WEBVTT 00:00:23.650 --> 00:00:26.050 Hi there, and welcome to Season 2 of Notes From 00:00:26.050 --> 00:00:28.010 the Stage, a show from the musicians of the Calgary 00:00:28.010 --> 00:00:30.089 Philharmonic. We're the people playing our hearts 00:00:30.089 --> 00:00:33.130 out every week of the orchestra season. I'm Adam 00:00:33.130 --> 00:00:35.149 Zinatelli. Usually I play first trumpet in the 00:00:35.149 --> 00:00:37.090 Calgary Philharmonic, but today I'm your host 00:00:37.090 --> 00:00:39.390 and I'm here with Max Stein, third horn of the 00:00:39.390 --> 00:00:42.350 CPO. Hi, Max. Hi. How are you doing? I'm good. 00:00:42.350 --> 00:00:44.270 Thank you for having me. It's great to see you. 00:00:44.310 --> 00:00:46.030 We're just getting back from our summer vacation 00:00:46.030 --> 00:00:47.789 and I haven't seen you in a while. How's your 00:00:47.789 --> 00:00:50.509 break? The break's been great. It's always good 00:00:50.509 --> 00:00:53.310 to take some time off from the instrument and 00:00:53.310 --> 00:00:56.469 to spend some time outside and with my lovely 00:00:56.469 --> 00:01:00.179 dog and spend time with family. and sort of reconnect 00:01:00.179 --> 00:01:03.340 with some of my other passions and hobbies. And 00:01:03.340 --> 00:01:05.760 I always feel great coming back to the season, 00:01:05.859 --> 00:01:08.159 feel revitalized and ready to go. Excellent. 00:01:08.219 --> 00:01:10.019 As you came in today, we were talking a little 00:01:10.019 --> 00:01:11.959 bit about taking some time off the instrument 00:01:11.959 --> 00:01:13.819 completely over the summer, which is something 00:01:13.819 --> 00:01:15.480 that I do. And I know that it's something you 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:17.200 do too. Can you tell us a little bit about that? 00:01:17.680 --> 00:01:21.299 Yes, it's something that has evolved over time. 00:01:21.819 --> 00:01:24.040 This concept of taking time off and what that 00:01:24.040 --> 00:01:27.319 looks like and what's the purpose of it is for 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:31.739 me playing a full time job now requires me to 00:01:31.739 --> 00:01:35.780 think about longevity and to think about my career 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:38.299 and that i want to be playing for many many decades 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:40.599 and i want to feel healthy and strong for all 00:01:40.599 --> 00:01:44.579 of those decades so it's not that i cannot play 00:01:44.579 --> 00:01:47.500 every day 365 days a year and continue to continue 00:01:47.500 --> 00:01:49.879 to do that for years on end but i don't think 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:53.030 that that's what's best for longevity so it's 00:01:53.030 --> 00:01:54.950 making decisions that are good for my long -term 00:01:54.950 --> 00:01:57.310 health in playing and it's also just good for 00:01:57.310 --> 00:02:00.450 me mentally and emotionally separate myself from 00:02:00.450 --> 00:02:01.890 the instrument for a period of time and have 00:02:01.890 --> 00:02:04.909 a bit of break come back with a clean slate so 00:02:04.909 --> 00:02:07.150 there's a lot of different reasons but yeah we 00:02:07.150 --> 00:02:09.469 just need a break from from playing sometimes 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:12.370 it's a our season's really busy and it feels 00:02:12.370 --> 00:02:14.729 like every year sometimes it's busier and busier 00:02:14.729 --> 00:02:18.219 i'm not sure how that is um but Yes. The break 00:02:18.219 --> 00:02:21.180 has become a necessity and like a very integral 00:02:21.180 --> 00:02:24.960 part of me being successful at the horn and being 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:27.560 successful on the job. Totally. Yeah. I think 00:02:27.560 --> 00:02:29.520 that our off season is a lot like an athlete's 00:02:29.520 --> 00:02:31.900 off season. You know, you can't be, you know, 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:34.360 in certainly athletes know you can't be at peak 00:02:34.360 --> 00:02:36.840 fitness all the time. And in that off season, 00:02:36.939 --> 00:02:39.719 you take a rest so your body can heal up and 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:41.740 then you start building a solid foundation to 00:02:41.740 --> 00:02:43.860 build the next season on. Right. And, you know, 00:02:43.960 --> 00:02:46.400 the, the fitness and the skills of the previous 00:02:46.400 --> 00:02:50.259 year remain to some degree and are a higher foundation 00:02:50.259 --> 00:02:51.979 for you to build on every year, which is great. 00:02:52.319 --> 00:02:55.780 But if you try and be in peak shape all the time, 00:02:56.199 --> 00:02:58.060 you're never going to reach the heights that 00:02:58.060 --> 00:03:01.280 you could otherwise. Mm hmm. I think rest is 00:03:01.280 --> 00:03:03.819 a incredibly important part of improvement. I 00:03:03.819 --> 00:03:06.080 think that, like you mentioned, athletics or 00:03:06.080 --> 00:03:10.740 being an athlete with regards to fitness, it's 00:03:10.740 --> 00:03:13.969 studied. and known that rest is a key part of 00:03:13.969 --> 00:03:15.849 improvement, that if you lift weights or you 00:03:15.849 --> 00:03:17.669 run every single day and you don't give yourself 00:03:17.669 --> 00:03:20.349 rest, your body's not able to improve. And so 00:03:20.349 --> 00:03:23.789 I do think finding rest within the season here 00:03:23.789 --> 00:03:26.189 and there, a day here and there, that's really 00:03:26.189 --> 00:03:29.129 important. And then I think longer rest with 00:03:29.129 --> 00:03:31.870 intention, I think, has been really positive. 00:03:32.389 --> 00:03:34.270 So totally. And not only are we athletes, but 00:03:34.270 --> 00:03:37.090 we're artists too, right? So having some sort 00:03:37.090 --> 00:03:39.289 of mental freshness, having a fresh look at things. 