For one of the most finely tuned groups on campus, the past few years have been a little off-key.
In just three years, the University of Pennsylvania Orchestra and Wind Ensemble has gone through three different conductors. The newest -- and hopefully most permanent -- of the bunch is Brad Smith, coming from his position of orchestra musical director and symphony orchestra assistant conductor at the University of Texas at Austin.
Although the first rehearsal isn't until Sept. 14, Smith already has a game plan -- "my primary goal for both groups is to establish a really strong working relationship in rehearsals between the conductor and the ensemble."
The cascade of conductors was set off in late June 2001 when Ricardo Averbach, who served as conductor since 1995, announced that he would be leaving to fill a full-time faculty position at Miami University in Ohio.
J. Karla Lemon was then selected as an interim conductor for the 2002-2003 year, but according to the undergraduate chairman for the Music Department, James Primosch, she withdrew late in last year's search for a permanent conductor.
"We were fortunate that [Lemon] could fill this position on short notice," Music Professor Cristle Collins Judd wrote in an e-mail. Judd is on sabbatical this school year, but was instrumental in the hiring process. However, she added that "our intention was always to hold a national search to fill the position permanently."
Some students look forward to the change because of rocky relations with Lemon last year.
"I don't think [Lemon] really interacted with the students well," trumpet player and Engineering sophomore Alice Crane said. "I think she put a lot of people off.... She was really critical."
College junior Krista Kawaguchi is a veteran violinist who played under the last two conductors and is looking forward to working under Smith. She said that after Lemon threatened to cut performers and instrument groups, "a lot of the orchestra ended up quitting, so by the end [they] were really divided."
Jay Reise, the chairman for performance in the Music Department, said that it was not atypical that Lemon served for only one year, as the post of conductor "is not a tenured position."
And despite some student criticism, Reise noted that "last year's performance was absolutely remarkable."
Smith and the Music Department both expressed hopes of continuing to work together long into the future.
"I definitely plan on being here longer than a year," Smith said. And according to Reise, the Music Department is "really looking forward to putting together some wonderful music in the coming years."
Primosch agreed that after a tumultuous few years, the department thinks that it has found the right person for the job. "We hope to continue to work with our new conductor for some time," he said.
Many said that exposure to different types of conducting styles can help one develop into an excellent musician.
"Sometimes changing directors makes performance a little less comfortable, because everyone... gets used to a certain style," Chairman of the Music Undergraduate Advisory Board Kellen Yamanaka said. "But... being a resilient and adaptable musician is something that can be gained from this."
Kawaguchi -- who played in a group with which Smith auditioned for the job -- said she looks forward to working with him again.
"I think [Smith] will be much better," she noted. "I really liked the choice of music, and his conducting style is really good."
Primosch also said that he is satisfied to have secured such an experienced candidate and said that, finally, "the ensemble will benefit from creative continuity."
Smith's "experience both as an orchestral conductor and a conductor of a wind ensemble" set him apart from other prospects since the department is looking to develop both ensembles.
