Stand Partners for Life

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036 – Johnny Lee wasn’t meant to be a Harvard MD Dec 22, 2019

Show notes

Violinist Johnny Lee is Akiko's mirror image on stage at Disney Hall: he sits fourth chair second violin, while she's fourth chair first violin. But they have something else in common too. Both went to Harvard, where there is no music performance major. Akiko thought she'd be a lawyer, Johnny a doctor (or was he just pretending?), but they both found their way back to the violin by the time they graduated. The Stand Partners have logged thousands of hours of "unofficial" conversation with Johnny, so we're excited to present him on the podcast. Here's Johnny's path to the LA Phil and beyond! Transcript [00:00:00] NC: Hi and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I’m Nathan Cole. [00:00:04] AT: I’m Akiko Tarumoto. [00:00:18] NC: And we are thrilled to be here with our great friend on we’ve been trying to get on this podcast actually ever since we started this show. Good friend Johnny Lee, violinist with us in the LA Phil. Frequent hanger outer here at the Cole-Tarumoto residence. You’ve got a heavy dose of the kids tonight. You got to experience dinner, TV watching time, bedtime. [00:00:43] AT: You missed violin practice time though. Lucky you. [00:00:47] JL: I have my wine. So it’s fine. [00:00:49] AT: That’s actually how we got you here. We bribed you with food and drink. [00:00:51] NC: That’s true. Johnny showed up wearing his Stand Partners for Life t-shirt, which made all of us happy, especially Hannah noticed it right away. If you too would like a snazzy Stand Partners for Life t-shift, go to standpartnersforlife.com/shirts. That’s shirt, plural, and guys and gals designs. But thank you so much for being here, Johnny. [00:01:12] AT: Yay! [00:01:13] NC: Yay! There are a few reasons to get you here. One, we talk about the orchestra all the time, and LA Phil life all the time. But in addition to that, you and Akiko have some real similarities, I guess besides the fact that Akiko is 4th chair first violin. Johnny, 4th chair second violin. [00:01:34] AT: He’s my mirror. [00:01:34] NC: That’s right. We do since first and second, mostly sit across the stage from each other. Here in L.A. Not Akiko’s favorite setup at the moment. [00:01:44] AT: I think everybody is tired hearing my opinion on where the violin should sit. [00:01:49] NC: But you do get to mirror each other across the stage quite often. The bigger similarity is that you both went to the same school for undergrad and you actually overlapped. [00:01:58] AT: We went to school in Boston. [00:02:00] JL: Cambridge. [00:02:02] NC: They went to Harvard. I get to hear about it a lot. No! You guys are good about it. Actually, tonight I really do want to hear about it in quite some detail. But, yeah, neither of you went to conservatory for undergrad. So that’s something that I know a lot of. You guys out there have asked about just the difference between going to conservatory, not going to conservatory, at least for undergrad. Yeah, the different paths that people take to get to the LA Phil. Johnny, if you would back us up from Harvard, from Cambridge, and tell us a little bit about where you’re from, how you got started on the instrument and all that, and then we’ll get to get to school days. [00:02:41] JL: Yeah. I mean, I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. So I was at the Cleveland Institute of Music for prepschool – Not prepschool. Preparatory program, age 7 I would say. So I started when I was 5, but started at CIM at 7. But that was of course because my parents were Korean immigrants and they just wanted us to play violin. Us being me and my two older brothers just to put on our college application. [00:03:10] AT: So were you all at – [00:03:11] JL: Yeah. So would have lessons on Friday after school. My mom would drive us all there. She’d take notes during lessons. Then on the way home we’d get KFC as a reward. [00:03:24] NC: I thought you were going to say on the way home you’d get yel...

035: Playing by numbers, or Advanced Orchestra Stats Nov 22, 2019

Show notes

How many times have you been jealous of the box scores for baseball and basketball, or the advanced statistics for football? Don't you wish that you too could be measured by notes attempted, notes played in tune, entrances successfully counted? If we got our wish, orchestra concerts would have their own advanced metrics! Here are the stats (and penalties) we'd like to see.