00:03:39.710 --> 00:03:42.629 being ready to be present and in the moment and 00:03:42.629 --> 00:03:46.330 focused and attentive and all that stuff is also 00:03:46.330 --> 00:03:48.090 something that we get back when we take that 00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:51.889 time off. Yeah, definitely. So we're back at 00:03:51.889 --> 00:03:54.969 work. Presumably you're back in shape. Mm hmm. 00:03:55.210 --> 00:03:58.509 Uh huh. Uh huh. Yes. Um, you know, it's always 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:01.370 good to start the season, I would say in shape, 00:04:01.370 --> 00:04:04.590 but not overdo it. Yeah, I've made that mistake 00:04:04.590 --> 00:04:08.039 before. Yeah. I have as well, you know, really 00:04:08.039 --> 00:04:10.419 feeling excited and sort of ramping up to the 00:04:10.419 --> 00:04:12.560 point where maybe it's a little bit overdone 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:15.020 and then starting the first week and going, Oh, 00:04:15.020 --> 00:04:17.920 gosh, that wasn't a good decision. And it's sort 00:04:17.920 --> 00:04:20.160 of hard to reel that back once the season begins, 00:04:20.160 --> 00:04:23.139 because it's just coming at you. Yeah. And you 00:04:23.139 --> 00:04:26.620 can't stop it. Yeah. And so I've tried to be 00:04:26.620 --> 00:04:29.579 intentional that I need to get myself to a certain 00:04:29.579 --> 00:04:32.579 level of endurance and just technical facility 00:04:32.579 --> 00:04:35.170 and start the season feeling fresh. with a little 00:04:35.170 --> 00:04:37.709 bit of room to sort of build that stamina and 00:04:37.709 --> 00:04:39.910 just playing in the orchestra will do that. We're 00:04:39.910 --> 00:04:43.569 always experimenting, I think, as musicians in 00:04:43.569 --> 00:04:45.129 the orchestra. We're always trying to think how 00:04:45.129 --> 00:04:48.089 to put ourselves in the right place to be successful, 00:04:48.610 --> 00:04:51.269 whether it's on a certain piece or in a given 00:04:51.269 --> 00:04:53.850 week. And, you know, the more we do that, the 00:04:53.850 --> 00:04:57.009 more data we have. and the more successful we 00:04:57.009 --> 00:04:59.470 are with those sort of predictions. But so that's 00:04:59.470 --> 00:05:01.250 what I'm doing. I'm making a prediction, as I 00:05:01.250 --> 00:05:03.410 always do, from experience, and I'm hoping that 00:05:03.410 --> 00:05:06.089 it works out. And if it works out or it doesn't, 00:05:06.230 --> 00:05:07.649 it doesn't really matter. I'll have to figure 00:05:07.649 --> 00:05:10.670 it out and I'll learn and I'll get and I'll move 00:05:10.670 --> 00:05:13.110 on. Totally. And when you get old like me, Max, 00:05:13.170 --> 00:05:15.189 you'll realize that that it's a moving target. 00:05:15.449 --> 00:05:17.350 It's the things that work one year aren't always 00:05:17.350 --> 00:05:19.029 going to keep working the same way year after 00:05:19.029 --> 00:05:22.670 year. So it's a voyage of discovery. Oh, gosh. 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:27.399 Well, coming back to work is fun because we get 00:05:27.399 --> 00:05:29.759 to see all our colleagues again. You know, we 00:05:29.759 --> 00:05:31.579 see so much of each other during the season and 00:05:31.579 --> 00:05:32.939 everyone kind of goes their own separate ways 00:05:32.939 --> 00:05:36.040 sometimes during the summer. It's really great 00:05:36.040 --> 00:05:40.079 to to reconnect. Yeah, yeah, I love I love my 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.699 colleagues and I think I always know that. But 00:05:42.699 --> 00:05:44.220 when I take a big break is when I especially 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:45.899 know that I love my colleagues because I miss 00:05:45.899 --> 00:05:48.459 people and I miss seeing them, hearing them, 00:05:48.660 --> 00:05:52.250 interacting with them at work. And so. Yeah, 00:05:52.250 --> 00:05:53.949 that's one of the nicest parts about our job 00:05:53.949 --> 00:05:55.589 is seeing our colleagues and seeing wonderful 00:05:55.589 --> 00:05:59.209 people and making music with them. And the outbreak 00:05:59.209 --> 00:06:02.949 really forces you to remember that. And that's 00:06:02.949 --> 00:06:04.930 also incredibly positive to come back to work 00:06:04.930 --> 00:06:07.449 with that mindset of excited to see the people 00:06:07.449 --> 00:06:09.889 in the ensemble as well. So it's a human focus, 00:06:09.930 --> 00:06:13.370 not just a music focus. Yeah, totally. And as 00:06:13.370 --> 00:06:15.529 with every season, we're welcoming some new musicians 00:06:15.529 --> 00:06:17.170 in the orchestra, and I'm really looking forward 00:06:17.170 --> 00:06:19.089 to meeting them and getting to know they're playing 00:06:19.089 --> 00:06:23.120 too. But Max, I have such strong memories of 00:06:23.120 --> 00:06:26.040 you joining the orchestra in 2019. Oh, okay. 00:06:26.259 --> 00:06:29.560 I would love to hear those. Well, I just I just 00:06:29.560 --> 00:06:33.899 have this memory of from from day one. You're 00:06:33.899 --> 00:06:39.240 so focused. I don't know anyone who is more like 00:06:39.240 --> 00:06:43.959 excited about and interested in what we're doing 00:06:43.959 --> 00:06:47.819 than you are. There's a certain intensity to 00:06:47.819 --> 00:06:49.959 Maxwell Stein, if you haven't met him. Boy, he's 00:06:49.959 --> 00:06:55.819 super intense. But in a way that is like so collaborative. 00:06:56.300 --> 00:06:59.199 And it always just feels like Max is there to 00:06:59.199 --> 00:07:02.779 do the work and to solve this puzzle of playing 00:07:02.779 --> 00:07:07.100 in an orchestra together. Well, well, thank you 00:07:07.100 --> 00:07:09.639 for that. Starting here, it was my first job 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:13.300 and I was very young and it was it was challenging 00:07:13.300 --> 00:07:16.579 in a lot of ways that I think I did expect. And 00:07:16.579 --> 00:07:18.439 it was difficult in ways that I didn't expect. 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:21.680 so i think that's something interesting about 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:23.699 playing an orchestra job for the first time that's 00:07:23.699 --> 00:07:26.439 more full time is when you come from university 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:29.019 and you've been playing professionally sort of 00:07:29.019 --> 00:07:31.040 off and on having gigs and you and all you've 00:07:31.040 --> 00:07:32.939 been studying is orchestral music you feel like 00:07:32.939 --> 00:07:35.860 you're totally prepared you know you feel like 00:07:35.860 --> 00:07:37.879 this is what i this is what i do this is what 00:07:37.879 --> 00:07:40.279 i've studied i won the job so i obviously know 00:07:40.279 --> 00:07:42.560 what i'm doing they have they they believe in 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:44.660 me i'm gonna go in and i'm gonna do that and 00:07:44.660 --> 00:07:46.920 to be honest that wasn't really my experience 00:07:46.920 --> 00:07:50.589 my experience was that You know. There was a 00:07:50.589 --> 00:07:52.189 lot of things I wasn't expecting and there were 00:07:52.189 --> 00:07:55.050 a lot of challenges of playing a full time job 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:57.009 that I think I couldn't have predicted and I 00:07:57.009 --> 00:07:58.490 wouldn't have known what those things felt like 00:07:58.490 --> 00:08:01.230 until I was in it and so I think I would like 00:08:01.230 --> 00:08:03.389 to think that everyone has that similar experience 00:08:03.389 --> 00:08:05.670 to a certain extent yeah you know I take the 00:08:05.670 --> 00:08:08.189 job really seriously and it's not just that. 00:08:08.750 --> 00:08:11.170 It's not actually that I feel that playing the 00:08:11.170 --> 00:08:13.189 horn or playing music is such a serious thing. 