13:45.269 --> 00:13:49.330 on top of that there's typically an outer covering 00:13:49.330 --> 00:13:54.190 that's sewn from something either the really 00:13:54.190 --> 00:13:58.659 hard ones have billiard felt sewn as an exterior 00:13:58.659 --> 00:14:04.279 covering. Most of them are felt, wool felt that 00:14:04.279 --> 00:14:07.220 comes from Germany. I don't make the sticks from 00:14:07.220 --> 00:14:10.539 scratch, but the felt wears out. And so that's 00:14:10.539 --> 00:14:13.279 a big part of my job is, we call it wrapping 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:16.080 the mallets. So re -sewing the felt coverings 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:18.559 that go on. And it's a really cool part of the 00:14:18.559 --> 00:14:21.179 job because first of all, I like making things 00:14:21.179 --> 00:14:24.779 with my hands. It's fun to do that. But it's 00:14:24.779 --> 00:14:28.320 also cool because it gives another layer of artistic 00:14:28.320 --> 00:14:31.860 control where sometimes a conductor will say, 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:34.799 oh, that's almost the right color, but could 00:14:34.799 --> 00:14:39.480 it be just 10 % brighter? And so I'll often go 00:14:39.480 --> 00:14:43.080 home and cut out some felt and sew a new covering 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:48.519 and change the mallet just a touch. Well, if 00:14:48.519 --> 00:14:51.460 it's beyond a change I can just make with my 00:14:51.460 --> 00:14:54.940 technique. I can create a different mallet that 00:14:54.940 --> 00:14:57.399 will get the different sound that I'm looking 00:14:57.399 --> 00:15:00.960 for. So that's a piece of it. Other pieces, yeah, 00:15:00.960 --> 00:15:05.879 basically the timpani, they're a machine. And 00:15:05.879 --> 00:15:10.139 unlike a piano or brass or string instruments 00:15:10.139 --> 00:15:12.379 where there are professionals in each city to 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:14.840 maintain those instruments, that's part of my 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:21.600 job. So I spend probably 100 to 150 hours a year 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:25.179 taking instruments apart, cleaning them, regreasing 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:29.820 them, putting new drum heads, adjusting things. 00:15:30.019 --> 00:15:31.940 There's a process we call clearing the heads 00:15:31.940 --> 00:15:34.720 where you make sure that all the screws that 00:15:34.720 --> 00:15:37.759 hold the drum head on have about the same pitch. 00:15:37.820 --> 00:15:42.419 So you get an even pitch. So when a head isn't 00:15:42.419 --> 00:15:44.620 cleared, if you strike the drum in different 00:15:44.620 --> 00:15:46.940 places, it will sound different pitches. That's 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:49.879 right. And you'll also get um, an inconsistent 00:15:49.879 --> 00:15:52.039 pitch when you strike it in one place, it might 00:15:52.039 --> 00:15:55.700 rise or fall. Um, and that's a, that's a really 00:15:55.700 --> 00:15:57.919 tricky part of the job. That's, uh, that's the 00:15:57.919 --> 00:16:00.379 part that, that probably stresses me out the 00:16:00.379 --> 00:16:03.379 most. Um, because you can have great technique 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:05.679 and, and just feel like a million bucks with 00:16:05.679 --> 00:16:07.940 your playing. And if the drums aren't cooperating, 00:16:08.440 --> 00:16:10.620 it kind of doesn't matter. You can sound like 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:13.500 garbage. Yeah. The other thing that, that is 00:16:13.500 --> 00:16:16.259 a big part of the job that people might not realize 00:16:16.259 --> 00:16:19.009 and and it's probably part of the job for many 00:16:19.009 --> 00:16:20.649 of us in the orchestra, I know it is for you, 00:16:21.289 --> 00:16:23.549 is score study. You know, especially with my 00:16:23.549 --> 00:16:26.370 instrument, a lot of the material I play isn't 