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Transcript Recorded: 11-14-2005 - 06:59:20 PM
MyAuditions:
Greetings Members. Welcome to MyAuditions celebrity
chat. Our featured artist this evening is with Paul
Barrett, Principal Bassoonist with the Honolulu Symphony
Orchestra. This is a moderated chat and all comments are
pre-screened and are pre-approved prior to public
display on this forum.
MyAuditions:
Hello Paul, are you there?
Paul Barrett:
I'm here! Aloha!
MyAuditions:
Wonderful. Thanks for joining us this evening!
Paul Barrett:
No problem
MyAuditions:
The forum is now open to members.
<Sara>:
Hi Paul.
Paul Barrett:
Hi, Sara!
<Elliot>:
I am a wannabee orchestra musician and interested in
understanding how the HSO conducts its auditions?
Paul Barrett:
The HSO has a very fair set of audition procedures. 1)
it's all behind a screen. 2) Every round is taped. This
is needed because we audition in a number of locations
due to our remote location.
<Sara>:
How do you like living in Hawaii? It must be hard to
freelance in such a remote place.
Paul Barrett:
Hawaii is a tough place to live especially for
musicians. Due to our location, there's not a lot of
freelancing outside of the symphony. A lot of the string
players have large teaching studios, but the wind
players typically don't attract a lot of students.
<Elliot>:
I always wondered how the HSO musicians survived in a
place that is expensive to live?
Paul Barrett:
It's expensive, and recently, the HSO's pay has been
declining. Having said that, I do enjoy living here and
it is a wonderful place to raise kids, and the HSO is a
really an excellent orchestra. It's too bad it's so
expensive but we get used to it.
<Sara>:
How did you choose the bassoon?
Paul Barrett:
The usual way: the band needed one! I had tried a number
of instruments before, but the bassoon really 'clicked'
with me.
<Sara>:
How long have you been with the HSO?
Paul Barrett:
After I started the bassoon, a year later I was off to
the Interlochen Arts Academy. After graduating from High
School, I spent a season with the Louisville Orchestra.
A year with a professional group was enough to make me
realize that I needed to get an education before
proceeding further with a musical career. After two
years at the Eastman School of Music I transferred to
the Cleveland Institute of Music. I've been here in
Honolulu ever since I graduated from CIM. That kind of
answers both of your questions - it's been 28 years
now!! (time flies).
<Elliot>:
Does everyone have to come to Hawaii to audition?
Paul Barrett:
We have local auditions, usually in May, followed by
more audition rounds on the mainland, always in NYC,
sometimes also in Chicago and LA, usually the audition
tour is in June.
<Cina>:
Could you advise me how I would go about selecting
repertoire to send as audition tapes. I just want to
send the tapes.
Paul Barrett:
If you mean applying for an orchestral job, typically
the orchestra has a specific list. Hopefully the person
who makes the list (usually the principal of the section
in question) has given some thought to what they hope to
hear in the excerpts instead of just picking ?popular?
excerpts. For example, the recent HSO bassoon auditions
(for one-year second/associate principal bassoon)
started with the first two pages of the second bassoon
part of the last movement of Brahms 3rd. This is not a
frequently asked excerpt, but it does show if you have a
good sense of pulse and can show dynamic variation,
among other attributes. If you're just sending a tape
around to get your name out there, I'd pick pieces that
you know well and can play well.
<Sara>:
I really like your blog!!! :)
Paul Barrett:
Mahalo! That's Hawaiian for 'thanks'. You see it on all
the trash cans, we sometimes fool newcomers into
thinking it means 'trash'.
<Cina>:
What is your take on the recent climate in the industry
regarding management always at odd with the musicians?
Paul Barrett:
Everyone has their own way of coping. Many of us teach.
Not too many of us have jobs outside of music. We do
have one musician who has started a second career as a
pilot, another one is also an architect, one player
designs and sells a line of greeting cards, and there's
a chef/caterer as well... but most of us concentrate on
the music.
