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Utah Festival Opera pairs local musicians with some of
world's best
Barbara Day Turner conducts during a Turnadot
practice. / Photo by Shauna Leavitt
By Shauna Leavitt
June 28, 2005 | Seats within the masked
orchestra pits of Grand Operas are reserved for musicians
who can master a 500-page score in less than three weeks.
David Sweeney, a USU music performance major (trombone),
has been invited to fill one of the orchestra pit seats
for the Utah Festival Opera Company's (UFO) 2005 season.
"It is a great recruiting program for USU,"
said Professor Todd Fallis. For 12 years Fallis has
chosen a USU trombone musician to participate in the
UFO apprenticeship program.
Conductor Barbara Day Turner said, "It's a nice
mentorship relationship. As a young player it's what
you always hope for if you want to go into this business
professionally. To play next to [a professional] who
wishes to [teach] you all the things you'll never learn
in college about what it takes to do this."
Michael Ballam, UFO director, enjoys giving local musicians
the opportunity to play with the top professionals.
Karen Keltner, the other conductor, added having a mentorship
program "involves the community and spreads the
word of what is happening at UFO. The [student musician]
is a more credible ambassador for the UFO. We tend to
believe one of our own."
When students
hear about this potential opportunity, it motivates
them to become the best they can be. Fallis is
often amazed at how great students can become
when they have an opportunity like this in sight.
Sweeney will perform with "world-class"
musicians from all over the world. Most come from
large cities where they perform in symphonies
and teach.
The principal cellist, Kelley Maulbetsch, comes
from San Francisco where she plays for three symphonies
and teaches at two schools. Victor Koszman, concert
master and violinist, performs for the Dallas
Opera and Stradivarius String Quartet. Similar
accomplishments can be listed for all the orchestra
members. Petr Masek, a violinist from the Czech
Republic, also will play for the UFO this summer.
"[With] only a couple of weeks of rehearsals
. . . it's a faster pace than what I've experienced.
There's not time to nit pick over specific parts.
It's understood that everyone will know their
part before they arrive," said Sweeney.
Sweeney will play the trombone for Kismet
and Turandot. The score for Turandot
alone is more than 350 pages.
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David Sweeney, a junior at USU,
will perform
in Kismet and Turandot.
/ Photo by Shauna Leavitt |
"It's challenging but exciting. I received the
music a week and a half in advance. . . . You have to
be a good sight reader," said Sweeney.
The orchestra pit is often quite cramped, but wonderful
things happen there.
"When I'm not playing my instrument, I like to
sit back and really enjoy what is happening around me.
Opera singers are performing above, instruments are
playing below. It's a moment I wish everyone could experience.
It's quite different from what you see and hear in the
audience," said Fallis.
Loralyn Staples, concert master and violinist, shared
her most memorable experience with the orchestra. During
her first year at UFO (1997), Henry Holt conducted La
Traviata. In that score, there was a difficult
violin part, which the orchestra struggled with the
whole season, never being able to play it perfectly.
During the final performance as the musicians were approaching
that difficult part, Holt gave them a gesture that said,
"I'm handing the reins to you and putting it all
in your hands; I trust you," and then he stood
back and waited.
"What happened was amazing -- we played it perfectly,
it was beautiful. Holt then gave us a smile that I will
never forget. That was the last opera Holt conducted
for UFO. He passed away a few months later of cancer,"
Staples said.
The orchestra members speak of the strong camaraderie
that exists between the members.
"[It is a] collaboration and working together
for something bigger than ourselves. That has always
been Michael Ballam's ultimate goal," said Keltner.
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