WEBVTT 00:00:08.770 --> 00:00:10.650 Hi there, and welcome to Notes from the Stage, 00:00:10.789 --> 00:00:12.849 a show from the musicians of the Calgary Philharmonic. 00:00:13.029 --> 00:00:14.669 We're the people playing our hearts out every 00:00:14.669 --> 00:00:17.609 week of the orchestra season. I'm Adam Zinatelli. 00:00:17.730 --> 00:00:19.570 Usually I play first trumpet in the Calgary Phil, 00:00:19.570 --> 00:00:21.390 but today I'm your host and I'm here with Craig 00:00:21.390 --> 00:00:24.190 Hutchinruther, member of the CPO's second violin 00:00:24.190 --> 00:00:26.710 section. Hi Craig. How are you doing, Adam? Very 00:00:26.710 --> 00:00:28.390 well, thanks. Thanks for sitting down with me. 00:00:28.609 --> 00:00:31.530 It's a pleasure. You know, I was reflecting as 00:00:31.530 --> 00:00:33.950 I was getting ready for this interview that we've 00:00:33.950 --> 00:00:35.829 known each other as long as I've been in the 00:00:35.829 --> 00:00:38.420 orchestra and. We've chatted backstage about 00:00:38.420 --> 00:00:41.539 many things, but we've never really sat down 00:00:41.539 --> 00:00:45.880 to have a proper talk. Well, it's about time. 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:48.700 Yeah, really. Hey. And, you know, for me, that's 00:00:48.700 --> 00:00:51.600 one of the great joys of hosting this show is 00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:54.500 that I get to, you know, spend time talking with 00:00:54.500 --> 00:00:56.340 people who I work with, who I know, but I also 00:00:56.340 --> 00:00:59.439 get to know my colleagues better. And it's nice 00:00:59.439 --> 00:01:03.420 to have an excuse to do that. Well. From my perspective, 00:01:04.000 --> 00:01:08.099 one of the pleasures is watching the turnover 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:10.920 in the orchestra and getting to know all the 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:12.799 new people that come in. Well, you have a lot 00:01:12.799 --> 00:01:14.939 of practice meeting new people coming into the 00:01:14.939 --> 00:01:18.670 organization, Craig. Yes. And, uh, I also like 00:01:18.670 --> 00:01:21.909 to expand that to some of the, the stage techs 00:01:21.909 --> 00:01:24.409 and the other people, invisible people that make 00:01:24.409 --> 00:01:26.750 us go that aren't even technically part of the 00:01:26.750 --> 00:01:29.469 CPO organization. That is a great point. They 00:01:29.469 --> 00:01:34.010 are very important. It is their stage and, uh, 00:01:34.150 --> 00:01:37.849 it is their job to look after us and put us in 00:01:37.849 --> 00:01:40.579 the best possible light. That's absolutely true. 00:01:40.620 --> 00:01:42.620 None of this happens without the people working 00:01:42.620 --> 00:01:45.579 the stage, the people who are employed by the 00:01:45.579 --> 00:01:47.879 facility, by the hall. Yes. That we are renting 00:01:47.879 --> 00:01:49.719 as an organization because we don't own the hall. 00:01:49.819 --> 00:01:52.180 Some orchestras do own their hall. We don't. 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:55.799 So we rely on those folks to make every concert 00:01:55.799 --> 00:01:58.640 happen. You'll see them wearing all black, moving 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:01.519 things around on stage. Their work day starts 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:05.640 before ours and it ends well after. Absolutely. 00:02:07.689 --> 00:02:10.030 They take such good care of us. I, you know, 00:02:10.030 --> 00:02:13.189 I really enjoy them as people. Yep. And they're, 00:02:13.189 --> 00:02:15.490 they're responsible for all sorts of, well, comfort 00:02:15.490 --> 00:02:17.150 for one, you know, making sure everyone has the 00:02:17.150 --> 00:02:18.909 chair they need, that things are in the right 00:02:18.909 --> 00:02:20.750 place. Yes. But they're also responsible for 00:02:20.750 --> 00:02:23.169 a lot of safety things that are critically important. 00:02:23.689 --> 00:02:26.069 Absolutely. But everything from making sure people 00:02:26.069 --> 00:02:29.449 don't fall off the edge of the stage to being 00:02:29.449 --> 00:02:32.629 prepared to respond to medical emergencies. Did 00:02:32.629 --> 00:02:35.789 you know that the, the, the old trope about is 00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.650 there a doctor in the house? No, no, no, no. 00:02:38.710 --> 00:02:41.750 The person you go to is the stage tech because 00:02:41.750 --> 00:02:45.550 they have it all worked out how to respond to 00:02:45.550 --> 00:02:49.250 different crises and when to call the ambulance 00:02:49.250 --> 00:02:52.550 and when not to. They're real pros. They are 00:02:52.550 --> 00:02:55.569 pros. Getting to know the people at work is great, 00:02:55.569 --> 00:02:58.689 no matter if they're members of the CPO or people 00:02:58.689 --> 00:03:00.469 outside the organization who are working with 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:03.090 regularly or only very occasionally. It's one 00:03:03.090 --> 00:03:04.949 of the joys of the job is getting to know the 00:03:04.949 --> 00:03:10.219 people. it is. They come in all types, shapes, 00:03:10.659 --> 00:03:12.620 sizes. There are the introverts, the extroverts, 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:19.180 the introverted extroverts, and vice versa. I 00:03:19.180 --> 00:03:23.139 really enjoy getting comfortable with all the 00:03:23.139 --> 00:03:27.659 different personalities and points of view. I 00:03:27.659 --> 00:03:31.039 wish a lot more people had the experience of 00:03:31.039 --> 00:03:33.800 playing in an orchestra, you know, and knowing 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:39.159 what it is for the whole to be greater than the 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:42.960 sum of the parts. That's one of the things I 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:45.860 love about an orchestra or playing in a section. 