By Kevin Gobetz
Jason Karlyn
How did your audition process change throughout your life and how would you advise an aspiring musician?
Everyone responds differently to the demand of performing excerpts alone- an incontrovertibly awkward task for musicians used to performing this material in context. For me, I had to find a way to enjoy playing in this setting, project the expression of each excerpt, and strive for an unshakeable trust within myself. I would encourage anyone navigating this process to learn as much as possible from each audition and to take the time to understand what works and what doesn’t. One’s bulletproof approach could be a recipe for disaster for another.
What is a unique fact about the gear you are playing on right now?
My viola was made by Johannes Eberhardt Steger in the late 1600’s in Prague, predating Mozart! When I play Mozart’s music, I like to imagine that some of his most celebrated works (Don Giovanni, or the Prague Symphony) could have been premiered on my viola.
What is your favorite food spot in San Diego and why?
The incredible food scene in San Diego makes this impossible. For fresh fish I always find myself going back to Bluewater Seafood, but we have endless great Asian cuisine.
John Lee
What has been your most inspiring musical motivation over your career?
When I was 8 or so, I fell in love with Claudio Abbado’s live recording of Mahler 5 with Berlin Phil. I began cello not long after and it was a dream of mine during my childhood to play with him. I adore his spirit and to this day aspire to his youthfulness and love for his profession.
Do you come from a musical family? What do they play?
Both my grandfathers loved music – my maternal granddad would be able to pick up an accordion, flute, even pen caps and improvise with no musical training. On my dad’s side, he had collected LPs of Karajan, Giulini and Emil Gilels that I still listen to when I go back home.
What other hobbies are you interested in?
Coffee brewing
Max Opferkuch
Musical Background:
My parents are both musically inclined — my father is a jazz pianist, and my mother took piano lessons growing up — so they felt it was important that I learn music from an early age. I played piano for a couple of years, then switched to violin, which I continued to play until college. I picked up the clarinet in middle school so I could join band class with my friends, motivated also by the fact that it conveniently allowed me to skip phys ed class!
I ended up loving clarinet, and in high school I joined the Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra (then known as the San Diego Young Artists Symphony), led by San Diego Symphony violinist Hernan Constantino. I had so many great experiences in youth orchestra and really grew as a musician, and decided to audition for college music programs. I did my undergrad at USC, spent time abroad at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, and most recently attended the Colburn Conservatory before returning to San Diego.
Do you remember a specific reason or event that convinced you to pursue music?
At the end of freshman year of high school, members of my youth orchestra were given the opportunity to play in a side-by-side performance of Dvorak 8 with the San Diego Symphony. I was seated next to Terri Tunnicliff, who was the second clarinetist of the Symphony at the time, and she took me under her wing as I was also getting ready to perform the Mozart Concerto. She ended up being my teacher for the next three years before I left for college!
I was really awestruck by the sonic experience of sitting in a professional orchestra and the feeling of being onstage in a big concert hall, and I definitely left that performance seriously considering a career in music for the first time. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that, nine years later, I would become the Symphony’s new second clarinetist, taking over my former teacher’s position! Playing Dvorak 8 this season definitely felt like a “full circle” moment.
Dodgers or Padres?
While I’ve lived in both San Diego and Los Angeles, I think the only correct answer here is my home team, the Padres.
Evan Pasternak
How did you approach the auditions you took and how would you advise an aspiring orchestral musician?
I have come to view auditions as specialized, curated performances. The “rules” and repertoire may be more specific and niche than they would be for recitals or competitions, but the basic premise is the same: show that you understand the music and then personalize it. Make it your own. I find this to be a very freeing approach and helps to balance the perfectionist urge many of us have, an approach that can serve us well but also deprive us. At the end of the day, any audience, even an audition committee, wants to be moved and convinced, and that is something that took me many years to fully internalize.
To any aspiring orchestral musician, I’d recommend focusing the vast majority of one’s time in school on the solo repertoire (i.e. concertos, sonatas, etc.) and chamber music. These are the pieces that will help a young artist explore their expressive potential and refine their technique. Become the best musician you can be and channel that towards orchestral audition preparation further down the line. The level of artistry you have cultivated by studying these great works will translate when you find yourself having to prepare a Mendelssohn Scherzo or Don Juan.
What gear you are playing on right now?
My fiddle is a 1943 Lorrand Racz, made in the Hague during the German occupation of the Netherlands. It is a very direct and clear fiddle, and I immediately fell in love with its power and complexity. I have two bows: a E.N. Sartory from ~1910 and an O. Wunderlich from the late 1800s. The Sartory is probably my favorite piece that I own: it is brilliant and powerful, yet warm and deep. My Wunderlich is also a wonderful bow, producing a very crisp spiccato and complimenting my fiddle well. I have a soft spot for the Wunderlich because it is the bow played on for my SDSO audition!
What is your favorite food spot in San Diego?
Bhojan Griha for Nepalese food, La Taverna for Italian food (and fresh pasta!). Both are very reasonably priced and cook with fresh ingredients.