Conductors will go baton-to-baton for Music in the Mountains post

By Edward Ortiz
Published: Friday, Mar. 27, 2009 – 12:44 pm
Two conductors face a rather public tryout as Music in the Mountains launches its spring season opener this weekend.

Conductor Gregory Vajda and pianist-conductor Stephen Prutsman will split a year’s worth of conducting duties. Both men seek to replace retiring music director and conductor Paul Perry, who led the orchestra and its musical programs for more than two decades.

Having two conductors split a year’s worth of concerts will allow MIM to make an informed choice, said Wayne Pittinger, chairman of the Music in the Mountains selection committee.

The classical music presenter will also seek audience input on the two conducting stints. A questionnaire soliciting impressions of Vajda and Prutsman will be handed out at concerts. Members of the orchestra and the board of directors are doing the same, he said.

“That information will not make our decision, but we’ll take the results into account,” said Pittinger. “We’re looking for a series of capabilities, like how the a conductor interacts with musicians during rehearsals, and how musicians feel about them.”

Of the two, Vajda has deeper conducting credentials. Those include his current position as resident conductor of the Portland-based Oregon Symphony Orchestra and a prior position as assistant conductor with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Vajda will conduct five concerts during MIM’s weeklong Spring Fest at the Amaral Center in Grass Valley. The programming for all these concerts is all Vajda’s doing and gives a good idea as to Vajda’s fondness for mixing the old with the new.

Most noteworthy among the programs is a Sunday afternoon concert where Vajda will join the orchestra and conduct as clarinetist on Georg Philipp Telemann’s Concerto for four violins in G major, which Vajda has transcribed for two oboes and two clarinets. The program also includes works such as Vivaldi’s Concerto in C major for two oboes, two clarinets and strings as well as Mendelssohn’s String Symphony No. 6 and a work by Ottorino Respighi.

“It’s a real treat for a clarinet player to be able to perform baroque music, especially pieces that were written for the clarinet originally, like the Vivaldi concertos,” said Vajda. “And offering my transcription of the Telemann, which I transcribed for two oboes and two clarinets, along with Respighi and Mendelssohn, is an unusual idea.

“Another idea I came up with was to show the natural acoustics of the Amaral Family Festival Center,” he said. “We’ll have different setups for the four soloists for every piece. It’s going to sound like a ‘natural surround system.’ “

The fresh-faced Vajda plans to bring a sense of levity to the festival.

“My plan is to have as much fun as possible,” he said. “For what other reason would I be in this business?”

The MIM selection committee will be making its final decision on a permanent conductor by its July 3 Summer Fest concert, said Pittinger.

“This tryout is a two-way street as both conductors are also getting to know Music in the Mountains,” he said.

“I’m sure whoever we pick will be a good match,” Pittinger said. “We’re lucky that we have two finalists that can do an excellent job.”

Call arts critic Edward Ortiz at (916) 321-1071.

Musical Masquerade

Music in the Mountains

When: March 27-April 5

Where: Nevada County Fairgrounds, 11228 McCourtney Road, Grass Valley

Tickets:$19-$27 general; $5 youth

Information: (530) 265-6124 or (800) 218-2188, or www.musicinthemountains.org.