Meet the Conductors
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Conductor: Neil Varon, professor of conducting and ensembles,
and director of the Eastman Philharmonia.
Age bitten by conducting bug: 12
Years at Eastman: 3
Education: Bachelor’s in conducting and master’s
in orchestral conducting, both from the Juilliard School
On conducting: “When you look up ‘to conduct’
in the dictionary, one of the definitions is ‘to bring together.’
That in a large sense is how I see my role, not only in terms of exactness of
performance but also bringing concepts together.”
On teaching: “When I’m not forced to solve problems,
I put them at the back of my mind. But when you’re teaching, you have
to come up with a solution. Students’ thoughts can clarify a solution
to a problem that plagued me for years.”
Things you might not have known about Neil Varon: Classmates
at Juilliard included Yo Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, and Isaiah Jackson.
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Conductor: Brad Lubman, associate professor
of conducting and ensembles, director, Eastman Musica Nova
Age bitten by conducting bug: 11
Years at Eastman: 8
Education: Bachelor’s in performance from SUNY College
at Purchase, master’s in performance from SUNY Stony Brook
On conducting: “The conductor has to be an expert musician,
teacher, philosopher, community builder, psychologist, and leader—yet
without being tyrannical or too authoritarian.”
On teaching: “Conducting is in a way teaching, and both
are about building a community, creating a peaceful, harmonious atmosphere,
which can really serve as a model for society.”
Things you might not have known about Brad Lubman: “Mostly
self taught” as a conductor—studied scores and technique alone and
“by the time I was 14, I was practicing conducting in front of a mirror.”
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Conductor: Mark Davis Scatterday ’89E (DMA), chair,
conducting and ensembles department, conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble
and Eastman Wind Orchestra
Age bitten by conducting bug: 3 (“My parents say that
I was walking around with a stick, conducting music on the radio.”)
Years at Eastman: 4
Education: Bachelor’s in performance and education from
the University of Akron, master’s in performance from the University of
Michigan, D.M.A. in conducting from Eastman
On conducting: “If I stepped in front of an ensemble
and said, ‘This is fun. Isn’t this fun?’ the musicians wouldn’t
be interested. But if I look like I’m really into it, they’ll get
into it. The repertoire is the key—good established music and great new
pieces. Eastman students love working with new music, and the wind ensemble
has so much written for it every year.”
On teaching: “Teaching is about being able to communicate
to people and care about them and care about what you do and love what you do.
If you do that, you’re going to be a good teacher.”
Things you might not have known about Mark Davis Scatterday: Can’t
wait to get older (“not old!”), so students won’t think he
doesn’t look old enough to be conducting. “White hair is the key,
and it’s coming!”
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Conductor: Bill Weinert, professor of conducting and ensembles,
director, Choral Activities
Age bitten by conducting bug: Teens
Years at Eastman: 11
Education: Bachelor’s in history and music education
from Oberlin College, master’s in conducting, master’s in music
history, and D.M.A. in conducting from the University of Wisconsin
On conducting: “I think a conductor is there to free
up the musicians to do their best with a piece—to clarify the goals and
spark creativity. When the conductor has done a great job, he has prepared the
musicians to function pretty much without him, like a chamber ensemble. When
you see a conductor frantically jumping around a lot up there, he’s usually
trying to make up for work that didn’t get done in rehearsal.”
On teaching: “It’s a great privilege to work daily
with the next generation of musical leaders—conductors, composers, singers,
and instrumentalists. Not one day goes by that I don’t learn something
important from a student, if I’m paying attention.”
Things you might not have known about Bill Weinert: Thought being a professional conductor was unattainable (“It looks impossible when you’re watching the conductor on the stage”) until college.
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Conductor: Bill Dobbins, professor of jazz studies and contemporary media, conductor, Eastman Jazz Ensemble and Eastman Studio Orchestra
Age bitten by conducting bug: While at college putting together a big band
Years at Eastman: 25
Education: Bachelor’s in composition and piano performance, master’s in composition, both from Kent State
On conducting: “Because most of the music a big band plays has a steady tempo, and all the musicians are expected to be able to project that, it’s not necessary to do a lot in order to keep everything working well. It’s quite a different situation from working with a classical group. Most of what the director of a big band does is cue entrances and help get the group through sections that are out of tempo, rubato, or changing the tempo and/or meter.”
On teaching: “I decided it made more sense to get involved in education, because that gave me an opportunity to spend all my time with music and repertoire that I really loved, working with students, and passing on some appreciation for and understanding of a great American musical heritage that has a tremendous influence on the world’s culture: jazz.”
Things you might not have known about Bill Dobbins: After obtaining his master’s degree, he made a living as a pianist in Cleveland.