00:08:13.470 --> 00:08:15.529 I mean, I think it's important, but serious maybe 00:08:15.529 --> 00:08:17.589 is not the right word. But I take the job seriously 00:08:17.589 --> 00:08:20.290 because I feel grateful to be where I am. I feel 00:08:20.290 --> 00:08:22.410 grateful to be in the position I am and to be 00:08:22.410 --> 00:08:25.389 making music for a living. And so for that reason, 00:08:25.509 --> 00:08:28.870 I bring that level of intensity because I always 00:08:28.870 --> 00:08:31.449 want to bring quality and I want to bring excellence 00:08:31.449 --> 00:08:35.100 to the ensemble. you know there are times in 00:08:35.100 --> 00:08:36.639 weeks where i'm not feeling great and maybe i 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:38.559 don't feel like i'm bringing excellence i'm just 00:08:38.559 --> 00:08:42.379 bringing something that's decent and that doesn't 00:08:42.379 --> 00:08:44.419 feel good to me because that's the kind of individual 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:47.100 i am this is not acceptable to me so i have to 00:08:47.100 --> 00:08:48.960 be kind to myself and realize i can't bring that 00:08:48.960 --> 00:08:51.580 bar that bar i just can't i can't bring it every 00:08:51.580 --> 00:08:55.039 single time but um it's something i strive for 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:57.740 so sometimes some people watch me on stage who 00:08:57.740 --> 00:09:00.730 know me personally and they find it shocking 00:09:00.730 --> 00:09:03.529 how serious I look sitting in the ensemble. Even 00:09:03.529 --> 00:09:05.769 my parents have said this to me that I look so 00:09:05.769 --> 00:09:09.409 serious. And I tell them I'm concentrating. I'm 00:09:09.409 --> 00:09:12.029 very much concentrating. I'm listening to a hundred 00:09:12.029 --> 00:09:14.409 different things, watching a bunch of things. 00:09:14.809 --> 00:09:17.049 You know, I think we all are. But yeah, I find 00:09:17.049 --> 00:09:19.929 the job is challenging. And especially when you're 00:09:19.929 --> 00:09:22.370 trying to set the bar as high as I try to set 00:09:22.370 --> 00:09:25.470 it, it's even more challenging. So I need everything 00:09:25.470 --> 00:09:28.039 I can. to do the job as well as I want to do 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:30.059 it. So that's probably what you're seeing and 00:09:30.059 --> 00:09:31.840 what other people see when they see this intensity 00:09:31.840 --> 00:09:34.500 on my face, which is quite contrasting, I think, 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.779 to my normal sort of giddy, happy personality. 00:09:38.379 --> 00:09:40.440 Yeah. Some people say it looks like I'm pissed 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:42.740 off when I'm sitting in the chair. And I think 00:09:42.740 --> 00:09:45.299 it's just I just don't have any energy to show 00:09:45.299 --> 00:09:48.860 emotion. It's all going into my ears and my eyes 00:09:48.860 --> 00:09:52.019 and my body. And yeah, I get that. I get that. 00:09:52.019 --> 00:09:54.899 I think probably the majority of the musicians 00:09:54.899 --> 00:09:58.330 on stage I would think, you know, we we believe 00:09:58.330 --> 00:10:01.629 in what we're doing. We're lucky that we're the 00:10:01.629 --> 00:10:04.370 ones who get to be doing it. And like we want 00:10:04.370 --> 00:10:07.649 to serve it well. We want to do a good job because 00:10:07.649 --> 00:10:09.769 we believe in this thing and we believe that 00:10:09.769 --> 00:10:12.549 it matters. Yeah. And I get that vibe from you 00:10:12.549 --> 00:10:15.330 big time all the time, Max. Yeah. And I think 00:10:15.330 --> 00:10:19.110 that my my focus at work, one of the one of my 00:10:19.110 --> 00:10:21.490 biggest focuses is to try and play well, not 00:10:21.490 --> 00:10:24.129 just for myself, but to make the lives of the 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:27.450 people around me. easier make make people's jobs 00:10:27.450 --> 00:10:30.090 easier that is a big goal of mine it's probably 00:10:30.090 --> 00:10:31.750 like the top three things that i probably try 00:10:31.750 --> 00:10:34.649 to bring to work and i think as a section player 00:10:34.649 --> 00:10:38.389 we need to have that focus on. Trying to make 00:10:38.389 --> 00:10:40.750 what we are doing a part of what's happening 00:10:40.750 --> 00:10:44.090 around us and and eating our leaders and the 00:10:44.090 --> 00:10:46.210 other section players and doing their job even 00:10:46.210 --> 00:10:48.370 better and so that's something that's always 00:10:48.370 --> 00:10:50.690 on my mind there's always a collaborative mindset 00:10:50.690 --> 00:10:53.169 to it's rarely just i'm gonna play my part as 00:10:53.169 --> 00:10:55.000 well as i can. And I'm going to forget everything 00:10:55.000 --> 00:10:57.059 else. Sometimes, like, I have to get in that 00:10:57.059 --> 00:11:01.019 mindset, but it's rarely just that it's only 00:11:01.019 --> 00:11:03.799 attached to what is everyone else doing? What 00:11:03.799 --> 00:11:05.679 is going on in this in this piece? And how can 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:08.360 my part eight other people in sounding their 00:11:08.360 --> 00:11:10.440 best and making them feel like they can do their 00:11:10.440 --> 00:11:13.379 best as well? Totally, totally. A third horn 00:11:13.379 --> 00:11:16.179 is an interesting position, and it's a position 00:11:16.179 --> 00:11:18.039 that doesn't really exist in the same way in 00:11:18.039 --> 00:11:20.399 any other section of the orchestra. Right. That's 00:11:20.399 --> 00:11:22.519 true. Can you talk us through that a little bit? 