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:30.529 that technically difficult, but it is really 00:16:30.529 --> 00:16:33.049 important that it come at just the right time 00:16:33.049 --> 00:16:37.090 and that it be just the right sounds. So a big 00:16:37.090 --> 00:16:39.710 part of my work is score study, making sure that 00:16:39.710 --> 00:16:42.950 all the information of who I play with on each 00:16:42.950 --> 00:16:47.720 entrance is in my part. and important things 00:16:47.720 --> 00:16:50.120 that come before or after that make sure I don't 00:16:50.120 --> 00:16:52.919 get lost. Yeah, so there's a lot of that that 00:16:52.919 --> 00:16:56.519 goes into the job as well. So Alex, what's it 00:16:56.519 --> 00:17:00.879 like playing with your sister? Man, it is so 00:17:00.879 --> 00:17:06.119 awesome. I never thought that we would play in 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:08.000 the orchestra. I actually never even dreamed 00:17:08.000 --> 00:17:10.799 of it. For those listening, we're talking about 00:17:10.799 --> 00:17:15.200 our concertmaster, Diana Cohen. Yeah, so Diana 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.680 and I have have been quite close for most of 00:17:17.680 --> 00:17:20.640 our life, but yeah, I never, I never really, 00:17:20.759 --> 00:17:23.180 it was never a goal to get into the same orchestra. 00:17:23.220 --> 00:17:25.640 It was never really on my radar. It's, it's such 00:17:25.640 --> 00:17:29.259 a hard thing. Yeah. For people that have family 00:17:29.259 --> 00:17:32.099 that are also musicians or spouses or whatever, 00:17:32.960 --> 00:17:37.119 to get a job in the same orchestra is nearly 00:17:37.119 --> 00:17:39.160 impossible. You know, we do have a couple of 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.460 members, well, a handful of members that, uh, 00:17:42.460 --> 00:17:44.240 in the orchestra that are married and, and a 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.200 couple that actually one jobs in the orchestra 00:17:47.200 --> 00:17:50.480 after they had been an item. Yeah, it's really, 00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:52.359 it's a hard thing to achieve. And so I never 00:17:52.359 --> 00:17:55.500 really dreamt of it, but it's been absolutely 00:17:55.500 --> 00:17:59.500 wonderful on stage and off. You know, I really 00:17:59.500 --> 00:18:01.839 respect my sister as a musician. She's always 00:18:01.839 --> 00:18:04.279 been incredible, hard worker and a huge talent. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:06.940 And so it's, it's really fun to get to play with 00:18:06.940 --> 00:18:09.720 her, but it's also awesome. You know, we live 00:18:09.720 --> 00:18:11.940 pretty far from where we grew up in Cleveland. 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:15.220 So it's really awesome to have. our family have 00:18:15.220 --> 00:18:18.779 centered in Calgary. Yeah, so it's really fun. 00:18:18.980 --> 00:18:23.319 It's fun when the music making is great. We get 00:18:23.319 --> 00:18:27.180 to look across the stage and play together. From 00:18:27.180 --> 00:18:29.000 where I sit on stage, you know, I can see you 00:18:29.000 --> 00:18:32.000 and I can see Diana. And when I'm ever sort of 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:34.940 not sure where things are going or what we're 00:18:34.940 --> 00:18:37.920 trying to do, I can often kind of like intercept 00:18:37.920 --> 00:18:40.460 messages happening non -verbally between you. 00:18:40.640 --> 00:18:43.579 Sort of like, and I realized that when you two 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:46.119 are on the same page about something, it's so 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.220 easy to attach myself to that, right? And I think 00:18:49.220 --> 00:18:51.480 a lot of people in the orchestra are, you know, 00:18:51.700 --> 00:18:54.440 consciously are not able to latch on to that. 00:18:54.440 --> 00:18:58.099 So I think it's sort of an amplification of just 00:18:58.099 --> 00:19:01.539 