Leslie Dawn Knowles

Classically Speaking

You would be surprised at how many people don't realize that playing in a major orchestra such as the Toronto Symphony is actually is a full time and very demanding job. I still get asked from time to time what I do for a living when being introduced as a member of the group.

Each week of the season brings a new programme, usually with three works on it. Some weeks there are two different programmes. We have at most five, but usually four rehearsals lasting 2 1/2 hours to prepare main series concerts. For pops programmes there is one, occasionally two rehearsals. Paradoxically those programmes typically have many more works to get through than our main series ones. Since the orchestra performs about 36 weeks a season, a bit of math will tell you we will play well over one hundred different compositions in a season. Add to the mix that this music is wildly varied, spanning centuries and continents, each requiring different approaches. 

In order to have a career as an orchestral musician one must first win an audition, often in competition with a hundred or more contenders for the job. There is a probationary period as in most professions, which can be a difficult time for all, but happily at least in our orchestra most everyone is granted tenure. What is required to do well is to have a very high degree of skill on one's instrument, be quick thinking and flexible, and be able to sightread virtually anything. Because interpretation is in the hands of  the conductor, we must be able to reach into our technical bag of tricks in order to do whatever is being asked of us - louder, softer, faster, slower, longer, shorter....the possibilities are just about endless despite the fact that in classical music the notes themselves will always remain the same. Equally important is being able to play in perfect synchronization with everyone else - at a high level such as the TSO, and contrary to what some people might think, there is no place to hide a mistake. In a way it's a lot harder to play with a section than to go it alone. I am proud to say that my colleagues there are wonderful players who all amaze me with their skill and dedication.

  For general ticket info please visit the TSO website

BRANTFORD SYMPHONY 

Brantford is really quite a unique place, I think. Most towns the size of this do not put on concerts of their own, if there are concerts, they are "run outs" performed by out of town groups. But for many years Brantford has had it's very own remarkably consistent and dedicated group of musicians who have in a sense adopted the city. I have been playing there since 1975 and have been Concertmaster for the past several years. As professional musicians all engagements of course merit and get our best, however I feel there is always something extra about a BSO concert.  That something extra is really not anything concrete, but rather an energy we all seem to find together which translates into some wonderful music making.  Why is this? I think there are a combination of contributing factors. Because we are generally drawn from far and wide, Brantford is the only place where many of us actually ever play together. Before a note is played there is a sense of camaraderie at  playing there for so long, of the many treks through bad weather, the shared meals between rehearsal and concert.  We have just one rehearsal to come together as a group, not an easy task, but we always manage to pull it off and often amaze ourselves. I know that  our audience gets it. I have always found feedback from audiences after any other orchestra concerts tends to be pretty sparse, maybe it's the Canadian reserved  thing,  But again, it's always different in Brantford somehow.  I have consistently received very positive feedback by many audience members. especially after our Victor Feldbrill concerts. I've even been stopped in the parking lot by very enthusiastic patrons who were just glowing. To know that we  can have this effect on people is proof that we are doing something right.