Ten Questions with Visiting Chamber Music Faculty Todd Phillips

Director and Faculty of Digital Media Ali King spoke with Visiting Chamber Music Faculty Todd Phillips about his upcoming performance with the CIM Orchestra on Friday, February 18, what’s on the horizon for his Orion String Quartet, and why teaching chamber music at CIM is special.

AK: This Friday’s orchestra concert is missing a familiar role on stage – the conductor. What should our audience know about this choice?

TP: I’ve been a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra for forty years, and we’ve approached orchestral repertoire with a chamber music attitude, meaning that everybody is invited to contribute opinions in the rehearsal. We never play with a conductor, and as a result, all of the players feel a certain responsibility rather than responding to direction from the front. I think this is an important idea to explore in a school setting.

AK: How do you teach an orchestra to have a chamber music attitude?

TP: One could imagine that this might be a little chaotic at first, so I start things off by running rehearsals a bit like a conductor and gradually step back and encourage students to participate. Eventually, I’ll send players out into the audience to listen and to give comments to practice their concertmaster skillset.

AK: How are rehearsals going this week?

TP: I think the opportunity for this kind of collaborative leadership is something that most musicians enjoy. It's incredibly gratifying that this concert’s orchestra is made up of many groups that I've coached here, so I know how beautifully they can all play.

AK: What do conductors think of this configuration?

TP: Everyone is happy to have a great conductor. But the type of listening that you learn in a chamber orchestra only serves to benefit a full symphony orchestra, and I think conductors appreciate when they can trust an orchestra that’s refined in that way; it’s the perfect balance. As it turns out, many of the members of Orpheus have become conductors!

AK: You mentioned needing to get creative with this Friday’s concert due to the pandemic; tell us more.

TP: Because we couldn’t play full-scale works for a while, CIM, like many conservatories, split winds and strings into separate groups. When I was proposing programs for this concert, we considered just about every standard piece originally for string orchestra. So many had been performed recently, but I’m happy we settled on the Webern and Brahms, especially. This viola quintet is not played that often with string orchestra; there’s a grand dimension that emerges when played this way—it’s super satisfying.

AK: CIM is just one of the conservatories and music schools where you are on faculty; what’s your take on remote teaching?

TP: Some people just couldn’t deal with teaching online. There are a lot of variables, but I found that I could still get good work done with students. Obviously, teaching is better in person, but it’s turned into a useful alternative for losing a lesson due to quarantine, for example.  

AK: What performing opportunities are you looking forward to this season?

TP: Orion has a couple performances in Lincoln Center where we’ll be playing excerpts from a suite written for us years ago by Wynton Marsalis called, At The Octoroon Balls. Later in Philadelphia, we’ll be performing Beethoven’s Quartet in B-flat Major, Op. 130 with Grosse Fuge, Op. 133. It’s this big sprawling work and one of our favorite pieces to play, which will be a treat.

AK: When you were studying violin at Juilliard, did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in chamber music?

TP: Chamber music has always been an incredibly important part of my life since I was a teenager. It solidified for me more after school though, with the formation of Orion. We started off slowly because everyone in the group had other independent work; it’s never been an exclusive thing for any of us, which has made scheduling difficult sometimes.

AK: Do you have professional advice for chamber music ensembles starting their careers today?

TP: We were very lucky. My older brother who also joined Orion with me was under management as a soloist, and his manager offered to take us on as a client as a favor. Things are so different now – there’s less of a standard operation. Students are creating a lot of their opportunities, from how concerts are organized to how genres are defined. An open mind and challenged comfort zone never hurt.

AK: As it’s audition season, what should prospective students who are interested in studying chamber music at CIM know about the program?

TP: Chamber music at CIM has a well-earned reputation for being strong, which continues because of extraordinary commitment to the program – not only from coaches, but the students too. I’m passionate about returning to CIM each season because of how enthusiastic the students are; they put so much love and work into their chamber music and performances.

Join us in Mixon Hall or tune in online on February 18 at 7pm EST to watch this unique performance, led by Todd Phillips.