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Douglas Yeo was born in Monterey, California, and grew up in Valley Stream, New York (where he began playing the trombone at the age of nine). Before joining the Boston Symphony Orchestra/Boston Pops Orchestra in May 1985, he was a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1981-1985 and he was on the faculties of the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. He holds a bachelor of music degree with honor from Wheaton College in Illinois and a master of arts degree from New York University. More...

Transcript Recorded: 10-19-2005 - 07:00:29PM EST

MyAuditions: Greetings Members. Welcome to MyAuditions celebrity chat. Our featured artist this evening is Douglas Yeo, Bass Trombonist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. This is a moderated chat and all comments are pre-screened and will be pre-approved by Doug prior to public display on this forum.
MyAuditions: Welcome Doug!
Douglas Yeo: Hello, I'd like to welcome everyone to today's chat.
MyAuditions: We would like to thank Doug for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat with us this evening.
MyAuditions: Doug, how'd did you get your start with the bass trombone?
Douglas Yeo: I began playing the trombone at age nine but I tell people the trombone chose me, not the other way around. I wanted to play the trumpet, but by the time the band director got to people whose name began with "Y" he had given out all of the trumpets so I got a trombone. When I got home and blew my first note, I was hooked. I first played bass trombone as a member of the All Eastern Orchestra when I was a senior in high school.
MyAuditions: The forum is now open to questions from the audience.
jft: If I may ask, what is your favorite Wagner Opera, and why?
Douglas Yeo: It's hard to find a favorite of anything, or draw up a "desert island" list. But I think, to answer your question, I would have to say "Gotterdammerung" (sorry, I don't know how to write German umlauts in this chat!). The music is sublime and I've played both bass trumpet and contrabass trombone on that opera and find it to have some of the most beautiful musical poetry I have every heard or played. The whole Ring Cycle seems to be summed up in that sublime moment when Brunnhilde closes Siegfried's eyes. The bass trumpet plays that moment - it always sends chill up my spine.
USCBone: What was your motivation to master the craft?
Douglas Yeo: I've always been a self-starter, a person who decides he wants to do something and then does it. When I decided, in high school, that I wanted to be a music major, I didn't know the implications of that. I had no idea what a symphony schedule looked like, I didn't know what the job paid, or a thing about an EMG, SOE, AFM or anything. I just knew I wanted to play the trombone. So I did. Talent was part of it. Hard work was part of it. And destiny certainly had a part in it.
jft: How much do you practice?
Douglas Yeo: The easy answer is, "As much as I need to for the task at hand." It varies. When I'm playing with the Boston Symphony, I gear my practice around the kind of music we're playing. It's different if I'm playing a Bruckner Symphony or a Mozart Opera. Every day I warm up and do some practicing, perhaps two hours. I'm reminded what violinist Pamela Frank says - don't over practice! There are too many people who play way too much in a day. The hours in a practice room are less important - MUCH less important - than what you accomplish there. Practice with the TV off (literally and figuratively).
Elsie: Hello Mr. Yeo. I am a big fan of the BSO and spend most summers at Tanglewood! I am a trumpet player so I hope you don't mind me joining?
Douglas Yeo: Mind? Not at all! Some of my best friends are trumpet players (as long as they don't sit behind me!). Tanglewood is a very special place; I played my first concerts with the BSO there in the summer of 1984. It amazes me how that environment can bring out some of the best music making I've ever heard.
USCBone: Mostly Talent or Work? Can someone make it simply working as intelligently as possible?
Douglas Yeo: As I said before, I think you need the trinity of talent, hard work and destiny. All of the talent in the world won't get you somewhere if you don' have the work ethic needed. All of the hard work in the world won't make me a linebacker in the National Football League because I have no talent for that. There is something bigger than talent and hard work and that's the whole "Destiny" factor. If it's meant for you to do something, you will do it. You won't know unless you try. Too many people give up trying before they know. When do you know? You'll know, I assure you!
jft: Wouldn't you agree that practice time varies from person to person? Some people need to practice a lot to accomplish their goals, and other people don't. I don't think that one can advocate one side or another.
