The Maestro Reminisces

MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR

John Morris Russell The Estate of Robert & Margaret Gallagher

VIOLIN I

Micah Gangwer, Concertmaster Charleston, SC Aldine W. Schroeder Memorial Chair

VIOLIN II

Frances Hsieh, Principal Charleston, SC

SECTION VIOLIN

Jean S. Wolff Chair in memory of Alfred W. Wolff Jonathan Aceto Statesboro, GA Barbara Borg Charleston, SC Ann Cafferty Savannah, GA Jason Economides Macon, GA Rafe Goldman Charleston, SC Mario Incorvaia Savannah, GA Tomas Jakubek Charleston, SC David Katz Hilton Head Island, SC Catherine Klimoff Hilton Head Island, SC Angela Lozides Charleston, SC *Kerri Sellman Savannah, GA Essena Setaro Asheville, NC C. Gerome Stewart Charleston, SC Marina Volynets Savannah, GA Jonathan Wright Atlanta, GA

VIOLA

Lizhou Liu, Principal Savannah, GA Mary and Mike Briggs Chair Scott Garrett Fort Mill, SC Vasily Gorkovoy Charlotte, NC Yuri Kholodov Savannah, GA *Taliaferro Nash Savannah, GA Matthew Peebles Charleston, SC Jeffrey Watson Columbia, SC

CELLO

Vacant, Principal Ellen and Charles Taylor Chair Barbara Altman Macon, GA Charmaine LeClair Charleston, SC Lee Richey Winston-Salem, NC Cynthia Sulko Atlanta, GA Mary Ann Watson Columbia, SC

BASS

Vacant, Principal Thomas Bresnick Charleston, SC Joseph Farley Winston-Salem, NC Vadim Volynets Savannah, GA

FLUTE

Lorraine Jones, Principal Savannah, GA Erna B. Graver Memorial Chair Tacy Edwards Charleston, SC

OBOE

Reid Messich, Principal Athens, GA Patty and David Ekedahl Chair Lauren Stuligross, Co-Principal Hilton Head Island, SC Kelly Odell Augusta, GA

CLARINET

Charles Messersmith, Principal Charleston, SC Marge and Paul Coble Chair in memory of Don E. Coble Russell Floyd, Co-Principal Hilton Head Island, SC Gretchen Roper Charleston, SC

BASSOON

Katherine St. John, Principal Charleston, SC Doris and Willis Shay Chair Brad Behr Savannah, SC

HORN

Stephanie Mason, Principal Statesboro, GA Liz and Walt Schymik Chair in memory of Catherine B. Kaufmann Ann Holmi Charleston, SC Brandon Nichols Charleston, SC Debra Sherill-Ward Charleston, SC

TRUMPET

Paul Wesley Lott, Principal Savannah, GA John and Nancy Diamond Chair Philip Ehrmann Atlanta, GA Todd Jenkins North Augusta, GA

TROMBONE

Carl K. Polk, Principal Savannah, GA Lin and Robert Rada Chair *Mark Sellman Savannah, GA

TUBA

Christopher Bluemel, Principal Charleston, SC Dr. William P. and Judy F. Thorpe Chair in honor of Richard B. Heyman, MD

TIMPANI

Ray McClain, Principal Savannah, GA Marianne and George Krall Chair

PERCUSSION

Steve Primatic Savannah, GA Sandy and Fred Caswell Chair Matthew Fallin Statesboro, GA Ryan Leveille Charleston, SC

HARP

Vacant, Principal League of Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra Chair

KEYBOARD

Vacant, Principal Mary Ellen and Jack McConnell Chair

*Leave of absence for the 2021-2022 season

Almost as challenging as capturing the HHSO’s first 40 years in print was preparing for an article about John Morris Russell’s ten years with the HHSO. The problem wasn’t getting JMR to open up. It was more the difficulty in putting together a manageable list of topics because there is so much to talk about. Here’s how the conversation with the HHSO’s gregarious, upbeat Maestro went.

The Wayback Machine

Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio with four siblings, the Russell kids were expected to take music lessons and play in a band. JMR ended up with older brother Charley’s cornet. In high school he played trumpet in a garage band named Sea Breeze. They covered tunes of the popular funk horn bands of the 1970’s like Chicago and Blood Sweat and Tears. (Sadly, no Google references, pictures or YouTube videos were found.)

“To be clear, this was not meant to encourage music as a career.”

In fact, he got a decidedly skeptical response from his mother when she learned he intended to do just that. He chose not to go the conservatory route because he was “interested in lots of things.” Williams College, an outstanding liberal arts college in Massachusetts, fit the bill. Although small, the music department was “very, very good,” boasting not only JMR as a graduate but also Stephen Sondheim. He is steadfast in his belief that a liberal arts education has served him well personally and professionally.