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.240 Third horn position in the section is unique 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:29.039 because well one is unique because just the horn 00:11:29.039 --> 00:11:31.000 section itself is unique in that every single 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.500 position in our section is different and does 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:35.799 a different thing and oftentimes we have completely 00:11:35.799 --> 00:11:38.820 separate parts most of the time I would say we 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:41.220 have completely separate parts whereas in other 00:11:41.220 --> 00:11:43.639 sections of the orchestra I would say primarily 00:11:43.639 --> 00:11:47.779 in the strings the section players are not playing 00:11:47.779 --> 00:11:50.379 independent parts, at least a majority of the 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:53.019 time. Sometimes there's divisi and the section 00:11:53.019 --> 00:11:55.759 split off, but in the winds and brass, oftentimes 00:11:55.759 --> 00:11:58.100 our parts are completely separate. And in the 00:11:58.100 --> 00:12:00.720 horn section, they're sort of designated by high, 00:12:00.759 --> 00:12:04.139 low, generally. It's becoming less of that as 00:12:04.139 --> 00:12:08.000 composers write music and sort of push the boundaries 00:12:08.000 --> 00:12:11.059 of that. I find that they treat members of the 00:12:11.059 --> 00:12:13.279 horn section as if we can do everything, which 00:12:13.279 --> 00:12:15.690 we can. We're trained to do everything. But we 00:12:15.690 --> 00:12:19.210 see in sort of our classical romantic composers 00:12:19.210 --> 00:12:22.029 of the 20th, 19th century, we see this mindset 00:12:22.029 --> 00:12:25.570 of the odd numbers are high and the even numbers 00:12:25.570 --> 00:12:28.830 are low. And so we see that in music, where the 00:12:28.830 --> 00:12:30.370 first and third horns are playing high and the 00:12:30.370 --> 00:12:32.289 second and fourth horns play low. It's not always 00:12:32.289 --> 00:12:35.629 the case. Yeah, so with that said, third horn 00:12:35.629 --> 00:12:38.750 is sort of the second high horn designate in 00:12:38.750 --> 00:12:41.389 the section. And it's also the second soloist 00:12:41.389 --> 00:12:44.559 in the section. I'm often the one that receives 00:12:44.559 --> 00:12:47.039 solos. If the principal is not playing the solo, 00:12:47.200 --> 00:12:49.919 it's often me playing the solo. It's not always 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.779 the case, but it is the case in a lot of pieces 00:12:52.779 --> 00:12:56.159 like Mahler and Strauss and Brahms and Stravinsky 00:12:56.159 --> 00:12:58.799 and Tchaikovsky, lots of these major composers. 00:12:59.440 --> 00:13:01.980 I think some of that stems back to the way the 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:04.320 horn section was set up in terms of natural horns. 00:13:05.100 --> 00:13:09.389 Right, so like before there were valves, on the 00:13:09.389 --> 00:13:11.309 horn or on a trumpet or any brass instrument, 00:13:11.529 --> 00:13:13.470 like you'd have to kind of set up your plumbing 00:13:13.470 --> 00:13:17.629 to be in a certain key, right? So in like Brahms 00:13:17.629 --> 00:13:20.370 or in like the Weber, their Freischütz overture, 00:13:20.389 --> 00:13:24.029 very famous horn quartet thing there, the first 00:13:24.029 --> 00:13:26.950 and second horn would be playing a matched pair 00:13:26.950 --> 00:13:29.210 of instruments in one key and third and fourth 00:13:29.210 --> 00:13:30.990 would be playing a matched pair in a different 00:13:30.990 --> 00:13:33.990 key. So the composers would let these two pairs 00:13:33.990 --> 00:13:36.549 of a high player and a low player let themselves 00:13:36.549 --> 00:13:40.350 use Two different sets of notes mm -hmm right 00:13:40.350 --> 00:13:42.990 and in Brahms you see this as well right so the 00:13:42.990 --> 00:13:46.029 third horn is then sort of like a second first 00:13:46.029 --> 00:13:49.190 horn Yes, definitely and I think that it provides 00:13:49.190 --> 00:13:51.889 the composer with a lot of variety at a time 00:13:51.889 --> 00:13:53.470 when they wouldn't have that variety if they 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:55.690 gave everyone the same key because there's not 00:13:55.690 --> 00:13:58.169 enough time for people to be playing and then 00:13:58.169 --> 00:13:59.909 Run down and grab their crook and stick it back 00:13:59.909 --> 00:14:02.009 in and put it back up to their face like it just 00:14:02.009 --> 00:14:04.600 is um it's limiting in that way. And you do find 00:14:04.600 --> 00:14:06.740 that in pieces where the first horn sort of play 00:14:06.740 --> 00:14:09.360 something and then third horn comes in a different 00:14:09.360 --> 00:14:11.139 sort of tonic or different key a bit higher or 00:14:11.139 --> 00:14:14.559 a bit lower. And so yeah, it's that is definitely 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:17.940 some of the the roots of where the third horn 00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:19.639 where that comes from where the third horn is 00:14:19.639 --> 00:14:21.039 sort of the second principle in the section, 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.200 in some ways, and that's carried on into the 00:14:23.200 --> 00:14:25.480 20th, and even 21st century, even though we're 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:28.419 not limited by those crooks, or by the crook 00:14:28.419 --> 00:14:30.899 by the crook changes. Chris sidebar, have you 00:14:30.899 --> 00:14:34.580 ever Been like changing crooks in concerts on 00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:38.440 stage. Yes. It's nerve wracking. Yeah, it's not 00:14:38.440 --> 00:14:40.120 fun. I don't even like to empty water on the 00:14:40.120 --> 00:14:42.820 stage, let alone there. There's so many bits 00:14:42.820 --> 00:14:44.620 and bobs. I'm always afraid I'm going to drop 00:14:44.620 --> 00:14:47.159 something with also like the worry about putting 00:14:47.159 --> 00:14:49.360 the wrong one in if you have like more than one 00:14:49.360 --> 00:14:51.700 that you're switching to. And if you're not someone 00:14:51.700 --> 00:14:55.830 who is a natural horn. Enthusiast like i'm i 00:14:55.830 --> 00:14:57.629 would not consider myself to be someone who spent 00:14:57.629 --> 00:14:59.730 a lot of pedagogical time with a natural horn 00:14:59.730 --> 00:15:03.429 so i wouldn't trust myself. If i'm gonna play 00:15:03.429 --> 00:15:05.029 natural on the orchestra i'm just gonna stick 00:15:05.029 --> 00:15:06.389 i'm just trying to hope i can stick with the 00:15:06.389 --> 00:15:10.450 one crook. Yeah playing third horn is a really 00:15:10.450 --> 00:15:14.789 interesting job is i think that i do everything 00:15:14.789 --> 00:15:17.889 okay i can often be the soloist within the section. 