In Sunday’s (11/9) Philadelphia Inquirer, David Patrick Stearns interviews Carol Jantsch, who at age 21 “became the first woman to land a principal tuba position with the august Philadelphia Orchestra. Eight years later … Jantsch is teaching at Yale and Temple, making one recording after another, and has some surprises in store for her Philadelphia Chamber Music Society recital Sunday. Q: You defy the stereotype that big instruments must be played by big people. A: Nobody ever questioned whether I should play. Out of necessity, I developed efficiency of breath. Q: There’s a rumor out there that you auditioned in Philadelphia playing ‘Flight of the Bumble Bee.’ A: Not true—though I played it on the radio show From the Top…. My job here in the orchestra is really cool. A lot of times, you’re part of the low brass section … but often tuba is off doing its own thing and that’s more fun for me. Q: You’ve gotten a lot of mileage out of the concerto Michael Daugherty wrote for you, Reflections on the Mississippi. You’ll do it this season with the orchestra. Will there be more? A: I hope to move in that direction. You need composers who … are enthusiastic about doing something that hasn’t been done.”
Posted November 12, 2014