the idea that when you play with people for a 00:19:01.539 --> 00:19:05.180 long period of time, you get so tuned in to how 00:19:05.180 --> 00:19:07.400 they work and what they're trying to do. And 00:19:07.400 --> 00:19:10.660 that's how an orchestra gels over time. you two 00:19:10.660 --> 00:19:14.660 have like a free 20 years of that, that we all 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:18.119 benefit from, I think. Yeah, but those connections, 00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:20.819 of course, it's special when it's a sibling, 00:19:21.420 --> 00:19:23.839 but those connections exist throughout the orchestra. 00:19:25.059 --> 00:19:27.039 And one of the people I've had the most fun playing 00:19:27.039 --> 00:19:30.740 with here was Sam Locke, who I'm so happy for 00:19:30.740 --> 00:19:33.119 him that he got a job with the National Arts 00:19:33.119 --> 00:19:35.539 Center Orchestra as principal bass there. But 00:19:35.539 --> 00:19:38.799 the bass and the timpani played together a lot. 00:19:38.880 --> 00:19:41.220 And we were just looking at each other all the 00:19:41.220 --> 00:19:44.599 time and playing things together. And again, 00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:48.480 that non -verbal communication is so much fun. 00:19:49.720 --> 00:19:54.819 And you really can, yeah, you can, it's amazing 00:19:54.819 --> 00:19:56.900 how much you can get on the same page without 00:19:56.900 --> 00:19:59.700 saying a word. And I have to say, it's really 00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:03.660 interesting to see how the culture of communication 00:20:03.660 --> 00:20:08.059 musically has changed over the years here. So 00:20:08.059 --> 00:20:11.579 in my early years, when Roberto was music director, 00:20:12.380 --> 00:20:15.880 he's an incredibly strong technician, conductor, 00:20:15.880 --> 00:20:19.779 and he has extremely strong ideas that he brings 00:20:19.779 --> 00:20:23.980 to the music. So during those years, it was very 00:20:23.980 --> 00:20:27.279 much, and correct me if you have a different 00:20:27.279 --> 00:20:30.839 interpretation, but everybody look at Roberto, 00:20:31.519 --> 00:20:33.500 everybody get all their information from Roberto, 00:20:33.500 --> 00:20:37.170 and It worked. I mean, he really knew how to 00:20:37.170 --> 00:20:39.309 use his hands to communicate what he needed to. 00:20:39.990 --> 00:20:42.269 Our current music director, Runa Bergman, has 00:20:42.269 --> 00:20:46.470 a very different approach. It is a very collaborative 00:20:46.470 --> 00:20:51.930 approach, and I feel we've been invited to collaborate 00:20:51.930 --> 00:20:54.329 with our colleagues in a different way. So in 00:20:54.329 --> 00:20:56.490 places where in the past, perhaps I would have 00:20:56.490 --> 00:20:59.950 always looked to the podium for a cue or information 00:20:59.950 --> 00:21:03.569 about the character of an entrance. Now we find 00:21:03.569 --> 00:21:05.309 ourselves looking around the orchestra to the 00:21:05.309 --> 00:21:08.809 colleagues that we're playing with more and It's 00:21:08.809 --> 00:21:10.289 really changed the orchestra in an interesting 00:21:10.289 --> 00:21:13.910 way and it will also be interesting to see How 00:21:13.910 --> 00:21:17.390 that evolves as we move into the next phase as 00:21:17.390 --> 00:21:21.470 we get a new music director soon But yeah, it's 00:21:21.470 --> 00:21:23.529 it's interesting how these things ebb and flow 00:21:23.529 --> 00:21:26.609 Yeah, and I think that the contrast makes us 00:21:26.609 --> 00:21:30.619 better as well, right we become more well -rounded 00:21:30.619 --> 00:21:32.900 musicians, more well -rounded ensemble players, 00:21:33.380 --> 00:21:36.000 as we develop these skill sets, where if you're 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:38.880 always playing with the same conductor, you don't 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:44.099 necessarily work all those muscles. Yeah, it's 00:21:44.099 --> 00:21:46.299 really fun when we get different people on the 00:21:46.299 --> 00:21:49.160 podium and we get to be pushed in different ways. 00:21:49.259 --> 00:21:50.700 I think it's really healthy for an orchestra. 