Identifying the Spies - James Baker

"They couldn't have been spies...Look what she did with the hydrangeas." Thus observed a neighbor of one of the recently accused Russian spies, disbelieving the veracity of the government accusations.

Back in 1981 I joined the Orquesta Filarmonica de la Ciudad de Mexico. It was a dream job: great salary, great orchestra and an extended tour of Europe on the near horizon. As it turned out, the tour failed to materialize and the salary toppled when the Mexican currency suffered a precipitous devaluation. However, the orchestra remained very good. It was a mix of fine Mexican players, very talented Americans, numerous other Latin Americans, a generous handful of skilled Polish musicians, and a group of 8 or 9 Russian players which was sponsored by the USSR.

One of the games back then was to watch the Russians, speculating on who might be headed toward defection and who might be the KGB agent. It was assumed there must be an agent, someone to keep the others toeing the line, and especially someone to insure the Estonian cellist didn’t stray. That cellist, Pieter, had let some of the Americans know that he was, in fact, looking to defect.

We Americans came into the orchestra with certain preconceptions about what a KGB agent looked like. Too many spy movies, I guess, or excessive hours leering over Spy vs Spy in Mad Magazine. Armed with this profile, we agreed that Oleg, one of the bass players, must surely be the spy. He looked like the KGB but was otherwise friendly and outgoing. In fact, all of the Russians were more or less friendly toward the Americans. This put us into somewhat of an awkward position. Many wanted to get to know the Estonian cellist a little better. It wasn’t that we had any means to help him defect, but still we were curious. However, if you invited one of the Russians for coffee, you invited all the Russians for coffee. And that’s what we did. They caravanned out to a little compound of duplexes where several Americans lived and we proceeded to enjoy coffee brewed Russian style (the ground coffee spooned directly into the cups of hot water and then allowed to settle) along with an attractive setting of Mexican pastries. There was somewhat the air of a chess match as we opened conversation, probed a middle game and eventually ended with a stalemate. It was a fine afternoon of détente.

From this afternoon and others like it (the Russians reciprocated by having several of the Americans to dinner at their apartment) we came to like each other while remaining convinced that good-natured Oleg was the KGB agent.

Amongst the Russians was a violinist said to have been a concertmaster at the Bolshoi. Boris was elderly and struck everyone as their surrogate grandfather. We all trusted this gentleman and admired him too. It was said he had climbed mountains in the Urals. He was quiet and noble but in the end turned out to be the KGB connection. Boy, were we surprised!

“He can’t be a spy….Just listen to how he plays the violin.”

By the time the Russians received their orders to return to Moscow, Boris had done his job well. Pieter had not defected, nor had any of the others stepped out of line. As for Oleg, spy or not, he made it back to Moscow with some great bowings for Moncayo’s Huapango.

GTOC: 8 days a week

We managed to keep Monday going and going with a 5am wake up call in Hong Kong and most of arriving at 9:30pm in San Antonio Monday night! I pointed out to some students that our boarding pass for Japan was at 5:20pm Monday and that our boarding pass for Dallas was at 5:10pm Monday!!! No one thought Professor Dumbledore was involved with a time travel watch, but the weather once again, played a role for our trip...
In Hong Kong, groups B & C (the ones stranded in Tokyo on the trip starting off) got delayed an hour & a half. When we arrived, some got the rest of their boarding passes to San Antonio. (Unfortunately, not everyone did and would play a BIG role later!)
When we arrived in Dallas, lightning prevented our luggage from being unloaded and we waiting two hours...then we were told we could go on, and then that we couldn't. In the confusion between airline and customs some left without their luggage, and some were able to check through with the luggage arriving. Those without boarding passes however were stuck in Dallas.
The majority of YOSA students made it back Monday night and of this morning, just two students and Executive Director Steven Payne will come back this morning. Pictured are students on the fairly empty flight from Dallas to San Antonio.

Keep an eye out for more pictures and video of the #greattourofchina of YOSA and the adventures of host John Clare here on the KPAC blog and on facebook!

The Classical Vuvuzela Revealed!

