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Hi David. Thanks for doing this AMA.

As a teacher at Juilliard, I'm sure you get to see a bunch of exciting student and alumni bands form. Are there any bands/groups/ensembles (of any genre) you've seen at Juilliard that you'd like to give a shoutout to? I'm always on the hunt for new music.

Thanks again!

What made you decide to play the violin? If you had to start over and learn/master a totally different instrument, which would you choose?

What's your favorite dinosaur?

Hi there!

Good question, but at that level it's usually super talented individuals that catch my attention. Student-formed ensembles don't always show up on my radar screen right away.

My parents chose it for me! It just found its way into my hands haha.

Violinosaurus?

Just saw that Leslie Nielsen movie where he plays a violinist (Wrongfully Accused). Can you play the violin with your nose or other parts of your body ?

In your time as a performer and teacher, have you noticed any demographic trends in leadership, performers or audiences?

Oops just saw the second half of the question. If I had to start over, I'd play the cello.

I can NOT! It's hard enough to play the "right" way ....

With performers it's pretty clear. In the past few decades, Asian musicians (including myself) have come to dominate the ranks of string players (not so much with winds and brass). When I was in school, however, it was more Korean and Japanese players, whereas now it's trending more and more towards Chinese students.

With the new emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion however, I expect that we'll see more and more trends towards minorities that traditionally haven't necessarily been a part of classical music.

What is your absolute favourite Mozart concerto? (It doesn't have to be violin!)

How often do you or your colleagues lose timing/your place and have to catch up?

Ah great question by expanding it beyond the violin!

Tough choice but it would have to be one of the last piano concertos -- nos. 21, 23, 24 and 27 all top the list but if I had to pick just one it would probably be the last one, K. 595 (#27)

Favorite film score? How do you think someone like John Williams would have done if he had been composing in the 1700s?

And do you have a favourite performance for this?

Uh, never? ;)

Truthfully, at the top professional level it doesn't happen much. It can happen, but rarely in commonly played pieces; it would tend to happen in some sort of unfamiliar or extremely challenging work, and where there's some kind of extenuating circumstance (e.g. problem on stage in the opera, some kind of technical difficulty, etc.)

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John Williams is an amazing musician and likely would have written terrific Baroque music had he been composing in the 1700s!

As much as I recognize great classic film scores from early cinema (Korngold's Robin Hood, Hermann, etc.) I'll readily confess that my favorite film score is Star Wars.

Emil Gilels / Karl Böhm !

The modern taste for Mozart playing would be lighter and crisper than what Böhm gets here, but the poetry of Gilels is still unsurpassed.

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Best book you’ve read in the last ten years?

Ever pass wind during a solo?

Not me, but I've played with people who have!

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The Bible

I must say I did not expect an answer like Gilels! He is certainly one of my favourites as well (but mostly for Beethoven!) Thank you for your insight!

Hi David! Thanks for taking the time to do the AMA. I’m curious what thoughts you have on the difference between a good conductor and a great conductor- and between one you enjoy working with, and one you might not want to have to collaborate with again? Toi toi toi for the concerts!

It’s been a real joy to watch the programming continue opening up & modernizing under YNS, to include more new & lesser-known rep. Are players’ opinions sought/considered at all in forming the programming approaches?

(Related: what new/unusual rep coming up in this or future seasons are you especially excited about?)

Hard to pick just one. Uchida, Brendel in no particular order are also favorites.

Just curious how often orchestras of your pedigree hire from outside North America. Is it normal to sponsor visas, or are your members typically already in the country or have other work authorization?

I wish I could say that players are consulted for artistic decisions, but we just aren't. I do agree it's been great to see a movement towards more modern and varied programming. Despite that, however, I'm most excited this season about Lohengrin, which has come up only once during my 23-year Met career, and Idomeneo, a profound Mozart work that we don't play often enough.

I do believe organizations such as the Met are willing to sponsor visas, but the truth is we don't get a ton of applicants from outside the country for most auditions, though we did get a fair amount of interest for the concertmaster position (i.e. the equivalent position to mine) a few years ago.

For more AMAs on this topic, subscribe to r/IAmA_Music, and check out our other topic-specific AMA subreddits here.

That's a really good question, and one that's not at all easy to answer. Without resorting to "you know it when you see it," I would say that the good conductor has everything in place -- good technique, clarity, vision of the piece, rehearsal style, etc. The great conductor is able to go beyond that and inspire. The sum total is something that goes beyond the ordinary. What that is exactly or how one gets there is much harder to define.

What's the difference between a really, really good classical violinist and a Hillary Hahn who's considered likely the best in the world. How different is their play, and what do they do differently?

I think it's similar to any other human achievement (e.g. athletics) or even something like fine wines or instruments. Highly accomplished violinists are already an incredibly small subset of the population, but what separates the best of the best from the others is usually at once incredibly minute, yet just out of reach for almost everyone. With a violinist, it might be superhuman reflexes and coordination (in the case of a Hilary Hahn) or it might be the ability to turn and sustain a phrase.

