Orchestrating diversity and growth
Nicholas So shares NH Philharmonic’s efforts in musical education and experience
The New Hampshire Philharmonic was founded in the late 1800s, not only as an artistic venture, but a civically minded one as well. Its mission was to bring fine orchestral music to New Hampshire’s communities. Though the organization has evolved over its 130-year history, it maintains a commitment to musical education and experience.
The New Hampshire Philharmonic is a largely volunteer orchestra whose performers are a mix of students, amateurs and professionals. Nicholas So is the co-director of personnel management.
So was born and raised predominantly in New Hampshire, attending Manchester Public Schools and Keene State College. His parents were very dedicated to his aspirations of cultivating a rich and diligent life of classical music using the piano, violin and viola as the vessels to illustrate this dedication.
He invited me to “Rhapsody in Red, White and Blue,” a composition by Peter Boyer performed by pianist Jeffrey Biegel. This is the celebration of the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” which was performed alongside three other suites created by American composers Leonard Bernstein, Joan Tower and William Grant Still.
I was taken aback by the diversity not only of composers presented to the audience but also the diversity of the performers in the orchestra. The rendition of Gershwin’s piece brought tears to my eyes and reestablished an understanding of the incredible instrumental artists New Hampshire is privileged to house.
Later, I sat down with So to discuss his path in music and work with the New Hampshire Philharmonic. Here’s a recap of that conversation, edited lightly for clarity. I want to get a grasp of the environment in the creative economy that you work within; I was so taken aback by how diverse and talented the New Hampshire Philharmonic is, especially as this is one of the very few all-volunteer philharmonics in the country.
603 D: I want to get a grasp of the environment in the creative economy that you work within; I was so taken aback by how diverse and talented the New Hampshire Philharmonic is, especially as this is one of the very few all-volunteer philharmonics in the country.
SO: Let me clarify, 80% is volunteer, with some few members getting paid. It makes sense that, to have solid musicians, an entity would need to compensate players. Many of these programs have retired individuals or up-and-coming young adults in or just out of high school. This opportunity to play among the philharmonic is an excellent CV and resume builder. It is also an incredible opportunity to experience the realities of working musicians. Much of the success of this mostly volunteer philharmonic is actually due in large part to director Mark Latham’s innovative and nurturing leadership style.
603 D: I do really want to kick back to the overwhelming joy and ecstasy my group felt when experiencing the philharmonic’s rendition of “Rhapsody in Blue.” Each gesture and feeling Gershwin intended flowed through the performance. The experience truly went beyond merely experiencing sound.
SO: The New Hampshire Philharmonic is a very safe space. People are not punished for mistakes, but instead growth is fostered, and so people want to stick around and want to invest their time and efforts.
The New Hampshire Philharmonic performs its annual Holiday Pops at the Seifert Performing Arts Center.
603 D: The other composers which were featured in this event surprised me because I was expecting Phillip Sousa or John Williams and instead was faced with two Jewish Americans: Leonard Bernstein and George Gershwin, as well as one of the most prolific contemporary American composers who spent a large portion of her youth in South America, Joan Tower. And William Grant Still, who was born in the late 1800s in the South and became the first Black American whose work was performed by professional orchestras and the first who conducted a professional orchestra in Los Angeles, where he later lived until his death in 1978. I believe the intent of this event which y’all put on was to alleviate the stressors of a wildly polarized political atmosphere in exemplifying that music is the purest and unifying form of artistic expression.
SO: That is the beauty of New Hampshire Phil. We mean to cultivate a deep appreciation for musical expression, and especially to make ourselves accessible to the public; not only in supplying sliding scale tickets to events, but also by yielding these histories and anecdotes of the composers and the sociopolitical nuances encircling the composers to the viewers; enhancing appreciation and understanding of the “why” of the music.
603 D: Thinking of how full the sound of NH Phil’s performance was — what is the composition of performers?
SO: For string players, there is no limit. People audition, and if they meet the requirements, Mark (Latham) welcomes the performer. Even if an individual does not meet these requirements, they are still welcomed to sit in rehearsals. Woodwinds and brass — the orchestration usually only allows for two instruments per section depending on the piece.
603 D: As someone who’s played flute and tuba, I understand. To get back to the general demographic of people in NH Phil, what’s up with so many young performers? That was so incredible to witness.
