What is a concertmaster? We wanted to know, too, so we schlepped over to the Texas Music Festival (now happening at the UH Moores School of Music), found ourselves some concertmasters, and asked them all about what they do. Glenn Dicterow is the outgoing concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic where he’s ruled for over 34 years (his role will be assumed by the Houston Symphony’s Frank Huang), and Moores School doctoral student Ingrid Hunter was the week one concertmaster for the Texas Music Festival. Learn aaaall about the mysterious and powerful role of the concertmaster from them in this episode!

Ingrid Hunter and Glenn Dicterow. Photos courtesy of the Cypress Symphony and Glenn Dicterow’s website respectively.

Music in this episode: – Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40. Glenn Dicterow, violin. New York Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Audio production by Todd “Tarzan Yell” Hulslander with tree swinging by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio.

For more about the Texas Music Festival: www.uh.edu/class/music/tmf/ For more about Glenn Dicterow: www.glenndicterow.com For more about Ingrid Hunter: www.cypresssymphony.org/ingrid-hunter/