034: The spirit is willing, but the Flesch is weak Nov 03, 2019

Show notes

This week, we're talking scales and etudes. Are they the foundational blocks on which your entire technique is built? Or more like raw vegetables that you have to choke down if you want to stay healthy? Akiko actually had a scale class as a kid, while I got a crash course in scales from my Curtis teacher Felix Galimir (who had studied with Carl Flesch himself). Etudes were a different story. Both of us went through a progression of Sevcik, Schradieck, Kretuzer, Dont, and all the rest. But back then, we just played without knowing why. These days, we like to know the point of an etude before we dive in: the key that unlocks each etude's benefit. Developing my Virtuoso Master Course has given me a chance to reevaluate my relationship with the classics, but I wanted Akiko's take on the topic as well. Enjoy a roll in the hay of fundamental violin techniques! Key points Akiko recounts her distaste for practicing scales at Juilliard Scales: more like meditation or workout? Akiko's time at Juilliard pre-college with Ševčík, Schradieck, Kreutzer, Paganini and Yost Why Akiko stopped practicing scales after a Paganini concerto got her down Scales and etudes as prep for challenging pieces Nathan's first scale, at the end of Suzuki studies How Ivan Galamian adjusted a three-octave scale to give it 24 notes Akiko's scale class Nathan and Akiko's take on Simon Fischer’s Warming Up The times in life to discover etudes (i.e. bachelor freedom) Thirds for 20 minutes a day, thanks to Ruggiero Ricci Nathan's first lesson with Felix Galimir, and the four-hour-a-day scale workout Every etude has a key to unlock its benefit How to practice scales so they lead to confident performance Akiko’s feeling of impending violinistic disaster, as inThe Godfather. Quotes “I feel like the goal for the Delay students was to get to Paganini ASAP.” — @Akiko Tarumoto [0:10:31] “I think that’s the real argument for learning skills in scales and etudes, so that when you get to them in in the repertoire, you feel like you can say, ‘I’ve got this.’” — @natesviolin [0:14:43] “Opening up an etude book, trying to play one and just – whether your reaction is just stopping and closing it or breaking down crying, it is actually a pretty common thing.” — @natesviolin [0:26:56] “Great strides are made when there is not a lot else going on.” — @Akiko Tarumoto [0:29:17] “it wasn’t like I was sitting here watching TV and you came up to me and you said, ‘You need to work on your arpeggios.’” — @Akiko Tarumoto [0:47:04] Links from the episode Juilliard Pre-CollegeAspen FestivalThe Virtuoso Master CourseKreutzer SonataHenry SchradieckOtakar ŠevčíkNicolò PaganiniFranz WohlfahrtJacques Féréol MazasGaylord YostCurtis Institute of MusicSuzuki Violin BooksMozart Fifth Concerto in A MajorMozart’s Fourth Concerto in D majorJohannes BrahmsJoachim CadenzaDan MasonVienna Philharmonic OrchestraCarl FleschIvan GalamianPierre Gaviniès Simon FischerMoritz MoszkowskiSaint Paul Chamber OrchestraAnimal FarmRuggiero RicciSergei ProkofievJack Benny William PreucilThe Godfather Transcript [0:00:00.7] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan Cole. [0:00:04.7] AT: I am Akiko Tarumoto. [0:00:18.7] NC: That’s it, it’s just the two of us this time. We’ve had a couple of episodes lately with some very special guests, especially cellists. [0:00:26.6] AT: Yeah, I guess it goes along with my theory that violinists aren’t really friends with other violinists. [0:00:32.9] NC: Well, we’re married to other violinists but just not friends. [0:00:36.3] AT: I said friends. [0:00:37.8] NC: That’s true, it took us a while to become friends. [0:00:39.8] AT: Yeah, right? [0:00:41.7] NC: Because of that, I thought that maybe this episode could be a little bit more violin centric, you know, we talk a lot about the orchestra life, playing in orchestra,

