Join us as we follow Tristan, our Symphonic Orchestra's Concertmaster.
In this series, we’ll follow FSYO students through their busy lives, and learn how they excel in balancing school, family, friends, and music. Read on for an interview with Tristan, our Symphonic Orchestra’s Concertmaster, and a peak into a typical day.
8:00 am: Wake up and get ready for school.
9:25 am: School with fellow FSYO member Zoë Dickman.
Tristan snaps a picture of friend and FSYO cellist, Zoë. Hi Zoë!
1:30 pm: Lunch break. I also stop by the the local elementary school to help with strings class.
Tristan, helping teach local elementary students.
4:00 pm: Private lesson with Lev Gurevich. He stops every few measures to make corrections on the Mozart Concerto in A Major I’m working on. It takes up most of my lesson, but Mozart requires a lot of attention!
Lev Gurevich looks on as Tristan works through the Mozart.
6:30 pm: Practice, Practice, Practice.
7:30 pm: Practice!
FSYO: Tristan, When did you join FSYO? What made you initially want to join?
Tristan: I joined FSYO last year for the 2011-2012 season. I wanted to join initially because I was in a local youth orchestra for 5 years and I thought it would be good to meet new young musicians and expand my orchestral repertoire. I have stuck with FSYO because it has done just that. There are fantastic musicians from around the state that I would never have met if it weren't for FSYO and all of the pieces
FSYO: You graduate high school this year! What are your college plans? Will music be involved?
T: All of the pieces we have played have been challenging and rewarding. I hope to keep music in my life at all times and it is what I plan to major in at college. Of course I still have to audition, but I am looking to attend Oberlin Conservatory where I will hopefully also be able to take classes at Oberlin College. While I love music and will continue to play it for all of my life, I realize getting a job as a classical musician is becoming increasingly difficult.
FSYO: Symphonic's playing Rimsky-Korsakov's Cappriccio Espangol at the October 14th opening concert. What are the challenges of this piece? Your favorite parts?
T: Rimsky-Korsakov's Cappriccio Espangol is a very showy and fun sounding piece, but it is difficult to put together. It requires both virtuoso and ensemble playing, and with the exception of the second movement, it is quite fast. My favorite parts of the piece are the conversations between the instruments when they have solos. Whenever I have a solo passage I am always passing it off to and conversing with the clarinet or the flute, and in that way the solos become duets and trios. I like how even when ensemble playing is happening within the orchestra, the piece still sounds orchestral.
Thanks for the interview, Tristan! Be sure to come listen to him and the Symphonic Orchestra tackle Rimsky-Korasakov’s Cappriccio Espangol at the October 14th 56th Season Opening Concert THIS Sunday. Learn more about the concert here.
Have questions for Tristan? Email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
BOOK AN ENSEMBLE
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER