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 Carl
Topilow is renowned worldwide for his versatility, whether he is holding
a conductors baton or his trademark red clarinet. He is a multi-talented
virtuoso who equally at home in classical and popular music both as
conductor and instrumentalist. Carls pops performances blend light
classical, swing, jazz, Broadway, Dixieland, and Klezmer music, usually
finding occasion to include a number on his array of brightly colored
clarinets. His unique approach to pops programming includes extensive
audience involvement and true showmanship.
More...
Transcript Recorded: 05-02-2006
- 07:01:28PM
EST
MyAuditions: Greetings Members. Welcome to MyAuditions celebrity chat. Our
featured artist this evening is Maestro Carl Topilow.
MyAuditions:
Maestro Topilow recently celebrated his 28th anniversary as
Music Director and Conductor of the National Repertory
Orchestra, a summer music festival in Breckenridge, CO.
Topilow is also Conductor and Director of the Orchestral
Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Currently in
his 25th year as conductor of the CIM Orchestras, he is also
head of the Masters program in orchestral conducting.
MyAuditions: Also
in Cleveland, he founded the Cleveland Pops currently in its
11th season. As a guest conductor, Topilow has appeared
around the world with orchestras in Canada, China, England,
France, Germany, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland
and Venezuela, as well as in 30 states.
MyAuditions: This
is a moderated chat and all comments are pre-screened and
will be pre-approved by Maestro Topilow prior to public
display on this forum.
MyAuditions:
Welcome Carl!
Carl Topilow:
Thanks! It’s a pleasure to be with you this evening.
MyAuditions:
Thanks for joining us.
Carl Topilow:
Ready to roll.
MyAuditions:
Great. Let's get started. Please tell us how you
transitioned from a clarinetist to a conductor?
Carl Topilow: I
liked the challenge of creating from more than one line and
I have a really slow single tongue!
MyAuditions: LOL
:)
MyAuditions: The
forum is now open to questions from our audience.
<Andrew>: Hi
Maestro!! Can you tell me about the National Repertory
Orchestra and how it is different from the New World in
Miami?
Carl Topilow: It's
actually quite similar. We play only in the summer, but like
New World we play lots of repertoire, and have seminars and
coaching.
<Java>: Hi. Thanks
for attending! How are auditions conducted with the NRO?
Carl Topilow: We
audition in about 15 cities. I personally do NYC, Chicago
and Cleveland and we have various people around the country
doing auditions on our behalf and sending mini discs to me
of the auditions, with recommendations and comments.
<Andrew>: How are
auditions conducted?
Carl Topilow: We
ask for a solo of choice for strings, plus 3 specified
excerpts and a concerto of our choice plus 3 specified
excerpts for winds and brass.
Musician: How many
attend the auditions and how do you get through so many
candidates?
Carl Topilow: We
routinely hear 600-700 candidates for our summer festival.
Each player gets to play a full audition, and we also offer
critiques for those who are interested in receiving
comments.
<Andrew>: Which
auditions do you usually attend and which instruments?
Carl Topilow: I
listen to all instruments, including percussion. This
experience is actually valuable as a conductor, as it's
important to know about all the orchestral instruments.
Musician: Do you
usually attend the principal auditions? How do you determine
rank?
Carl Topilow: I
listen to all NRO auditions, either in person or on
mini-disc. We generally have rotating wind chairs, so
everyone gets some principal playing
<Andrew>: I guess
the clarinet auditions is one you like to attend and
probably places a lot of pressure on clarinetists to perform
in front of you?
Carl Topilow: I
hope not.
<Java>: Are there
any well known orchestral musicians who have gone through
the NRO program?
Carl Topilow:
Every orchestra in the USA has NRO alumni, the Cleveland
Orchestra has 22!
Musician: Wow, 22
alumni?
Carl Topilow: 22
alumni in the Cleveland Orchestra is correct - most
orchestras have between 5-10, but the Colorado Symphony has
I believe 17. Every place I go as guest conductor I always
meet alumni.
<Andrew>: When you
are not doing auditions, who does it for you?
Carl Topilow:
Auditions are done usually by alumni or by prominent
musicians, who have had some affiliation with the NRO; guest
conductors, clinicians, etc.