00:03:46.439 --> 00:03:50.199 It's not about me, it's about how does the section 00:03:50.199 --> 00:03:54.199 fit together and how does our section fit in 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:57.069 with the rest of the orchestra. I mean, obviously, 00:03:57.150 --> 00:03:59.449 everyone comes to a concert to hear the second 00:03:59.449 --> 00:04:03.409 violins, but, you know, supported by the trumpet, 00:04:03.409 --> 00:04:07.009 of course. You know, it all has to fit together. 00:04:07.550 --> 00:04:10.310 A recent concert we did, the Berlioz Symphony 00:04:10.310 --> 00:04:15.650 Fantastique, I was so impressed with the winds 00:04:15.650 --> 00:04:19.269 and brass. We were loaded with extra musicians 00:04:19.269 --> 00:04:24.290 due to illness and other contingencies. And they 00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:28.790 sounded like a section. They sounded great. And, 00:04:28.790 --> 00:04:33.110 uh, we are so fortunate to have good people that 00:04:33.110 --> 00:04:36.269 can step in like that. Yeah. We rely so much 00:04:36.269 --> 00:04:38.810 on our extras. I was actually during that concert, 00:04:38.850 --> 00:04:42.250 I was looking around me and seeing the people 00:04:42.250 --> 00:04:44.389 who were playing with me. And I realized I counted 00:04:44.389 --> 00:04:46.569 and in the woodwind section and the back row 00:04:46.569 --> 00:04:48.790 riser of brass that the trumpets and low brass, 00:04:49.550 --> 00:04:52.310 there were 21 players and nine of them are, were 00:04:52.310 --> 00:04:56.139 orchestra members. We rely incredibly heavily 00:04:56.139 --> 00:05:00.240 on our extras and we thank them for their wonderful 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:02.779 artistry and their dedication and everything 00:05:02.779 --> 00:05:06.379 that they give to this organization. Yes. And 00:05:06.379 --> 00:05:09.339 then I listened to some of the other interviews 00:05:09.339 --> 00:05:12.899 that you've done of our colleagues and I'm so 00:05:12.899 --> 00:05:15.459 impressed with what they've done, what they are 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:18.740 doing, what they've accomplished and how beautifully 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:22.769 they play. I'm really quite nervous about my 00:05:22.769 --> 00:05:25.470 own recording. It'll be rather humble in comparison. 00:05:25.930 --> 00:05:29.089 Oh, I'm sure it'll be great, Craig. But that's 00:05:29.089 --> 00:05:33.569 okay. Humility is part of the gig. Yeah, I think 00:05:33.569 --> 00:05:40.290 you're right. And never pays to get too caught 00:05:40.290 --> 00:05:43.550 up with oneself. Yeah, yeah. Well, Craig, just 00:05:43.550 --> 00:05:45.310 before we started here, you were telling me that 00:05:45.310 --> 00:05:49.009 the only position that you have not seen filled 00:05:49.009 --> 00:05:51.370 in your time in the organization is the position 00:05:51.370 --> 00:05:54.209 of librarian. You said Rob Grucock, our librarian, 00:05:54.290 --> 00:05:57.110 is the only longer serving person in this organization 00:05:57.110 --> 00:06:00.889 than you right now. Actually, when I arrived 00:06:00.889 --> 00:06:04.009 on the scene here, Rob Grucock was playing in 00:06:04.009 --> 00:06:08.050 the first violin section and I'm trying to remember 00:06:08.050 --> 00:06:13.290 who succeeded in the librarian role, but shortly 00:06:13.290 --> 00:06:16.230 thereafter he moved over to the librarian job. 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:21.500 But yeah, he's, uh, been with us probably got 00:06:21.500 --> 00:06:24.240 to be about 50 years or so. Wow. I mean, talk 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:26.860 about invisible heroes of the orchestra. Oh yes. 00:06:26.980 --> 00:06:31.240 Oh, the amount of work, like Rob is working now 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:35.220 on concerts that are months ahead. He's already 00:06:35.220 --> 00:06:38.220 probably looking at things for next season. Yes. 00:06:38.300 --> 00:06:40.439 As we record this, which is a bit earlier than, 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:43.610 uh, then you're hearing it like. The logistical 00:06:43.610 --> 00:06:45.930 and scheduling prowess that has to go into that 00:06:45.930 --> 00:06:49.310 job is huge. Yes, there's chasing down the music 00:06:49.310 --> 00:06:53.170 beforehand, not always an easy thing, finding 00:06:53.170 --> 00:06:57.649 the right edition, dealing with conductors who 00:06:57.649 --> 00:07:00.970 don't like the edition that he got. Yeah. We've 00:07:00.970 --> 00:07:02.589 been playing these Bruckner symphonies. Bruckner 00:07:02.589 --> 00:07:06.629 editions are terribly confusing. So simply figuring 00:07:06.629 --> 00:07:09.970 out what edition a conductor wants to perform. 