The Rockford Symphony Orchestra has a brand new maestro following a 30-year tenure of their former one. The brand new conductor, Yaniv Attar, not too long ago had a dialog with WNIJ’s Yvonne Boose.
Yvonne: How did you turn out to be excited by music?
Yaniv: I’ll blame my mother for this. Bless her coronary heart. She purchased me a guitar, considering that I’ll simply, you understand, play a couple of songs, and name it a day. However I heard my instructor play Bach on my guitar on the primary lesson. And I used to be fascinated, I used to be mesmerized. And I mentioned, I wish to study this. So, I began to turn out to be extra uncovered to classical music. After which my sister studied movie on the College in Tel Aviv, and he or she needed to analyze the soundtrack to Clockwork Orange, which has quite a lot of music of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. And I fell in love with orchestral music then and began to pay attention extra. So, it was a journey. However you understand, every part form of discovered me, versus I discovered it.
Yvonne: How did you hear concerning the search that was going down? As a result of I see that you just reside in Washington, however you appear to be you do issues throughout.
Yaniv : Sure, I do reside in Washington State. So not DC, all the way in which on the West Coast. And I heard about this orchestra really, when the search got here up, from two musicians. One among them was a member [a] very long time in the past, of the orchestra, and now lives within the Pacific Northwest. And the opposite one was a performer who performed with the orchestra earlier than as a soloist, as a visitor soloist. And humorous that they each contacted me the identical day, and mainly mentioned, “This can be a nice orchestra, you actually need to test it out. They’re searching for [a] new music director. After 30 years, the maestro is retiring and, you understand, they’re actually fantastic, test it out.”
Yvonne: Did you hesitate or had been you prepared for the problem?
Yaniv: Nicely, you understand, as soon as they instructed me I wasn’t… instantly I mentioned, “Let’s do it.” So, I did quite a lot of analysis. You understand, I appeared on the orchestra funds on-line. I attempted to seek out video recordings of the orchestra. Noticed what they had been doing, of their masterworks, in the neighborhood, in training and every part that I noticed, actually impressed me. And so they have a repute within the nation.
Yvonne: Now I see that you just had been, I feel you mentioned the primary to do the audition efficiency. How was that have for you? And I do know you’re seasoned, so, it is not like that is one thing new for you.
Yaniv: I used to be the primary one, so I knew I had a very long time to attend longer than traditional. And on high of it, I got here in January of 2022, which was the worst time COVID clever to return. It was actually terrible. I imply, we nearly postponed the live performance, as a result of we did not know who would have the ability to play and if [the] viewers will really feel comfy coming to the live performance. So, there have been quite a lot of issues that made it rather a lot more durable than regular.
Yvonne: Now I see that you just’re already doing quite a lot of issues, how was acquiring this place going to alter your world?
Yaniv: I am undoubtedly going to visitor conduct much less as a result of I am simply going to have much less time. One of many positions, I suppose I may save right here, as a result of it is already been introduced. So, I am stepping down from my orchestra in Pennsylvania. It is the Pennsylvania Chamber Orchestra and I instructed them that on the finish of the season, I’ll not proceed because the music director, you understand with my obligations in Bellingham and I’ve a household. I wish to see my youngsters and never simply be on the street all yr.
Yvonne: What do you stay up for probably the most?
Yaniv: You understand, truthfully, my opening live performance in September. I am simply itching to only be with the musicians and make some music.
Yvonne: Is there the rest you’d prefer to share with me immediately?
Yaniv: Simply that I feel Rockford is so lucky to have such an exquisite orchestra of their yard. I imply when you got here to the symphony, you understand it. If you have not, it is a fantastic time to return in and help this superb group and expertise some actually superb musical moments.
Yvonne Boose is a present corps member for Report for America, an initiative of the GroundTruth Undertaking. It is a nationwide service program that locations proficient journalists in native newsrooms like WNIJ. You may study extra about Report for America at wnij.org.