Posted by Richard on February 17, 2001 at 01:25:09:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: BSO audition invites? posted by Chuck Jackson on February 17, 2001 at 00:07:26:
For just two of the most major for example, I don't believe either New York or Chicago had "inside winners." From what's been said of Chicago, that was the battle of the titans. In New York, Warren beat out Don Harry who was as likely an odds-on favorite as Chris Hall seems to be for the BSO in some peoples minds. Way back in 1944, Arnold Jacobs was the inside guy for the CSO. Bell and Novotny were inside guys for the New York Phil. They probably didn't even audition. For that matter, K. Vinal Smith was the inside guy for the BSO in his time (a highly underrated player, interesting sound, fit perfectly with the trumpet driven, oinky trombones of the late Koussevitsky/Munch period BSO).
For those who followed the recent Seattle contest, Chris Olka beat the odds of the inside guy usually getting trampled. He prevailed over some extremely gifted challengers. That says someting about the people who had been working with him all that time, but it also says something about his ability to do the work up/psyche up necessary to have pulled it off. Talk about pressure.
BTW, I was at the last one. About 50 people, all in one day in early October 1965. Prelims late morning through afternoon. Pretty much on schedule. On the Symphony Hall stage. Committee sat behind the rehearsal curtain hung from the ceiling about halfway back in the hall. Six of us were selected for the evening final rounds. That six got swiftly narrowed to three, and Chester proceeded to blow everyone away. They had him play an excerpt from Salome, very rangy and rapid scales with lots of accidentals. You had to be there. Story is he nearly didn't get invited for lack of experience. A mutual connection between him and Leinsdorf got him there, but his AUDITION got him the job.
And finally, one of several fond memories of that day. Vinal Smith just inside the stage door welcoming the first arriving wave of contestants, you have to hear this in a boisterous but lilting down-east Maine accent, "Welcome to Symphony Hall everyone. May the best man win. Best man usually does."