00:21:51.210 --> 00:21:53.589 One other forum in which you get to collaborate 00:21:53.589 --> 00:21:56.849 with your sister Diana is Chamberfest. Which 00:21:56.849 --> 00:21:59.690 I know started in Cleveland and now it has a 00:21:59.690 --> 00:22:02.990 Calgary counterpart. Yeah, so Chamberfest Cleveland 00:22:02.990 --> 00:22:05.750 started around the same time that I joined the 00:22:05.750 --> 00:22:09.049 orchestra here, 2011, within a year or so of 00:22:09.049 --> 00:22:13.710 that. And Chamberfest West, I think was a dream 00:22:13.710 --> 00:22:19.750 of Diana's for quite a few years, but it really 00:22:19.750 --> 00:22:22.470 kind of started to take shape during the pandemic 00:22:22.470 --> 00:22:26.890 when most of our avenues for performing were 00:22:26.890 --> 00:22:30.630 gone. And Diana and her husband Roman, who's 00:22:30.630 --> 00:22:33.430 an absolutely wonderful concert pianist, they 00:22:33.430 --> 00:22:35.490 started playing concerts in their front yard 00:22:35.490 --> 00:22:38.710 with a little electronic keyboard. And at first 00:22:38.710 --> 00:22:40.349 it was just a few people sitting in the front 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:42.769 yard listening and by the end of the pandemic, 00:22:42.869 --> 00:22:45.150 they sometimes had a hundred or more people in 00:22:45.150 --> 00:22:47.589 their front yard or in the street. Actually, 00:22:47.589 --> 00:22:49.289 it was kind of funny. Sometimes cars would come 00:22:49.289 --> 00:22:50.950 and not be able to pass the street because it 00:22:50.950 --> 00:22:53.049 was full of people sitting in lawn chairs listening 00:22:53.049 --> 00:22:56.309 to concerts. But it really was wonderful. And 00:22:56.309 --> 00:23:01.269 they really galvanized a community in their neighborhood 00:23:01.269 --> 00:23:05.410 around chamber music. But also the greater Calgary 00:23:05.410 --> 00:23:10.529 music lovers community really seemed to believe 00:23:10.529 --> 00:23:14.630 in Diana and Roman's vision of bringing a top 00:23:14.630 --> 00:23:17.589 -level chamber music festival to Calgary in the 00:23:17.589 --> 00:23:21.930 summer. So I think this is this is the third 00:23:21.930 --> 00:23:25.789 or fourth year that they will be holding the 00:23:25.789 --> 00:23:29.470 festival and this year it's July 14th to 19th 00:23:29.470 --> 00:23:32.009 both in Cleveland and here they always do a themed 00:23:32.009 --> 00:23:34.549 festival and this year the theme is Lost and 00:23:34.549 --> 00:23:37.670 Found which I think is kind of funny but it's 00:23:37.670 --> 00:23:41.200 always interesting to see the way that they pull 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:45.359 various repertoire in and create programs that 00:23:45.359 --> 00:23:48.019 really work with the theme they're working with. 00:23:48.759 --> 00:23:51.779 And so this year it's July 14th to 19th. There 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:54.000 will be concerts at the Bella Concert Hall at 00:23:54.000 --> 00:23:56.819 Mount Royal, the National Music Center, the Rosé 00:23:56.819 --> 00:23:59.799 Center at the University of Calgary, the Grand 00:23:59.799 --> 00:24:02.680 Theatre and at the Fairmount Palace or Hotel. 00:24:03.160 --> 00:24:05.259 This is also the second year that they're going 00:24:05.259 --> 00:24:08.619 to be holding an outdoor concert at C -Space 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:12.390 in Mardaloupe. And last year that was so fun. 00:24:12.529 --> 00:24:16.650 There was a big crowd out on the grass with their 00:24:16.650 --> 00:24:20.230 glasses of wine and their lawn chairs and just 00:24:20.230 --> 00:24:22.890 really enjoying how beautiful Calgary can be 00:24:22.890 --> 00:24:27.049 in the summer and some wonderful music to go 00:24:27.049 --> 00:24:29.809 along with it. So that's going to be the second 00:24:29.809 --> 00:24:32.690 year