From a Basement Computer Lab to Conducting Beethoven in a Bar and Hip Hop Artists (Post 1/15)

From a Basement Computer Lab to Conducting Beethoven in a Bar and Hip Hop Artists (Post 1/15)
Year 2009-2010

​My conducting journey began 15 years ago with a debut performance on December 17, 2009. Reflecting on the past, I decided to share memorable moments from each of these 15 years.

In the 2009-2010 season, I started an orchestra with the amazing Todd Hayen, whom I met in a basement computer lab at our college. I had the idea for an orchestra and spent many hours in that computer lab/lounge room, posting on Craigslist, music blogs, selecting repertoire, studying scores, recruiting musicians, among many other tasks. Todd was always there, and I would run ideas by him. Eventually, he joined the team and became an instrumental figure in the success of this orchestra. Our goal was to play each program at two venues (conventional and unconventional), premiere a piece at every concert, and avoid printed programs (I spoke from the stage about the pieces. We had limited funding and the future trend of going paperless was also a reason).

Our first concert featured Beethoven’s 1st Symphony, the northwest premiere of Paul Hindemith’s Kammermusik No. 1, and the world premiere of Arshak Andriasov’s Torch No. 1. The rest of the year included well-known works alongside premieres by Triastan Gianola and Jon Brenner. Our performance at the bar excited a prominent journalist from the Seattle Weekly, Dr. Gavin Borchert, who not only attended the concert but also wrote a review. Outside of the orchestra, a classmate, Brendon Wilson, was assembling a large instrumental and vocal ensemble featuring hip hop artists, which I conducted.
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Looking back, I am mostly surprised by the confidence I had to tackle such an undertaking. I consider this year one of the most memorable, fulfilling, and formative in my conducting career. I invested $0 but spent countless hours on all the details and preparations (a story for another time). This was a significant project to plan both administratively as well as artistically. My passion for unconventional venues, new music, creating programs/projects, and unique experiences from those early days remains strong today.

I am grateful to all the people who joined me on that journey and supported my first steps in conducting.

Conducting the Cadence Chamber Orchestra in rehearsal (Poncho Concert Hall, Cornish College)

Conducting the Cadence Chamber Orchestra in rehearsal (Poncho Concert Hall, Cornish College)