Reflections on her first month at ANAM – Madeleine Aarons (NSW)
Immersive, exhausting and enriching…these three words could sum up the complete ANAM experience, but have rung true already for first year horn musician Madeleine Aarons. In just her first few weeks at ANAM, she has had horn and brass classes not only with her ANAM teacher, Carla Blackwood, but with the principal horn players Nico Fleury (MSO), Přemysl Vojta (WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln) and Alexander Hambleton (NZSO). Working with Carla, Madeleine says she already feels a strong connection, and that Carla’s exactly the sort of mentor she needs at this stage of her horn-playing development.
Madeleine hasn’t just been focusing on her horn technique…she had just two short weeks learning to play the Wagner tuba, before joining the ranks of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, conducted by their Chief Conductor, Simone Young. This performance, SSO’s first of Schoenberg’s epic, was also ANAM and SSO’s first side-by-side performance. There were some 400 musicians on the Sydney Opera House stage, and Madeleine certainly recognised the significance of the occasion with her home-town orchestra. “The size of the orchestra was simply mammoth – I’m looking over an army of wind players, a sea of string players, and a ginormous choir all around behind me. It was exciting to see seasoned professionals of the SSO just as excited as we were to play this work for the first time. It was definitely a moment in history.”
It could have been nerve-wracking playing an unfamiliar instrument in such a large ensemble, but guest principal horn Přemysl quickly reassured Madeleine and her ANAM colleagues Calen and Oliver, also playing Wagner tubas in the 10-player horn section. “We stepped off the plane and straight into a horn sectional before the first orchestral rehearsal. Přemysl was very kind and warm, instantly offering us advice, and insights into keeping up stamina in such a huge work.”
Madeleine says one of the highlights of the tour was a Q&A session with members of SSO, which she found quite a moving experience. The SSO musicians candidly shared the ups and downs of their careers in orchestras. “It was quite validating to hear that their musical passions fluctuate, just as mine do, and that they have good and bad days. To hear that even these amazing players, whom I hold in high esteem, sometimes have these moments of self-doubt is quite reassuring.”
There was certainly no question that after the Gurrelieder performance, that this was a good week for everyone involved. “We got the sense that Simone was really pleased with the performance, and she was excitedly congratulating everyone backstage afterward!” And that felt like extremely high praise indeed!
Words by Laura Panther, Senior Alumni Coordinator.
Photo by Pia Johnson.
First published in volume 51 of Music Makers.