Posted by semi-insider on March 04, 2001 at 12:49:46:
In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Old Eastman Wind Ensemble Question posted by jEFFIE the elephant on March 04, 2001 at 12:30:52:
F. Fennell is becoming old and frail, and those young people who view him TODAY on the podium have no idea what a demanding and insprirational conductor he was in his heyday. Mr. Hunsberger, although deserving of massive amounts of respect, never quite lived up to Mr. Fennell's legacy, IMO. In recent years, the wind ensemble(s) have been turned over to inexperienced graduate students and to others who might have been auditioning to be Mr. Hunsberger's replacement. Would you agree with the following statement?:
"When the Eastman School finally settles in on a new wind ensemble director (provided his competence, inspirational abilities, and repertoire choices measure up) the students' general attitute towards 'spending time in band' will improve."
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P.S: Don't be too down on "serenades". They offer a lot of opportunity for soloistic playing. If you end up in an orchestra someday, your wind ensemble experiences may be limited to the occasional performances of just such serenades.