Douglas Yeo: Yes, of course it varies from person to person. But many people assume they need to practice X number of hours a day. They actually can be damaging themselves. Remember, our embouchure is made of the only muscles in the body - apart from the heart - that are not attached to bone. They are incredibly strong but incredibly fragile as they are all interconnected. I have seen many students and professionals suffer from practicing and playing too much. You need to find the right balance. If you need to practice 8 hours a day to accomplish what you want in a day, you may need to look at how you're doing it. Sometimes we lift weights when we just need to open the window and inhale a cool breeze.
Swimbo: Mr. Yeo, you said the trombone chose you. Did the bass trombone do the same?
Douglas Yeo: Yes. I was assigned the bass trombone part in high school when I was chosen to play in the All-Eastern Orchestra. Keith Brown was the conductor and he convinced me to come to Indiana University (where I ended up going for my freshman year before transferring to Wheaton College near Chicago). When I got to IU, I was a music education major. I already knew I would be transferring to Wheaton at the end of the year (for the love of my high school sweetheart who is my wife of 30 years now) and I knew I wouldn't need to fulfill the IU requirement that music ed majors play in the marching band for two years. So I wanted to audition for an orchestra that fall semester and I asked Mr. Brown whether I should audition on tenor or bass. He said there were something like 40 tenor trombone and 12 bass trombone players vying for spots in 5 orchestras and 3 bands. I did the math and auditioned for bass trombone and got into orchestra 4; second semester in the top orchestra. I never looked back -I was hooked on the bass trombone.
Swimbo: Why wouldn't you be able to march for two years?
Douglas Yeo: I knew I would be transferring from IU so I wouldn't need to fill that requirement.
Butters: Hi Doug. Greetings from Miami!
Douglas Yeo: Hello, Miami. How long can you tread water (hurricane on the way...)?
Butters: Yes, indeed. I am holding my breathe!
Douglas Yeo: I've been through several hurricanes myself and New England is just getting out from under a week of serious flooding. Phew...
Butters: What do you attribute your success with staying with the BSO for nearly 20 years?
Douglas Yeo: You don't get many 20 year periods in a life time. I have an insatiable love of music and music making, all kinds, not just playing the trombone. I've had a lot of diversity in my playing career and I have a lot of outside interests. I can't say I know what the word "bored" means. I have no idea how long God will allow me to breathe on this planet so I take every day as a gift and try to do what I can to make the world a little better in some small way.
USCBone: In your college years, how active were you outside your school? Did you attend summer festivals?
Douglas Yeo: I had never heard of Tanglewood until I first played with the Boston Symphony. I married my high school sweetheart when I was 20, still in college. I went to school straight through for three years and two summers so I had no free summers to go to music camp. Once I graduated I needed to work to make money to support us and then we started our family. I think summer festivals can be very beneficial but I don't consider them to be "essential" for success. Many people see going to a summer festival as a rite of passage, but I don't think that's necessary.
Douglas Yeo: By the way, I'm sorry for the little delay a few minutes ago, my keyboard suddenly stopped working so I went up stairs and borrowed my wife's keyboard. All is well on the tech level now.
Elsie: Will you be having a going away party for Charlie Schlueter? Can I come!
Douglas Yeo: Every year at Tanglewood the BSO and the Players of the BSO have a party for all of the people who are retiring that season and all those who have just hit the 20 year milestone. So we'll celebrate Mr. Schlueter's retirement at Tanglewood this summer. It's usually limited to the BSO players and their spouses/friends and all living retirees and former members of the orchestra.
David Searle: Hello, Mr. Yeo. Greetings from Helsinki.
Douglas Yeo: Hello David, it's nice of you to join us from Finland. The BSO has one of your adopted country's countrymen conducting us this week, Paavo Berglund. A magnificent musician, conducting Shostakovich Sym 8 and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with Julia Fischer, violin.
David Searle: I had the pleasure of assisting Maestro Berglund last fall. It was a tremendous honor.
