Former Piccoloist, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
By Don Bailey
for the New York Flute Club Newsletter
February 1999
This interview took place in Nadine’s beautifully decorated apartment near
Lincoln Center several months before her retirement from the Met. As we were
setting up, I reminded her of our first meeting in 1978 at the Aspen Music
Festival. It was Nadine’s first summer on the music faculty. I was a student
of Albert Tipton, but took one lesson with Nadine on the CPE Bach solo sonata. I
remember so clearly her comments, which she reiterated throughout the lesson,
"VIBRATE on that note! Why did you take the vibrato out of that
note?" Sounds pointed, yes? Well, it did make a point, and when I later
heard Nadine play in the Festival Tent with the Chamber Orchestra, I understood
why she thought that way about vibrato - her sound projected magnificently.
I was born in Washington, DC, and no, I am not
an only child. My sister is a research scientist neurophysiologist. My mother
was an economist and my father was a demographer - he studied population trends.
I’m the only musician.
Why the flute?
I started playing the flute when I was nine
years old. My school was offering an instrumental program just as I was about to
get braces. I knew I wanted to play an instrument, so my parents and I discussed
this with my orthodontist… he made the fateful decision. My first flute was a
student Gemeinhardt, and I started taking lessons with a high school student. We
played "O sole Mio" as a duet at my first lesson. When I heard her
sound, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It was the most beautiful sound
I had ever heard.
Isn’t that funny? Everybody says that, but
looking back, couldn’t it have a been a really horrible tone?
Well, of course it could have been …she was
only a high school student who played Johnny Mathis after each lesson, but I was
hooked.
Johnny Mathis? Well, that’s certainly an
incentive! Did you have a lesson every week?
Yes, I did - I later studied with Mark Thomas,
who was also teaching Reneé Siebert at the same time.
Was Mark your major teacher until college?
Basically, yes….until the summer before
college. I then took lessons with William Montgomery and would study with him
whenever I returned to DC. I was very involved in music as a high school
student. I played in every local organization I could, including several
university orchestras. When I was 15, I went to Interlochen for two summers,
which I adored, and I played in all sorts of competitions. I sought out any
opportunity to perform. I was a real music nerd.
I see you made your debut at age 16 with the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Tell me about that.
Yes, I was the winner of their young artist
competition, and I played the Griffes Poem. I played from memory…and I bought
my Powell flute (#492) with the prize money. It cost $800! I still play the
flute, but I’ve replaced the original headjoint with a Dana Sheridan.
Where did you go to college?
My first year of college was at Northwestern
University in Chicago, where I studied with Kujala. I remember he had an
incredibly liquid sound, very beautiful.
How supportive were your parents during this
time?
They were supportive, but this was pretty much
outside their realm of experience. One reason I went to Northwestern that first
year was because my father wanted me to get a degree in education. He wanted me
to have a way to make a living…. I got my way, though (smiling).
What was your connection to Juilliard?
No connection. I first studied with Arthur
Lora, who had been the principal flutist with Toscanini at NBC. Then, when I
entered the Master’s program, I studied with Julie.
Do you think going to Juilliard affected
your career?
Absolutely! My studies with Julie Baker were a
pivotal experience for me. To be that close to that sound! I just had to figure
it out! I had to have it ! I practiced a lot in those days. And the other
flutists were incredibly talented …competition can have a very healthy effect
on the learning experience!
Did you do much freelance work in the city
before you landed the Met job?
Yes, luckily I was a busy girl.... Mostly, I
was subbing with the Philharmonic, but I do remember one particular gig in which
Nancy Allen (the harpist) and I were the centerpiece at a very fancy party. The
heat from the chafing dishes was quite extraordinary!
Did you go through a period of auditioning
madly and worrying about your future?
Oh absolutely. I think taking an audition is a
skill in itself. It was wonderful to study with Julie during that period because
he taught that skill - how to practice hard and then strive for a perfect
performance. You have to give it your best shot and not take it personally if
they say no, so that you can go on, at the same time, being objective about what
you need to do better. I do think the key to a successful audition is
preparation - giving yourself the time necessary to learn and digest, to study
the score and the context of the excerpt and then to make it your own. And that
takes a lot of time, to really internalize the music!