00:07:10.199 --> 00:07:14.040 can be a monumental task. Of course. Just think 00:07:14.040 --> 00:07:17.019 of all the many different pieces we play in Pop's 00:07:17.019 --> 00:07:20.560 concerts. If it's not a pre -packaged show, he 00:07:20.560 --> 00:07:23.120 has to chase down all these things, some of which 00:07:23.120 --> 00:07:25.980 are in our library, some of which are not. Is 00:07:25.980 --> 00:07:28.980 it in the right key for the singer? And then, 00:07:28.980 --> 00:07:32.560 of course, there's the never -ending task of 00:07:32.860 --> 00:07:35.800 chasing down musicians to return the music to 00:07:35.800 --> 00:07:39.120 the gods. I'm afraid I've been guilty of that 00:07:39.120 --> 00:07:41.959 from time to time. My apologies, Rob. And then 00:07:41.959 --> 00:07:44.019 there's the matter of bowings as well, right? 00:07:44.540 --> 00:07:47.699 It's musicians who make the bowings, but it's 00:07:47.699 --> 00:07:49.959 the librarian's job to get those bowings into 00:07:49.959 --> 00:07:53.920 the parts. Yes. So he has to chase down the person 00:07:53.920 --> 00:07:56.240 doing the bowings, get the bowings from them. 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:01.589 And then there it's. hours and hours of transcribing 00:08:01.589 --> 00:08:05.430 these bowings into each individual part. And 00:08:05.430 --> 00:08:11.410 it's a monumental job. So how long have you been 00:08:11.410 --> 00:08:14.970 in the orchestra now, Craig? I think this is 00:08:14.970 --> 00:08:19.610 year 48. Wow. Yes. That is a big number. Congratulations. 00:08:20.430 --> 00:08:24.810 Yeah. Um, one of my ambitions has been to make 00:08:24.810 --> 00:08:30.730 the CPO strike a 50 year pin. You know, we get 00:08:30.730 --> 00:08:33.889 pins to commemorate certain anniversaries. I 00:08:33.889 --> 00:08:39.169 think they start at 20 years and 25 and 30. Uh, 00:08:39.169 --> 00:08:41.509 I don't think anyone's ever gotten a 50 year 00:08:41.509 --> 00:08:44.970 pin. Okay. Well, we'll see. I mean, if you've 00:08:44.970 --> 00:08:48.409 made it this far, Craig, I wouldn't bet against 00:08:48.409 --> 00:08:51.840 you. Well, we'll see. Father time is undefeated. 00:08:52.340 --> 00:08:54.299 Yes. We should all be so lucky as to have a career 00:08:54.299 --> 00:08:57.580 as long as we want it to be. So Craig, one thing 00:08:57.580 --> 00:08:59.720 that I know we do have in common, we both went 00:08:59.720 --> 00:09:02.779 to CIM, the Cleveland Institute of Music. Oh 00:09:02.779 --> 00:09:07.500 yes. Cleveland is a wonderful school, or it was 00:09:07.500 --> 00:09:10.480 back in my day. I know they've been on hard times 00:09:10.480 --> 00:09:15.200 lately and unfortunate decisions. But, uh, university 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:19.779 circle in Cleveland is like this Oasis. There's 00:09:19.779 --> 00:09:22.720 the art museum there. There's case Western reserve 00:09:22.720 --> 00:09:28.080 university. And, uh, the school itself was pretty 00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:30.860 good when, uh, when I went and I'm sure when 00:09:30.860 --> 00:09:34.960 you went to, and I studied, my major teacher 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:38.679 was David Sarone, but I also learned so much 00:09:38.679 --> 00:09:43.629 from the, the faculty who were drawn. in large 00:09:43.629 --> 00:09:47.330 part from the Cleveland Orchestra. And I have 00:09:47.330 --> 00:09:50.690 fond memories of Bernard Goldschmidt, who was 00:09:50.690 --> 00:09:53.690 the principal second violin of the Cleveland 00:09:53.690 --> 00:09:58.590 Orchestra and someone who had served under George 00:09:58.590 --> 00:10:02.970 Zell, taught a lot about how to play in an orchestra. 00:10:04.169 --> 00:10:07.889 And those are lessons I've carried with me through 00:10:07.889 --> 00:10:11.399 my entire career. there's a lot more to it than 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:15.379 just being a good violinist. Any words of advice 00:10:15.379 --> 00:10:18.120 to pass along to a younger generation who might 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:20.480 be hearing this, who hasn't necessarily had the 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:22.720 chance to hear that particular sort of pedagogy? 00:10:23.820 --> 00:10:27.940 Well, some of the basics, of course, rhythm and 00:10:27.940 --> 00:10:31.059 intonation grow from the ground up. Listen to 00:10:31.059 --> 00:10:35.879 the basses, the timpani, the tuba, and base a 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:43.360 lot of it on that. Blends, blends, blends. Yeah. 00:10:45.080 --> 00:10:47.840 You're part of a section, hopefully not a collection. 00:10:48.500 --> 00:10:51.320 Sure. You know, as, as an observer of the string 00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:53.059 section, you know, of course in the brass section, 00:10:53.320 --> 00:10:55.059 we're, we're playing solo parts all the times. 