5 Questions for our Guest Conductors

Antoine Clark

Who do you spend the most time with when you are not on the podium? (Someone outside of the music world?)

I spend the most time with my spouse,who works as a jazz pianist and teacher, when I am not on the podium.

South Carolina is home to both the beach and the mountains. If you had to pick one, what would you choose?

I would choose the mountains, as I love hiking, walking and appreciating nature. There is something breathtaking in nature’s symphony–the wind rustling through the leaves, the sun reflecting on the rocks and ground, a babbling brook, and just the sheer beauty of all that greenery. It’s energizing and relaxing both at once.

What words or phrases do you use too often?

When teaching, I habitually use several phrases: “Let’s try that one more time,” “What is the character?” and “How did you practice this?” I find these questions to be very positive in helping each student develop the arch of the storyline that their performance will give. When you were a kid, you dreamed of __________, and how does that shape who you are today?

I dreamed of attending college and studying music when I was a kid. As the only person in my family to attend college, I understood that having a successful life meant receiving a good education. For this reason, I am also an educator. The more you learn, the bigger your world becomes–and it’s the same for music.

The headquarters of Denny’s is in Spartanburg, and it stays open 24/7. What is your go-to midnight snack?

My go-to midnight snack is milk and fudge striped cookies. It harkens back to my childhood–and those Keebler cookie commercials on tv.

Geneviève Leclair

Take us through a regular day in your life.

Get up, shower (I don’t drink coffee, so it’s my shower that whips me into shape in the morning!). And then, in no particular order, depending on that day’s schedule, eat, exercise, practice, score study, program, teach, cook, listen to music, practice languages, do corrections (for my students), do a bit of cleaning, take care of the admin side of things. And in the evening, likely read, watch TV, self care and have a good night’s sleep (the most important part of the day if I want to remain sharp and productive).

If we took you out for karaoke, what would be your go-to song?

Summer of ‘69

Troy Quinn

The Spartanburg Music Trail celebrates great music makers from our community. If you could make a “Music Trail” for your current city, who would be the top two musicians on your list?

I think John Williams and Gustavo Dudamel, both have defined what it means to be a musician in Hollywood in their own respects, and they are both humble down to earth gentlemen that utilize their genius skills to bring joy and peace to humanity and not for any ulterior motive.

Which experience was better, Glee or Indiana Jones?

Indiana Jones only because I had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle with Harrison Ford, but that’s another story!

When you were a kid you dreamed of __________, and how does that shape who you are today?

I dreamed of being a meteorologist actually and was going to major in communications in college. I think it’s ironic because conductors are in the business of communicating through gestures, without saying a word, so it is sort of a similar vein. Take us through a regular day in your life.

It usually starts with emails, phone calls, interviews, etc. If I am not traveling on a plane to a rehearsal, I am teaching at USC’sThornton School of Music and then taking at least 3-4 hours of score study a day. Enjoying the evening with a nice meal and a tropical drink.

One piece of music you can’t live without is: Elgar’s Nimrod, and one piece of music you could be fine with never hearing again is: Stars and Stripes.

What piece of classical music would be the “theme song” to your life right now? Why?

Right this minute, I’m trying to enjoy some time off, relax, recharge and reconnect with my “zen” so I’d say Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1.

The headquarters of Denny’s is in Spartanburg, and it stays open 24/7. What is your go-to midnight snack?

My go-to midnight snack is to bake a batch of cookies. The kind depends on what I have handy in the kitchen. If you could go back and give yourself a pep talk for the first time you performed in front of an audience, what would you say?

I heard Sir Simon Rattle once say that Maestro Haitink had told him when he was younger: “How good do you want it to be? Just be as good as you are and accept that”. That’s the piece of advice I would give my young self. Fretting about it doesn’t make you better; for better or for worse, you are only as good as you are right now. Just accept that and keep practicing so you keep getting better.