<Java>: What type
of repertoire does the orchestra tackle?
Carl Topilow: We
play standard repertoire and some out of the way pieces as
well. You can look at www.nromusic.com to see this season's
programs.
<Java>:
Is the audition repertoire posted on the NRO web site? I
guess the audition dates have already passed?
Carl Topilow: Yes
they have - check in November for info about NRO 2007.
<Andrew>: Do many CIM (Cleveland Institute of Music) students
attend the NRO?
Carl Topilow: We
usually have about 15 or so.
Musician: When's the season start?
Carl Topilow:
Opening night in Breckenridge is June 17, and we play until
August 6.
<Andrew>: What do
you attribute your staying power to the 28 years with the
NRO?
Carl Topilow: I'd
say the fact that I spend essentially the whole summer there
- I do the rotations for the winds, sectional rehearsals
when needed. I'm not an absentee conductor. Also, especially
in the summer, I enjoy my presentation of the music to the
audience. I explain certain features about the music, give
them guides to follow, super titles for tone poems. I'm a
big proponent of "active listening", involving the audience
in the performance.
<Andrew>: Which guest conductors come to Breckenridge?
Carl Topilow: This summer we have JoAnn Falletta, Andrew Litton, and Stephan
Sanderling. We've had excellent guests over the years.
Musician: Greetings sir. Which conductor do you consider to be your greatest
influence?
Carl Topilow: I
studied at the National Orchestra Association. in NYC with
Leon Barzin and also was greatly influenced by Otto Werner
Mueller, who was guest conductor for NRO on several
occasions.
<Andrew>: Is the
National Orchestra Association still around?
Carl Topilow: The
NOA no longer exists.
<Andrew>: What
happened to the NOA?
Carl Topilow: Not
sure what happened them (NOA).
<Java>: Where have
you guest conducted and any interesting stories to share
about your experiences with them?
Carl Topilow: I've
been fortunate to conduct lots of places, and every one is
an interesting challenge. Shanghai China was pretty
interesting - the violin soloists, whose name I could not
pronounce, wound up playing in the NRO and in the Houston
Symphony!
Musician: What's
the story behind the red clarinet? Is it a Buffet (clarinet
model)?
Carl Topilow: I'm
actually a Yamaha performing artist, but play a Vito student
model plastic (red) clarinet. I have blue, white, and green,
and can combine colors. Red white and blue for the Stars and
Stripes piccolo obbligato, red, white and green for an
Italian medley, etc. I guess I got the idea from the red
violin - why not a red clarinet?
<Andrew>: Red
clarinet is pretty neat looking. Did you have it custom
made? How’s the tone compared to the normal looking ones?
Carl Topilow: The
red clarinet is not quite as mellow like a wooden clarinet,
nor does it play as well in tune. However, with a good reed
and mouthpiece, I can make it sound decent. It’s made by
Vito, and costs abut $350.
Musician: So, the
red clarinet is more for show then for performance?
Carl Topilow: Yes.
It's amazing that at the Cleveland Pops concerts, people
wait in the audience to see when I'm going to play the red
clarinet. Sometimes it's right at the beginning of the
concert, like last Friday night in Cleveland, or sometimes
it’s the encore, but I usually make sure to include a number
on it.
<Andrew>: Do you
also solo with the NRO or is that more with the Cleveland
Pops Orchestra?
Carl Topilow:
Cleveland Pops, and occasionally with the NRO.
<Java>:
Where do you draw your musicians for the Pops? Are they
mostly freelance or per service players?
Carl Topilow: The Cleveland Pops musicians are all per service players - we do
about 15 concerts per year, and use freelancers in
Cleveland. They are CIM faculty, local college faculty,
etc., also some CIM students.
Musician: What is
the Cleveland Institute (CIM) like? I have heard many good
things about the school.
Carl Topilow:
Cleveland Institute is a fine school - the faculty is very
strong and very supportive. The school is small; everyone
gets lots of orchestral experience and attention.
Musician: Is CIM a
bit like Curtis where you have the opportunity to play with
Cleveland Orchestra members and possibly even get hired with
the orchestra after graduation?
