Virginia Symphony Orchestra music director inducted into national society

October 8, 2016

JoAnn Falletta remembers the moment she started calling herself a musician.

It was her seventh birthday, and she had just received a guitar, plus lessons for it, from her father.

“I didn’t know anything about how that happened or how one became a conductor,” said Falletta, music director of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. “It seemed amazing to me, how hundreds of people could make that sound.”

Falletta’s childhood commitment would pay off as she was inducted into theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences on Saturday. The Academy is an honorary society recognizing achievement in natural and social sciences, arts and humanities, according to its website. This year, 175 fellows were inducted into the society.

“It’s really astonishing,” Falletta said. “To recognize classical music in this strong way means a lot in how they value it.”

The academy features members including George Washington, poet T.S. Elliot and musician Duke Ellington.

“As a celebrated champion of American music, JoAnn Falletta now joins the legacy of great leaders and creative thinkers like Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Graham Bell,” said VSO President and CEO Karen Philion through an emailed statement. “She brings honor and recognition not just to herself but all of us engaged in the work of the Virginia Symphony and to the citizens of our entire region.”

Falletta grew up in Brooklyn, N.Y., before attending Mannes College of Music and the Julliard School, both in Manhattan. Her career picked up steam out west, working with the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra, the Bay Area Women’s Philharmonic of San Francisco and the Denver Chamber Orchestra.

She then beat out five other candidates to be named director of the VSO in 1991. Having a woman on the podium wasn’t so typical then, Falletta said.

“There probably were challenges, and there probably are people even now who think women shouldn’t be conductors. I decided not to pay attention to that,” she said. “It would detract from my ability to focus on creating an environment where excellence could flourish for the musicians.”

It was the first time Falletta was responsible for a full-time orchestra where it was the musicians’ main job. The orchestra, which performs more than 150 times in a year, has about 85 musicians.

“I have so much admiration for her. She has this incredible boundless energy for symphonic music,” said Barbara Chapman, who has been a harpist with VSO for 27 years. “It’s so exciting to have a performance and feel this energy that brings out of the orchestra.”

That energy has allowed Falletta to simultaneously lead the VSO and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in New York. Falletta, who travels back and forth from Norfolk to Buffalo about every week, said it isn’t unusual to balance two or three orchestras.

“For me it really is very stimulating. I learn so much by having the exposure to both groups,” she said.

In her time with both orchestras, Falletta has stressed the importance of connecting to groups to the community.

“We call ourselves ‘your Virginia Symphony,’ and that’s a serious thing,” Falletta said. “I can talk to people in the community about what they want; ‘how is music relevant to their lives?’ It’s a very open and warm exchange between the community and orchestra.”

This wasn’t always the case.

When she first arrived, Falletta emphasized the importance of being in touch with the community by reaching out to Hampton Roads residents to hear what type of music they wanted and also to increase accessibility by breaking preconceived notions that the orchestra is only for the well-dressed or the musically well-versed.

“One thing that is so special about JoAnn is that she is so passionate about the power of music. She’s also a really eloquent speaker and writer about the value of arts in society,” Chapman said. “It brings out the beauty and goodness in the world.”

Since Falletta has been with VSO for a quarter of a century, she’s become well acquainted with the different types of audiences at the theaters the orchestra performs at, citing Chrysler Hall as the oldest audience and Ferguson Center’s as the warmest.

“It’s exciting to have that kind of interaction with the different communities. It’s their orchestra. It’s great for us,” she said. “When we play a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, every one is different.”

That connection with the audience also helps with Falletta’s biggest challenge in keeping the orchestra financially stable.

“We form partnerships, work together and value each other, but it requires orchestras to find support in their community,” she said. “It’s something you can’t learn in school.”

As if commuting between Buffalo and Norfolk wasn’t enough airtime for Falletta, she also has traveled extensively to be a guest director internationally. She’s visited Iceland, Israel and Beijing, among many other places.

This has given her opportunities to see how other orchestras operate, how other directors work and what traits they share.

“The interesting thing I’ve found — this is so simplistic — music really is an international language,” Falletta said. “All musicians must share the same little DNA. It’s such a beautiful event to go into the place even when I cannot speak a word of the language and know that we’ll understand each other.”

Another fond memory for Falletta is playing with VSO in New York City’s Carnegie Hall in 1997 —specifically, remembering the number of community members who traveled to the city.

“There was something about the fact we could do this. We could go to New York, play brilliantly and get wonderful reviews and bring them back to the community,” she said. “It was so superb.”

A new audience will become familiar with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra’s work come Saturday as the academy will show a video of the group playing ahead of Falletta’s induction, something Falletta is especially proud of.

Her accolades all go back to that moment she first touched a guitar.

“It opened up a life of beauty for me.”