Q: Hi, Scott. Gosh, I remember our first conversation was when you were a candidate for the position as the North State Symphony’s music director. You were selected, and you now have almost the entire season behind you, with the exception of your May concert.
Can you summarize how your first season went as conductor and music director of the North State Symphony?
It was filled to the brim with exciting rehearsals and performances with this wonderful orchestra, talking to lots and lots of symphony-goers from the north state region, and doing as much as we can as an organization to figure out how to keep reaching out to people and creating new opportunities for people to discover their love of live symphonic music. You’ll see what I’m talking about when you look at next season!
Scott Seaton conducts during a rehearsal with NSS musicians. Photo courtesy of NSS.
Q: What were some of your most memorable moments?
Geez, everything from being at the helm for the unforgettable themes of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to getting the audience to yell “Mambo!” during Bernstein’s West Side Story. It’s been a wild ride!
Q: How about challenges, surprises?
Every arts organization has its challenges. With the immense complexity of an organization like the North State Symphony (multiple cities, boards, audiences, etc), the largest challenge is expanding our existing audience and getting new people excited about what we do. So far, I think we’re heading in the right direction because the staff and boards share my vision for the NSS, something which I think will help us achieve our goals. We are also working hard to expand our education programs so that we can cultivate the next generation of musicians and music-lovers.
Q: Happily, I was able to attend every concert except the holiday concert (which I heard was fantastic). Watching you conduct was early as entertaining as hearing the music. Seriously, you are all in, and sometimes I could swear you were levitating. Were you having as much fun as it appeared?
My only hope is that everyone who comes to North State Symphony concerts is having as much fun as I am!
Q: Well, speaking for myself, I know I enjoyed myself immensely.
You also implemented something I’d never seen at any symphony performance: You invited the audience to text you questions during intermission, and then you selected a few to answer. This was pretty smart, and a great way to engage with a younger demographic. You never answered my questions, but that’s OK. I’m over it. But seriously, on average, how many questions did you receive during those concerts, and were there themes?
Scott Seaton chatting with symphony fans following a concert at the Cascade Theatre. Photo by Doni Chamberlain.
I was very pleased with the popularity of “Just ask!” and we are planning to continue it next season. On average, I received about 150-200 questions per concert, so you can understand if I didn’t get to your particular questions! The questions were SO incredibly varied – I received everything from “are you single?” to “what kind of trumpet does the second trumpet player have?” to “how many hours do symphony musicians practice?”….
I love that everyone is being so open about their curiosities and hope that they keep seeking knowledge about what’s happening on the stage in front of them.
OK, before we leave this topic of the texted questions, I have to ask: At one of the concerts you read one question silently, and then said you wouldn’t answer it. Dare I ask?
Honestly, there were many, MANY questions that perhaps weren’t appropriate for me to read!
Q: Who knew those kinds of questions could come from a symphony audience! I’m shocked! (Not really.)
Seriously, though, as long as you’re here, I’d love if you could answer one of my questions that I submitted during Just Ask, which is this: Sometimes the audience inadvertently applauds between movements, which is embarrassing for those who applaud, and I always imagined it must drive you and the musicians crazy. Does it drive you crazy?
No, it doesn’t drive us crazy. Dare I say that we appreciate YOUR expression of appreciation. I’m of a mindset that if you like something, don’t be afraid to show that you liked it. I know you’re going to find many different opinions on this particular subject, but the fact is that audiences used to clap between movements regularly, especially back in the days of Mozart and Beethoven. It wasn’t until later that the concert experience was thought of as ‘more serious’ that the respectful silence started taking over. As an arts leader in 2016, I am advocating that you can do whatever you’d like between the movements of a multi-movement work – get out in the aisle and dance for a few seconds if you want! Now, it’s not a jazz band concert, so you probably shouldn’t clap after a solo within a movement that you find particularly moving, but don’t be afraid to show it when there is a break between movements and especially at the end of the work.
Q: Thanks for clearing that up, Scott. I guess the most sure-fire way to not applaud during the movements is to read the program before the lights go out. But wow, I love your answer. And it would be something to attend a symphony where the audience danced in the aisles!
Moving on (aren’t you glad?), I guess we should talk about the final concert of your season. Each concert has been so different, but I’ve heard there will be an electronic component to the May concert. What can we expect at this last concert of the season?
Yes, it will be quite different! At least to start out, that is. Our concert opener is a piece that fuses elements of an electronic dance club with the modern concert hall – it’s really quite something and I’m thrilled that composers like Mason Bates exist to keep building musical bridges. Also on that particular piece, several musicians from the orchestra will play improvised solos, which is extremely rare at an orchestra concert. Like every concert, though, I try to program something for everyone, so we will also have our blockbuster pieces from composers like Beethoven, Puccini, and Rachmaninoff. The Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances is one of my favorite pieces of music with an ending that is just….just….. EPIC.
Q: Well, epic sounds exciting, which makes me look forward to this concert even more.
I’ve taken enough of your time, Scott. Congratulations on a successful first concert season. Every Redding concert I attended was packed, and the music and soloists were fantastic. Before we wrap this up, do you want to give a sneak preview of the next season?
It’s going to be filled to the brim with collaborations with soloists and other area arts organizations! Not only that, but we are starting our “NSS POPS!” series with more variety and music that comes from movies, TV shows, radio, etc – everything, really. The point is to have more outlets within our season to bring in things that YOU want to hear. This also includes partnering with other area musicians and bands to create a very powerful concert experience. Heck, we’re even doing a New Year’s Eve concert!
Q: That reminds me, how much of a break do you get between this seasons and the next?
A break? What is a “break”? 😉 Even when there aren’t concerts, the symphony staff and I are always hard at work planning events and working to get more individual and corporate sponsorships – without community support, we simply would not exist. People may not know this, but ticket sales only cover a fraction of our operating costs.
Q: I agree, that most people assume that the tickets cover all the symphony costs.
Enough about work! I hope you have something fun, relaxing and inspirational planned for when you do get a break, even a small one.
I am going to do some cycling this summer, but nothing as monumental as last summer! I will probably take a ride along the coast of California and do a tour of Colorado as well. I also plan on catching the July 4th celebration in Boston, which has been an unofficial tradition of mine for most of the past decade.
Q: That sounds like a great, fun plan, Scott. Is there anything else you’d like to say before we sign off?
I would love to see lots of new faces at the concerts this month! I challenge our audience to talk to someone who hasn’t experienced the North State Symphony before; after all, we are your orchestra! Along with that, I encourage everyone to contact me and tell me what you would like to hear us perform or what soloists you’d like to see us partner with (everything from jazz, bluegrass, country, etc). I think there are still too many people out there that hear the word “orchestra” and immediately associate it with “classical” music. This is not saying that classical music is bad, but that we are so much more than that. We play music – ALL music. Give us a listen!
Thank you, Scott, for taking time from your crazy schedule to speak with me. And I appreciate your being open to public input. (Readers, feel free to leave your suggestions here in the comments section.)