I know that the Met’s audition process is
pretty unique in that every stage, even the final round, is anonymous. How do
you feel about that?
I think it’s the only way to hold an
audition. The Met orchestra audition procedure really sets the standard for the
business, and as far as I know, it is unique. I’ve been on both sides of the
audition process, and I can verify there is absolutely no discussion among the
judges at the Met. The decision is made by secret ballot, and it’s based
totally on the audition performance. This method removes any possibility of
something "funny" happening.
Let’s talk about the DMA. You were the
first flutist in Juilliard’s history to be admitted to the Doctor of Musical
Arts program. What was your reason for starting this "educational"
degree?
Well, I didn’t have a job at the time, and I
wanted to continue my studies with Julie. Gustav Reese, the famous Renaissance
scholar was the head of the program and I enjoyed researching and writing.
Why didn’t you finish?
I began subbing at the Philharmonic and
started to get more and more work as a flutist, which was my goal in the first
place, so I withdrew from the program. I don’t mean to lessen the importance
of a doctoral degree in music. I have students who I think would be terrific
teachers, and I encourage them to complete the DMA so they have the required
credentials. I think everyone should do what he/she loves to do and college
teaching is a wonderful career. Not everyone has the temperament to sit in an
orchestra, for example. I don’t see any type of hierarchy in this profession.
Speaking of sitting in orchestras….. I’m
always interested in the differences between symphonic orchestral playing and
operatic orchestral playing.
I think playing opera is a different technique
than playing in a symphony. First of all, you’re not the main attraction; you’re
playing more of a supporting role (of course there are the great Wagner operas
with huge stretches of purely orchestral music). As flutists, we’re usually
accompanying the higher voices, so a very transparent tone color is necessary
from the pit. Also, because of the singers’ use of rubato we can be asked to
play more freely, in a rhythmic sense.
Aha! You mean they don’t count? Poor
singers, they have to live with such jokes from us…
Well, it is true that singers use rhythm in a
more flexible way than instrumentalists do.
I would think the piccolo part is extremely
difficult to keep in balance, yes?
Yes, it’s tough. The pit is very shallow and
long, and I’m very near the conductor. When it says FF in the part, that means
you play MP, and it goes down from there.
For years, you had two orchestra jobs
-you also played principal in the American Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1996.
How were you able to do both?
That was quite a juggle. The ASO had
rehearsals Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with a Sunday concert.
Ultimately I resigned from the American Symphony because the scheduling just
became too problematic. I did love it though...the concerts were held in
Carnegie, and it is always a great thrill to perform on that stage.
How many performances do you play each week
with the Met?
There are seven shows per week; we each play
four.
Do you enjoy solo performances?
I adore solo performance. It is such a
different sensation from orchestral playing. One is able to personalize it in a
way that is more difficult to do sitting in the midst of a large orchestra. I
took a year’s leave from the Met last season and had a blast performing in
recital with Rita Sloan, a marvelous pianist I have worked with a lot over the
years at the Aspen Festival.
I see you’ve premiered several
commissioned works.
Yes, most recently my husband commissioned
Augusta Reed Thomas to write a concerto. She called it Enchanted Orbits. Augusta
is in her mid-thirties and is Composer in Residence in Chicago; she also teaches
at Eastman. "Orbits" is a piece about 15 minutes long in three
movements. It’s jazzy in a very contemporary way with the flute part
scampering over rhythmic tutti writing in the orchestra. I performed its
premiere with the Chamber Orchestra of the South Bay in Los Angeles. And on
February 28, I’ll be performing a piece written for me by my friend, the
composer David Schiff. It’s a wonderful solo work with influences of Elliot
Carter, with just a touch of Steve Reich.
Let’s talk more about Aspen. You attended
first as a student, then returned as faculty in 1978, the summer I met you. Are
you still there?