<Sara>:
Do you teach? If so, what do you look for in your
students?
Paul Barrett:
I teach at the University of Hawaii. Most of my students
are music education majors. The most important thing for
success as a student is to keep listening as you play,
to practice intelligently, and to know why you are
making the choices you make musically. So, that's how I
structure my teaching.
<Elliot>:
No performance majors?
Paul Barrett:
I've had performance majors before, but that's usually
so the student can get more lesson time with me and then
they eventually graduate as a Music Ed major. Let's face
it: Hawaii's not the best location for networking as a
student for a career in performance.
<Sara>:
So what happens when they graduate?
Paul Barrett:
The University and the DOE (Education) are pretty tied
in together, so most Music Ed majors get placed.
<Elliot>:
Where are some of your students now?
Paul Barrett:
I have six students who are band teachers here in state.
Drew McManus:
What's the shortest period of time you can remember
where a player decided they couldn't afford to live on
the island? Conversely, what's the longest anyone has
stayed with the HSO?
Paul Barrett:
We have a contract, so most people stay at least a year!
We had one fellow retire after 50 years. There's kind of
two camps: those who are 'old timers' (lifers) and those
who come for a short time. A lot of them are on
temporary contracts pending tenure track openings.
<Sara>:
Can you post the contract for us to look at? ;>)
Paul Barrett:
All ICSOM and ROPA contracts are available at the AFM
website.
<Sara>:
What's ICSOM/ROPA?
Paul Barrett:
The AFM conferences of orchestras. ICSOM (International
Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians) are the
major orchestras. ROPA (Regional Orchestra Players
Association) are the smaller orchestras.
<Cina>:
How long before one makes tenure?
Paul Barrett:
18 months. As far as getting tenure, usually it's the
principal's call, in consultation with the music
director.
<Elliot>:
Tell us about your audition experience when you first
auditioned for Honolulu. Was it in Hawaii?
Paul Barrett:
I auditioned in LA. The most memorable thing for me was
playing and noticing that one fellow was conducting
under the table. I figured that was the conductor, so I
followed him! He must have been surprised that I played
his favorite tempos! This was before we had screens.
<Cina>:
Is your orchestra a union job?
Paul Barrett:
Yes. 100%. We are a part of the union, operating within
the AFM structure.
<Cina>:
Being so far away, if I were not able to attend an
audition with the HSO, do they accept tapes?
Paul Barrett:
We do take tapes, but you'd have to audition live
eventually for the final round. We tape them and can use
them for reference if there's a need afterwards.
<Cina>:
Are the finals taken in Honolulu or stateside?
Paul Barrett:
All locations.
<Sara>:
Is there a process one goes through when auditioning for
the HSO? I mean, is it behind a screen? preliminary
rounds, finals?
Paul Barrett:
We usually have a prelim and a final round, but
sometimes the finals can extend to a few 'play-off'
rounds.
Drew McManus:
How are you dealing with appointments and tenure
decisions without a music director?
Paul Barrett:
Joanne Falletta is our interim music advisor. She makes
the final decisions after consulting with us.
Drew McManus:
Sorry, chat room lag. I was referring specifically to
the tenure issues.
Paul Barrett:
There's never much of a problem with that. The vast
majority of musicians are granted tenure.?
<Elliot>:
Is there ever a time when the musicians want someone and
Ms. Falletta does not?
Paul Barrett:
Usually there's an exchange of opinions and consensus is
reached that way. For this process to work everyone
involved has to be honest and to articulate their
opinion clearly.
<Cina>:
Does the orchestra tour in other countries or in the
mainland USA often?
Paul Barrett:
We have toured in the past, both Mainland and
interisland. In the early 90?s the state money that
supported interisland travel dried up. Since the local
economy is better these days, we?re hoping that money
might be restored.