00:15:18.560 --> 00:15:20.740 It could be surprising even sometimes when all 00:15:20.740 --> 00:15:23.580 of a sudden it's just me out of nowhere in a 00:15:23.580 --> 00:15:25.440 piece of music maybe that's new to me and all 00:15:25.440 --> 00:15:27.879 of a sudden it's the third horn alone and. You 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:29.440 sort of wonder why did the composer choose to 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:30.899 give the third horn the solo and they've been 00:15:30.899 --> 00:15:32.740 giving the first the solos for the first couple 00:15:32.740 --> 00:15:35.139 movements you wonder if it's about giving the 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:38.179 first breaks or if it's just about if they really 00:15:38.179 --> 00:15:41.340 did think about you know allowing. individuals 00:15:41.340 --> 00:15:43.159 within the section to have these moments if they 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:45.080 had that on their mind or are you know is it 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.919 musical inspiration is it more thinking about 00:15:47.919 --> 00:15:50.740 the orchestration yeah i think that the third 00:15:50.740 --> 00:15:53.080 gets the solos and then at the same time i sort 00:15:53.080 --> 00:15:56.539 of hold down the the high lines so that the principle 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:59.120 can feel like they can take a step back if they 00:15:59.120 --> 00:16:01.980 need to to save their chops for their big solos 00:16:01.980 --> 00:16:04.080 that are coming up. There's so many pieces I 00:16:04.080 --> 00:16:07.019 can think of where the first horn is buried with 00:16:07.019 --> 00:16:10.620 these heavy, loud lines that are high right before 00:16:10.620 --> 00:16:12.960 they play something that is really exposed. And 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:15.120 in that way, it's not setting that person up 00:16:15.120 --> 00:16:18.960 for success and to feel their best. And we see 00:16:18.960 --> 00:16:21.139 this with some of the greatest composers that 00:16:21.139 --> 00:16:23.139 really knew what they were doing. But in terms 00:16:23.139 --> 00:16:26.690 of the humanity of what we do, I think I can 00:16:26.690 --> 00:16:30.350 offer some help to the principal, but that does 00:16:30.350 --> 00:16:32.549 put a lot of weight on me. It puts weight on 00:16:32.549 --> 00:16:34.950 me to hold down these difficult parts, these 00:16:34.950 --> 00:16:38.309 high parts, and to really lean into them, regardless 00:16:38.309 --> 00:16:40.370 of what my principal is doing in front of me 00:16:40.370 --> 00:16:43.850 or next to me, just so that they hear that and 00:16:43.850 --> 00:16:46.370 it sort of gives them that feeling like, okay, 00:16:46.629 --> 00:16:48.629 I can stop. I can stop for a second and take 00:16:48.629 --> 00:16:50.409 a good breath, even if it's just a beat or two. 00:16:50.559 --> 00:16:52.039 take the horn out of their face, take a really 00:16:52.039 --> 00:16:54.460 good breath, come in and set them up for success. 00:16:54.779 --> 00:16:56.960 And those are things that nobody hears in the 00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.899 orchestra or in the audience. Maybe some people 00:16:59.899 --> 00:17:02.379 in the ensemble are aware of it, but it's a very 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:04.660 nuanced thing. And if I'm doing it well, you 00:17:04.660 --> 00:17:06.720 shouldn't hear it. It should just sound like 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:09.319 the horns are playing a strong line and then 00:17:09.319 --> 00:17:12.559 the principle continues on and effortlessly moves 00:17:12.559 --> 00:17:15.420 into a solo. And that's what it should sound 00:17:15.420 --> 00:17:18.420 like. And that's my goal. as third horn, so yeah, 00:17:18.779 --> 00:17:21.000 now you can contribute a lot to Nikki's quality 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:24.019 of life. Definitely. And I can also make her 00:17:24.019 --> 00:17:26.920 life terribly difficult. And I remind her of 00:17:26.920 --> 00:17:30.180 that when she gets a little sassy with me. But 00:17:30.180 --> 00:17:33.779 you two have a certain relationship longevity. 00:17:34.720 --> 00:17:38.940 Yes. Are you alluding to our childhood? Yes, 00:17:39.079 --> 00:17:41.700 I have childhood connections. Yeah. So our principal 00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:45.240 horn, Nicolette Levante, we went to middle school 00:17:45.240 --> 00:17:47.480 and high school together. Although she sometimes 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:50.779 acts as if we didn't go to middle school. But 00:17:50.779 --> 00:17:55.400 I don't know why. Maybe I was just a loser. But 00:17:55.400 --> 00:17:58.039 Nikki was always smart and she was always capable 00:17:58.039 --> 00:18:00.079 and she was always a hard worker. And she always 00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:02.599 sounded beautiful on the horn, even since she 00:18:02.599 --> 00:18:05.480 was 13 years old that I can remember. And she 00:18:05.480 --> 00:18:08.000 was very dedicated. And that has not changed. 00:18:08.660 --> 00:18:13.460 If anything, she's just evolved over time. But 00:18:13.929 --> 00:18:16.130 Yeah, we were in middle school together a year 00:18:16.130 --> 00:18:17.930 apart and then high school together a year apart. 00:18:17.930 --> 00:18:21.230 So there was this natural competition we lived 00:18:21.230 --> 00:18:24.049 maybe less than a kilometer from each other we 00:18:24.049 --> 00:18:27.950 got we got on the same bus every day and Sort 00:18:27.950 --> 00:18:29.609 of went our separate ways after high school, 00:18:29.609 --> 00:18:34.450 but Nikki was always one step ahead of me and 00:18:34.450 --> 00:18:37.690 she was always the leader in my High school ensembles 00:18:37.690 --> 00:18:41.250 and middle school ensembles. And so Yes, it's 00:18:41.250 --> 00:18:46.259 been really wild to reconnect after essentially 00:18:46.259 --> 00:18:48.740 almost a decade of being apart and both of us 00:18:48.740 --> 00:18:51.079 sort of going to different universities, studying, 00:18:51.299 --> 00:18:54.059 improving, entering into the period of time I 00:18:54.059 --> 00:18:56.160 think where you evolve the most as a player is 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.920 in sort of your university years. You really 00:18:58.920 --> 00:19:02.039 develop your strong fundamental basis. You really 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:04.460 sort of pick maybe a school of thought around 00:19:04.460 --> 00:19:06.359 sound or around approach and you commit to that 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:08.779 over time. And so it was really interesting to 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:11.039 see her come here and audition for the orchestra 00:19:11.039 --> 00:19:15.539 and hear