Celebrity Chat Forum

Connect in real time and interact with the performing arts industry's top professionals. Please read the Guidelines prior to participating.

As a senior administrator at Eastman, Dr. Ricker has been instrumental in shaping Eastman’s innovative Arts Leadership curriculum that offers courses on Entrepreneurship and Careers, Leadership and Administration, Performance, Contemporary Orchestral Issues and The Healthy Musician. More...

Transcript Recorded: 12-06-2005 - 07:02:09PM EST

MyAuditions: Greetings Members. Welcome to MyAuditions celebrity chat. Our featured artist this evening is Ramon Ricker, clarinetist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Senior Associate Dean for Professional Studies and Director of the Institute for Music Leadership and Professor of Saxophone at the Eastman School of Music. This is a moderated chat and all comments are pre-screened and will be pre-approved by Dr. Ricker prior to public display on this forum.
MyAuditions: Dr. Ricker, are you there?
Ramon Ricker: I'm here.
MyAuditions: Welcome Dr. Ricker and thank you for joining us this evening!
MyAuditions: May we call you Ray this evening?
Ramon Ricker: sure.
MyAuditions: Ray, how did you get your start on the clarinet?
Ramon Ricker: I started on clarinet at the age to 10. I was in a "boy's band" in Denver Colo. It was sponsored by the Denver Police department.
MyAuditions: LOL. that is some start!
Ramon Ricker: I guess so. The organization was called the Jr. Police Band and we had little police outfits... anyway the instruction was very good, but by today's standards the discipline was too severe. Yikes!
MyAuditions: The forum is now open to member questions.
<Albert J.>: What position are you in the RPO (Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra) clarinet section?
Ramon Ricker: I play third and bass clarinet. Saxophone when needed.
<Simon>: How long have you been with the RPO?
Ramon Ricker: 1973 I won an audition.
<Helena>: When is there the need for sax in the orchestra?
Ramon Ricker: Actually I play it quite a bit -- the standard stuff plus lot's of POPS concerts.
<Zena>: Hi Ray. Thanks for coming tonight! Can you give me an overview of the IML (Institute for Music Leadership) program at Eastman please?
Ramon Ricker: Well, this could be a lengthy discussion, but basically we focus on the area of leadership. By that I mean giving our students the skills to be advocates for their Art.
Ramon Ricker: In addition to being a strong player and having some theoretical and historical knowledge we recognize that to be successful in today's music world you need some real-world skills. We are trying to provide that and to especially give our graduates 1-5 years out information that will help them get some traction in the music world during this difficult time in their professional lives.
Ramon Ricker: The IML is not a program in itself. Under the IML umbrella are several diploma and certificate programs. Within it we have a curriculum of courses that are open to all Eastman students. They are all elective and quite popular with the students.
Flutewoman5: Does Eastman require performance majors to take management classes in the undergraduate and graduate programs.
Ramon Ricker: No. Not required.
Flutewoman5: Has it been considered to make it required? I find that being a performer really does take a lot of personal interaction skills, verbally and, even if you can play your flute/or whatever instrument really well. it seems like the business really needs people to be able to all work together... communication... has it been discussed to make it a requirement?
Ramon Ricker: We want to give students choices. Judging by the popularity of the courses I'd say that those students who want to get this info are getting it.
<Joe>: What effect has the Institute of Music Leadership had on Eastman?
Ramon Ricker: I think the main effect it has had is that it has got us all thinking and talking about what constitutes the "best" most relevant curriculum for our students who are entering the professional world. . .
Ramon Ricker: By professional world I don't mean just performers, but also scholars, educators, etc.
<Lynn Smethwick>: Hi Ray.  I understand you have a program that allows students to play with the RPO.  How did you work to get that approved with orchestra members and administration?
Ramon Ricker: That was somewhat tricky since we had to develop a program that wouldn't put any musician out of work. We started a series of discussions with the union, ESM (Eastman School of Music) and the Rochester Philharmonic (RPO). We could all see that it was a win-win for all 3 parties. We just had to find a way to make it happen, and we did. I urge all of you to check out our website.  Check out “Orchestral Studies” at http://www.esm.rochester.edu/IML. Lot's of good info there.
Licorice_man: Hello moderator How can I see the discussion to date?
MyAuditions: A transcript of this evenings discussion will be posted in the days to come.
<Spencer>: What would you say is the most important quality when selecting a student for Eastman?
Ramon Ricker: Let's talk undergraduates -- you have to be able to play. That's the foundation upon which everything is built.
<Kirk>: What types of careers have students of the IML program gone into?
Ramon Ricker: They have all the usual careers like playing in orchestra, military bands, teaching public school and privately, but in addition some of our Arts advocacy and entrepreneurial courses have opened some students to the possibility of following careers in administration. Just this last year 3 of the 4 (maybe 5) fellowship students in the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL) program were ESM grads.
<Kirk>: You mentioned 3 former Eastman IML students are now ASOL fellows. Did they get those fellowships immediately following graduation? Or, did they have other jobs prior to the fellowship?
Ramon Ricker: They weren't all just out of ESM. They had good intern experience. The IML sponsored one in an internship with the SPCO (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) for example.
<Albert J.>: What are your views on the latest free tuition offered by Yale? Do you think this is a trend more schools will be moving towards?
Ramon Ricker: We'd love to give everyone a full ride and if this was Europe, we would be doing that. But unfortunately, universities have to rely on the private sector, for the most part, to build endowments that can kick off enough $ to give good scholarships. Actually we do very well. We all wish it was free. In regard to Yale... they are graduate school of music and their number of students are much less than ours.
<Zena>: How does the IML program compare with the ASOL orchestra management institute program?
Ramon Ricker: We aren't in competition with ASOL. We give our students a taste of what a career as an orchestra administrator could be. We facilitate them securing internships in the RPO and elsewhere. For example St. Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) and St. Martin's in the Fields.
Licorice_man: Can you translate "play" into an RCM grade level.
Ramon Ricker: I don't understand RCM grade level. Is that Royal Canadian Music? That's a joke.
<Lynn Smethwick>: Is there an entrepreneurship component to any of the IML programs?

