-
"The Houston Symphony is an integral part of my Houston life. Each Season opening is like coming to visit a dear friend."- Frank Pugliese, Subscriber
"Each time I hear music, I am reminded of the miracle of creativity and co-operation behind the sounds I hear. The composer, the performers, the conductor and the audience each contribute their part to the whole experience."- Susan Giesecke, subscriber
"I appreciate all of the talent and hard work of your group and look forward to each season."- Pat McCutcheon, subscriber
Read More
Author Archives: Robert Franz
Don’t touch my widget!
Robert Franz, Associate Conductor
For instance, musicians generally just want to play concerts. Sounds simple, but in actual fact it’s quite multi-faceted. We prefer to play pieces that challenge and engage us, constantly striving to create a deeper understanding of the art form. Simultaneously we demand a full house, plenty of concerts, a good salary and all of the backstage amenities required to perform at our peak. On the surface, all of these things are reasonable.
Those most affected by repertoire choices (after the audience of course) are the marketing and development folks. How do they inspire people to donate to our cause? How do they sell our “product”? We, the artists, tend to have a slight allergy to this second question, as our art form is reduced to a word that could just as easily describe a screw driver, or dish-washing liquid! However, the honest truth is that from their perspective we are a product and an experience. Some of our products/experiences are more sellable than others. A balance has to be struck to keep people coming through the doors.
Thirdly, we have finance. I am in awe of people who understand liabilities, assets, and deferred income. It’s impressive. Because they are so close to where the rubber meets the road, they are keenly aware when applying the brakes is needed to stop a head on collision with debt or worse, a complete financial meltdown. Their lens sees everything from the vantage point of the “bottom line.” Many an artist has been undone by the dreaded bottom line!
Each of these areas is represented on the administrative staff by paid professionals. Simultaneously, a group of dedicated volunteers choose to be on the board of directors because of their love of the art form, and their particular expertise in any of the above listed areas. These volunteers take time out of their busy lives once or twice a month, or more, to oversee the workings of the organization and make sure that everyone is on their game. While usually not active in the work itself (this is how it’s “supposed” to be, anyway), they are ultimately responsible to the patrons and creditors of the organization. Each person has something to lose, and faces that challenge in a different way.
In the middle of all of these factions is the music director. We strive each day to complete the picture of all these moving parts, prioritize them, and ultimately make decisions or recommendations as to the best direction forward. We are constantly juggling of all of those widgets to make the whole. This balancing act can be fraught with peril. Creating an imbalance in one direction or the other can topple the entire organization. Get the balance right and everyone leaves happy and the organization succeeds. The margin of error from success to failure is surprisingly thin and fragile, yet for the sake of music we constantly teeter. We constantly seek out the broadest view possible from which a decision can be made to achieve our goals. It is messy and oddly invigorating. When it succeeds it is amazing, and when it fails it is exhausting. No matter what the outcome, the same truth becomes evident. Step one is to understand how our widget fits into the whole. When we start there, we then open the door to a clarity that allows us to succeed and thrive. I wouldn’t trade my position for anything, as I reach towards an understanding of the broader picture and engage in one of the most wonderful arts forms ever created – music!
From Robert Franz’s blog Building Bridges with Music. CLICK HERE to read more of his posts.
Posted in 2012-2013 season, Classical, Conductors and Musicians, Development, Family, Sounds Like Fun
Tagged classical, classical music, family, Houston, houston symphony, houston symphony orchestra, Jones Hall, Kids, marketing, music, music education, musicians, orchestra, Robert Franz, Sounds Like Fun!
1 Comment
A WHOLE NEW WORLD
Robert Franz, Associate Conductor
As I was being introduced, I could see on their faces that they were trying to process who I was. They were told that I was a conductor with the Houston Symphony and they wondered if I would be harsh, rude or downright mean. Hardly anyone ever guesses the opposite. They found out soon enough that I couldn’t have been happier to make music with them. I could tell as they warmed up their voices that they knew what they were doing. They were ready to jump in… no fear. They were impressive.
Once the full choir rehearsal was over, sixteen students decided that they wanted to audition for me to sing a duet with the Houston Symphony. They each had 60 seconds to sing their hearts out and earn a spot on stage with the orchestra. Their song was “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. You could tell their anxiety level had ratcheted up.
I’ve gone through this audition process many times, but I still have the same two thoughts go through my mind.
First, I’m thrilled because there is a rush that happens when you know you might hear the next great star. Will it be the young singer with all the confidence in the world? Will he/she grow from there and take the world by storm? Or will it be one of the shy ones that hadn’t found their voice yet? Could this opportunity change everything for them?
