A Conductor’s Role
When I stepped onto the podium with the American Contemporary Classical Orchestra (ACCO) this past April, it was a major milestone for me as a newer conductor. ACCO is playing contemporary orchestral music that connects with the DC community in a deep way. There’s no pretense, just a genuine desire to share great music with the community. To step into that room as a guest conductor was a chance to make great music with incredible musicians and something I will never forget.
Conducting works from the musical theater repertoire brings a unique set of challenges, and as musicians, we naturally gravitate toward a good story. As a conductor, my job was to help the orchestra tell it without getting in their way. When you work with a group as dialed-in as ACCO, the job is focused on shaping the sound and emotion in the room with them. I fondly recall a musical moment during the concert, when, as I was readying a gesture for the group to sforzando, I had a fleeting thought of the Phantom standing behind me looking over my shoulder which resulted in my gesture being a bit more articulated. In that moment, the sforzando the orchestra delivered was starker and the succeeding tremolo more suspenseful than it had been to that point. It truly sounded like we were in this spooky story together.
Being in the early stages of my conducting career, every rehearsal and performance is a prime opportunity for learning. You realize very quickly that leading an ensemble is about active listening and helping them get to the sound the music needs as quickly as you can. You learn you should trust the experts in front of you.
As I continue my graduate studies and work on refining my craft, my time with the ACCO is a benchmark I keep looking back to. It was a grounded reminder of why live music matters, what a local orchestra can mean to its city, and what happens when a group of musicians shows up ready to collaborate. I owe a huge thank you to Jeffrey Dokken and the musicians of the ACCO for trusting me on the podium and can’t wait for the privilege to make music with them again.
John Lazzeroni
Guest Conductor - An Evening of Broadway with Jacque
