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

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 ConcertmasterWalk-outs, hitting the right piano octave and making sure not to fall overComparing the role of the concertmaster with positions in team sportsHow the concertmaster relates to the other members of the orchestraThe issues that arise when a conductor is ahead or behindCommunicating with the conductor; bringing issues up at the right timeThe importance of solos in getting hired as concertmasterBowing decisions, and shutting out some of the noise and chatterLeadership principles and focusing on what is most importantOur 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 LifeCarnival of the AnimalsHolly Mulcahy: More than wearing pretty shoesThe Suzuki MethodSeinfeldDavid KimWest Side StoryPines of RomeThe 14 Leadership Principles that Drive AmazonJeff 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. I just want to get that out of the way.

[0:01:43.5] NC: I mean, you did it before college.