I’m still there. When Albert Tipton retired
in 1990, I moved from the Chamber Symphony, which I had played in since 1978, to
the Festival Orchestra. Besides orchestral playing, I play chamber music and
teach great students from all over the world. I served on the board for eight
years, which was a great opportunity for me to learn about the non-musical
aspects of running a musical organization. It was very impressive to me how
committed the board was (and is) to keeping the show running!
How does Aspen today compare to 1978?
The Music Festival has changed a lot in twenty
years. We have a stunning new chamber music hall (Harris Hall); it’s
absolutely world class. Unlike the tent, you can’t hear the dogs barking
during the slow movements and you don’t get wet when it rains. The festival is
still nine weeks long. There is at least one concert every day in addition to
numerous public master classes, open rehearsals, and a full array of student
classes. It really is an incredible experience for the students; they leave
after nine weeks sated by all they have heard and performed.
You also teach in Japan. How does that fit
in with everything?
Aspen has a "sister" festival in
Nagano, Japan, which begins after the Colorado festival ends in August. For the
last ten summers, a few of us have traveled to Nagano to teach a week of master
classes. At the end of the week there is a faculty chamber music concert. Then
the fun really begins - we hit the road to visit wonderful small towns, where
our concert might be the only one for the entire year. I feel so fortunate to be
able to visit these remote parts of the country.
Do you think the Japanese concept of flute
sound is different from ours?
Hmm, that’s a good question. Actually, a lot
of their flute players go to Europe, specifically Germany, to study.
Maybe the division of national styles is
diminishing due to the global "merging of ideas."
Yes, I would agree that contemporary culture
has an homogenizing effect. However it’s amazing to me that there are
basically two questions we flutists ask of one another - the first is "what
do you play?", and after that, "who was your teacher?" This
denotes a legacy. It tells me a tremendous amount about how you play……
About your teaching… What’s your idea of
a good lesson?
That really depends on the student and where
she/he is in their own flutistic/musical development. Certainly it is important
to have a healthy foundation, and what goes into creating a beautiful sound is
it for me. A perfectly used airstream will give you great intonation, a supple
technique; it really is the basis of great flute playing. In turn, your sound
becomes your signature, your individual color palette. I would say my teaching
methods are an amalgamation of what I have learned from others and what I have
discovered for myself. And teaching constantly challenges you, the teacher, to
rethink your ideas.
What do you expect your students to cover
before they graduate college under your guidance?
I have compiled for my students lists of the
repertoire I want them to know by the time they complete their studies with me.
These include etudes, concerti, sonatas, chamber music...most of it is fairly
standard stuff, but I think the scope of it is comprehensive.
What do you do for a daily warm-up?
Performing and practicing are two difficult
realms. When I’m performing in the orchestra, I’m very conscious of trying
to incorporate what I’ve been thinking about in my practice time. My warm-up
includes slow soft scales to get in touch with the hands, embouchure and the air
stream.
Now, your upcoming concert at CAMI…
Carol Wincenc and I will be performing a
duo-recital. She and I were buddies at school and have remained friends. Last
year we were having lunch and we came up with the idea for the recital.
What do you feel is the performer’s
responsibility to the audience?
Hmm, that is a complicated question. I
suppose, primarily to represent the composer’s intention as purely as
possible. However, it is true that classical music’s performance idiom is
changing. Who will our audience be in 25 or 50 years? And, who directs the
change in performance practice - the performers or the audience?
What kind of flute do you play?
I play a David Williams flute, with a kind of
mix-and-match look. It has a white gold headjoint, a rose gold body, a rose gold
lip, and silver keys, and I have my Powell # 492 sitting in the closet. I’ve
played David’s flute for the past two years.
Piccolo?
Haynes.
Wood or silver?
(Smiling) Please! Wood.
Can you imagine your life in any other
profession?
I think I would always be in something
arts-related. I’ve always loved art history.
Any regrets?
(Having the last laugh…) I’m sorry if I
was tough on you at your lesson!
"A Night Piece" by A. Foote
VOYAGE (Summit Records)