SO: The age range is to provide space which supports younger musicians. Today, for example, we had a performance with a 13-year-old trumpeter and a senior in Salem High School who is also the actor and narrator in our Christmas performances, which are very widely attended. This nurturing of young musicians is part of our mission in order to support the growth of younger performers in live arts, always thinking about “live art.”
Our performances are always a mixture. We like to nod to great histories while also celebrating the innovations of classical music; looking at intersections as well in order to highlight pairings people don’t normally think about. Again, referencing the Holiday Pops performance, we had a mix between pops: Handal,Tchaikovsky and then we had popular music from the radio era. Classical music is not for everyone but when approached in an innovative fashion, it can be fun.
603 D: Let’s talk about you, the artist and mentor of other musicians. When did you first touch a violin?
SO: Actually, I touched a viola in third grade. I had already started to play the piano from 5 years of age. I thought, when I messed around on the viola, this is such a different and exciting experience. My father told me that the viola doesn’t get enough spotlight and that I should switch to violin. Indeed, I do receive more attention playing the violin, and I like that. However, I still actively play the viola. The issue is that the repertoire and writing for violin is so much more represented. The viola, historically, has been a supporting instrument like a bridge between the violin and the cello. The viola has projection issues compared to the violin but rectifies it with a wide range of sizes. Only in the late 1800s and early 1900s did more people start writing solo-works for the viola.
I really wanted to play the drums, actually, but that would never have been allowed.
603 D: You grew up in New Hampshire? Is there a big Korean population here?
SO: Well, it has migrated and changed. It wasn’t ever too big. The church I went to had 50 members. Church is definitely how people meet each other. My piano instructor was Korean. She was the church’s pianist. My parents came here maybe looking for a different type of life. I think my father was born in the States. My mother came completely alone. I think she just wanted to see what the States were about and was led to understand that there was the promise of more job opportunities. There was a big Korean community in Maine, and that’s why I was born there.
603 D: You mentioned before this interview the experiences of implicit bias in being an Asian American in school; incidences where you were thought to be more intelligent than your peers.
SO: I didn’t really feel discomfort, but I was pointed out frequently for other students to come to me for tutoring or with questions. Now that I think about it, there were no Asian people in my grade at all. Anyway, I was always expected to perform very well. In the morning I had to wake up, shower, play piano and then while I ate breakfast, I had to do exercises from study workbooks. When I came home, I had to do homework and then practice violin. I could play for two hours before bedtime, which was at 9 p.m.
603 D: What about during your college education?
SO: I was the only Asian for miles at Keene State. In my junior year before COVID, I met a Korean professor, and we got along well. I then taught her son piano, violin and math. This is how I subsidize some of my income. The arts are a severely underfunded sector of the economy, and we all have to do gig work.
603 D: What would you change, if you could, about the landscape of live arts or musical arts in the state of New Hampshire?
SO: We don’t raise enough musicians. There are too many school districts like Merrimack, Londonderry and Derry, which do not have string programs, or one can only access music programs at a later age. Even I got a late start. The aforementioned districts are only a handful I mentioned out of so many which have underdeveloped or non-existent programs. There is hope, though. Windham actually developed programming, and they have already experienced a tripling of youth participation in orchestral programming by high school.
603 D: Thank you so much for talking with me. Before we close out, can you tell us a little more about other functions of the New Hampshire Philharmonic and where we can access its brilliant programming?
SO: Organizations and people can hire as many musicians from NH Phil as they like. A popular option is for the constituent to pay a set fee for the ensemble of choice and then has full control of marketing, ticket sales and so on.
If people want to catch our regularly scheduled programming, we have a residency at Salem High School. You can get reduced ticket prices through your local libraries, but tickets are only $35 and students are $12. We try to make our programming as accessible as possible.
And people can link up with us on our socials, facebook.com/NHPhilharmonic and instagram.com/nhphilharmonic1895, or our website, nhphil.org
This article was featured in 603 Diversity.
603 Diversity’s mission is to educate readers of all backgrounds about the exciting accomplishments and cultural contributions of the state’s diverse communities, as well as the challenges faced and support needed by those communities to continue to grow and thrive in the Granite State.