00:10:55.159 --> 00:10:57.240 We don't operate in quite the same way, but as 00:10:57.240 --> 00:10:59.940 someone who hears the string section of our orchestra 00:10:59.940 --> 00:11:04.179 every day at work, one of the main indicators 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:08.279 to me of how a conductor is doing. is how the 00:11:08.279 --> 00:11:11.000 string section is blending. Because when a conductor 00:11:11.000 --> 00:11:14.899 is indicating what they want in such a way that 00:11:14.899 --> 00:11:18.960 people can understand it across the board, only 00:11:18.960 --> 00:11:22.059 then can that unification really start. You can 00:11:22.059 --> 00:11:24.240 have as great principles at the front of the 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:27.600 orchestra as you want. But if the conductor isn't 00:11:27.600 --> 00:11:31.600 giving the players what they need to know what 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.139 the goal is together, then there's not really 00:11:34.139 --> 00:11:37.500 a chance of it sounding together and blended 00:11:37.500 --> 00:11:41.000 and beautiful. This is very true. There have 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:46.340 been times when I suspect the principles will 00:11:46.340 --> 00:11:50.320 take the bit in the teeth and lead in the absence 00:11:50.320 --> 00:11:53.440 of leadership from the podium. It's unfortunate 00:11:53.440 --> 00:11:56.019 when that happens, but we have a responsibility 00:11:56.019 --> 00:12:00.179 to our audience to present a good show and a 00:12:00.179 --> 00:12:03.580 moral responsibility to the composer. It doesn't 00:12:03.580 --> 00:12:07.110 matter if they've been dead for 300 years, you 00:12:07.110 --> 00:12:10.710 still want to present their intentions with integrity. 00:12:11.710 --> 00:12:15.210 It's an interesting job. There are so many compromises 00:12:15.210 --> 00:12:18.509 in different ways. You know, we're all highly 00:12:18.509 --> 00:12:22.190 trained and we're all taught to play a certain 00:12:22.190 --> 00:12:24.909 way. And this is how you do this. And this is 00:12:24.909 --> 00:12:28.909 how you do that. Uh, by the time you get here, 00:12:29.070 --> 00:12:32.179 a lot of that doesn't matter anymore. What matters 00:12:32.179 --> 00:12:36.580 is how we do things here in Calgary. Sure. And 00:12:36.580 --> 00:12:38.940 it doesn't matter what the concert masters of 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:41.899 Cleveland orchestra did. Our concert master is 00:12:41.899 --> 00:12:44.700 Diana Cohen. We need, she's the concert master 00:12:44.700 --> 00:12:47.220 we have. We need to do things the way she wants 00:12:47.220 --> 00:12:50.419 them to be done. You know, the principal second 00:12:50.419 --> 00:12:54.539 has a lot to say about how we play in our section. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:58.039 And regardless of what we think, they're the 00:12:58.039 --> 00:13:02.879 boss. You do it. In some ways, this is such a 00:13:02.879 --> 00:13:07.179 contrast to how we live, you know, everyone likes 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:13.159 to be free, but we work in a dictatorship. Yeah, 00:13:13.159 --> 00:13:16.399 I think - To a large degree. I think that that's 00:13:16.399 --> 00:13:18.200 one way to think of it. The way I like to think 00:13:18.200 --> 00:13:21.379 of it is that with a really effective leader, 00:13:21.720 --> 00:13:24.179 be it a section principal, or a conductor or 00:13:24.179 --> 00:13:27.360 a concertmaster, I think the ideal feeling at 00:13:27.360 --> 00:13:29.700 work is not that there's a leader and everyone 00:13:29.700 --> 00:13:32.659 else is following, but that we're flying in formation 00:13:32.659 --> 00:13:36.440 together. If you ever go to an air show and see 00:13:36.440 --> 00:13:39.820 the snowbirds, there's one person at the front 00:13:39.820 --> 00:13:45.720 of that echelon, but everyone up there is the 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:48.620 most highly qualified person that you could imagine. 00:13:48.960 --> 00:13:51.919 And everyone's on the same page. And I think 00:13:51.919 --> 00:13:54.549 that's... how things can work in an orchestra 00:13:54.549 --> 00:13:58.049 at the best of times. At the best of times, yes, 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:02.230 absolutely. And this is not exactly the same 00:14:02.230 --> 00:14:04.509 for all the sections. Once again, with a good 00:14:04.509 --> 00:14:09.090 conductor, the solo parts like the, for example, 00:14:09.190 --> 00:14:12.190 a principal trumpet will be given considerable 00:14:12.190 --> 00:14:18.529 leeway to do their thing. And rightly so. In 00:14:18.529 --> 00:14:22.460 a section, you're more of professional sheep. 00:14:23.820 --> 00:14:28.059 If each of us goes our own way then we have chaos. 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:33.539 So there's an art to learning how to do the group 00:14:33.539 --> 00:14:36.879 think. Okay I'm sitting in with a section today 00:14:36.879 --> 00:14:41.679 so I have to think a certain way and know that 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.879 this is how the section responds. It takes a 00:14:45.879 --> 00:14:49.620 while for a section to gel. I can tell when we've 00:14:49.620 --> 00:14:53.519 added let's say two or three new members to a 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:56.220 section, like a violin section, because there 00:14:56.220 --> 00:15:00.480 is a bit of a disunity, uh, for a while until 00:15:00.480 --> 00:15:05.600 people adjust. And, uh, that's one of the fascinating 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:08.000 things about having been here so long. Sure. 00:15:08.539 --> 00:15:10.399 And, you know, I think another thing that can 00:15:10.399 --> 00:15:12.500 make a really big difference, of course, is a 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:15.039 music director, right? Like the conductors who 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:18.019 we see all the time shape so much about the orchestra. 