We knew it would be only a matter of time before the "classical" vuvuzela emerged from the jungle of World Cup mania. Can we be far from a Vuvuzela Orchestra? Hear the madness.

GTOC: Hong Kong Concert

Here is YOSA with the Hong Kong Youth Symphony after Smetana's Moldau.

GTOC: Hong Kong

Saturday was a great day for slowly getting back to a western style of living...shopping and food! A morning with rain didn't allow us to go to Splendid China but instead one of the great malls for Shenzhen. (I wound up getting a suit tailor made!)

Next it was getting to Hong Kong via bus across a great bridge - but first Chinese Customs - while Hong Kong belongs to China now (since 1997) they do not enjoy free travel. We arrived and checked into our last hotel, the Empire Kowloon Hotel. The real catch was that between customs and traffic we did not eat lunch until very late and had scheduled more "western" food - PIZZA! for dinner. Seen left is "Erhu" bus.

Hong Kong definitely has a different feel than any other place we have visited - and certainly provides another urban look at China...the overall impression from this reporter is that commerce is above everything, all talk among locals seems to focus on money.

Gone too soon, but oh what a ride!

Some of the most beautiful and moving funeral monuments of ancient Greece and Rome are for those who died young. Strong, tall and graceful if commemorating young men and poignant and beautiful if female. In a computer society we have other options when it comes to remembering those who, however filled with promise, are gone.

On the Piano this Sunday some recent releases featuring two pianists that
had it all and suddenly were gone. American William Kapell and Russian Youri Egorov. The Kapell recording comes from his last tour and you can hear an amazing rendition of Prokofiev's Sonata No. 7. On the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

GTOC: Travel

Friday was full of transportation for YOSA in China. More rain greeted us but it was mostly viewed from boats, planes and buses!

We started in the romatic Hangzhou, and took a cruise around Westlake. Everyone seemed to enjoy the folklore and cool weather. Here is one of the chaperones, Julie, taking a Titanic moment on our ship.

We had a delightful lunch and made our way to the airport for a Chinese flight to Shenzhen. I can't say it was very different from a normal flight, and yet it was...not alot of communication and I heard a rumor that there was smoking on the flight from passengers (not in our group!) but all in all, the Boeing 737 on Xiamen Air was good.

(Pictured is Jacob on the flight line as we were boarding.)

After a lengthy bus ride, we made it to dinner and our at our hotel. Coming up are Hong Kong and our final concert on the tour - things we are really looking forward to experiencing!

GTOC: Hangzhou

We're making our way across China with the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio & Music Director Troy Peters. Thursday we went from Shanghai to Hangzhou with a brief stop at the "Venice of China," Wuzhen. Here is Executive Director Steven Payne with Adam Paarmann before our tour in Wuzhen (everybody has been wondering where Adam is on facebook!)

We then had a nice visit from the students at Hangzhou Shangmao Vacation School (HSVS) who played several wind band selections. They made special preparations for YOSA's visit during their final testing period. Thank you so much!

Next was a rehearsal and concert, which all of the students from the HSVS came to...and loved it! Here is bassist Alejandro Juul getting mobbed for pictures and autographs!

Friday is another travel day, on to Shenzhen..

GTOC: Expo

YOSA performed two mini concerts (30 minutes each) Wednesday in Shanghai at EXPO 2010. Over 402,000 people were at the world fairgrounds and quite a few enjoyed hearing Prokofiev, Bizet and Gershwin by the San Antonio orchestra!
The day started very early and security was high. After the stage was set and a rehearsal, YOSA got VIP treatment at the USA pavilion. There they were greeted by President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (on the video screens - gotcha!) and were delighted to find woodwind players on staff at the pavilion there!
Concerts took place at 11 and 12, and from there the group broke up into 3 groups - exploring Australia, Indonesia and Thailand. Then we were on our own for the day. I spent some time in Cuba enjoying the music and mood! Read about the student views online at the YOSA website and on facebook!