033: The audience experience, with superfan Roderick Branch Oct 27, 2019

Show notes

Chicago Symphony cellist Brant Taylor may have been our very first special guest here at the Stand Partners, but so far we've been missing the perspective of his partner Roderick Branch. Roderick is a musician, though his day job (and sometimes into the night job) is as a partner at a giant law firm. Roderick is what you'd call an extremely savvy listener, otherwise known as a superfan. So today Akiko, Brant, and I talk with Roderick, to remember just who it is we're playing for. Roderick elaborates on the dynamics between orchestra and audience in the context of different halls around the world. We speak about the room for error in a magical rendition, the performer as an audience member, and how the level of familiarity with an orchestra affects our experience of it. We also get into the pros and cons of designs, histories, and acoustics of different halls. Next, we share many stories about what made a particular concert life-changing, and then weigh up the various traits of our favorite conductors. Finally, our pet peeves about off-putting audience or performer behavior take center stage. Key Points From This Episode Performers and audience members might feel differently about the quality of a symphony. The distance of a performer or observer from the orchestra changes how it sounds. Minor mistakes are less meaningful when there is great spirit in a performance. The mood of an audience member might change their experience of a performance. Live symphonies sound different to recorded and mastered ones. The way a musician reacts to something unexpected is an indicator of how prepared they are. Experiencing different hall acoustics is neither good or bad but special. Sometimes one has to try to be less critical to have a good time. Knowing the orchestra might change the experience of watching them for better or worse. Knowing who is playing could change whether Roderick goes to a concert or not. Disney Hall’s modernity compared to the sense of history of Symphony Center. The acoustics of Disney hall are like a soft focus lens, while Chicago Hall is less forgiving. Less forgiving acoustics can be liberating because it allows for powerful playing. Hearing the same orchestra playing in different halls is a good way of seeing their difference. Great conductors bring out aspects in a symphony not heard before. The respect the orchestra has for a good conductor is palpable in their body language. It is difficult to be fully present as a musician in every performance. Several stories of the most life-changing performances the group have ever seen. Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink and Muti compared by Roderick. Off-putting performer behavior: not looking engaged and talking during the applause. Off-putting audience behavior: humming, cellphones, leaving too early, coughing. Links Brant Taylor Roderick Branch Chicago Symphony Orchestra Bartok Concerto For Orchestra LA Philharmonic Disney Concert Hall Symphony Center Orchestra Hall Daniel Burnham The Burnham Plan of Chicago Barbara Walter Milli-Vanilli Musikverein Carnegie Hall Concertgebouw Severance Hall Riccardo Muti Krassimira Stoyanova Pierre Boulez Ben Molar Daniel Barenboim Ma Vlast The Moldau Bernard Haitink Shakespeare Beethoven 9 Verdi: Requiem The Hollywood Bowl Jumbotron Anne-Sophie Mutter “If you’re performing a string quartet or a solo piece, the way you react to things that don’t go totally as planned is the biggest indicator of how well prepared something is.” — @ Akiko Tarumoto [0:12:07] “If you listen to the concert with your music critic hat on, that detracts from the enjoyment of the experience.” — @ Roderick Branch [0:18:10] “It’s actually an interesting hobby to hear an orchestra you know well, play in different halls. It’s the best way to figure out exactly how much d...