00:15:19.200 --> 00:15:21.080 just like when there's a new player in the section 00:15:21.080 --> 00:15:23.700 where they have to kind of recalibrate. You've 00:15:23.700 --> 00:15:25.539 seen many music directors in this orchestra over 00:15:25.539 --> 00:15:27.460 your years, and I'm sure that with each of them, 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:29.919 there's sort of a time when you're trying to 00:15:29.919 --> 00:15:32.600 figure out, oh, how is this collaboration going 00:15:32.600 --> 00:15:34.519 to work? How are we going to do this together? 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.340 Absolutely. The changeover from one music director 00:15:38.340 --> 00:15:43.799 to the next can be huge. You have to start afresh 00:15:43.799 --> 00:15:46.940 each time with an open mind. You know, this is 00:15:46.940 --> 00:15:50.679 the music director we have, therefore we will 00:15:50.679 --> 00:15:54.360 play a certain way. The best music directors 00:15:54.360 --> 00:15:57.799 are the ones that delegate effectively, you know, 00:15:58.019 --> 00:16:00.460 will give freedom to the principals and give 00:16:00.460 --> 00:16:04.259 responsibility to the principals to help your 00:16:04.259 --> 00:16:07.100 section play together. Well, you've spent your 00:16:07.100 --> 00:16:10.139 time in the CPO blending in the section. On the 00:16:10.139 --> 00:16:11.740 side, for a long time, you were doing something 00:16:11.740 --> 00:16:14.220 quite different. You spent many years as concert 00:16:14.220 --> 00:16:16.840 master of the Calgary Civic Symphony. Yes, I 00:16:16.840 --> 00:16:20.200 did. Oddly enough, there were two reasons why 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:23.379 I did this. There was a period of my time when 00:16:23.379 --> 00:16:26.320 I was suffering horrendously from stage fright. 00:16:26.919 --> 00:16:30.620 And you might think, how is this? You're, you're 00:16:30.620 --> 00:16:33.179 in the middle of a violin section on the second 00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:37.360 violins. But it was true. I would be getting 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.840 on stage and shaking in my boots. And one of 00:16:41.840 --> 00:16:45.240 the ways of getting over that is by repeated 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:50.299 exposure, especially repeated successful exposures, 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:53.799 so that you learn not to fear the situation. 00:16:54.740 --> 00:16:59.580 So I put myself out there. I accepted the job 00:16:59.580 --> 00:17:02.279 to be concertmaster of the Calgary Civic Symphony. 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:06.450 having to play solos and do concert master things, 00:17:06.910 --> 00:17:10.789 uh, it was a real trip. Uh, it's a totally different 00:17:10.789 --> 00:17:14.250 way of, of interacting with the orchestra than 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:17.990 being in the section. Just remembering who's 00:17:17.990 --> 00:17:20.769 supposed to lead this. Oh my goodness. It's me. 00:17:21.569 --> 00:17:24.430 Uh, and you know, what are all the concert master 00:17:24.430 --> 00:17:26.430 things you have to do? Even the choreography 00:17:26.430 --> 00:17:29.130 at the top of the concert. When do you stand? 00:17:29.230 --> 00:17:33.450 When do you do this? When do you do that? I must 00:17:33.450 --> 00:17:38.130 say the Calgary Civic is a wonderful bunch of 00:17:38.130 --> 00:17:42.049 people and I greatly enjoyed my time with them 00:17:42.049 --> 00:17:46.849 and nothing to say except good things about them. 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:52.009 They grew remarkably under the time that I was 00:17:52.009 --> 00:17:54.450 there and especially since Ralph Birch has been 00:17:54.450 --> 00:17:57.990 there. It grew from a situation where I had to 00:17:57.990 --> 00:18:02.049 scrounge around for violinists around town to 00:18:02.049 --> 00:18:06.890 fill out a section to having the luxury of being 00:18:06.890 --> 00:18:10.509 able to audition prospective members. Now, just 00:18:10.509 --> 00:18:13.009 for people out there, the Calgary Civic Symphony 00:18:13.009 --> 00:18:15.470 is a community orchestra. It's non -professional 00:18:15.470 --> 00:18:18.769 musicians, members of the community who love 00:18:18.769 --> 00:18:20.789 doing it and they show up and they make time 00:18:20.789 --> 00:18:23.289 in their schedules on their evenings and weekends 00:18:23.289 --> 00:18:25.829 to play in an orchestra. So they're there because 00:18:25.829 --> 00:18:30.089 they love it. Yes. And many of them are quite 00:18:30.089 --> 00:18:34.710 accomplished. Some of them actually show up on 00:18:34.710 --> 00:18:38.450 the CPO stage as extra musicians. So the level 00:18:38.450 --> 00:18:42.170 of dedication is remarkable. It's one of our 00:18:42.170 --> 00:18:44.589 colleagues said to me, they do the same things 00:18:44.589 --> 00:18:47.690 that you and I do, except they can do something 00:18:47.690 --> 00:18:52.250 else too. Yeah. Craig, well, I think that that's 00:18:52.250 --> 00:18:56.500 really. Amazing that you identified that feeling 00:18:56.500 --> 00:18:58.500 of not being comfortable on stage and you took 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:00.859 the bull by the horns and found a way to look 00:19:00.859 --> 00:19:03.220 it in the eye and take charge of that situation. 