In the world of collectibles (wine, instruments, etc.) you see a super premium being paid at the very highest end, often many times what the "next best" fetches in terms of price, even if the difference is only .01%

I know audition secrets are “take care of the basics” like pitch and rhythm, but what specifically do you think audition winners do differently in practice rooms than those who continually come up close but short?

One does indeed have to take care of the basics, to which I would add tone as well as pitch and rhythm. But the basics aren't enough; at the top professional level one takes those qualities for granted. The winner usually sounds like a winner, i.e. they're playing music (with brilliance, expression, emotion, etc.) and not just notes.

Thanks for the response.

How can one develop that winning sound as opposed to someone continually advancing to semis or finals without winning?

1. What have been the most difficult pieces of your career? Both in terms of violin performance and in terms of ensemble cohesion. I’ve been listening to a lot of Charles Ives and my mind boggles at the group coordination required to nail the timing on those intricate pieces.

2. Are there pieces that you listen to specifically for one moment? For example the key change in the 2nd movement of the Ravel string quartet is always magical for me. The Barber violin concerto has a few of those moments as well. I want to hear yours!

Difficulty is always an interesting question, because people typically expect some kind of staggering intellectual or technical difficulty. Pieces of that sort include Berg's Chamber Concerto (where arguably playing the trio version of the Adagio with clarinet and piano, conductorless, was more difficult than playing the complete work), the "Seven Trumpets" from Messaien's Quartet for the End of Time, and Brett Dean's "Hamlet" which we played at the Met last season.

In the end, however, apparently simple pieces of sheer poetry are always more difficult -- Bach, Mozart, Schubert.

The playing has to cohere as a performance and not sound like one is just taking a test.

In terms of your second question, I have had such moments in the past but I rarely listen just for one moment. I can think of one such example though: when the horn motif in the last movement of Sibelius 5 gets going .....

Do you have perfect pitch?

Hi David.

What is your opinion on the modernization of directing in Opera? Do you prefer it, indifferent?

It is pretty strange seeing Rigoletto performed in the atmosphere of neon lights and rat pack Vegas.

Thanks for your time and of course the wonderful collaboration of you and your colleagues in the pit. NYC is lucky to have you all.

To what degree is your work derived from your predecessors, and Met Orch traditions and conventions, and in what areas are you rethinking or bringing your own ideas about musicianship and performance? What's it like being a group leader in an institution that developed its unique character long before your arrival, and will continue to develop after your career ends?

Weird question, have you heard of twoset violin? And what's your opinion on what they do for concert/orchestra music and musicians? And how much joking around about violas is there?

Hi David!

I know you worked briefly with maestro Muti for Attila at The Met, just wanted to know how it is working with him and if he somehow brough something new about Verdi to you and the orchestra.

Also, what are you most excited to play at the Mainly Mozart?

Why would that be off the top of your head? Any other examples from other instrument sections?

Which piece in Star Wars ;) you MUST chose lol

Hi David! How was it studying under Dorothy Delay, and how did you get into conducting?

All wind players, I presume.

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Do you believe the difference between Hillary Hahn and concertmasters from top tier orchestras is 0.01%?

People in the opera community have been talking about the James Levine scandal as if it was a completely well-known entity for at least 20 years. From your perspective, how much did the met, The company, the administration, and the organization at whole know about his indiscretions for the last 20 years?

Remember, music happens between the notes. My mentor (who also taught at Jilliard) would take a lot of time communicating the ‘how’ of musicianship.

I’m a violinist too and I’d pick the same if I had to start over!

I'm a young pianist in my DMA, been gigging for a few years and starting to concertize with my solo programs.

What were the first career moves you made out of conservatory, and how did you balance bill-paying gigs with career-advancing gigs?

Hi David! I’ve played violin for about 18 and I really want to form a small string ensemble but not sure where I could look for more advanced players in the area. Would you happen to know any ways/ methods to look for intermediate~ advanced string players? I live in a pretty large city.

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They’re totally different skillsets; sure, some elite soloists could do a good job leading an orchestra and some concertmasters could do a great job performing concertos, but still, there’s quite a bit of specialization that muddies any possible comparison.

I don’t think he’d answer that even if he wanted to

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what is it like being so talented and handsome?

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In your experience what does it take to perform music at a very high level?

Hell of an answer

What are your views on elitism and gatekeeping in classical music? Any thoughts on how to balance music education, accessibility, diversity, inclusion of new works, and rethinking the very stiff way we consume this music in symphony halls?

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Do you have any advice on what can be done as an aspiring (highschool) musician in a poorly funded/managed music program? I am willing to elaborate more on details if you would like, but for now I feel this should suffice.

About what I expected and makes sense. Thanks for answering. :)

Maybe I’m too late, but maybe you will still see this!

As a singer, I am always relieved to be able to come off stage and not have to be performing every second of an opera. However, the orchestra and conductor are there for the duration of every opera whether they like it or not. How to you manage on the long operas like Tristan or Rosenkavalier? Especially when you are performing 8 times a week…

Also, Mozart and Strauss keep the violins pretty busy, but I imagine in vastly different ways. Do you have a preference? Is one more taxing than the other?

Nerd

What’s your trick with stage fright or preparing mentally for performances as a musician?