Instructor: Dieter Flury, Principal Flute, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

‘He likes to focus on a lot of detail and style and control of the body which I really appreciate. I have some things I really want to work on. He wants the center of the body to translate into the center of the sound…..(he said) if you focus on being more still and acting like an actress where you can emote what you want but maintain control over your body, you can translate much better…..this analogy was helpful because you don’t have to eliminate any of the feeling.’

Annie Wu - Flute
Pleasanton, CA
New England Conservatory/Harvard University

Dieter Flury and Annie Wu
Dieter Flury and Annie Wu
 

‘I had difficulty shaping my libretto into the phrase and I’m used to maybe thinking about it quite linearly and as separated notes…... he was describing a way to think of the libretto moving between the intervals in kinds of blocks. The way he was describing it as existing between different notes...it makes me more excited to get back into the practice room and try to experiment…I really appreciated hearing from someone…especially a principal flutist from one of the greatest orchestras in the world, that it all comes down to thinking about the music – thinking about what the shape, the line, the phrase requires of you and that should inform all the things you do….to always know what the music is asking of you’

Alex Ishov – Flute
Philadelphia, PA and St. Petersburg, Russia
Eastman School of Music

 

Instructor: Rainer Honeck , Concertmaster, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Rainer Honeck and William Yao
Rainer Honeck and William Yao

‘I think one of the main takeaways I took from the class with Concert Master Honeck was his keen awareness to sound production and his ability to meld his sound in such subtle ways. Of course, making a good sound is one of the first things a string player will learn, and something that seems painfully obvious when practicing and performing, but increasingly, I'm thinking more and more about how there is a profound difference between a good sound and one that can truly transport a listener to another sound world. Music is a language that transcends national boundaries, and that's what makes it so meaningful and timeless.’

William Yao - Violin
Barrington, Rhode Island
Harvard University

 
 

Instructor: Dietmar Kueblboeck, 1st Trombone, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

‘He told me I needed to just approach everything like a warm up, especially in lyrical spots and when I did that, I just really had a different mindset. It helped me relax my way through the music and made things really easy… understanding those ideas and flipping my mindset upside down was difficult at first……Normally I am in a totally different mindset when I warm up. Warming up, it’s more like I have a blank slate in my mind….and if I’m performing, I’ll approach music in a different way, I’ll approach it very thoughtfully, but he pointed out to me that I should take away some of that thinking and let everything flow and that really helped me….to relax and let the music happen instead of forcing it’

Ethan Shrier – Tenor Trombone
Potomac, MD
Winston Churchill High School

Dietmar Kueblboeck
Dietmar Kueblboeck
 
 

Instructor: Daniel Ottensamer, Principal Clarinetist, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Daniel Ottensamer and Jay Shankar
Daniel Ottensamer and Jay Shankar

‘Mr. Ottensamer was kind and but also insistent on his corrections - he wouldn't let you move on until you demonstrated that you could play a passage just as he described it. That persistence, while intense, is what forces us to grow as people and artists right on the spot. His unwavering desire for excellence was palpable, but he was also supportive and encouraging. I felt like improvements I had been yearning for for months suddenly clicked when I was with him in front of an audience.’

Katia Waxman - Clarinet
Chicago, Illinois
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, OH

 

‘I learned so much about the relationship between air pressure and legato playing. This was the biggest fundamental technique that Mr. Ottensamer addressed during my portion of the class. It is important to note the difference between the German school of clarinet playing and the American school of clarinet playing. The German system clarinet expresses a completely different spectrum of colors than the French/American system clarinet. The differences in sound concept and tonal colors made Mr. Ottensamer’s ideas all the more interesting.’

Amer Hasan - Clarinet
Chicago, IL
Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, OH

 

‘He (Daniel Ottensamer) demonstrated a wonderful concept in approaching the Schumann, and that was the flowing energy through the entire piece. The Fantasiestücke is an exceptionally challenging piece with numerous contours, colors, and textures––it is indeed very easy for one to get absorbed in the details and abandon the larger lines of phrases. However, Mr. Ottensamer had proved that: through the running energy, a musician can truly integrate the wonderful details and present a large picture of the whole.

It was an incredible experience working with Mr. Ottensamer. I have indeed been taking the ideas from the master class into my own practicing and performing. Again, I am grateful for Carnegie Hall and Vienna Philharmonic for the opportunity.’

Sara Hahn - Clarinet
South Korea
Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, PA

 

Instructor: Hans Peter Schuh, First Trumpeter, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

‘I think the biggest difference with this Master Class and others, was the difference of the "European Sound" that Mr. Schuh had and trying to imitate that during the class. One of the things he talked about that was super helpful for me was relaxed breathing and feeling the lower octave for first-note attacks - I have kept those exercises and mindsets in my personal practice to make the starting notes more easy, relaxed, and consistent.’

James Vaughn - Trumpet
Champaign, IL
Gap Year – Americorps Volunteer, Clarksdale, MS

Hans Peter Schuh and Jamie Gorski
Hans Peter Schuh and Jamie Gorski
 
 

Instructor: Tamas Varga, Principal Cellist, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Tamas Varga
Tamas Varga

‘He provided exaggerated contrasts which comes from working all the technical and musical ideas from a very different perspective. From his experience I could incorporate contrast and also really look into what the composer is trying to interpret in the music. ‘

Simon Housner - Cello
Cherry Hill, NJ
High School – Home schooled

‘I learned that it is imperative to follow through with every marking that the composer puts in the music.  Although my interpretation is valuable, I learned that the intentions of the composer are more important. I can definitely apply Mr. Varga's sound which has an incredible level of quality and core.’

Ryan Chung – Cello
Manhasset, NY