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:05.400 That takes a lot of courage. That's really admirable. 00:19:06.000 --> 00:19:08.700 Well, it was either that or find something else 00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:12.160 to do. And I can't imagine anything else I want 00:19:12.160 --> 00:19:15.440 to do, to be honest. Uh, at least nothing that 00:19:15.440 --> 00:19:20.720 I could get into at this stage of life. So I'm 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:24.069 glad I did it. And, uh. I hope they're glad I 00:19:24.069 --> 00:19:27.869 did it. So when you're not working, when you're 00:19:27.869 --> 00:19:30.029 not playing the violin, I only really know one 00:19:30.029 --> 00:19:32.410 thing about what you do outside of work, which 00:19:32.410 --> 00:19:36.869 is that you are a dog lover. Oh, yes. I remember 00:19:36.869 --> 00:19:41.230 our first dog, Shirley, brought home this older 00:19:41.230 --> 00:19:45.930 border collie, and it was a surprise to me. Her 00:19:45.930 --> 00:19:49.890 hairdresser was fostering this dog who needed 00:19:49.890 --> 00:19:53.859 a home. And Shirley was immediately smitten with 00:19:53.859 --> 00:19:58.740 Trixie, who came pre -named. I didn't know that 00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:00.220 Shirley was going to bring her home. Actually, 00:20:00.220 --> 00:20:03.990 Shirley didn't know either. She said to me, well, 00:20:04.170 --> 00:20:07.450 this doc needs a home. And, uh, and I was wondering 00:20:07.450 --> 00:20:10.890 if how would you would feel about this. And Trixie 00:20:10.890 --> 00:20:14.170 looked up at me with her big brown eyes and I 00:20:14.170 --> 00:20:18.109 could hear the theme from Romeo and Juliet happening. 00:20:21.490 --> 00:20:25.710 And I said to her, yeah, she's not going anywhere. 00:20:26.750 --> 00:20:34.609 That's so lovely. Yeah. And what we found. Okay. 00:20:35.289 --> 00:20:37.910 Our current dog, Colin is the youngest one we 00:20:37.910 --> 00:20:41.250 ever took in. He was three years old at the time, 00:20:41.789 --> 00:20:45.970 but we've taken in, uh, mainly border Collies 00:20:45.970 --> 00:20:51.210 who were eight years plus. And the advantages 00:20:51.210 --> 00:20:55.109 are they're already trained. Uh, you don't have 00:20:55.109 --> 00:20:58.630 to, to house train them. There are silly years 00:20:58.630 --> 00:21:01.809 are past them, but they're still energetic. Uh, 00:21:01.990 --> 00:21:05.450 remember Harley used to have the best time, uh, 00:21:05.569 --> 00:21:07.609 kicking the ball around out in the backyard. 00:21:08.109 --> 00:21:10.789 What's interesting. People are always afraid 00:21:10.789 --> 00:21:14.069 that, uh, you'll, they'll come in with bad habits. 00:21:14.630 --> 00:21:17.309 I haven't found that to be true. If you bring 00:21:17.309 --> 00:21:20.769 them into a calm space, they will be calm themselves. 00:21:21.319 --> 00:21:23.799 Yeah, they really mirror your energy like children 00:21:23.799 --> 00:21:29.339 do as well. Yes. So, um, yes, there are the times 00:21:29.339 --> 00:21:32.660 when Colin will, will bark out the window and, 00:21:32.660 --> 00:21:35.660 and we get a daily announcement about the letter 00:21:35.660 --> 00:21:39.539 carrier. As do we. Yes. Uh, well, you know, you 00:21:39.539 --> 00:21:42.359 think about it, it works. They bark every day 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:45.119 and every day this evil letter carrier is driven 00:21:45.119 --> 00:21:47.660 off and the family is safe once again. Exactly. 00:21:47.779 --> 00:21:52.339 Positive reinforcement. Yes. Sometimes I'll give 00:21:52.339 --> 00:21:54.579 into temptation and I'll just go look out the 00:21:54.579 --> 00:21:56.779 window with them and bark at stuff with them. 00:21:58.059 --> 00:22:02.059 I mean, it certainly seems cathartic. Yes. It's, 00:22:02.059 --> 00:22:04.240 it's good for a laugh sometimes. Absolutely. 00:22:05.140 --> 00:22:07.759 So aside from personnel change at the CPO, you've 00:22:07.759 --> 00:22:09.640 seen a lot of institutional change over your 00:22:09.640 --> 00:22:12.539 time here, like. When you started, the CPO was 00:22:12.539 --> 00:22:14.200 playing at the Jubilee. That was our main hall 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.640 because the Jack Singer didn't exist. That's 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:20.920 correct. I remember when I first came to Calgary, 00:22:20.920 --> 00:22:25.339 driving out here looking in the AMA guidebook 00:22:25.339 --> 00:22:28.980 to read up on Calgary. And it talked about the 00:22:28.980 --> 00:22:31.839 Jubilee as being one of the most acoustically 00:22:31.839 --> 00:22:36.480 perfect concert halls in the world. Then I got 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:40.349 here and discovered the reality. Playing in the 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:47.789 Jubilee is a very dry acoustic. It's really much 00:22:47.789 --> 