Wilkins takes musical lead for ASO
By Roger Durbin
DOWNTOWN AKRON — Christopher Wilkins, who was the first to publicly audition for Akron Symphony Orchestra (ASO) music director before an audience at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, has been named ASO’s music director and principal conductor.
At a recent press conference, George Rosin, chair of the search committee and president of the ASO Board of Directors, introduced the new maestro.
The search was a long and fortunately successful process, Rosin said. During a two-year period, the group whittled its way through more than 180 applicants to settle on five finalists — Wilkins, Paul Polivnick, Jung-Ho Pak, David Briskin and John Morris Russell.
Wilkins, who said he knew most
of the candidates personally,
said given the strengths of the group, he imagined the
ideal music director to be one who had the apparent
best qualities of each of them.
Wilkins has his own catalog of
strong points. His audition with the players in performance
was astounding. The musicians played with an exuberance
and freedom that hadn’t been apparent in some
time.
Wilkins said that this particular
program was an “audience-friendly” one,
and that things clicked onstage. The players were “relaxed”
and comfortable with the music and picked up on one
another’s energy to create beautiful music. It
isn’t all a matter of serendipity, though. It
“usually is a function of rehearsal,” he
said, and settling into the music and preparing for
performance.
Creating “energy and excitement”
during a performance is one of the tasks before him
and the orchestra members, Wilkins said. Wonderful musical
experiences will bring the audience back for more. But
in his first year, Wilkins has other major initiatives
to work on.
First, he said, he plans to meet
with the search committee. Since those people have been
steeped in the orchestra, Wilkins intends to learn from
them and get a sense of challenges and resources. At
interview time, he had already scheduled sessions with
them and with artistic and policy staff of ASO.
Wilkins also intends to focus
on developing audiences of all ages and backgrounds
— the next generation audience. That is done,
he added, through looking at different “ways to
present” music, such as through speeches and talks
that he can give, and through written texts.
The new music director also wants
to find ways to gather “lots of involvement”
from a wide range of the Akron community — from
those on stage to volunteers who work on behalf of ASO
and the community it serves. The Akron area community,
he said, is much on his mind.
This past September,
while auditioning for ASO, Wilkins
was appointed music director designate of the Orlando
Philharmonic and will become their music director in
the fall. For 10 seasons, he was music director of the
San Antonio Symphony, and since 2001 served that orchestra
as music director emeritus. He also has had positions
at the Colorado Springs Symphony, the Opera Theatre
of the Rockies in Colorado Springs and the Youth Orchestra
of the Americas, among others.
When asked about facing two new
jobs at the same time, Wilkins was undaunted. He has
been working with the Orlando group for about six months
now and is ready to get on with things in Akron, he
said.
Although he will be living in
Bexley, near Columbus (because that’s where his
children live, he said), he sees the two-hour drive
to Akron and the two-hour flight to Orlando as workable.
There will be plenty of opportunity
to make the journey north as he becomes involved in
the operations of ASO — from choosing music for
the coming year (which needs to be completed within
a month), to selecting new players, if any are needed,
and filling in the calendar for the coming year. Of
the seven concerts planned for 2006-07, Wilkins will
conduct five of them.
ASO and Akron appeal to Wilkins.
He likes the long musical tradition established here
and the “impressive history” of the orchestra.
ASO has managed to play much of the wide range of repertoire
available and has worked with significant musical talent
— from guest conductors to soloists and resident
players.
There is a sense, he said, that
ASO is “part of the heart and soul” of the
community. That’s true. There is an audience that
expects much, and Wilkins, as the new maestro, is ready
to deliver.
Roger Durbin is associate dean
and professor of bibliography for University
Libraries at The University of
Akron. To contact him, e-mail r.durbin@sbcglobal.net.
Christopher Wilkins
Photo courtesy
of Akron Symphony Orchestra
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