<Elliot>:
So the HSO is supported by the State? What about
donorship?
Paul Barrett:
We get a small amount from the state and the city, the
rest comes from grants, donations, and ticket revenue.
We ARE non profit!!
<Elliot>:
How many hours do you practice?
Paul Barrett:
It depends on what we're playing. For example, when we
did Elektra, we're talking many hours! Usually my prep
time involves making reeds and I combine breaking in the
reeds with my practice hours.
<Sara>:
How long does it take you to make your reeds? Is it an
art form as some say?
Paul Barrett:
Reeds are a constant struggle for us double reed
players. The problem is that they never are the same
from day to day and they need constant attention. It
really is an art form and you need a fair amount of
manual dexterity to be good at it.
<Cina>:
What's the difference in the reeds between the woodwind
family?
Paul Barrett:
There's single and double. Clarinet and sax are single.
Oboe and bassoon are double.
<Elliot>:
Are there ever nonunion musicians playing in a union
orchestra?
Paul Barrett:
Using the Taft-Hartley act, we can hire nonunion
musicians a few times, but eventually they have to join
if they want to continue to work with us.
<Sara>:
What's the local union in Hawaii?
Paul Barrett:
Local 677
<Sara>:
Don't you have a new interim CEO? How is that working
for you?
Paul Barrett:
Gideon Toeplitz, formerly of the Pittsburgh Symphony, is
working with us on a part-time basis and is helping us
find a permanent replacement.
<Sara>:
Has the HSO benefited at all from Falletta's recent
appointment to Baltimore?
Paul Barrett:
You're thinking of Marin Alsop. Joanne is MD of the
Virginia, Buffalo and Long Beach Symphonies.
Drew McManus:
Do you have a special committee outside of the orchestra
or artistic advisory committee to deal with those
ancillary issues?
Paul Barrett:
There are a number of committees besides those two. For
example, there is now a conductor search committee. On a
more permanent basis, there's a program committee, a
review committee and we have internal committees for
strike preparedness.
Drew McManus:
Review committee? Could you tell us more about that?
Paul Barrett:
Despite the fears of board members and some in
management, the fact is that review committees usually
vote with the MD. In our case, the review committee is
elected secretly each time we have a new master
agreement. It's so secret that the elected people don't
know they're on it! It's only activated if someone is
fired.
<Elliot>:
Sometimes it is not just being a musician in an
orchestra that counts, but all of these other issues
that come into play.
Paul Barrett:
Only rarely is someone so obnoxious and toxic that
personality comes into play. It's usually all about the
music.
<Sara>:
When do you think you will plan on retiring and if so,
will you being staying in Hawaii or somewhere else?
Paul Barrett:
Well, If I can hold out until until 2027 I'll have done
50 years! Maybe by then I can afford to retire! Location
will depend more on where the kids settle. Two kids:
Colin (19) Computer Science major at the University of
Maryland - College Park and Meghan (16) HS Junior at
Iolani School. My wife is the associate concertmaster of
the HSO.?
<Sara>:
LOL, will you stay until your lips fall off?
Paul Barrett:
With any luck they won't fall off but the point is that
you can stay healthy and keep playing. The HSO has an
innovative preventative health plan. They have a
contract with a local physical therapist and they pay
for our physical therapy. We have very good health care
insurance.
<Sara>:
Speaking of healthy, have you read Janet Horvath's book
on Playing less hurt? do you subscribe to any of her
recommendations?
Paul Barrett:
That's an excellent book. I just completed a full year's
worth of PT for Tenosynovitis which is a swelling of the
tendon sheath. In my case, on the right wrist.
Drew McManus:
Which came first for you two, the marriage or the job?
Paul Barrett:
I was here for 4 years; met Judy on the mainland and she
came here from the Syracuse Symphony.
<Trickysam9>:
What's the status of your music director search?