00:22:52.930 better suited to amplified music. And it's compromised 00:22:52.930 --> 00:22:57.710 to try and do many different things. It has a 00:22:57.710 --> 00:23:02.690 big overhead loft which is designed to deal with 00:23:02.690 --> 00:23:08.289 stage, scenery, ballet, opera. All sorts of things 00:23:08.289 --> 00:23:11.750 and a lot of sound gets lost up there. Also, 00:23:11.890 --> 00:23:16.049 the fan shape of the auditorium is not the best 00:23:16.049 --> 00:23:20.150 for acoustical music. Really, the experience 00:23:20.150 --> 00:23:24.589 of playing on that stage is like having the sound 00:23:24.589 --> 00:23:27.910 roll off the edge of the stage and disappear 00:23:27.910 --> 00:23:32.349 into a black hole. What this leads to as an orchestral 00:23:32.349 --> 00:23:36.339 musician is trying to force to make sound. very 00:23:36.339 --> 00:23:42.779 bad idea. The rehearsal hall is up a level, and 00:23:42.779 --> 00:23:47.180 at that time there was no freight elevator. So 00:23:47.180 --> 00:23:49.900 everyone with large instruments, the tuba, the 00:23:49.900 --> 00:23:53.720 basses, had to carry their instruments up these 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:59.000 stairs. And to make matters worse, the percussion 00:23:59.000 --> 00:24:04.829 instruments. For a while I had a side job moving 00:24:04.829 --> 00:24:07.430 percussion instruments around. Up and down the 00:24:07.430 --> 00:24:10.950 stairs. Up and down the stairs. Uh, the chimes, 00:24:11.609 --> 00:24:15.309 the, the timpani, the, the worst is actually 00:24:15.309 --> 00:24:20.710 the Celesta. Oh yeah. It was so heavy. Yes. And 00:24:20.710 --> 00:24:24.049 so at one point we had the music director convinced 00:24:24.049 --> 00:24:27.529 that no, the Celesta has to stay down on the 00:24:27.529 --> 00:24:31.049 stage because it'll go out of tune if you move 00:24:31.049 --> 00:24:34.130 it up and down. Now I didn't know that the conductor 00:24:34.130 --> 00:24:37.890 actually bought that, but at the very least he 00:24:37.890 --> 00:24:42.009 understood what was behind it because that was 00:24:42.009 --> 00:24:47.190 awful. And so when we moved into the Jack Singer 00:24:47.190 --> 00:24:51.490 concert hall. Oh my goodness. Just the, first 00:24:51.490 --> 00:24:55.150 of all, you could play with ease. So gone is 00:24:55.150 --> 00:24:57.470 this, this sense of having to force, you can 00:24:57.470 --> 00:25:02.579 just play and even the softest. notes that you 00:25:02.579 --> 00:25:04.579 play will be heard in the back of the house. 00:25:05.920 --> 00:25:08.619 The applause, that's another difference. You 00:25:08.619 --> 00:25:10.920 know, with the jubilee, the applause is like 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:15.559 a distant rumor. With the Jacksinger, it's like 00:25:15.559 --> 00:25:18.680 standing outside in a warm rainstorm in the summer. 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:22.930 It's really amazing. Of course, that means we 00:25:22.930 --> 00:25:25.490 can hear everything from the audience too. Yeah, 00:25:26.089 --> 00:25:28.529 the superior acoustic goes both ways. Yes, all 00:25:28.529 --> 00:25:31.289 the cell phones, all the candy wrappers, et cetera. 00:25:32.289 --> 00:25:37.390 But I love playing in Singer Hall. I do too. 00:25:37.609 --> 00:25:39.349 It's a real treat. I've played a lot of concert 00:25:39.349 --> 00:25:42.069 halls. Yes. And they don't get much better than 00:25:42.069 --> 00:25:46.769 this. No. That's been one of the treats. And 00:25:46.769 --> 00:25:48.670 while we do still play at the Jubilee sometimes, 00:25:48.789 --> 00:25:52.099 it's now a There's an elevator. It's a fully 00:25:52.099 --> 00:25:55.920 accessible modern workplace, which is a big improvement. 00:25:56.119 --> 00:25:58.539 And those concerts also tend to be amplified, 00:25:58.700 --> 00:26:02.259 which is appropriate. Amplification is less good 00:26:02.259 --> 00:26:05.599 in the jack because it's designed to be an acoustical 00:26:05.599 --> 00:26:10.119 workspace. It was designed for us. The Jubilee 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:15.440 has good functions. The jack has good functions 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:18.160 and I think serves us very well. Absolutely. 00:26:18.519 --> 00:26:21.660 That was a really good day for the the CPO when 00:26:21.660 --> 00:26:24.599 we moved into Singer Hall. Craig, there's one 00:26:24.599 --> 00:26:26.579 other story that you had mentioned on your way 00:26:26.579 --> 00:26:28.779 in today that you wanted to make sure you had 00:26:28.779 --> 00:26:32.160 a chance to tell. So tell me about the time that 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:37.240 the CPO played at the Spyhill Jail. Oh yes, the 00:26:37.240 --> 00:26:41.079 great Spyhill Penitentiary Breakout. Now at the 00:26:41.079 --> 00:26:43.880 time it was kind of a minimum security jail. 00:26:45.279 --> 00:26:50.740 We sat up and played in the gym. and the residents 00:26:50.740 --> 00:26:55.099 was all seated in folding chairs. The conductor, 00:26:55.099 --> 00:26:58.539 I remember, at some point during the concert, 00:26:58.799 --> 00:27:02.859 one of the guards came up to him and whispered 00:27:02.859 --> 00:27:05.160 in his ear, tugged on his sleeve, whispered in 00:27:05.160 --> 00:27:08.880 his ear, and there was a cut off from the conductor. 