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When the Hendersonville Symphony Orchestra began its 2022-2023 season, it signaled the start of a new chapter: John Young Shik Concklin debuted as the Orchestra\u2019s new conductor. And while he expresses admiration for the Orchestra\u2019s previous repertoire, his vision will build on that strong foundation and take the music in a subtly different \u2013 though complementary \u2013 direction.<\/p>\n
Concklin says that he recognizes that people have many choices when it comes to entertainment; they can even stay home with Netflix. \u201cSo we want to provide something that you can’t get anywhere else in Hendersonville,\u201d he says. He challenges the potential concertgoer to consider a few things when making a choice: \u201cDo you feel comfortable? Are you entertained? Do you feel enlightened or inspired or moved in some way?\u201d And he believes that an evening spent with an HSO performance will elicit a resounding yes<\/i>. \u201cAnd that,\u201d he says, \u201cis really, truly what we’re going for.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy predecessor was here for well over two decades,\u201d Concklin points out. \u201cWhen a community forms a relationship over that long of a time, you truly get to learn what they like and don\u2019t like.\u201d He notes that the HSO performed many American works from the 1930s and \u201840s. \u201cThose are gorgeous works, but they\u2019re not necessarily what would be in my repertoire,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Concklin\u2019s approach will be to focus in part upon what he characterizes as the \u201ccenter of the repertoire,\u201d pairing that with lesser-known works, or works by lesser-known composers. But he emphasizes a key component of his musical philosophy: \u201cIt\u2019s really important to have music that\u2019s accessible to people,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe litmus test for me is that if I send an audio clip to someone who might only come to a concert once in a while, they come back and say, \u2018That\u2019s great!\u2019\u201d He uses a food metaphor to make sure his point is understood. \u201cThink about cooking seven dinners for somebody,\u201d he suggests. \u201cIf you had seven dinners to prepare each year for somebody, you would stick with things that you know are going to work really well for lots of different people. And that\u2019s the philosophy I take.\u201d<\/p>\n
An example of Concklin\u2019s approach is the HSO\u2019s most recent concert. Built around a theme of friendship, the March performance featured Edward Elgar\u2019s 1889 work Enigma Variations<\/i> as well as Mendelssohn\u2019s Violin Concerto in e minor<\/i>, completed in 1844. Both works were written for or about friends of the composers, \u201cso the whole thing went together,\u201d Concklin says.<\/p>\n
Concklin has an exciting collection of pieces in store for the HSO\u2019s May 6 concert. That performance is built around a \u201cGreat American Road Trip\u201d theme and includes beloved works from American composers. The program will include Aaron Copland\u2019s lively \u201cHoe Down,\u201d a medley of classics from Leonard Bernstein\u2019s West Side Story<\/i>, George Gershwin\u2019s American in Paris<\/i> and \u201cAndante Moderato\u201d by Florence Price.<\/p>\n
The concert will also feature a brand-new work from the winner of this year\u2019s Young Artists Competition. \u201cThe competition is something that HSO has done for quite some time, Concklin says, noting that the pandemic had caused it to be placed on hold for a time. \u201cPre-college students from across the region compete for an opportunity to perform with the HSO,\u201d he explains. \u201cWe’re the only orchestra in the region to host such a competition.\u201d The work by a young, emerging and local composer means that \u201cin a sense, we’ll include Western North Carolina in our road trip,\u201d Conklin says.<\/p>\n
Building each concert around a theme is part of John Young Shik Conklin\u2019s mission to make HSO concerts enjoyable for the widest range of concertgoers possible. \u201cEven if listeners are unfamiliar with the titles of the pieces, I’m willing to bet they’ll recognize many of them once the music starts playing,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cThere’s something uniquely American about each of the pieces; perhaps it’s that they all are intrinsically hopeful for the future and have a sense of discovery about them,\u201d he says. Concklin believes that the selections speak to our shared aspiration as Americans to create something better than exists now.<\/p>\n
Taken together, the works represent a great way to cap off the HSO\u2019s 2022-2023 concert season. \u201cWe wanted to end the season not so much saying goodbye, but saying there’s much much more to come,\u201d Concklin says. \u201cWe’re only getting started.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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