Posted by Jason on September 19, 2003 at 19:33:28:
In Reply to: The Rome Festival posted by David Chase on September 19, 2003 at 16:52:47:
David,
I just attended the festival this past year and would advise anyone not to go. Trust me when I say this, it is not worth it. I met some great people while I was there and played with some wonderful Italian musicians. But the conductor made the experience horrible for me. I never got to play over a good strong mezzoforte because the orchestra was small and we played in a very loud performance site. Basically the performance site was an industrial tech building retrofited for the orchestra. We didn't get a chance to practice when we wanted to so the only time I played was during rehersals and performances. They made me come a week early so I could play the third trombone part on tuba. They wouldn't get a third trombone player for Carmen or Brahms first symphony. Rome is a beautiful city and the poeple were great. I recommend going to Rome but not with the Rome Festival Orchestra. Feel free to email me about this if you'd like. Thanks.
Jason Martin