A physical issue removed a career in trumpet performance from the mix. Russell became interested in conducting during a year at King’s College in London and has never looked back. George Szell, conductor of the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, was an early inspiration. He vividly recalls being in the audience at age 8 and hearing the

JOHN MORRIS RUSSELL

MUSIC DIRECTOR AND CONDUCTOR HILTON HEAD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRAPhoto by Jean-Marie Cotė, The French Guy Studio

trumpet fanfare in the 4th movement of Dvorak No. 8. It is not a coincidence that this symphony was on the program for the Maestro’s first concert as HHSO’s Music Director and Conductor.

A Second Homecoming

So how did this Midwesterner who grew up in the glow of one of the great American orchestras end up in Hilton Head? In 1993 Russell accepted a position as the Associate Conductor of the Savannah Symphony. “Two things changed my life forever—I fell in love with the Lowcountry and with Thea Tjepkema.” At the time, Ms. Tjepkema was working in Savannah as the assistant curator at the Owens-Thomas House. In 2010, Russell was finishing his 10-year stint as Conductor of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (Ontario) and was just named Conductor of the Cincinnati Pops. Within days of the announcement, he got a call from Mary Briggs, President of the HHSO. Here was an opportunity to continue conducting primarily classical repertoire and to return to the Lowcountry with Thea and the family. It did not take long to decide.

Artistic Growth

When asked about the HHSO’s artistic growth over the past decade, Russell began by saying that he stepped to the podium with confidence in the Orchestra’s potential. From his time in Savannah, he knew many of the musicians with whom he would be working, and he was familiar with the depth of freelance talent throughout the Southeast. There was what he called “an instant comfort factor in coming back to work with old friends—friends like Terry Moore who provided exceptional leadership as concertmaster.”

a “per-service” orchestra. No one is a full-time employee; people come together every few weeks, some traveling a long distance, and have only 72 hours before they perform.

“Challenges aside, the HHSO has blossomed and it isn’t due to just one thing.”

Russell describes his role as “creating the kind of environment where we all can return to the same mutual head-space, comfortable with each other and with our ability to create something special each time we perform together, albeit only once or twice a month. To do this, we embrace the highest standards of excellence to which we all aspire, and a commitment to music-making that is personal, sincere and deeply emotional.” Beyond this, Russell credits other factors and people for the Orchestra’s growth. An important factor is the HHSO’s reputation. Success breeds success and top-drawer artists have a desire to be a part of it. “Mario Incorvaia gathers really motivated musicians for every, single concert— always the best the region has to offer.” Russell says he loves to watch the interactions that take place when there is a newbie in the group: “It isn’t long before they realize they are joining a very special musical family.” Supporters have played an important role as well.

“Our musicians feel valued and loved by patrons and by the community.”

The special relationships that develop when musicians are hosted in private homes are priceless. Russell describes the experience as being “treated like kings and queens,” something he experienced himself in the early days. Russell also credits the Board of Directors which he admiringly calls “a working Board which gives everything to the organization they need to make great music.” The right people seem to have been in the right places at the right times; Ed Parrish, for instance, who “had a passion for the Orchestra, a desire to take it to the next level and worked tirelessly to make that happen.” Russell is also complimentary of the two Presidents/ CEOs he has worked with. Clearly, his 10-year working relationship with Mary Briggs is dear to him. In the context of growth, he cited Mary’s abiding faith in the HHSO’s potential, her vision for its place in the community, and the power of educational outreach. He praised Alan Jordan for his cool head and the planning skills on display during two difficult years. The League earns praise for their extraordinary volunteerism and impressive fundraising. “The cookies at post-concert receptions don’t hurt, either.” These things have coalesced to make the Orchestra what it is today artistically.

“I have always loved the term ‘philharmonic’—literally ‘lovers of harmony.’ For the HHSO that’s not just the musicians on stage, but the harmony between the people on stage and those in the audience throughout a given performance; and one step further, the harmony of our shared musical experience that we ALL bring to the world long after the concert is over. To me it’s a deeply spiritual experience.”

A Different Kind of Growth

Timing is everything and Russell noted that SoundWaves had arrived at the right time. “It has taken the idea of the HHSO and expanded it in a whole new way.” It makes the Orchestra more flexible—who would have EVER imagined a season of livestreamed chamber orchestra concerts? It has engaged the broader community in multiple ways including a weekly series of cabaret concerts, jazz on the patio/in the park and outdoor performances in the summer. It has become the home of a Chamber Music Institute.

What’s In a Program?

Patrons experience what they have come to expect from the HHSO—the world’s great music beautifully performed—through programming. This is one of a Music Director’s many roles and it’s a role which Russell clearly relishes. First and foremost, he considers the “frame”— the HHSO’s performance venue; First Presbyterian Church is the “instrument upon which we all perform together.” It is a wonderful space for our moderate sized-orchestra— but for those longing for Mahler he says, “We’ll need to find another 300,000 or so cubic feet.” Within any program, each piece should “resonate” with the other works being performed. A concert program might be built around a single artistic idea, while the entire season’s programming aspires “to express a story over a larger arc.” Russell is also cognizant of offering concertgoers works they are familiar with as well as works they may not have considered. For example, he did not want the 40th anniversary season to be one of only looking back. “We will be celebrating highlights of past