Who are classical musicians thankful for?

Classical music lovers have much to be thankful for: Bach's My Spirit Be Joyful. Metronomes. Dame Joan Sutherland. Viola jokes.

Among the people we're thankful for, many have passed away, but many others are still alive and contributing their energy, passion, and talent to this art form. I recently polled several friends and colleagues with this question: among people alive today in the classical music world, whom are you thankful for? Here are some of their replies.

Students and teachers

Traci Nelson, a trumpet player living in Cleveland, writes, "My students. They are hungry to learn the traditions of making good music, and I am absolutely inspired by them as they convince me that there is no doubt a future for classical music!"

Matt Renz, a horn player in Duluth, responds, "I'd have to say my teachers. My high school band and college horn teachers come to mind."

Similarly, euphonium and trombone player Joel Pugh of Grand Forks, says, "The first person that comes to mind is my daughter's teacher at college, who is training her to be a performing musician. (One thinks differently when a parent!)"

Leaders and participants

Writes Larry Prescott, a trumpet player living in Bloomington, "On a local level (Twin Cities), William Schrickel comes to mind. Bill conducts the Metropolitan Symphony in Minneapolis. His passion for the music, as well as his humility, is inspiring."

Horn player Sarah Schmalenberger of St. Paul, shares, "I'm most thankful for the musicians who are mostly 'anonymous' in terms of celebrity status in our business. I am referring to the members of the Freeway Philharmonic freelance groups as well as the musicians who play in community bands and orchestras. These are passionate, diligent, and enthusiastic people who sacrifice a great deal of time and often their own money to keep making music, and to keep community music-making thriving in their neighborhoods."

Colleagues

Fargo cellist Michal Lang responds, "I think I'm most thankful to have others I can make music with. There is nothing worse than being a musician with no one to play with. What a great gift we give each other when we come together and play!"

Well said, Michal. I agree with all these replies, including the one specific person named, Bill Schrickel. (I played under him for a season with the St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra, and loved that he programmed Dave Brubeck's piece Elementals.)

In recent months, though, I have felt especially thankful for the personnel managers of the ensembles I play with, as well as those who aren't technically supposed to fill this role but have to do it anyway. It's often a thankless job, but where would we be without these people working behind the scenes, dealing with sudden absences, communication difficulties, and other challenges? To Nathan Carlsgaard of the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra and all the other personnel people out there, thank you!

Who are you feeling thankful for in this season of gratitude?

Gwendolyn Hoberg is a classical musician and the owner of the editing and writing business Content & Contour. She lives in Moorhead, plays with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and writes the Little Mouse fitness blog. She is also a co-author of The Walk Across North Dakota.

Interested in writing about classical music for Classical MPR? Have a story about classical music to share? We want to hear from you!

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