how different she sounded of course 00:19:15.539 --> 00:19:18.640 as anyone would. After years of experience playing 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:21.380 both professionally and also multiple university 00:19:21.380 --> 00:19:24.339 degrees so yeah we have a really special relationship 00:19:24.339 --> 00:19:27.779 in the same way i would say that we weren't necessarily 00:19:27.779 --> 00:19:29.599 such close friends in high school and middle 00:19:29.599 --> 00:19:32.039 school i think a year apart sounds like nothing 00:19:32.039 --> 00:19:36.180 but if you know if you recall in high school 00:19:36.180 --> 00:19:39.309 and middle school elementary years apart can 00:19:39.309 --> 00:19:41.210 seem like a lot. And it seems like people sort 00:19:41.210 --> 00:19:42.910 of don't speak to people who are not in their 00:19:42.910 --> 00:19:45.390 year. And so in some ways, we didn't have the 00:19:45.390 --> 00:19:47.529 closest relationship. And we've been able to 00:19:47.529 --> 00:19:50.369 develop one now. And I absolutely love Nikki. 00:19:50.869 --> 00:19:53.690 She's super fun. I love getting in arguments 00:19:53.690 --> 00:19:58.109 with her as you do regularly. Yes, we are often 00:19:58.109 --> 00:20:01.630 times arguing like during rehearsals. And it's 00:20:01.630 --> 00:20:05.430 it's not actual, you know, this really angry 00:20:05.430 --> 00:20:07.859 arguments. It's more Like she has an opinion 00:20:07.859 --> 00:20:10.539 and I have an opinion and I'm not willing to 00:20:10.539 --> 00:20:12.599 to back up from my opinion and she's and she's 00:20:12.599 --> 00:20:13.839 telling me well she's the boss and I have to 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:15.400 listen to her and I'm telling her that I have 00:20:15.400 --> 00:20:17.519 human rights and there's things like that and 00:20:17.519 --> 00:20:19.420 those those conversations back and forth and 00:20:19.420 --> 00:20:21.099 I'm like you're you know you're not my boss really 00:20:21.099 --> 00:20:23.279 on paper it's more a musical thing I can choose 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.259 to not listen and things like that and she reminds 00:20:25.259 --> 00:20:27.759 me that she can also make my life hard and it's 00:20:27.759 --> 00:20:29.900 it's fun we have a lot of fun there's this like 00:20:29.900 --> 00:20:31.380 natural sort of bickering thing that happens 00:20:31.380 --> 00:20:34.890 and I would say that um people who bicker to 00:20:34.890 --> 00:20:37.130 each other to their face, I think, really like 00:20:37.130 --> 00:20:40.009 each other. I think if you don't like somebody, 00:20:40.329 --> 00:20:44.470 you don't bicker to them directly. No, the vibe 00:20:44.470 --> 00:20:46.789 is very clear, observing from a few chairs down 00:20:46.789 --> 00:20:49.890 the line that there is a real relationship of 00:20:49.890 --> 00:20:54.569 mutual respect there. And it's fun to see the 00:20:54.569 --> 00:20:57.410 way that you two display that. Yes, it's really 00:20:57.410 --> 00:20:59.470 fun. And I think that some of it honestly stems 00:20:59.470 --> 00:21:01.769 back to just like... trying to make the environment 00:21:01.769 --> 00:21:03.990 of playing in the orchestra feel fun and feel 00:21:03.990 --> 00:21:05.690 lighthearted and feel like you can joke around 00:21:05.690 --> 00:21:08.009 a little bit within the professional approach 00:21:08.009 --> 00:21:09.670 that we need to have. And there are times when 00:21:09.670 --> 00:21:12.109 I need certain people to whack me or remind me 00:21:12.109 --> 00:21:13.869 to focus because there's certain things that 00:21:13.869 --> 00:21:15.589 are going on that I need to be listening to. 00:21:15.910 --> 00:21:20.470 But, you know, the playful mindset, I think, 00:21:20.690 --> 00:21:22.769 is a benefit. I think we play better because 00:21:22.769 --> 00:21:25.910 we have this a little bit of a lighthearted approach 00:21:25.910 --> 00:21:27.690 where we are committed to doing our absolute 00:21:27.690 --> 00:21:30.019 best, but we're still having fun. So I think 00:21:30.019 --> 00:21:32.500 I try to encourage that and inspire that, not 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:34.259 just within the section, but within the orchestra 00:21:34.259 --> 00:21:36.119 as well. I try to joke around with my colleagues 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:39.660 and just let people know that, you know, they're 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:41.440 doing well. I think they sound beautiful. And 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:43.359 I try to like crack a joke, make people laugh, 00:21:43.519 --> 00:21:45.279 try to make sure everyone's having a good time 00:21:45.279 --> 00:21:47.400 because it can sometimes it can get a little 00:21:47.400 --> 00:21:51.380 a little too serious sometimes. Sure. Yeah, it's 00:21:51.380 --> 00:21:54.140 a job like any other. But we get to make this 00:21:54.140 --> 00:21:56.000 music and we get to spend time with these great 00:21:56.000 --> 00:22:00.150 colleagues. Yeah, for sure. So Max, when you're 00:22:00.150 --> 00:22:02.009 not playing the horn, I know you have one other 00:22:02.009 --> 00:22:04.690 area of extreme enthusiasm, and that is the fiber 00:22:04.690 --> 00:22:09.049 arts. Yes, I'm a very passionate fiber artist, 00:22:09.069 --> 00:22:12.730 if you will. I dabble in a lot of different areas 00:22:12.730 --> 00:22:15.990 within the fiber arts. I have started as a knitter, 00:22:16.170 --> 00:22:18.849 knitting lots of sweaters in university and college 00:22:18.849 --> 00:22:21.609 time. I remember when you came to the CPO one 00:22:21.609 --> 00:22:24.539 day, you wore a sweater. Was it a Fair Isle sweater 00:22:24.539 --> 00:22:26.940 that you made and you wore it to work? And I 00:22:26.940 --> 00:22:30.180 saw other colleagues eyes light up when they 00:22:30.180 --> 00:22:33.400 clocked. Oh, that's a nice sweater. Oh, that's 00:22:33.400 --> 00:22:36.180 a hand knit sweater. You made a lot of friends 00:22:36.180 --> 00:22:38.500 that day. Yes, I still have colleagues that come 00:22:38.500 --> 00:22:40.460 up to me every time I wear a hand knit sweater. 