Music streamed through the open doors of Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre’s main theatre late Monday evening as members of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra (OSO) rehearsed.
Two Carleton music students will join five members of the orchestra this Sunday, Nov. 28, for a joint ensemble in front of a live audience.
The performance is the culmination of Carleton University’s pilot partnership with the OSO, which offers students a unique opportunity to work with professional musicians.
The opportunity is “gold,” according to John Higney, supervisor of performance and ensembles at Carleton.
“If I were looking for an undergraduate music program and I was in the classical music stream, which I was as an undergraduate, this would be something that would be very attractive to me,” Higney said.
Auditions were held before the start of the school year and were open to all Carleton music students. In the end, a pair of students were selected.
“Students who were accepted to the ensemble are very, very capable. But there’s a different experience in having the chance to play with professional musicians,” Higney noted.
Rebekah Waddell, a first-year trumpeter at Carleton, said working with members of the OSO was intimidating at first. She auditioned on short notice and, to her mild disbelief, was one of two students accepted into the ensemble. Waddell added that she quickly learned that she would also receive professional treatment.
“There’s a high level of respect,” she said.
“They don’t treat me like I’m a first-year [student],” Waddell said. “It’s very much like, ‘Okay, she knows how to learn her music. So let’s work on it with her.’ Then they give me helpful tips and I go home and work on it.”
The students get one-on-one time with instructors. Waddell said every musician has their own instructing style and it’s helpful to get feedback from multiple people.
“I’m getting double the practice,” she said.
Waddell said she’s looking forward to Sunday’s performance. It will be the first time in two years that her friends and family will be able to watch her perform.
“Unfortunately, we have to keep Carleton [performances] tight-knit because of [COVID-19] safety protocols. But this one, since it’s with the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, we’re able to branch out a little bit more.”
While performing in front of a live audience, Waddell said it’s important to save the rush of excitement for after the concert.
“I don’t like to get too excited or overwhelmed because I don’t want it to affect my playing,” she said. “I want to just kind of maintain that calm, relaxed mentality until afterwards.”
Saturday’s dress rehearsal will give the student performers a final chance to prepare for the concert that will mark the end of their experience in the Carleton-OSO partnership.
Ben Glossop, the principal bassoonist with the OSO and the Carleton-OSO ensemble director, emphasized the experience’s importance.
“Getting your career underway is a very important experience for musicians,” Glossop said. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride, no matter what … but the experiences that you get and the organizations that are around to create that kind of transition are really valuable.”
“The larger part for the Ottawa symphony was a desire to be a positive influence in the community and for young up-and-coming musicians,” Glossop said.
He believes Carleton’s music program has a wide range of strengths and the partnership will help build the university’s reputation in the scope of traditional Western classical music.
“The opportunity to kind of amplify the classical side of what they do was something that seemed like a great partnership,” Glossop said. “Hopefully, through this program, that will be something that happens organically over the years to come.”
Glossop and Higney agree that the program’s success could pave the way for Carleton-OSO performances on a regular basis.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article stated the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra had 100 musicians. In fact, the OSO has 46 regular members. The Charlatan regrets the error. The article was last updated on Nov. 30.
Featured image by Ali Khaleghi.