Paul Barrett:
We're currently having a series of guest conductors. Go
to
www.honolulusymphony.com
or
www.honolulusymphonymusicians.org
for a complete list.
<Trickysam9>:
How was the list of guests compiled? Have they all guest
conducted before?
Paul Barrett:
The list of guests was compiled by the conductor search
committee, a joint board/musician group. Most of them
we've never seen before.
<Elliot>:
Who are some of the conductors the orchestra is looking
at?
Paul Barrett:
Try the web sites I mentioned (above) for a complete
list.
<Cina>:
Have you ever taken a leave of absence from the
orchestra?
Paul Barrett:
When the orchestra went dark in the early 90's there was
an alternative orchestra formed, the Hawaii Symphony.
Most unfortunately, the HSO ended up bankrupt, 21 weeks
in arrears of payroll. Luckily for me, there was a
bassoon opening in the Royal Hawaiian Band right then.
The RHB is the only full-time band in the nation. It's a
city job, with good benefits, etc. The fellow that had
the job before me was there for 40 years, so the timing
for me was excellent! Once the HSO got up and running, I
went back as it was impossible to do both jobs due to
time conflicts.
Drew McManus:
Went dark?
Paul Barrett:
Management says we were on strike. Musicians say we were
locked out.?
<Elliot>:
Sounds like what happened in Utah.
Paul Barrett:
We'd NEVER cross a picket line! No matter which union.
Drew McManus:
Does your local union office help with the strike
preparedness duties?
Paul Barrett:
Yes, the local is very supportive. l We have a number of
committees for strike preparedness. Obviously there's a
picket committee- they make signs, get permits, etc.
There's a finance committee- they make loans from our
internal fund. There's a committee that helps people get
ready as far as food and other items goes. There's even
a 'hearts and flowers' committee. They write cards and
other niceties, and organize potlucks.
<Sara>:
Did you play with the Hawaii symphony?
Paul Barrett:
I played with them for a while but eventually it got too
crazy to do both jobs so I took 6 months off.
<Elliot>:
Was Don Ho headlining the RHB? LOL
Paul Barrett:
Believe it or not, Don Ho is still performing!
<Cina>:
Have you sat on audition committee's for auditions being
held that was not bassoon? How do you judge them when
you don't play that specific instrument?
Paul Barrett:
Good question. We all hear other instruments play and we
know what makes a good musician. Most finalists can play
their instrument so the thing that makes the winners
stand out is the ability to make a convincing phrase.
<Elliot>:
So, what does make a good musician in your mind? What
separates them from the rest?
Paul Barrett:
There was a study in Germany that compared the brains of
amateur musicians with professional (or more
accomplished) players. The amateurs use the motion part
of the brain. The pros use the language part.
<Elliot>:
How can you tell this during the auditions? What do you
look for?
Paul Barrett:
An excellent musician can tell a story, make music, show
creativity. That's what we're looking for and I think
that applies to any instrument. This is one good thing
about a committee being large for auditions, the more
opinions the better!
Paul Barrett:
The Berlin Phil invites all tenured musicians to attend
auditions. I think that's really good idea, I'm
proposing it to our negotiation committee.
MyAuditions:
Members, we have five minutes left. Paul, would you like
to extend until 15 minutes past the hour?
Paul Barrett:
Sure, 15 more works for me!
<Sara>:
What is the committee comprised of? What's the breakdown
per instrument and how many?
Paul Barrett:
Currently the committee (locally) is comprised of one
rep from each section, plus the principals in the
general section. So for example if it's a flute opening,
all the woodwind principals would be there, plus the 13
members of the committee. For the mainland tour, we can
only afford to send 4 musicians, so we vote for those
four. Usually it's pretty obvious who goes.
<Elliot>:
Do you screen at your finals?
Paul Barrett:
All of our auditions are screened.
<Bob
Phillips>:
Will the orchestra have a real vote on who the next
music director is? Didn't your pops conductor recently
leave, too? What about your executive director?