00:22:40.859 --> 00:22:43.180 And they just want to talk to me about how much 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:46.039 they love it, which is very nice. And from there, 00:22:46.059 --> 00:22:48.599 I learned to spin my own yarn on spinning wheels 00:22:48.599 --> 00:22:51.279 in sort of an ancient tradition. and that led 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:54.119 me to a lot of other things as well including 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:56.740 weaving as well as spindle spinning which is 00:22:56.740 --> 00:22:58.819 sort of just like spinning yarn except not on 00:22:58.819 --> 00:23:03.099 a wheel but on a stick with a weight so the ancient 00:23:03.099 --> 00:23:05.859 art forms intrigue me for whatever reason and 00:23:05.859 --> 00:23:07.799 i would say that the horn in some ways is is 00:23:07.799 --> 00:23:09.980 sort of an ancient art form not quite as old 00:23:09.980 --> 00:23:12.980 fiber arts but there is something that i definitely 00:23:12.980 --> 00:23:17.349 love about old forms of crafting And Max, if 00:23:17.349 --> 00:23:19.150 people want to see what you're up to with all 00:23:19.150 --> 00:23:21.309 your fiber arts, where can they follow you on 00:23:21.309 --> 00:23:26.750 social media? OK, this is cringy, but my Instagram. 00:23:28.349 --> 00:23:30.509 What do they call it? Handle, is that the right 00:23:30.509 --> 00:23:33.089 word? I think so. Handle Instagram handle is 00:23:33.089 --> 00:23:37.589 Max will spin because my name is Maxwell. Pause 00:23:37.589 --> 00:23:41.289 for laughter. Max will spin on Instagram and 00:23:41.289 --> 00:23:44.000 that page. it's just devoted to me sharing my 00:23:44.000 --> 00:23:45.880 love of all my fiber crafts and there's lots 00:23:45.880 --> 00:23:49.359 of fun videos of me doing those doing those crafts 00:23:49.359 --> 00:23:52.460 and i've even ventured into teaching now i'm 00:23:52.460 --> 00:23:55.099 teaching fiber arts too professionally i've started 00:23:55.099 --> 00:23:58.200 uh giving workshops uh here and there where i'm 00:23:58.200 --> 00:24:01.079 teaching about spinning or or yeah it's been 00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:03.619 mainly about spinning um i have quite proficiency 00:24:03.619 --> 00:24:07.529 with producing yarn, making yarn. And it's a 00:24:07.529 --> 00:24:09.869 big interest of mine. And it's it's become something 00:24:09.869 --> 00:24:11.309 that I'm getting paid to do. But I'm trying to 00:24:11.309 --> 00:24:14.369 keep it small, very little once in a while, because 00:24:14.369 --> 00:24:18.130 I don't want to commoditize every, every single 00:24:18.130 --> 00:24:21.210 thing that I enjoy. It felt it feels like music 00:24:21.210 --> 00:24:24.630 used to be my hobby, and used to be the place 00:24:24.630 --> 00:24:27.309 I'd go to get away from things. And it still 00:24:27.309 --> 00:24:29.849 isn't that it still is that in some ways. But 00:24:29.849 --> 00:24:33.099 it's certainly a big part of my my professional 00:24:33.099 --> 00:24:36.400 life now and it does remove some of that raw 00:24:36.400 --> 00:24:40.799 joy from it. So trying to keep a healthy balance 00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:43.359 of that and not allow everything that I enjoy 00:24:43.359 --> 00:24:45.140 doing that I happen to be good at become something 00:24:45.140 --> 00:24:48.460 that I have to make money from. So reminding 00:24:48.460 --> 00:24:51.779 myself of that. Yeah, yeah, that's I think that's 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:54.160 very healthy. Okay, Max, we've beaten around 00:24:54.160 --> 00:24:56.200 the bush long enough. Tell me about your dog. 00:24:57.259 --> 00:25:01.839 Oh, June. Oh, She's just the best thing, best 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:05.039 thing in the world. If you have a dog and you're 00:25:05.039 --> 00:25:07.220 listening, then you know, I don't have to explain 00:25:07.220 --> 00:25:11.000 this to you. Adam has a dog, Klaus. That's right. 00:25:12.039 --> 00:25:15.500 Who I love. And I didn't have a dog for a long 00:25:15.500 --> 00:25:18.359 time. I actually didn't have any pets for a long 00:25:18.359 --> 00:25:19.839 time. I think my parents sort of thought of me 00:25:19.839 --> 00:25:22.420 as a pet in some ways. And so they didn't need 00:25:22.420 --> 00:25:23.859 to get one because they already had one that 00:25:23.859 --> 00:25:25.519 cost a lot of money and it's breaking everything. 00:25:25.579 --> 00:25:28.000 And it was difficult. I think I've evolved from 00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:31.349 that. uh label but um they said when you're older 00:25:31.349 --> 00:25:33.269 you can get your you can get your own pet and 00:25:33.269 --> 00:25:36.089 you can take care of it uh which in hindsight 00:25:36.089 --> 00:25:38.809 is sort of that's smart that's the right that's 00:25:38.809 --> 00:25:40.990 the right way to think about it now that i'm 00:25:40.990 --> 00:25:45.230 an adult and i got a dog her name is jun i absolutely 00:25:45.230 --> 00:25:48.609 love her she's she's sort of my emotional support 00:25:48.609 --> 00:25:51.529 animal even though she's not labeled that legally 00:25:51.529 --> 00:25:55.930 uh she is that for me in a lot of ways um she's 00:25:55.930 --> 00:25:59.519 just wonderful to have and there's this natural 00:25:59.519 --> 00:26:01.579 companionship that you get from having an animal 00:26:01.579 --> 00:26:03.440 and something that relies on you to take care 00:26:03.440 --> 00:26:07.279 of it in so many ways. I think there's just a 00:26:07.279 --> 00:26:10.680 special relationship that you develop with your 00:26:10.680 --> 00:26:13.920 animal, whether it's dog or cat. And my love 00:26:13.920 --> 00:26:15.940 of animals is something that I've pursued outside 00:26:15.940 --> 00:26:19.119 of work as well. I have a dog, but I also volunteer. 00:26:19.420 --> 00:26:22.460 I volunteer at the Calgary Humane Society, which 00:26:22.460 --> 00:26:24.680 is a shelter sort of in the southeast of Calgary. 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:29.720 And I... feel very passionately you know that 00:26:29.720 --> 00:26:33.039 our role as humans is to is to love and care 00:26:33.039 --> 00:26:37.299 for the animals that are vulnerable and need 00:26:37.299 --> 00:26:40.160 our help and I think that in some ways we have 00:26:40.160 --> 00:26:42.799 been the problem in creating some of the issues 00:26:42.799 --> 00:26:46.980 that animals are encountering in terms of animals 00:26:46.980 --> 00:26:49.680 that are not neutered or spayed quickly enough 00:26:49.680 --> 00:26:51.460 and then produce litters of dogs that then don't 00:26:51.460 --> 00:26:53.680 have places to live and things like that. So 00:26:53.680 --> 00:26:56.000 I think it's our responsibility really, um, to 00:26:56.000 --> 00:26:59.619 help. So I have volunteered at the Cougar Mane 00:26:59.619 --> 00:27:03.940 Society for about a year now. And I even got 00:27:03.940 --> 00:27:06.059 volunteer of the month, one month, which was 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:09.920 really special, uh, really, really special. And 00:27:09.920 --> 00:27:12.000 I just try to be an advocate, try to be an advocate 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.180 for both animals, but also for people. The reason 00:27:14.180 --> 00:27:16.539 why it's called. Calgary Humane Society is because 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:19.279 it's trying to teach people how to be more humane 00:27:19.279 --> 00:27:22.460 in their actions with animals and how they are 00:27:22.460 --> 00:27:25.559 with animals. And so it's an educational approach 00:27:25.559 --> 00:27:29.119 towards both the person and the animal as well. 00:27:29.380 --> 00:27:34.539 And that's been nice. I really need those other 00:27:34.539 --> 00:27:38.259 avenues to explore interests and other things 00:27:38.259 --> 00:27:40.119 I have. I think it really benefits my playing. 