that that happens and it's really a wonderful 00:24:32.690 --> 00:24:34.549 way to kick off a festival. So that's really 00:24:34.549 --> 00:24:38.109 cool. Awesome. Where can people go to find out 00:24:38.109 --> 00:24:43.269 more about Chamberfest West this year? chamberfestwestyyc 00:24:43.269 --> 00:24:46.829 .com is the website, and you can see all of the 00:24:46.829 --> 00:24:51.549 concerts there. Sublime soundscapes, grand adventures, 00:24:51.970 --> 00:24:55.269 signs and souvenirs, making waves, rise and shine, 00:24:56.369 --> 00:24:58.910 and distinctive voices, and that's the one that 00:24:58.910 --> 00:25:01.450 I'll be performing on this summer. I'm really 00:25:01.450 --> 00:25:03.289 excited to be playing a piece that I played at 00:25:03.289 --> 00:25:06.109 Chamberfest. Cleveland a few years ago which 00:25:06.109 --> 00:25:09.470 is called Thunder by a Hungarian composer Peter 00:25:09.470 --> 00:25:14.670 Ötvös and it's a really cool piece for one timpano 00:25:14.670 --> 00:25:21.329 and it uses the instrument in a in an unpitched 00:25:21.329 --> 00:25:24.609 fashion so it's kind of cool it's graphic notation 00:25:24.609 --> 00:25:30.160 work with where he writes gestures and I use 00:25:30.160 --> 00:25:35.079 the pedal of the timpano to adjust the tension 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:38.099 on the drum head as I normally would with with 00:25:38.099 --> 00:25:41.779 any other music but this music doesn't have any 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:44.819 fixed pitches so it's all just gestural and it's 00:25:44.819 --> 00:25:47.579 it's really fun it's kind of wild piece for for 00:25:47.579 --> 00:26:04.109 just me and one drum Cool. Yeah, I know I know 00:26:04.109 --> 00:26:06.190 Peter at Voshe. He wrote a cool trumpet concerto 00:26:06.190 --> 00:26:08.789 called Jetstream. Cool. Yeah Yeah, that'll be 00:26:08.789 --> 00:26:10.710 I'm looking forward to that concert. I hope I 00:26:10.710 --> 00:26:12.509 can make it awesome. I don't look at my calendar 00:26:12.509 --> 00:26:16.769 Get my tickets now. Yeah for sure at chamberfestwestyyc 00:26:16.769 --> 00:26:20.069 .com. That's right and one of the really cool 00:26:20.069 --> 00:26:22.549 things about chamberfest on both sides of the 00:26:22.549 --> 00:26:26.670 border is that they always find cool venues and 00:26:26.670 --> 00:26:29.809 the programming is always incredible and Well, 00:26:29.890 --> 00:26:32.509 and the musicians are always such a delight. 00:26:32.630 --> 00:26:35.410 I get to play with absolutely wonderful people, 00:26:35.410 --> 00:26:42.670 but they also tend to get a really excited following. 00:26:43.230 --> 00:26:45.829 And so those tickets do often sell out. So for 00:26:45.829 --> 00:26:49.190 those who might be looking to attend this summer, 00:26:49.390 --> 00:26:51.529 I definitely would recommend getting on it. But 00:26:51.529 --> 00:26:54.769 your summers are busy, Alex. Aside from Chamberfest, 00:26:55.390 --> 00:26:59.329 you're also involved with spin. Yeah, I am so 00:26:59.329 --> 00:27:03.150 excited about SPIN. SPIN is the Summer Percussion 00:27:03.150 --> 00:27:06.049 Institute, which takes place at Mount Royal University. 00:27:07.329 --> 00:27:12.150 This will be the third summer of SPIN and it's 00:27:12.150 --> 00:27:17.089 a one week long camp for percussionists or people 00:27:17.089 --> 00:27:21.029 that are percussion curious, ranging from middle 00:27:21.029 --> 00:27:24.680 school through high school age. and I've teamed 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:27.900 up with some really wonderful colleagues in the 00:27:27.900 --> 00:27:31.480 percussion community here, Nia DeVitsas, Sean 00:27:31.480 --> 00:27:35.859 Buckley, Chris Size, and Malcolm Lim. And the 00:27:35.859 --> 00:27:38.059 five of us together have put together this camp, 00:27:38.079 --> 00:27:42.720 which has really been very gratifying. We've 00:27:42.720 --> 00:27:45.559 had some wonderful kids and they learned so much. 00:27:45.619 --> 00:27:48.900 And of course we learn a