The Wadenpfuhl Legacy: RIP Jay Wadenpfuhl (1950-2010)

It continues to baffle me when I hear the question: "How are we ever going to guide a younger audience to classical music?" The fact is, they are already out there, primed for classical music and, in many cases, for careers in music. For all the grumbling about there being no music in our public schools, band, orchestra and choral programs are alive and mostly well. We should all wake up to the fantastic job so many of our music educators are doing and say "thank you."

"Oh, those band kids are all just geeks who don't fit in elsewhere." That's one statement I heard recently. Many will also cast aspersions upon the music these youngsters are learning, especially those "geeky" band kids. Truth is, there is a lot of great music they are learning to play, much of it as closely related to "classical music" as the looney tunes and movie music we often cite as gateways to classical music. Not all of these kids will stick with their music educations, and most won't pursue anything in music beyond high school; however, these band, chorus and orchestra geeks will come away with an appreciation for great music. They will also pick up problem solving skills and discipline which will serve them well in their later lives as doctors, lawyers, teachers, public servants and the myriad other careers they will follow throughout their adult lives. Some of these kids will even become supporters of public radio.

Texas is blessed with some of the greatest music educators in the country. But the Wadenpfuhl Family is exceptional even by Texas standards. Karl Wadenpfuhl was born in Louisiana and educated at LSU, where he played trumpet in the ROTC Cadet Band. He would later switch to French horn when he joined the U.S. Army Air Force Field Band. Karl's early career as a music educator took him through several posts before arriving in Kirbyville, Texas in 1949. There he put down roots, started a family, and began to produce a long string of award-winning bands. He and his wife, Lottie, also began producing a family of musicians; all four of their children became musicians and music educators. In 1997, Karl Wadenpfuhl was inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame.

While in high school, I had the good fortune of advancing in my senior year to All-State Band. On the first morning of the Texas Music Educators Association (TMEA) convention, 16 of the best high school French horn players in the state sat in a semi-circle within a huge conference room at the Rice Hotel in Houston. The final audition which would determine our overall ranking began. I knew I was somewhat out of my league when some of those kids began to play. In particular, there was a spectacular player from Beaumont who won the cherished first horn position. His name was Jay Wadenpfuhl, son of Karl and Lottie Wadenpfuhl. As the years rolled by and my music education took me to the University of Texas at Austin, I continued to see the name Wadenpfuhl at the All-State level. This was becoming a horn player dynasty.

In fact, both Jay and his brother Ken Wadenpfuhl went on to highly successful careers as orchestral players. Jay landed his "plum" job in 1981 when he won a position in the Boston Symphony. A recent inventory of the Wadenpfuhl family legacy reveals 10 horn players in just 3 generations. In addition, the family has produced 4 celebrated band directors.

My reasons for writing of the remarkable Wadenpfuhl Family are twofold. One is to demonstrate that there are indeed generations of music lovers flowing through our public schools, many touched by extraordinary teachers such as Karl Wadenpfuhl or, in my case, the Victoria High School band director Fred Junkin. These young people may not transition directly into San Antonio Symphony ticket holders, or members of KPAC, but many will eventually get there, thanks to their positive public school experience.

The second reason for introducing you to the Wadenpfuhls is somber. Although I never really knew Jay Wadenpfuhl beyond his bigger than life reputation (he called himself Tex on Facebook), I was nevertheless deeply saddened to learn of his passing this week, after an extended illness. He touched many with his gifts as a player, teacher and composer. May he Rest in Peace.

Frank Epstein, a longtime BSO colleague and chair of Brass and Percussion at the New England Conservatory, said this about Wadenpfuhl: “Jay, was a one of a kind personality, emotionally charged yet highly committed to all things musical. An unusual talent, he was a composer of brass music and loved to conduct pieces in the brass repertoire. His playing was elegant, stylistically fluent and secure, his tone beautifully centered at all times, while his playing was always musical with an extraordinary sense of good taste. He was also a committed teacher.”

Sadly, I must also report that within the past 6 months, both Karl and Lottie Wadenpfuhl also passed away. One is tempted to sum this up as the end of an era, except there are more Wadenpfuhl musicians just emerging from major music schools across the country. The spirit and the name live on.

Submitted by James Baker