SDSO principal trumpet Chris Smith explains how he has come to be a YouTube star posting nearly 500 etude videos. In 2013, while on tour with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, I was giving a masterclass in Bogotá, Colombia. It became
An Interview with Kaelan Decman, Double Bass
Kaelan Decman has become a beloved member of the San Diego Symphony while playing multiple one-year contracts with the Orchestra. He is kind and compassionate, a really fun guy, and brings incredible energy to the music. He has become part
San Diego Cello Foundation, Interview with Yao Zhao and Xian Zhuo
The San Diego Cello Foundation was conceived by Yao Zhao in 2019. Its goal is to improve access to music education through instrument loans, masterclasses, competitions, and festivals. I briefly spoke about the Foundation with President Yao Zhao and Artistic
Remembering 9/11: An Interview with Tommy Dougherty
By Hanah Stuart Composer, violinist, and Pittsburgh native, Tommy Dougherty, was commissioned to write a piece for the Laurel Arts Exhibit in Somerset, PA, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11. The piece, titled “Blue Steel Cranes” and scored for
An Overview of Operations at the Shell
Every time the San Diego Symphony steps onstage at The Rady Shell there are so many people working behind the scenes. Like an anthill, where you only see a percentage of the colony, backstage at The Shell is alive with
Retirement Tribute – Matthew Garbutt, A Lifetime with Tuba and Conducting
“I love it and I love what I was doing and that was why I did it,always because I loved it and I thought it was really neat.”-Matthew Garbutt In 1956 the parents of a joyful, eager little 5 year