At the same time I empathize with those not chosen. I know that everyone can’t “win,” and sometimes the most talented artists in the world have been rejected. Regardless, that feeling you get when you aren’t sure if you will ever be good enough is hard… for all of us.
In this particular case a few things stood out. First of all, as I coached, laughed, jumped up and down and prodded them into singing out more and really expressing themselves, they started to change. They discovered that making a mistake wasn’t the worst thing that could happen. They discovered that when they were filled with the song the words were actually easier to remember.
Roger Daily, Director, Music Matters!; from left; Robert Franz, Houston Symphony Associate Conductor; Allison Conlan, Music Matters! Coordinator
Finally, over the course of an hour they learned to trust. They placed a small part of their future success in my hands, and I embraced their trust. The more they came with me, the more I engaged. In fact, by the end I could hardly contain myself! I wish everyone could experience teenagers in this way. I am in awe of my new friends at Clear Creek High School. For them, a little tune called “A Whole New World,” may have given them just that.
PS… the entire choir at Clear Creek High School grew in this way. They made music that weekend with complete freedom and a generosity of spirit what was truly inspiring!
Robert Franz, Houston Symphony Associate Conductor, and the Clear Creek High School Symphonic Chorale
From Robert Franz’s blog Building Bridges with Music. CLICK HERE to read more of his posts.
Posted in 2012-2013 season, Classical, Conductors and Musicians, Family, Music Matters!
Tagged Aladdin, Aladdin & the Arabian Nights, classical, classical music, Clear Creek High School Symphonic Chorale, Houston, houston symphony, houston symphony orchestra, James Park, Jones Hall, music, music education, musicians, orchestra, Robert Franz
Leave a comment
Kids say the funniest things…
Robert Franz, Associate Conductor
For me, it is also a way to gauge the energy of that day’s audience. I can tell if the kids are energized in a “we want to learn” kind of way, or in a “we’ve had too much sugar” kind of way! Occasionally, I discover that the kids are very subdued. In those instances, usually the teachers have put the fear of God into them on the bus that morning.
Regardless, reading their energy is an important part of how I tailor my comments and interact with them at the concert. Occasionally I run into a kid that has unbelievable comic timing that stops me in my tracks. For the record, those kids are super fun!
Recently, for instance, I struck up a conversation with this 4th grader. The roads were icy and so I was asking how the bus ride was. “How long of a drive is it from your school?” I asked. He replied, “42 minutes.” This struck me as odd for two reasons. The first is that it was mighty precise. The other is that usually when I ask this question I discover that most 4th graders have no sense of time. I’m not sure when that awareness happens, but I can say with a fair amount of authority that it doesn’t usually hit by the 4th grade!
So I said to him, “well, that’s specific. How did you know that?” He replied, “I guessed, like I do in math every day.” His teacher was standing right behind him and lucky for both of us he didn’t snort his coffee all over us!
This encounter reminded me of a young lady I met last year. I was in a playful mood and as she came in I struck up a conversation with her. She asked me if we were going to be handing out candy at the concert. Apparently, she had been to an event in the hall previously in which they gave the students candy (hopefully on the way out).
Anyway, I said to her, “no, but you know in some halls it is customary for the audience to bring the conductor chocolate,” to which she immediately replied, “Yikes, I don’t think I’d want to go to that concert hall!” So, no chocolate that day, but I bet both she and my recent math whiz were at least a bit surprised when they sat down in the hall, the lights went down and the conductor entered! You see, while teaching young audiences how to listen to music is very important to me, I have to say that connecting with them is equally so. Music is meant to be shared and enjoyed. At least in the case of these two young students, we each made the others’ days memorable.
From Robert Franz’s blog Building Bridges with Music. CLICK HERE to read more of his posts.
Connecting the dots: “Do Mode” verses “Think Mode”
Robert Franz, Associate Conductor
Studying an instrument is a complicated task, as it requires you to be able to do and to think. You must bounce back and forth between the two constantly. Having judged a high school concerto competition for the Houston Symphony recently, I am reminded that there is a strangely illusive combination of artistic sensibility and solid technique that is fascinating to watch develop in young musicians.
From my perspective a musician that only works in “do mode” is one that is technically proficient, but lacks an emotional connection to the piece. A musician stuck in “think mode” has many thoughts about how the piece should go, understands the emotional intent of the composer, but doesn’t generally have the technique to express his/her thoughts.