lot by helping to mentor 00:27:48.900 --> 00:27:53.650 them. Yeah, it's really cool. I feel like I feel 00:27:53.650 --> 00:27:57.910 really proud to have been part of creating an 00:27:57.910 --> 00:28:01.670 atmosphere where kids can come and learn very 00:28:01.670 --> 00:28:06.809 high level skills in just a very casual, very 00:28:06.809 --> 00:28:10.769 accepting environment. And it's really cool to 00:28:10.769 --> 00:28:14.190 see the kids skills grow, to see them building 00:28:14.190 --> 00:28:16.210 friendships, to see them building confidence 00:28:16.210 --> 00:28:19.549 around music. and building skills through music 00:28:19.549 --> 00:28:22.049 that will serve them in many parts of their lives. 00:28:22.769 --> 00:28:27.609 And so I'm really excited about that. And if 00:28:27.609 --> 00:28:31.690 anyone wants to support music education and percussion 00:28:31.690 --> 00:28:34.690 education, please do reach out to the Mount Royal 00:28:34.690 --> 00:28:38.690 University Music Department. And we would love 00:28:38.690 --> 00:28:42.549 to have your support in helping young percussionists 00:28:42.549 --> 00:28:45.529 get all the wonderful skills that hopefully we're 00:28:45.529 --> 00:28:49.490 helping them cultivate. So my son is a budding 00:28:49.490 --> 00:28:51.269 percussionist himself with a little too young 00:28:51.269 --> 00:28:52.970 to be doing this camp But for the last couple 00:28:52.970 --> 00:28:55.289 of years I've brought him to the end of week 00:28:55.289 --> 00:28:57.390 concert that's been and it's always been really 00:28:57.390 --> 00:29:00.430 inspiring for him not only to hear You know people 00:29:00.430 --> 00:29:01.849 playing percussion together, which is great. 00:29:01.869 --> 00:29:04.890 But also for him to see young people not that 00:29:04.890 --> 00:29:08.289 much older than him doing well and enjoying what 00:29:08.289 --> 00:29:12.690 they're doing so I can I can see the the snowballing 00:29:12.690 --> 00:29:15.970 of of the good stuff that's happening at spin 00:29:16.200 --> 00:29:18.519 we're going to be so happy to have him. He's 00:29:18.519 --> 00:29:21.599 getting close to the age that fits in our framework. 00:29:21.960 --> 00:29:24.460 And that'll be really fun. And what are the dates 00:29:24.460 --> 00:29:27.759 for spin this summer? This summer, it is July 00:29:27.759 --> 00:29:33.839 21st to 25th. And yeah, typically Monday to Friday, 00:29:34.799 --> 00:29:38.140 basically, or something like that. Yeah. Great. 00:29:38.680 --> 00:29:42.670 Yeah. Alex, you're one of the most avid outdoors 00:29:42.670 --> 00:29:45.349 people I know. And not only do I know that you're 00:29:45.349 --> 00:29:48.569 out there doing amazing stuff all the time, I 00:29:48.569 --> 00:29:51.109 know that you're also one of the big enablers 00:29:51.109 --> 00:29:53.769 for people coming into the orchestra who are 00:29:53.769 --> 00:29:56.230 interested in getting into that stuff. And on 00:29:56.230 --> 00:29:59.650 top of that, I'm always very glad to hear how 00:29:59.650 --> 00:30:04.589 safety -minded you are. Yeah, so I feel so grateful 00:30:04.589 --> 00:30:06.569 to have landed in this part of the world where 00:30:06.569 --> 00:30:08.769 we have these beautiful rocky mountains nearby. 00:30:09.259 --> 00:30:12.839 It was really a dream of mine to live in the 00:30:12.839 --> 00:30:16.119 West after I did a few summers at the Aspen Music 00:30:16.119 --> 00:30:20.000 Festival as a college student. And so yeah, when 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:22.519 I landed here in Calgary, I was literally over 00:30:22.519 --> 00:30:25.539 the moon. Yeah, mainly, you know, I'd say my 00:30:25.539 --> 00:30:28.200 primary passion outside of music is backcountry 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:31.019 skiing. And we really are in a wonderful place 00:30:31.019 --> 00:30:33.319 in the world for that. So that's really fun. 00:30:33.900 --> 00:30:37.519 Yeah. And the summer hiking and biking and We're 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:41.019 really