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:14.259 And the concert stopped. It turns out that... 00:27:14.269 --> 00:27:17.490 at least eight of the inmates had taken the opportunity 00:27:17.490 --> 00:27:22.569 to duck out the bathroom window. I hadn't thought 00:27:22.569 --> 00:27:27.329 we were playing that badly. We had to wait there 00:27:27.329 --> 00:27:30.230 for a little bit while they did a head count. 00:27:30.609 --> 00:27:35.190 So for a while, we too were imprisoned in the 00:27:35.190 --> 00:27:38.720 Spy Hill Penitentiary. But what I found really 00:27:38.720 --> 00:27:42.839 fascinating about this is that of the people 00:27:42.839 --> 00:27:48.339 that escaped, one would have been out in two 00:27:48.339 --> 00:27:52.160 days anyway. None of them would have been there 00:27:52.160 --> 00:27:56.160 longer than two weeks. And the police recaptured 00:27:56.160 --> 00:27:59.160 them mainly by going and setting them up outside 00:27:59.160 --> 00:28:02.079 their homes and just picking them up as they 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:07.390 came back. So. a real head scratcher as to how 00:28:07.390 --> 00:28:14.269 all that came to be and why. But one of the more 00:28:14.269 --> 00:28:17.910 remarkable things that's happened in our history. 00:28:18.450 --> 00:28:20.509 Yeah, they must have really disliked Rossini. 00:28:21.130 --> 00:28:26.710 I think so. Boy, oh boy. That's great to hear 00:28:26.710 --> 00:28:29.170 these stories, Craig. I think that... I think 00:28:29.170 --> 00:28:31.349 with all the busyness of playing in an orchestra 00:28:31.349 --> 00:28:34.710 and running an orchestra, I think it's easy to 00:28:34.710 --> 00:28:37.529 forget about all this history, all these stories 00:28:37.529 --> 00:28:41.990 that make up the institutional memory of the 00:28:41.990 --> 00:28:46.329 CPO. I'm so glad to hear these firsthand accounts 00:28:46.329 --> 00:28:48.990 and I hope that our listeners and maybe future 00:28:48.990 --> 00:28:51.789 members of the orchestra will be able to hear 00:28:51.789 --> 00:28:56.730 these stories too. Yes. Well, it's one that deserves 00:28:56.730 --> 00:29:00.309 to be remembered. It's been fascinating watching 00:29:00.309 --> 00:29:04.150 the evolution of this orchestra. Well, Craig, 00:29:04.170 --> 00:29:05.750 you've had a lot of years here to hear a lot 00:29:05.750 --> 00:29:07.690 of great playing on stage from your colleagues. 00:29:08.109 --> 00:29:09.970 Who's someone who's really inspired you with 00:29:09.970 --> 00:29:12.069 their playing on stage at the CPO over all these 00:29:12.069 --> 00:29:15.950 years? You know, there are too many to name. 00:29:16.930 --> 00:29:19.869 Too many great principal musicians, too many 00:29:19.869 --> 00:29:25.259 great soloists. If I name one, I'm gonna... leave 00:29:25.259 --> 00:29:27.799 out some others that deserve equal recognition. 00:29:27.960 --> 00:29:29.900 Well, Craig, this is, unfortunately, this is 00:29:29.900 --> 00:29:34.759 the assignment that I must give you. I enjoy 00:29:34.759 --> 00:29:38.700 the work that our flute section does. I enjoy 00:29:38.700 --> 00:29:45.119 Sarah, Han, Sunoko, her playing very much. And 00:29:45.119 --> 00:29:50.700 I enjoy Gwen, both flute and piccolo. The two 00:29:50.700 --> 00:29:53.779 of them work well together. Also, it doesn't 00:29:53.779 --> 00:29:57.180 hurt that sometimes after particularly painful 00:29:57.180 --> 00:30:01.140 piccolo parts, Gwen will distribute chocolates 00:30:01.140 --> 00:30:03.259 to the second violins. That's very fair. Yes, 00:30:03.299 --> 00:30:05.259 because often the second violins are right next 00:30:05.259 --> 00:30:08.480 to the piccolo. Yes. Well, you get it one way 00:30:08.480 --> 00:30:11.079 or the other. On one side of the stage, you've 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:14.240 got the the the rowdies and the brass section. 00:30:14.259 --> 00:30:17.799 Yeah. And on the other side, you've got the piccolo 00:30:17.799 --> 00:30:21.509 and the percussion. Well, Craig, thank you so 00:30:21.509 --> 00:30:23.390 much for sitting down with me. I've really enjoyed 00:30:23.390 --> 00:30:26.170 this chat. It's nice to finally have an excuse. 00:30:26.390 --> 00:30:27.970 Yes. To have a real chat with you. Thanks for 00:30:27.970 --> 00:30:29.950 being on the show. Well, thank you for having 00:30:29.950 --> 00:30:32.269 me and thank you for doing this. I think this 00:30:32.269 --> 00:30:36.670 is an important project, partly in terms of keeping 00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:41.549 alive the institutional knowledge of the CPO. 00:30:47.799 --> 00:30:50.000 The opinions expressed here are our own, and 00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:51.980 do not reflect those of the Calgary Philharmonic 00:30:51.980 --> 00:30:54.819 Orchestra. Our thanks to Nathan Chandler for 00:30:54.819 --> 00:30:57.960 his technical expertise. The music you heard 00:30:57.960 --> 00:31:00.539 on this episode was the gig from Bach's Partita 00:31:00.539 --> 00:31:04.299 in E major and A Shoken Farewell by J. Unger, 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:07.799 performed by Craig Hutchinruther. On our next 00:31:07.799 --> 00:31:10.000 episode in two weeks, I'll be talking with principal 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:12.619 timpanist Alex Cohen. Talk to you soon.