00:27:40.619 --> 00:27:43.289 It benefits my love of music and i feel like 00:27:43.289 --> 00:27:46.289 i bring more to the table artistically if i have 00:27:46.289 --> 00:27:48.769 more of a holistic life which seems like common 00:27:48.769 --> 00:27:50.710 sense but i think for a long time i didn't have 00:27:50.710 --> 00:27:52.829 a very holistic life i think it was very music 00:27:52.829 --> 00:27:55.630 focused uh as as you sort of need to be when 00:27:55.630 --> 00:27:58.109 you're on the audition trail and things like 00:27:58.109 --> 00:28:01.170 that but as a professional and as someone who's 00:28:01.170 --> 00:28:03.849 uh making a career as a musician i find that 00:28:03.849 --> 00:28:06.769 i need that diversity in my life i need to spend 00:28:06.769 --> 00:28:09.690 time doing other things i enjoy and i find that 00:28:09.660 --> 00:28:11.839 The more I do that, the more I have to bring. 00:28:11.920 --> 00:28:13.339 Actually, when I come back to the instrument, 00:28:13.839 --> 00:28:18.000 I think I bring something even more special artistically 00:28:18.000 --> 00:28:22.200 to the orchestra when I have a more unique and 00:28:22.200 --> 00:28:24.960 diverse life outside of music. Absolutely. When 00:28:24.960 --> 00:28:26.839 you grow as a human being, you grow as an artist. 00:28:27.019 --> 00:28:29.160 I don't I don't think there's any mystery there. 00:28:29.859 --> 00:28:33.390 Definitely. Yeah. Cool. Well, Max, in your years 00:28:33.390 --> 00:28:34.930 here, you've heard a lot of great playing on 00:28:34.930 --> 00:28:37.309 stage. You've made a lot of great friends. Who 00:28:37.309 --> 00:28:39.470 are the people in the orchestra who's playing 00:28:39.470 --> 00:28:42.690 inspires you? I want to preface this by saying 00:28:42.690 --> 00:28:44.849 that I'm not saying this person's name because 00:28:44.849 --> 00:28:48.589 they said my name on their episode, though it 00:28:48.589 --> 00:28:51.890 did mean a lot to me. But I thought a lot about 00:28:51.890 --> 00:28:54.210 this and I knew this question was coming. And 00:28:54.210 --> 00:28:56.930 for me, it has to be Nikki, our Prince of Warren 00:28:56.930 --> 00:29:02.690 player. Nikki is for me. the epitome of what 00:29:02.690 --> 00:29:06.509 you want to hear from a principal horn. And I 00:29:06.509 --> 00:29:11.150 don't say that lightly. I think that she brings 00:29:11.150 --> 00:29:17.210 so much enthusiasm and energy and intention to 00:29:17.210 --> 00:29:20.549 what she's doing in the chair. It's almost overwhelming 00:29:20.549 --> 00:29:23.609 sometimes listening to her play, just how passionate 00:29:23.609 --> 00:29:26.349 she is with everything she does on the horn. 00:29:26.700 --> 00:29:29.400 And it's incredibly inspiring to me being a horn 00:29:29.400 --> 00:29:31.400 player and I think it's equally inspiring to 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.380 other people in the ensemble when you hear someone 00:29:34.380 --> 00:29:36.940 like that in the principal chair just bringing. 00:29:38.000 --> 00:29:40.339 That fervor for what they're doing and I think 00:29:40.339 --> 00:29:42.259 we hear it from you Adam and we hear it from 00:29:42.259 --> 00:29:45.299 lots of other excellent principles in the orchestra. 00:29:46.680 --> 00:29:48.980 But you know we didn't have a principal horn 00:29:48.980 --> 00:29:52.099 for a number of years there and our lovely associate 00:29:52.099 --> 00:29:55.569 Jen. Was holding down the fort and sounded incredible 00:29:55.569 --> 00:29:58.970 on many many many programs But filling that chair, 00:29:58.970 --> 00:30:01.390 I think has been really impactful for the entire 00:30:01.390 --> 00:30:04.369 section Especially for me as a section player 00:30:04.369 --> 00:30:08.390 just having a leader that I can Follow and a 00:30:08.390 --> 00:30:11.210 leader that I believe in and Nikki is that person 00:30:11.210 --> 00:30:15.230 for me 100 % it was clear to me the day of auditions 00:30:15.230 --> 00:30:17.450 that there was this one player that I absolutely 00:30:17.450 --> 00:30:19.410 loved and it just happened so happened to be 00:30:19.410 --> 00:30:23.069 her and It's been just a joy having her in this 00:30:23.069 --> 00:30:26.049 section. I think I play better when I play with 00:30:26.049 --> 00:30:30.509 Nikki. I think I'm a better musician, a better 00:30:30.509 --> 00:30:33.670 person being around Nikki, playing with Nikki. 00:30:34.109 --> 00:30:36.750 It makes me love the job even more. And I think 00:30:36.750 --> 00:30:39.369 that the quality of our life at work, I think 00:30:39.369 --> 00:30:42.289 is affected a lot by the people around us and 00:30:42.289 --> 00:30:44.329 how they're playing and who they are as people. 00:30:44.710 --> 00:30:48.170 So I'm extremely appreciative of what Nikki brings. 00:30:48.769 --> 00:30:51.160 That's lovely, Max. Well, thanks for sitting 00:30:51.160 --> 00:30:53.200 down and talking with me, Max. It's always a 00:30:53.200 --> 00:30:59.019 pleasure. Thank you for having me. Notes from 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:00.799 the Stage is an independent production of the 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:03.380 Calgary Philharmonic Players Association. The 00:31:03.380 --> 00:31:05.480 opinions expressed here are our own and do not 00:31:05.480 --> 00:31:07.579 reflect those of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. 00:31:08.519 --> 00:31:10.400 Our thanks to Nathan Chandler for his technical 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:13.420 expertise. The music in this episode was The 00:31:13.420 --> 00:31:15.740 Bagatelle by Herman Noyling performed by Maxwell 00:31:15.740 --> 00:31:19.259 Stein and pianist Deanna Oye. On our next episode 00:31:19.259 --> 00:31:21.579 in two weeks, I'll be talking with violist Alisa 00:31:21.579 --> 00:31:23.119 Klebanoff. Talk to you soon!