Douglas Yeo: He is a great musician. Elderly and frail, but what a sharp mind and great musical ideas. There is much we can learn from our elders!
jft: What playing aspects do you value most when you look at students auditioning for NEC or other groups/events?
Douglas Yeo: In a prospective student I'm looking for a person who has an open mind and a willingness to do different things. Most conductors look for the same thing at an audition. You can't think you know everything. Nobody knows everything, least of all me. As far as qualities, I look first for a beautiful sound, then the basics - pitch, rhythm, dynamic contrasts. I've been to enough auditions that I can tell if a person has the ability to improve things or if they just will stay the same way they are. I need to work with a flexible person, someone who will think outside the box as an artist, not just as a trombone player. You'll notice on my website (yeodoug.com) that my masthead says, "Douglas Yeo, Bass Trombonist." I'm not "Douglas Yeo, Bass Trombone."
Elsie: What's a serpent, ophicleide and bass sackbut and how different are they from your trombone?
Douglas Yeo: These are all early brass instruments and I have a number of photos of them on my website (go to my serpent and trombone photo galleries for some photos). They all use a mouthpiece similar in its basics to my trombone mouthpiece but they all have unique challenges. I would say that playing historical brasses has been a fantastic part of my musical development in the last 10+ years. Last week I took the week off from the BSO to play serpent in a production of Purcell's opera, "Dido and Aeneas" with Boston's Handel and Haydn Society. It was a great week. Playing with different instruments, different players and in a totally different style (completely removed from the modern style of brass playing) makes me be flexible and find new ways to relate to people musically. It's a great joy of my life to play these early instruments and make them speak again.
jft: How do you play the low B to F gliss in Bartok Concerto for Orchestra? I have heard of a few methods of doing it, and I would like to know how you perform it.
Douglas Yeo: I actually use the instrument Bartok wrote it for, the F bass trombone. You can see some photos of my new F bass, which was made for me by Yamaha, on my website (yeodoug.com) in the trombone gallery. You can get to that from the home page. It is a "straight" horn (no valves) and the gliss can be played smoothly from 7th position to 1st, B---->F.
Douglas Yeo: Boy, you all know how to keep the questions coming! I've already made one keyboard toast tonight - good thing I still type 100 words a minute (a hold over from the days when I was in graduate school in New York City, working secretarial jobs during the day and freelancing at night).
Elsie: We aim to please! :)
corman922: What would you suggest for a student that's having response problems. Tone, intonation, etc. are all fine, but just problems getting notes to speak clearly and in time.
Douglas Yeo: Response problems are usually related to air. The embouchure needs the right amount of air to vibrate and get the tone to speak. Many people do the "load and lock" kind of breathing (inhale fast and then hold it before exploding the attack) which is like running 100 meter wind sprints all day. I like to think of breathing as a process, active all the time, active verb: coming in and going out with no stop. Breathe conversationally, like when you talk. Too many people are getting hung up with "how do I breathe?" There's not much too it, we do it hundreds of times each day without thinking. Sometimes we put an overlay of process on top of something that is very natural. I like to have my trombone playing be as natural as possible, like the trombone is just another part of my body. I don't consciously tell my eyelids to blink - they do so automatically. And so I want my trombone playing to be like that - it just does what needs to be done without getting tied up in knots thinking about it. Remember the story of the centipede and the ant? A centipede was chasing an ant and the ant was getting tired. He finally climbed up a blade of grass and said, looking down at the centipede, "Hey! Which one of those legs do you move first?" The centipede couldn't move - because he'd never thought about it (and the ant ran away). Don't make something that works naturally into something that needs another overlay of process. Trust your body and trust yourself.
Butters: Do you remember your audition with the BSO? any thoughts as to what you were thinking when you were auditioning?