032: What about Bob? Robert deMaine, our principal cello Oct 19, 2019

Show notes

Today we're joined by our good friend and LA Phil principal cello, Robert deMaine. Bob tells us about his childhood, his musical family and an early teacher who gave him a complete musical education, including piano and composition. He also unpacks how he fell out of love with the cello during his teen years and took an extended break from playing. Eventually he found his way back and went on a tear, pursuing a solo career and at the same time winning principal jobs in Hartford, Detroit, and finally Los Angeles. Bob doesn't hold back as he discusses anxiety, negative self-talk, and the long road toward mastery of an instrument. Key Points From This Episode: Different orchestral seating arrangements Bob's upbringing, important places and inspiration from his family Having and then losing the best music teacher in the world The difference between relative pitch and perfect pitch Disasters in ice cream shops and disasters on stage Bob's early jobs in music and testing boundaries with senior musicians The Detroit Symphony and the strike that ended with Robert moving to LA Bob's audition for the LA Phil and the hand problem he had leading up to it The steps toward improvement and how they widen as you grow as a musician Differences between teaching and coaching; bringing out the best in students Recreating sounds, learning accents and the power of cultivating the ear The event that precipitated Bob's performance anxiety, and the way through it Upcoming projects for Bob, including his Tweetables: “I grew up playing on my mother's cello, and my sister played the cello that my mother played when she was a child, and it was a real beater.” — @robertdemaine [0:06:35] “I don’t think I would have played as well as I did had it not been exactly that way. So much of it has to do with just timing.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:15] “I’ve never really separated how one prepares for a symphony concert versus how one prepares for a concerto.” — @robertdemaine [0:39:51] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Robert deMaine on Twitter Robert deMaine Strings Magazine Mariano Rivera Leonard Rose Janos Starker Eastern Music Festival Juilliard Curtis Central State University Eastman Good Will Hunting Dexter Days of Wine and Roses Irving Klein Competition Paul Paray George Szell Neeme Jarvi Joseph Silverstein Sliding Doors The Matrix Goofus and Gallant Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas Guido Lamell Anthony Bourdain Now Hear This Handel Joe Rogan Mash Taxi Transcript EPISODE 32 [INTRO] [00:00:00] NC: Hi and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am thrilled to be here not only with Akiko. [00:00:07] AT: Hello. [00:00:07] NC: But our good friend and close colleague, Bob deMaine, principal cello here at the L.A. Phil, and actually we’re right here in Disney Hall, the bowels of the hall. [00:00:16] BD: Our home away from home. [00:00:18] NC: Yeah. [INTERVIEW] [00:00:32] BD: Thanks for having me on. I feel like I’m sort of your honorary stand partner, because I sit next to you in the orchestra. [00:00:37] NC: Yeah. Actually – I mean, yeah, the usual. If everybody's there, we've got Martin, and then I'm sitting second right next to him, and then on my other side is you. When I first came to the orchestra, they had the violas where you are instead. So principal viola was on my other side. [00:00:53] BD: The viola was there? [00:00:55] NC: They did. [00:00:55] BD: That’s something I’ve never seen before. [00:00:58] AT: Wrong seating number two. [00:00:59] BD: That’s right. Isn’t that David Sanders, like his lingo from Chicago or something? [00:01:04] AT: I think we’re currently in wrong seating number four. [00:01:06] BD: I like right seating number one. I mean, cello is on the left. [00:01:10] NC: The outside. [00:01:10] BD: Yeah,

031: That’s life in the hot seat, Mr. Concertmaster! Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