Carl Topilow: Some
of our students have subbed with the Cleveland Orchestra.
CIM has about 30 alumni in the Cleveland Orchestra.
<Andrew>: I see that you perform a wide variety of music; classical,
swing, jazz, Broadway, Dixieland, and Klezmer. Which do you
prefer and which is most fun?
Carl Topilow: All
of it! I have a real love of Broadway and Hollywood music -
our Pops concert last Friday of Broadway music with fabulous
guest artists was a blast! 2 days previous the CIM orchestra
played V Williams Sym #2 at Severance Hall - another amazing
experience. I'm very fortunate to be able to perform a great
variety of excellent music.
<Java>:
What's Klezmer?
Carl Topilow:
Klezmer is actually music that was played by Jewish
musicians for the past 200 years or so at weddings, etc.,
that's been passed down through generations.
<Andrew>: What's
the most challenging work you have conducted?
Carl Topilow: Good
question - Beethoven 3, Mahler 2, Stravinsky’s
Petrouchka - every work is a challenge! Now that I think
about it, probably the Bartok Concerto for Violin, which
I've done 4 or 5 times. During a performance of it, I'm
always happy to see that last page of the score roll around.
Musician: What's
your take on the state of the orchestra industry? Seems like
a lot of struggling going on lately with staying afloat.
Carl Topilow: This
is a tough question to answer, and multi-faceted. I think
that conductors and musicians need to make the concert
experience exciting and relevant. The decline of music
education and the fact that orchestras are expensive animals
are also factors.
DWhit17:
When are you going to root for a real baseball club? Carl, I
have to run off to a rehearsal. See you in 5 weeks in
Breckenridge! Folks, you want to learn the repertory? Come
to the NRO!
Carl Topilow: Hey,
we beat the White Sox today! See you soon!!
Musician: Are
there some of your CIM grad conductors playing anywhere we
would know?
Carl Topilow:
Conductors who have graduated from the masters program at
CIM include Steve Smith, former assistant Cleveland
Orchestra and conductor of Santa Fe Orchestra, Jose Luis
Novo, conductor of Binghamton and Annapolis Orchestras, Izzy
Getzov, assistant of Arkansas Symphony…
Carl Topilow:
Jason Seber, Louisville Youth Orchestra, Sean Newhouse,
Debut Orchestra, and others. I'm proud of my students'
accomplishments.
Musician: Do you
ever get to perform with any of your grads?
Carl Topilow: Yes
– among my most memorable performances was when I conducted
The Lark Ascending with the NRO - the violin soloist was my
daughter Jenny, who was also my student at CIM. She also
played the St. Saens Violin Concerto #3, 1st
movement in the very first Cleveland Pops Orchestra concert
when she was in high school.
Musician: Are you
the only faculty member at CIM in the conducting program?
Carl Topilow:
Louis Lane also works with the conductors. We've had some
guest instructors, including Michael Tilson Thomas this
year.
Musician: Did MTT conduct the CIM orchestra while in town?
Carl Topilow: Yes,
he did one hour of Brahms Tragic Overture with the
orchestra, and then my students did Tchaikovsky Romeo and
Juliet under his guidance.
Musician: What was
it like having MTT? Must have been a real buzz!
Carl Topilow: It
was!
<Java>:
You seem awfully busy. What hobbies do you have outside of
music?
Carl Topilow:
Foreign languages, especially Italian, which I speak
reasonably well, reading, especially historical fiction, I
used to jog (3 marathons - ouch!) and now do treadmill, and
Cleveland spectator sports.
Musician: How many
students do you accept each year?
Carl Topilow: I
usually have 2 or 3 conducting students, but will have 4
next year
<Andrew>: The UK
rates Mozart Clarinet Concerto as their favorite work? Do
you agree?
Carl Topilow: I
play the first movement almost daily - it's a great work,
and one that he wrote very late in life. Too bad he wasn't
able to write more for the clarinet.
<Andrew>: When you
attend auditions, what stands out in the person's playing?
What do you look for?
Carl Topilow: I
look for good rhythm and pitch, but most importantly,
someone who has a real sense of phrasing, and plays with
character.
<Bellomaestro>:
Hello maestro. What goes into deciding potential conducting
students?