Douglas Yeo: I remember it very well. I actually auditioned twice. I was in the Baltimore Symphony and had not taken an audition in 3 years at the time the BSO audition came up. We were very happy in Baltimore but I thought I would take the audition to see how I felt doing it as much as to win the job. While I won the audition, Seiji Ozawa decided he didn't want to hire anyone so I was asked to come and play a few weeks at Tanglewood, on a European tour and for a recording session. And then I had to audition again. And I was offered the job after the second audition. I was very calm during the audition. I talk about this on my website in my article on taking symphony auditions. I was prepared before I got to the audition. I knew what I could do and I knew that if it was meant for me to win the job, I would. I don't get nervous in any kind of situation (read my FAQ on my website about performance anxiety for more on that) so I just did what I knew I could do. Between rounds I didn't practice any more, I was already warmed up so I just spent time drinking water (and going to the men's room...), reading my Bible and praying. I kept to myself. I don't sightsee or chit-chat at auditions. I figure there's time to do that after I win or get cut.
David Searle: Speaking of auditions, I wanted to ask if you had read a New York Times article a few months ago that pointed a finger at conservatories and the orchestra audition process and claimed they have fostered a culture where technical precision and accuracy are prioritized over artistry. As someone who sits on a lot of audition committees, I would be curious about your take on this.
Douglas Yeo: I agree with the premise - that technique and accuracy are prized too much - but on the audition committees where I have sat - whether at the BSO or at New England Conservatory, I find artistry to be most important to the committee members. I reject the "concrete" school of brass playing and want people around me who are flexible artists, not just trombone players. I find it very easy to forgive a missed note at an audition if the presentation is honest. I don't judge people at a standard higher than how I judge myself. I am not a machine, I am a human being. I have faults and frailties, I am not perfect. I make mistakes despite my best efforts not to. So I listen to people through that lens. My kingdom for more musicality at auditions!
Swimbo: How much do you think that equipment affects the music?
Douglas Yeo: You need the right tool to do any job. I mostly use my Yamaha YBL-622 bass trombone in the orchestra. But when we play 18th and 19th century German works (Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms) our section scales down the equipment (our principal trombonist uses an alto trombone, our second player a small bore tenor) so I use a small bore German style bass trombone, the Yamaha BYL-601. I use the Yamaha F bass for Bartok and contrabass trombone when called for.
bach50: In your opinion, have playing standards for bass trombonists improved in the last 25 years? If so how?
Douglas Yeo: I think playing has improved over the last 25 years, for sure, but I'm not sure standards have improved. I think we are seeing the ill effects of an educational system that rewards the effort rather than the result. It's great to make our kids feel good about themselves but we need to correct, admonish and help people strive for excellence. I see a lot of players who can do wonderful technical things on the trombone but the "concrete" way of playing often makes their playing boring and uninteresting. I prefer a flexible, interesting sound and way of playing.
bach50: I recently read some comments about the new Yamaha prototype on OTJ, please tell us why you prefer dependant valves and has it always been that way. Thank you!
Douglas Yeo: Phew, that's a big question. I do have an article about the dependant valves on my website; have a look in my FAQ section. I just find dependent valve bass trombones to blow much more freely than in-line horns, regardless of the type of valve. Remember, we play 90 percent of our notes on bass trombone with no valve at all. Why blow through two valves all the time when you actually need to blow through two valves less than 1% of the time? But see my FAQ for more of my thoughts on this.
Phoenix: How is it working with James Levine? Is it true he stays out of the audition process?
Douglas Yeo: I'm a big fan of James Levine. He is a fantastic musician and the BSO is playing at the highest level I have ever heard. It's really exciting to be a part of what he is bringing to the BSO. Traditionally Jim does not go to auditions; he tends to leave the selection process to the players on the audition committee. He has done this with the Met Orchestra for decades and they seem to have built a mighty find orchestra. He does come to auditions for principal positions. Personally I'd prefer that he be at auditions, but this is his decision.
MyAuditions: Members, we have 10 minutes left. Doug, would you like to extend until 8:15pm?
Douglas Yeo: I'd be happy to continue, there are a lot of people in the question queue. I'll type until my fingers give out!
MyAuditions: Very well. Please continue!