Paul Barrett:
Matt Catingub, our Pops conductor, moved to LA recently
but still works with us. Currently there's an ED search.
By contract, we can deny an appointment with a no vote
for both the MD and the ED.
<Sara>:
Do you and your wife ever perform together outside the
orchestra?
Paul Barrett:
Yes- we just did a funeral last week!
<Cina>:
Oh my, a funeral. That must have been interesting. What
did you perform?
Paul Barrett:
We have a book of duets that we've used over the years.
<Sara>:
Is there much duet music written for violin and bassoon?
Paul Barrett:
Not much. I've written some and there's a few
contemporary pieces as well as a whole book of Paganini
duets! So, our duet book is mostly generic stuff for
treble clef and bass clef that works for us. For
example, the Hovannes Sonata for Oboe and Bassoon and
some of the Bach 2 part inventions. Some of the Barret
oboe pieces, etc.
<Elliot>:
Has the HSO been affected much by the "changing of the
guard?"
Paul Barrett:
It's an opportunity for positive change but it is a bit
unsettling for the moment. I think we need to realize
that we're all in the same boat. I like this site
(MyAuditions) precisely because it seems to bring
everyone together.
Paul Barrett:
My hope is that things will get better. Recently, we
took a 20% pay cut. We want those restored!! (this is a
negotiation year). During negotiation years, the
orchestra committee interviews each musician so that
they know how the orchestra feels about current issues.
There is always one thing or another going on.
<Elliot>:
MyAuditions is a good site. Not often that I get the
chance to learn from musicians and administrators. I
especially like the forums and your blog too!!
Paul Barrett:
Thanks! I enjoy writing them. Wish I had more free time
to write more!
<Elliot>:
Do you perform in any small chamber groups as well as
teach and play with the orchestra?
Paul Barrett:
There's a group here in Hawaii called Chamber Music
Hawaii that is comprised of HSO musicians. The
bassoonist with that group is founding member Marsha
Schweitzer, but I have played with them as a substitute
on occasion.
<Bob
Phillips>:
Have all of the candidates conducted HSO previously?
Paul Barrett:
No - most of them are new to us. It's amazing how
quickly you can figure out a conductor, though.
<Bob
Phillips>:
How can they hire a music director if there's no
executive director?
Paul Barrett:
Chicken --- or egg??
MyAuditions:
We are about finished. Paul, let's take one more
question, shall we?
<Cina>:
What are some of your hobbies outside of the orchestra?
Paul Barrett:
Believe it or not, we hardly ever get to the beach! I
work on the house a lot. We're putting in an irrigation
system right at the moment. I need to paint it, too. My
wife and daughter are big on horses and we own two so
they are at the barn a lot. I like to go the local
"Y"
and work out there. I seem to spend a lot of time in
front of the computer, too!
<Sara>:
Thanks for doing this tonight. I really enjoyed it!
Paul Barrett:
Let's hear it for 'Tiny Bubbles'!!
MyAuditions:
That is the last question for this evenings celebrity
chat. MyAuditions would very much like to thank Paul for
taking the time this evening to chat with us. A
transcript of this evening's chat will be made available
to members in the coming days. Look for the link
"Event
Transcripts" on the celebrity chat main page if you wish
to access it.
Paul Barrett:
My pleasure. I hope it was educational as well!
<Cina>:
Thank you Paul.
<Elliott>:
Excellent discussion! Thanks for your time today.
Paul Barrett:
Aloha!
MyAuditions:
Thank you again Paul. Also, please make sure that you
check the schedule for next month's featured celebrity
chat with Ramon Ricker - Clarinet/Bass Clarinet with the
Rochester Philharmonic; Director of the Institute for
Music Leadership; and Professor of Saxophone at the
Eastman School of Music. This event will take place
Tuesday, December 6, 2005 at 7pm Eastern Time. This
concludes this evening?s program. Good night.
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