Today we're talking concertmaster, and what it means to sit in the hot seat. What are the duties and expectations, and what makes "first chair violin" attractive or unattractive to different players? Is playing concertmaster more like being the point guard in basketball, or the quarterback in football? Remember: besides playing all those juicy solos, you have to deal with walk-outs, bowings, section concerns and principal relationships. Just know that even though the concertmaster position puts you in the spotlight, there's a price to pay for all that attention. How happy you are depends not just on the rest of orchestra but your own temperament. As Akiko says, "Let's just say it plainly. I don't like being concertmaster." But should we take her seriously? Key Points From This Episode: The position and duties associated with the title of Concertmaster Walk-outs, hitting the right piano octave and making sure not to fall over Comparing the role of the concertmaster with positions in team sports How the concertmaster relates to the other members of the orchestra The issues that arise when a conductor is ahead or behind Communicating with the conductor; bringing issues up at the right time The importance of solos in getting hired as concertmaster Bowing decisions, and shutting out some of the noise and chatter Leadership principles and focusing on what is most important Our best and worst experiences as a concertmaster Quotes “If you had to pick one leader of the orchestra that isn't the conductor, but a player, it's the concertmaster. They're visible, they're up front.” — Nathan Cole [0:07:29] “No one even really knows I'm technically a concertmaster, so I have to give myself the title of emergency concertmaster!” — Akiko Tarumoto [0:10:15] “It's a fun job. It's fraught with danger, but fun and rewarding and you get those juicy solos too.” — Nathan Cole [0:51:48] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Stand Partners for Life Carnival of the Animals Holly Mulcahy: More than wearing pretty shoes The Suzuki Method Seinfeld David Kim West Side Story Pines of Rome The 14 Leadership Principles that Drive Amazon Jeff Bezos Transcript [INTRO] [0:00:00.6] NC: Hello and welcome back to Stand Partners for Life. I am Nathan. [0:00:03.5] AT: I’m Akiko. [EPISODE] [0:00:17.5] NC: Today, we thought we’d talk about the concertmaster, the duties of a concertmaster and what it’s all about. I mean, should we at least define the concertmaster, the first chair of violinists? [0:00:28.7] AT: Sure. I assumed people know that, but there are times, a lot of times people don’t necessarily get what that means. [0:00:36.3] NC: We don’t even say that. We don’t say concert mistress, right? [0:00:39.4] AT: Not that I know of. [0:00:40.3] NC: Because I hear people say that sometimes. [0:00:42.2] AT: Yes. I think some people still say it. [0:00:44.9] NC: It’s like president, right? [0:00:46.0] AT: Well, it's like stewardess. We don’t say it anymore. [0:00:49.3] NC: Right. I'm not sure if people ever did say concert mistress, if that was ever really appropriate. [0:00:53.4] AT: Sure, they did. I don’t remember. [0:00:56.6] NC: Yeah. Concertmaster, it's the first chair violinist. Both of us get to do that duty sometimes and we both have concertmaster somewhere in our titles, First Associate Concertmaster and your assistant. That's largely the reason we came out to LA from the Chicago Symphony was the chance to do be concertmaster sometimes. Why is this a special position and why? What does the concertmaster do? [0:01:24.8] AT: So are we – start enumerating the duties? [0:01:27.5] NC: Yes. We're going to tell what the concertmaster does. [0:01:30.8] AT: Well, so my first disclaimer is that I don't play concertmaster very often, as you know. I'm drawing on a very small amount of experience.

030: All about Amadeus Oct 03, 2019

Show notes

Nathan says: "My top three movies of all time would be The Godfather, Rocky, and Amadeus in some order." Akiko's not into those "top whatever" lists. But both of us love Amadeus so much that we would drop whatever we're doing and watch it again right now. Here's why...

029: Living the rock star life at the Hollywood Bowl Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

It isn't every day that you get to perform for 18,000 screaming fans... especially if you're a violinist. But a handful of times each summer, we get the rock star treatment at the Hollywood Bowl! OK, so those 18,000 folks probably aren't screaming just for the two of us... there might be some famous movie tunes thrown in, or some fireworks, or Katy Perry. But we take it all in stride as we navigate the summer home of the LA Philharmonic. Listen up for the inside scoop on one of the most amazing performing arts venues anywhere in the world!

028: Help, my audition’s tomorrow! Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

Maybe it's the proverbial "seven minutes to midnight", or maybe you've still got a week or two. It never feels like enough time, trust us. So here's some advice for those last few days, hours, and minutes before your big day, inspired by the recent violin auditions at the LA Philharmonic.

027: A Fistful of Mahlers Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

First, some exciting news: we've got Stand Partners for Life T-shirts! Check them out here, and show your Stand Partner love! For this episode, Akiko and I just had a one-word outline: Mahler! And it turns out we had plenty to say about his symphonies. What's it like to learn them, refine them, rehearse them, take them on tour? What do committees look for when you play Mahler? Hear about the time Akiko was mortified to play Mahler 9 with David Hyde Pierce (Frasier's Niles Crane) in the front row! Or the time Nathan got a death stare from Daniel Barenboim during... well, also during Mahler 9! And as to Nathan's comment that Gustav Mahler was perhaps the New York Philharmonic's first music director? He was actually its ninth! Nathan was under the misapprehension that the NY Phil began around the same time as so many other American orchestras, in the early part of the 20th century... in fact, New York got its start in 1848, whereas Mahler wasn't born until 1860! Mahler spent the last two years of his life, 1909-1911, at the helm of the Philharmonic.

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