fortunate here and, and it's cool because 00:30:41.019 --> 00:30:44.960 we have an unusual schedule here and it's not 00:30:44.960 --> 00:30:48.819 always ideal for our family lives. But one of 00:30:48.819 --> 00:30:51.579 the things that's really cool about it is that 00:30:51.579 --> 00:30:55.019 we get days off when some other people don't. 00:30:55.119 --> 00:30:57.900 Of course we don't get days off when others do, 00:30:58.039 --> 00:31:00.640 but we get a chance to go out and recreate in 00:31:00.640 --> 00:31:03.859 the mountains at times that other people are 00:31:03.859 --> 00:31:06.980 at work. So. That's really cool, especially as 00:31:06.980 --> 00:31:08.700 a backcountry skier when you're always searching 00:31:08.700 --> 00:31:10.700 for fresh powder. It's nice to be able to go 00:31:10.700 --> 00:31:13.500 out there and not be competing with others for 00:31:13.500 --> 00:31:16.259 the same ski line. Well, and even for safety 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:19.720 to not have people skiing above you and potentially 00:31:19.720 --> 00:31:24.640 creating danger for you. But it is really cool 00:31:24.640 --> 00:31:27.640 that we have a community in the orchestra of 00:31:27.640 --> 00:31:30.579 people that many of them are interested in some 00:31:30.579 --> 00:31:33.859 of these same things that I am. and it's fun 00:31:33.859 --> 00:31:36.640 to be able to take new members out and recreate 00:31:36.640 --> 00:31:39.160 in the mountains together and maybe expose them 00:31:39.160 --> 00:31:42.359 to cool things about living in Calgary that they 00:31:42.359 --> 00:31:45.559 wouldn't otherwise be able to. Yeah, so during 00:31:45.559 --> 00:31:48.680 the winter, I certainly, if I can be out in those 00:31:48.680 --> 00:31:52.380 mountains once a week or so, getting some skiing 00:31:52.380 --> 00:31:57.009 in, I'm really happy about that. Awesome. I know, 00:31:57.309 --> 00:32:00.150 well, one thing we have in common is a love for 00:32:00.150 --> 00:32:03.650 riding bikes. And I really like in the summer 00:32:03.650 --> 00:32:06.769 here, we have these beautiful pathways and it's 00:32:06.769 --> 00:32:11.089 so fun to get on my bike and just ride for an 00:32:11.089 --> 00:32:14.730 hour or two in the afternoon. And, and it's such 00:32:14.730 --> 00:32:16.369 a beautiful place to be. And I really appreciate 00:32:16.369 --> 00:32:19.150 the investment that, that our local government 00:32:19.150 --> 00:32:22.910 has put into that bike infrastructure. Cause 00:32:22.910 --> 00:32:25.539 it's nice to be able to. go ride your bike and 00:32:25.539 --> 00:32:27.480 not worry about getting hit by a car or something 00:32:27.480 --> 00:32:31.200 like that. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, for sure. Well, 00:32:31.200 --> 00:32:33.700 Alex, in your 14 years here, you've heard a lot 00:32:33.700 --> 00:32:36.019 of great playing on stage. I want to know who 00:32:36.019 --> 00:32:40.539 inspires you. There are so many people who I 00:32:40.539 --> 00:32:44.220 have so much respect for on our stage. I mean, 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:48.559 almost everyone uprooted their life from somewhere 00:32:48.559 --> 00:32:52.180 around the world. Not everybody, we have some 00:32:52.180 --> 00:32:54.920 really wonderful local Calgary talent in our 00:32:54.920 --> 00:32:57.660 orchestra, which is awesome. But we have such 00:32:57.660 --> 00:33:00.259 a wonderful group of people and I have respect 00:33:00.259 --> 00:33:03.099 for every single one of them. There are a couple 00:33:03.099 --> 00:33:05.440 people, of course I know you ask this question 00:33:05.440 --> 00:33:07.799 every time. Yeah, I know. The cat's out of the 00:33:07.799 --> 00:33:09.980 bag now. People can prepare to answer this question. 