Carl Topilow: Good
question - good ear, sense of pacing - that sort of hard to
define something that creates good music. Also leadership
qualities, and, for my masters program, a strong background
in orchestral music.
<Andrew>: Seems
that the orchestral community is in disarray. What would you
suggest they do to improve current work conditions?
Carl Topilow: Not
sure what you mean - each orchestra is different. Some
orchestras have contracts that are very restrictive. I think
that one has to be careful not to limit possibilities for
creative ideas and projects. For example, the Seattle
Symphony was able to do lots of recordings through a more
elastic contract.
<Basalin69>:
Hello.... just wondering if you
might comment on ways that players can take initiatives in
going out into the communities to promote live classical
music/educate, etc... and also how players might effectively
present new development ideas to respective managements.
Carl Topilow:
Excellent question - for professional orchestras, a flexible
contract might allow for members to be able to perform these
kinds of functions. It's all in the presentation - once an
opportunity presents itself, it must be done effectively,
with interaction and creative ways toward making music
exciting for the consumer.
Musician: I think
musicians have to realize that there is more then just
playing in an orchestra these days. Every one of them has to
be a spokesperson for the group.
Carl Topilow: I
couldn't agree more!
<Andrew>: Some
musicians think they just have to show up and play. Those
days are long gone.
Carl Topilow: I
think and hope you're right, because we are in a field which
is competitive in that our public has lots of entertainment
choices.
<Bellomaestro>:
Do you have any advice for a young talented conductor who is
always hired as an violinist? Do you think it is a bad thing
to have more of a performance career before becoming a
conductor, or should one stick strongly to only conducting
opportunities?
Carl Topilow: I
think that having lots of things you can do as a musician is
really good. However, you're right - there is a point that
you need to be known as a conductor rather than an
instrumentalist. But, the need to be a fine instrumentalist
as a conductor is paramount to me.
<Bellomaestro>:
For the graduate program at CIM, does CIM look at conducting
applicant’s grades?
Carl Topilow:
Maybe the admissions office does, but I don't.
<Java>:
Any advice for grads just starting out on the audition
circuit?
Carl Topilow: Yes.
Before doing auditions, be sure that your technique is very
solid. Be sure that your excerpts are well played, musical,
and researched. Don't play solely excerpts in your practice
routine - if an excerpt contains staccato or spiccato, for
example, find ancillary exercises that will enable you to
play the excerpt with more ease.
Musician: I would
guess that orchestra musicians would respect a conductor who
has prior orchestral instrumental experience?
Carl Topilow: I
think so, especially if they are still active performers.
Musician: Do you
do any chamber ensemble work as a clarinetist outside of
conducting and, if so, with whom?
Carl Topilow: I
have 2, and soon will have 3, recordings of clarinet and
piano music, most of it light. I play chamber music
performances once or twice per year.
MyAuditions:
Members, we have about five minutes left. Please refrain
from posting any additional questions so Carl can answer the
remaining ones in the queue.
<Andrew>: What are
some of your favorite works to perform?
Carl Topilow:
Great question, but hard to answer! Barber Symphony #1;
Copland Symphony #3; Strauss; Mahler; Dvorak; Vaughan
Williams and John Williams.
<Bellomaestro>:
Don't you love the boogie woogie progression at the end of
Dvorak No. 9 "New World"?!
Carl Topilow: I
do.
MyAuditions: Carl, we have time for one last question before we wrap up.
Lmmviolin: Do you
have any quick thoughts on festival auditions and tape
editing?
Carl Topilow: Some
festivals specify that no editing is allowed. If you are
able to splice, I would suggest not doing little snippets,
do large sections of the piece or excerpt.
MyAuditions: That
is the last question for this evenings celebrity chat.
MyAuditions would very much like to thank Maestro Carl
Topilow for taking the time this evening to chat with us.
MyAuditions: 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.
<Andrew>: Thanks
for coming tonight!
Musician: Thank
you for attending this evening.
<Java>:
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time!!!
<Bellomaestro>:
:)
Carl Topilow: I'd
like to thank everyone who logged in this evening!
MyAuditions: Thank
you again Carl and thank you members. This concludes this
evening’s program. Good night.
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