Master conductor lends UA a hand to UA graduate music students

Dan Hoffman Arizona Daily Wildcat Conductor George Hanson of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra at rehearsal Monday.

On Sunday, three graduate students will present Beethoven's "Prometheus Overture" under the direction of George Hanson, conductor and musical director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.

The trio of conducting students, David Cole, Martin Reynolds and Ron Montgomery, will be holding down the conducting duties themselves for the 3 p.m. concert on Sunday. Each student will have the opportunity to individually direct the orchestra, and then receive immediate feedback from Hanson.

Hanson possesses the rare ability to conduct without a score and his multi-lingual, charismatic pre-concert talks invigorate audiences.

"I really enjoy working with young musicians," he said. "The most important thing (for the students) is to get a new perspective. I've worked with 50 to 60 orchestras, so the students will hopefully benefit from my experience."

Hanson wears three hats as he triples as the Music Director of the Anchorage Symphony and as the Assistant Conductor for the New York Philharmonic along with his work as the conductor and musical director of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Hansons' acute auditory skills will be focused on developing UA graduate students on Sunday. The "Prometheus Overture" is a classic example of Beethoven's style, and will magnify the process of blending diverse musicians.

"The Tucson Orchestra is working on it for a concert. The piece presents some technically difficult conducting problems, because it's hard to get the ensemble intact. The abrupt changes from forte to piano, and the opening are especially challenging for a conductor," Hanson said.

David Cole, a violinist majoring in orchestral conducting, is enthusiastic about the opportunity to practice with his instrument and simultaneously receive criticism on his conducting. The master classes will cater to the specialties of the master conductors who are recruited to instruct and critique graduate students.

"The preparation for the piece is done individually, although we all (the three graduate students) have discussed the score. The immediate feedback will aid each of us in the coordination of the skill in using both hands to conduct a different part of the orchestra in a different way," said Cole.

Hanson is in his second season at the reigns of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. The geometrical melodious patterns carved by Hanson have accumulated international praise.

And Hanson is volunteering.

"George is donating his services; he does some teaching from time to time. This event is very special for UA orchestra students, because they get to work with a professional conductor. It will be an educational experience for the students and the faculty in the audience," said Gary Cook, the director of the school of music.

Admission to the event is free, but contributions towards the Robidaux Fund, which helps fund the master class program, are encouraged.