Yates Breathes New Life into Norwalk Symphony

There are two essential qualities that every good conductor must have, a passion for music and the enthusiasm to bring out the best in his orchestra.  Jonathan Yates, has both…in spades.

Yates, the newly appointed conductor and music director of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, opened the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra’s 72^nd season last month with a thrilling performance that featured crowd-pleasing classics from Rossini (The Overture from the Barber of Seville), Beethoven (Symphony No. 5 in C minor) and a lyrical performance of Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor by soloist Steven Jackiw.

If the audience’s exuberant reaction was any indication, it appears that Yates is off to a very good start.

First audition

Yates, who resides in New York City, says his musical career began when he was a child, “My mother said that I howled in the back seat of the car.  She interpreted that as some sort of musical ability and signed me up for piano lessons.”

By the time he reached adolescence, Yates says that a career in music was inevitable, “These things just sort of happen.  By the time I was 12 or 13, I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.” 

Although he was decided on a music career, his family had other ideas in mind. “My whole family is in law, and they expected that I would go into intellectual property and copyright law using my music background, but my passion was in music.  They have been my biggest supporters—they knew I loved music deeply and encouraged me to pursue my passions.”

Big break

It seems that fate had tipped the scales in Yates favor. When playing in a middle school assembly, a fellow orchestra member’s mother heard him playing piano and eagerly offered to teach him.

“It was unbelievably good fortune,” he said. “She became like a second mother, I studied with her every day and she never took a penny from me.   I was really, really fortunate with the people who taught me, they were my principle inspiration.”

The opportunity to conduct his first symphony came at age 18, when he was the sole pianist in the Chicago Youth Symphony.  He says that being a pianist in an orchestra can be a little isolating, when given the opportunity to take up the baton, Yates says he fell in love with it and says that it became “really exciting” to make music with so many people.

Yates educational background reads like a Who’s Who of top American Universities; he earned his bachelor's degree from Harvard University, a masters of music from the State University of New York and a graduate diploma in conducting from the Julliard School.

Yates made his professional conducting debut at 23, leading the National Symphony Orchestra in a Millennium Stages Concert.  Since then, he’s worked with numerous national and international orchestras, and earned a teaching position at Sarah Lawrence College.   He is also the Music Director of Camerata Notturna, a chamber orchestra in New York City.

To Norwalk

Two years ago, a job posting seeking a conductor for the Norwalk Youth Symphony caught his eye.  “Believe it or not,” he says, “there are job listings for conductors!”

Yates was hired to conduct the Principal and Chamber orchestras and says it’s tremendously satisfying to teach young people about the inner meaning of the work.

“Classical music is inherently exciting,” he says. “Much of it is revolutionary for its time.  There is a visceral fun involved in music making—that’s what I try to do with the Youth Symphony … make it exciting.”

It was through the Norwalk Youth Symphony that he learned of the search for the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra’s national search for a new Music Director and Conductor.

The interview process was somewhat unorthodox, with the three finalists for the position competing in what Yates describes as an “American Idol” style musical showdown.  “The final audition was open to the public and the selection committee considered their comments, as well as the orchestra’s input, in making their decision.  I am thrilled that it all worked out!” he says.

While his work schedule is tightly packed, Yates says that he has a deep gratitude for being able to do the work that he so clearly loves. 

“It’s a challenge,” he says in regard to balancing his work schedule. “I’ve developed a workaholism that I didn’t know I had.  I don’t get a lot of nights off, but it’s a great opportunity as a musician to be working all the time.  It’s constantly exciting.”

Community

One of Yates primary goals is developing the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra’s community outreach.  Last year, the Symphony was forced to cancel several performances due to financial woes, Yates feels that reaching out to both Norwalk, and the surrounding communities will be key in attracting a new audience.

“We want to communicate that the orchestra belongs to Norwalk and all the surrounding communities.  We are going to be bringing the music to them by doing local performances in libraries and churches to let people know we are out there,” he says.  By reaching out to the surrounding communities, Yates hopes that they will attend the performances in Norwalk.

On Saturday, Yates, along with violinist Judith Yanchus and cellist Gunnar Sahlin, will host a chamber music concert at the Wilton Public Library.  Yates says that he is “totally thrilled” to get out there and share the music.

“The hall seats 150 people, at the beginning of the week, we already had 93 people registered to attend,” he said. “I’m really optimistic!  We have so many gifted musicians, it’s only natural to want to get them out there and share the music.”

For more information about the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra or tickets to an upcoming performance visit their website.