00:33:10.220 --> 00:33:12.140 Been thinking about it. But yeah, there are so 00:33:12.140 --> 00:33:14.519 many wonderful people. And in general, the people 00:33:14.519 --> 00:33:16.920 I enjoy playing with the most and the people 00:33:16.920 --> 00:33:20.000 that are most fun for me to play with. are what 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:21.579 we were talking about before, where I know I 00:33:21.579 --> 00:33:24.099 can look over and catch their eye and we can 00:33:24.099 --> 00:33:26.380 play a phrase together and kind of make some 00:33:26.380 --> 00:33:30.000 magic together, which is really fun. I want to 00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:33.400 give a special little acknowledgement for two 00:33:33.400 --> 00:33:37.700 people who this season have been thrust into 00:33:37.700 --> 00:33:42.079 the spotlight. And I'm speaking of Jocelyn Cahoon 00:33:42.079 --> 00:33:46.319 and David Sussman, our assistant principal clarinet 00:33:46.319 --> 00:33:50.119 and oboe. Those two who have been each playing 00:33:50.119 --> 00:33:53.180 in this orchestra for decades have stepped into 00:33:53.180 --> 00:33:56.660 principal roles and just absolutely done a wonderful 00:33:56.660 --> 00:34:00.140 job week in week out. And I know how difficult 00:34:00.140 --> 00:34:02.579 it can be to step into a different role when 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:07.299 you're not used to the demands of that job. And 00:34:07.299 --> 00:34:09.599 I know even just technically it changes your 00:34:09.599 --> 00:34:12.670 playing. perhaps higher in the register. You're 00:34:12.670 --> 00:34:15.050 just doing different things with the instrument 00:34:15.050 --> 00:34:18.469 projecting more than you might in a second clarinet 00:34:18.469 --> 00:34:22.110 or second oboe roll. And I'm just so proud of 00:34:22.110 --> 00:34:25.030 the work that both of those two have done over 00:34:25.030 --> 00:34:27.909 the course of this season. They've just played 00:34:27.909 --> 00:34:31.869 with such wonderful artistry and it's really 00:34:31.869 --> 00:34:35.409 inspiring to see some folks, especially Jocelyn's 00:34:35.409 --> 00:34:37.849 retiring at the end of this season, absolutely 00:34:37.849 --> 00:34:40.559 playing at an incredibly high level. in a role 00:34:40.559 --> 00:34:44.320 that they're not typically doing. So that's really 00:34:44.320 --> 00:34:47.239 awesome. That's great. And I think we'll be hearing 00:34:47.239 --> 00:34:49.760 from Jocelyn on the next episode of this show. 00:34:49.840 --> 00:34:52.539 Awesome. So you can all tune back in for that 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:56.119 in two weeks. Awesome. So one very last question. 00:34:56.599 --> 00:34:58.840 Are you OK with how things went with the spouses 00:34:58.840 --> 00:35:02.940 episode that came out? Absolutely. I thought 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:05.800 that was such a great idea. And I know my wife, 00:35:05.980 --> 00:35:08.900 Tiffany, had such a good time recording that. 00:35:08.880 --> 00:35:11.619 Yeah, yeah, that was really fun. Oh, I'm really 00:35:11.619 --> 00:35:14.480 glad about that, Alex. I too, seeing that recording 00:35:14.480 --> 00:35:16.780 coming up on the calendar was a little bit nervous 00:35:16.780 --> 00:35:18.440 about it, but I think it turned out pretty well. 00:35:19.079 --> 00:35:21.699 Yeah, I think they had fun. Great, Alex. Well, 00:35:21.699 --> 00:35:23.659 thanks so much for sitting down with me. It's 00:35:23.659 --> 00:35:25.960 always great to chat with you. Likewise, Adam, 00:35:25.960 --> 00:35:27.920 and thanks for the work you're doing with this. 00:35:29.679 --> 00:35:32.300 I hope that it's really fun for our audience 00:35:32.300 --> 00:35:35.980 members to get a window into what our private 00:35:35.980 --> 00:35:39.369 lives and... the things they don't see on stage 00:35:39.369 --> 00:36:18.900 include. So, thanks. Great, thanks Alex. You 00:36:18.900 --> 00:36:22.239 can watch all of these full performances on Chamberfest 00:36:22.239 --> 00:36:25.460 Cleveland's YouTube channel. On our next episode 00:36:25.460 --> 00:36:27.239 in two weeks, I'll be talking with Assistant 00:36:27.239 --> 00:36:29.860 Principal Clarinet, Jocelyn Calhoun. Talk to 00:36:29.860 --> 00:36:30.239 you soon!