Ramon Ricker: There sure is. That's an area in which we are really concentrating--trying you give our students the tools to put together a career that combines their talents and interests into a package that fits them.
<Albert J.>: Do you keep statistics on the ratio of IML grads pursuing a music career vs. non-music career?
Ramon Ricker: We have a pretty good idea, but we want good solid numbers so we are in the process of surveying our alums to get some hard data.
<Simon>: How many alumni's are there from the IML program and are they just musicians?
Ramon Ricker: I can tell you that over 800 of our ESM graduates (that’s out of a grand total of about 10,000) indicated that they are or were members or administrators in orchestras. That's a very high number. In some orchestras it is in the double digits.
<Simon>: I am interested in attending Eastman in 2007. I also play clarinet. What concerto would you best advise I play at the audition?
Ramon Ricker: Play any one that you are the most comfortable with and feel the most connection with. Don't play the Nielsen if you are just hanging on with it. Play something that you can really get into and say something.
<Spencer>: I recently read that the RPO just renewed its contract with musicians. How has the relationship between musicians and management been since?
Ramon Ricker: In general, we have a good relationship with the management. Mutual respect.
Ann Drinan: Tell us a bit about the Orchestra Musician Forum, Ray.
Ramon Ricker: The OMF is our step into trying to become the place for professional orchestra musicians to find information that affects there professional lives...
Ramon Ricker: Today musicians more than ever need to know more about the non-playing side of orchestra life. We hope that the OM Forum or Polyphonic.com as it is called will be the "go to" place for orchestra musicians when they want to broaden their understanding on issues that affect them.
<Simon>: That seems to be exactly the mission of MyAuditions.
<Zena>: I am curios to know if Eastman and MyAuditions work together. It seems the message is the same as per your last statement.
Ramon Ricker: We don't work together, but our thinking is coming from the same place. 
Ramon Ricker: I think that if any of us look at the recent past and try to predict what the future holds for "classical music" we can get an uneasy feeling in our stomachs. We decided to do something about that. I'm actually very positive on the future ahead for our alums, but our students won't get jobs like their teacher's. They will be different and they will be eclectic. Keep your options open.
Drew McManus: Is the OMF a nonprofit organization?
Ramon Ricker: Hi Drew. We're definitely not for profit. This is strictly an esoteric but, we think, vital undertaking.
MyAuditions: Members, we have just a few minutes left. Ray, would you like to extend until 15 minutes past the hour?
Ramon Ricker: Sure.
MyAuditions: Thank you. Please continue.
<Helena>: How do you balance your responsibilities with the IML program, the orchestra, your students and family life? You are a very busy man!!
Ramon Ricker: I'm a busy person, but I guess I like it that way. I try to relax each night with a good meal. My wife is very much like me, except she is nicer.
<Spencer>: How is Juliana Athayde, your new concertmaster, working out? Is her age a detriment at all?
Ramon Ricker: She is a fantastic musician and really fits in well. Her age is no problem from what I see. When you get respect you can be 21 or 81, It doesn't matter.
<Zena>: Recently, there has been several appointments to the orchestra. Have the new musicians gelled with the orchestra?
Ramon Ricker: Sometimes there is an adjustment period, but the new players we currently have in place are all solid and contributing to the music.
<Simon>: Do many of the RPO musicians teach at Eastman?
Ramon Ricker: Several do. But only about 3 of us are full-time ESM faculty. Many are part-time.
<Spencer>: How difficult is it for students overseas interesting in attending Eastman to get an audition? Can it be done by audio tape or does it have to be in person? I am in Scotland, by the way.
Ramon Ricker: Live auditions are always best, but we have many foreign students. Today with DVD's etc. we can get around the distance issue. What is your instrument?
<Spencer>: Double bass.
Ramon Ricker: I'd say that you should write to James Vandemark and let him know that you are out there and interested. Our faculty travels a lot. You never know where they will be. Maybe you can make a personal contact. That is always the best.
<Spencer>: Cheers! Thank you!
MyAuditions: Ray, we have time for one last question.
<Helena>: How is the RPO audition committee set up? How are instruments represented at each audition from the orchestra musicians?
Ramon Ricker: When an opening occurs a committee is elected. If it is a flute opening, for example, the members would mostly be woodwinds.
<Zena>: Thank you for coming tonight.
<Simon>: Thanks for attending.
MyAuditions: That is the last question for this evenings celebrity chat. MyAuditions would very much like to thank Dr. Ramon Ricker 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.
<Albert J.>: Thanks for doing this!
Ramon Ricker: You're welcome. You too. Simon and Zena.
MyAuditions: Please make sure that you check our schedule for next month's featured celebrity chat with Nestor Herszbaum, Principal Flute with the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra. This event will take place Monday, January 9, 2006 at 7pm Eastern Time. This concludes this evening's celebrity chat. Good night.