Back to this recent competition, let me share two examples…
First, imagine musician “x” walking on stage. You can tell a lot by the way a person enters. This is usually a leading indicator of how things will go over the next 20 minutes. (I know that’s technically profiling, but it works!) Musician “x” arrives with poise and confidence. The other two judges and I sit up and take notice. He begins to play and a curious sense of confusion overwhelms us. On the one hand the tempo is completely wrong. It is slower than the “normal” degree of variation. On the other hand, there is a clear sense of gesture and phrasing that is natural, artistic and compelling. This young musician obviously has a connection to the music he is making. His right brain is functioning perfectly! The challenge is that he has not yet built the technique to be able to present his ideas. Somehow, at the ripe old age of 17, he is able to tap into his inner voice. The discipline of learning the technique still eludes him, however.
Now imagine the opposite. Musician “y” enters the stage. His head is lowered, back is curved, and quite frankly he looks like the last place on earth he wants to be is the center of that stage! After a painfully long tuning session, he begins to play. With low expectations set, I was fascinated as he began to play. He had the technique to pull off a complicated concerto that many twice his age would not attempt. The challenge for him started at the first moment a natural breath was required in the music. It never occurred. This was a musician that was predominately left brained in his playing. There was no indication that he felt any emotional connection to the music whatsoever. His playing was proficient, and compared to musician “x” his technique was much more advanced. The missing link was the human component. He could not yet tap into his 17-year-old psyche and really make music.
The challenges that musicians “x” and “y” face are at the core of being a musician. A convincing musician must have the technique to express himself, but also an authentic connection to his/her soul. What is intriguing is that we all arrive at this combination from a different perspective and at a different time in our lives. It is extraordinary when we see this combination in a fully mature artist, much less a talented high school musician. Music is not a one size fits all endeavor. Each of us has something to learn from the process. Perhaps this, more than anything else, provides us with an answer as to why it is so important to participate in music. What we “do” and what we “think” should be interactive. To be successful in the arts an authentic marriage of the two is essential.
From Robert Franz’s blog Building Bridges with Music. CLICK HERE to read more of his posts.
Handel’s “Messiah”…again.
What is it about Handel’s Messiah that makes it such an amazing masterpiece year after year? At first blush, performing the same piece each season could become repetitive and less interesting, but it doesn’t. How can a piece of music feel different each time you perform it, even though nothing on the page has changed for almost 300 years! 
Robert Franz, Associate Conductor
The key to this is how the people participating as performers and audience have evolved over time. What makes the changes even more obvious is that the Messiah stays constant. We are dancing around a masterpiece, and our gait adjusts as we do.
Let me explain.
Each year when I meet with the choir to prepare for our annual undertaking, I begin as usual. I chose a movement and let them sing. I listen intensely and in short order I begin to respond to what I hear. In Baroque music each movement is focused on one “affect” at a time. An affect is an emotional value creating a mood. A movement may feel desperate or elated, subdued or gregarious, etc. In striving to reach the purist understanding of that affect, and the most effective way to communicate it, I start addressing one detail after another. Soon the chorus begins to get the idea. They respond to my sculpting the sounds. I can hear it and feel it. I sense their excitement as their confidence grows.
At this point, I turn into my father. (I am lying on my couch to write this paragraph!) As a child my father was very demanding. No matter how well I did, there was always an expectation that it could be better. I have many memories of wishing for pure praise, and receiving a “That was great, but…”instead. What I didn’t understand until many years later was that the only reason that he did that to me, or for me, was because he could see my potential. He sensed that which I did not know was possible. Now I instinctively seek that in the musicians with which I work. In fact, that is probably the most important aspect of what I do.
Returning to the Boise Philharmonic Master Chorale recently in our performance of the Messiah, I realized that in rehearsal I became my father. I can hear, feel and see the space that the singers can grow into. I see them striving for greatness, and it inspires me. When we get to the performance they open up and sing their hearts out. Their intentions are clear, Handel’s affects are being communicated convincingly, and I can sense the breathlessness of the audience as they hear “For Unto Us a Child is Born,” or the great final “Amen Chorus.” Somehow it feels new and fresh to them.
You see, the piece doesn’t change…we do. We become more aware as we evolve. Even when we are performing at our best, we are striving to improve. We can see the ground beneath us as we sore through the music. We are flying high. Then it dawns on us to look up, and we realize that the sky above us is limitless. This is what performing the Messiah every year “feels” like.
Happy Holidays!
From Robert Franz’s blog Building Bridges with Music. CLICK HERE to read more of his posts.
The Houston Symphony performs Handel’s Messiah December 21, 22, 23, 2012. CLICK HERE for ticket information.
