22 symphonic band and orchestra students visited Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco to watch the symphony’s open rehearsal on September 26.
Band and orchestra teacher Johnny Johnson said, “It’s kind of like a concert in a way, but we watch them work on their music that they’re going to present later in a full concert.”
The purpose of the annual trip is “for students to watch a top conductor interact with professional musicians,” according to Johnson. He said, “It’s very instructive for students to watch that process because it’s the same process that we go through in our classroom.”
Open rehearsals are held throughout the year, according to the SF Symphony’s website, and anyone can buy a ticket. According to Johnson, these rehearsal tickets are not as expensive as regular concert tickets, and they pay a group rate since they are a school group. Johnson said he chose to attend this rehearsal because the main conductor of the SF Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, was conducting the open rehearsal. According to Johnson, Thomas normally doesn’t conduct open rehearsals, and this was the only day he was conducting one this year.
“This was a cool thing to watch him work with this stage full of professional musicians,” Johnson said. “They’re phenomenal, of course, and he’s one of the top conductors of the world, working with these top level professionals. It was something thrilling to see.”
“He’s really dedicated to bringing out as much as he can of the music,” senior Kourosh Arasteh said. “So while other guest conductors might just run through the setlist, run through the repertory they’re supposed to for the concert, Michael Tilson Thomas will go into each individual part,” Aresteh said. “He really went into these parts and really interpreting the music.”
Both freshman Brigitte Jia and Arasteh enjoyed the trip.
“I thought that was a great experience and I was able to gain some insight on how to play the violin,” Jia said.
“It’s just a really important experience for the orchestra in general, both as a bonding experience and as an opportunity for us to see where we could be with a little more work,” Arasteh said.