Adam Chapman: Hello Mr. Yeo. I was wondering what how big your trombone studio is at the New England Conservatory. Also how many graduate students you take each year? Is there a website that lists your audition requirements?
Douglas Yeo: At NEC we like to have about 3 bass trombone players. We have 3 orchestras and 2 wind ensembles. We like to be sure people have playing opportunities. At the moment we have 3 bass trombonists; two will graduate in May so we will have 2 openings in the fall of 2006. I don't have particular audition requirements apart from 2 contrasting solos and 3-5 orchestral excerpts of the candidate's choice. I want to hear people at their best - when you choose the repertoire, I know that you're playing something you think you can play well.
jft: What kind of sound do you strive for when you play?
Douglas Yeo: I like a bass trombone to sound like a bass trombone. I have a very traditional concept of sound that was put in my head by George Roberts and my main teacher, Edward Kleinhammer (who played bass trombone in the Chicago Symphony for 45 years). To me the ideal trombone sound is like a jelly donut: a deep, dark center (jelly - core) that is surrounded by flexible, changing aspects of overtones (the dough which is never the same anywhere on the donut) and then with the shimmering distinctive sound of the trombone (the sugar sprinkled on top). Sound, sound, sound. It's the number one attribute of your playing. No matter what else in your playing is great, if you don't have a great sound, unfortunately for you, nobody will want to play with you.
Elsie: Do you sit on audition committee's for instruments other than brass? if so, how do you measure someone's ability that is not your instrument?
Douglas Yeo: Yes. I've sat on committees for BSO violin, contrabassoon, horn, trumpet and percussion players. And tuba. I know what is good playing on all of those instruments. As a trombone player, I have a lot of time to sit and watch my colleagues - if you take the total minutes of playing that the bass trombone does in even the most involved piece of music, it would be probably 10 minutes in a 45 minute piece. That's a lot of time to observe. I look for sound, musicianship and interesting playing. I have one vote; the committee is made of 9-12 people. I've never felt that my vote went in a completely different direction than that of the majority of the committee so I must be hearing something right.
Bonedisorder: Mr. Yeo as I am beginning the process of auditioning for graduate schools, what excerpt you would suggest?
Douglas Yeo: If you play any of the top 10 excerpts (see the list of most frequently asked excerpts for bass and tenor trombone on my website), that would be good. Wagner Ride of the Walkure, Schumann 3, Haydn Creation, Strauss Till Eulenspiegel, Berlioz Hungarian March - all of those will certainly tell us something about your playing.
bach50: When the BSO has its next trombone auditions, and if you are still there, what kind of players will you be listening for? :)
Douglas Yeo: Wow, what a loaded question! If I had that answer, I'd save a lot of people a lot of time! Truthfully, I will be listening for great musicianship and flexibility. Section playing will be a big part of things. I have no doubt we'll hear many fine players, but when it gets down to 2 or 3 at the end, the feeling you get - the radar - is important. When you play in a section at an audition, remember you need to play as if you are one among equals, but don't be stiff, stubborn and inflexible. I remember working with a tuba player many years ago who was auditioning for the Baltimore Symphony when I was there. We were working on the Ride of the Walkure and I made some suggestions to him. He took exception to one of my comments, replying, "But in Chicago they do it THIS way" and he started playing. To which I said, "You're auditioning for the Baltimore Symphony. I play in that orchestra. This is how WE like it. When you audition in Chicago, do it THAT way." He didn't get it.
jft: What do you think of your Patriot's chances this year? It’s been a rough start, although Bruschi practiced with the team today.
Douglas Yeo: Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big - BIG football fan! The Boston Pops played at Super Bowl XXXVI (you can read my online diary with photos of that great journey on my website) and my wife and I have gone to many games here in Foxborough (although the games we've gone to this year have not been their best...). I think they've still got something in the tank, and with Bruschi coming back, there should be a higher level of excitement. I'll still be cheering, win or lose. Remember - people need our support MORE when they're down.
David Searle: I read recently that the Chicago section has been trying German instruments on certain repertoire, like Schumann and Bruckner. In my student days in Boston, I remember the trumpet section using German trumpets on this repertoire. Has the trombone section tried any of this?
