Listen on –
On this installment of “Freeway Philharmonic”, we are featuring Kathy White. Kathy is the principal clarinetist of the Atlanta Ballet, as well as a very active freelancer in the Southeast region. Kathy has played regularly played with the Alabama Symphony since I started playing here, and I’ve always been really impressed with how well she can switch between parts. I play first trumpet all of the time in my job, so every once in awhile on a contracted gig I might play second or third trumpet, and it’s very difficult for me to do that job as well as people who do it all the time. As such, I have a huge level of respect for people that can play all different parts and really excel, and Kathy is a great example of a person with this skill. I’m so thankful she was willing to talk with me about how she has developed those skills and others to have a successful freelance career.
A couple months after I recorded Kathy’s episode, I was listening to a different music podcast called “Mind Over Finger“. The host, Dr. Renee Paul Gauthier, was interviewing Anthony McGill, principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic. The whole interview is great, but one section I thought was really interesting was when Anthony was talking about being a part of a masterclass when he was younger. I don’t remember exactly what the person giving the masterclass said, but it was something like “Music is a hard profession. If you can do something else, you should do it. But if you love music, give it everything you have”. I immediately thought back to my interview with Kathy. She had said something incredibly similar, and I thought it was so cool that although she doesn’t have a huge job like Anthony McGill, she’s saying things that are similar when being interviewed. I realized how important it is to be open to advice from all the people around us, not just the big names. Anyone who has a successful career in music has learned some things that we can learn from, and I hope that my podcast will have the opportunity to highlight some of the less “famous” people that are able to give some amazing advice for all of us to think about!
Here’s a Spotify playlist of some music that Kathy enjoys listening to!
Until next time,
Ryan