Douglas Yeo: We don't use a dedicated set of instrument, but the things that we're all comfortable on. I remember several years ago we were playing a Symphony with Bernard Haitink and he came up to the trombone section and said, "I must know what trombones you are using so I can have my section in London use them - you get a wonderful blend." We told him that Ron Barron was playing an Edwards, Norman Bolter a Shires and I was playing a Yamaha. Haitink smiled, "Yes, of course, I know. It's the player..." Remember: Dennis Brain played Mozart on a garden hose.
Phoenix: Do you think the "concrete" way of playing is resulting in more auditions without a winner? Are they looking for more style and artistry? Or, are there other reasons for not awarding the positions
Douglas Yeo: The "concrete" style of playing is what I call the one-dimensional, not very flexible kind of playing that tends to think that the bass trombone (or trombone, or trumpet, or horn) has to dominate everything. See my article on being a Team player in the articles section of my website. When you audition for me on a committee, I want to hear artistry, beauty and contextual playing. I don't want 24/7 muscles.
Douglas Yeo: Let me say this loud and clear: when a winner is not taken at an audition, nobody is more disappointed than the section that had the vacancy. Nobody. Think about it - when a person retires, we want to fill that chair as soon as possible with the best possible player. We don't want to go through a season of substitutes - as good as they might be. When we don't take a winner, it's not because we're indecisive - unfortunately, we are being decisive in a way where we reluctantly have to go home and say we couldn't find the person we want. Those who came to the audition all will have another opportunity. I know they're disappointed and spent a lot of time and money to come. But they can try again. When we don't take someone, we have to deal with not having filled the chair and beginning to build a new section. That's tough.
Adam Chapman: Can you elaborate on your preference of sounds? Are you talking about just phrase/note shaping or do you listen for more specific aspects? Thanks for doing this!
Douglas Yeo: Boy, it's tough to talk about sound in words. I suppose I could point you to my own recordings, but that isn't the full picture. I just like to hear the appropriate approach for each circumstance. We don't live in a one size fits all kind of musical world. Use vibrato, think about beauty. "Pretty" is an old fashioned word. I like it. I can also tear the roof off when it's called for. But it's all about knowing what to do and when.
Maestrolover: I find it interesting to compare the sound of a trombone section in a top USA orchestra with that of a similar level European group - a lot brassier, much louder and stronger, penetrating tone... Do you put that down to the instruments used or technique - or other reasons?
Douglas Yeo: The USA is the country of the great expanse of land, the "can do" mentality, the "we can do it" way of thinking. It affects everything from Madison Avenue to orchestra playing. That said, I think that we are losing much of the national style of playing in orchestras. It used to be you could tell the American orchestras from the English, from the French, from the Austrians, from the Germans, from the Russians. Now the distinctive sounds are disappearing. I lament this. I like a lot of diversity in my musical diet.
MyAuditions: Doug, we have time for one last question.
USCBone: I am sophomore and I have started thinking about grad school. What should be taken into consideration when deciding if, when, and where to go?
Douglas Yeo: See my long article on taking Symphony Auditions on my website - I have a whole chapter on how to choose a school there.
MyAuditions: That was the last question for this evenings celebrity chat. MyAuditions would very much like to thank Doug for taking the time this evening to chat with us. Please make sure that you visit his Web site at www.yeodoug.com. 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.
Bonedisorder: Mr. Yeo, thank you for taking the time to answer some of our questions.
jft: Thanks for answering our questions: cool:
USCBone: Thanks Mr. Yeo.
Douglas Yeo: Well, I think , my fingers have nearly given out! Thanks to all of you for a great evening and for your fine questions.
MyAuditions: Please make sure that you check our schedule for next month's featured celebrity chat with Paul Barrett, Principal Bassoonist with Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. This event is scheduled for Monday, November 14, 2005 at 7pm Eastern Time.
MyAuditions: Thank you Doug and thank you members. This concludes this evening’s program. Good night.