{"id":70,"date":"2016-03-09T16:01:37","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T16:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/188.166.168.151\/2016\/03\/09\/how-i-won-a-job-in-the-houston-symphony\/"},"modified":"2022-12-14T12:21:01","modified_gmt":"2022-12-14T12:21:01","slug":"playing-in-houston-symphony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Became a Violist in the Houston Symphony"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Encore talks to <a href=\"http:\/\/houstonsymphony.org\">Houston Symphony Orchestra<\/a> violist Jarita Ng about the viola, cultural transitioning, and how she got her orchestra job.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_57_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\" role=\"button\"><label for=\"item-69df65a8f25a9\" ><span class=\"\"><span style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input aria-label=\"Toggle\" aria-label=\"item-69df65a8f25a9\"  type=\"checkbox\" id=\"item-69df65a8f25a9\"><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#How-old-were-you-started-playing-viola\" title=\"How old were you started playing viola?\">How old were you started playing viola?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#Was-it-a-massive-cultural-shock-when-you-moved-to-the-USA-from-Hong-Kong-at-the-age-of-18\" title=\"Was it a massive cultural shock when you moved to the USA from Hong Kong at the age of 18?\">Was it a massive cultural shock when you moved to the USA from Hong Kong at the age of 18?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#How-many-professional-orchestra-auditions-have-you-taken\" title=\"How many professional orchestra auditions have you taken?\">How many professional orchestra auditions have you taken?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#What-was-your-worst-audition-experience\" title=\"What was your worst audition experience?\">What was your worst audition experience?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#Who-was-your-most-inspiring-teacher\" title=\"Who was your most inspiring teacher?\">Who was your most inspiring teacher?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#You-studied-biology-in-undergrad-as-well-%E2%80%93-how-was-it-doing-two-degrees-at-the-same-time-in-completely-different-fields-How-did-you-handle-the-workload\" title=\"You studied biology in undergrad as well &#8211; how was it doing two degrees at the same time in completely different fields? How did you handle the workload?\">You studied biology in undergrad as well &#8211; how was it doing two degrees at the same time in completely different fields? How did you handle the workload?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#Describe-the-process-of-preparing-for-the-Houston-Symphony-audition-How-many-yearshours-prep-did-it-take-Talk-about-the-trial-process\" title=\"Describe the process of preparing for the Houston Symphony audition. How many years\/hours prep did it take? Talk about the trial process\">Describe the process of preparing for the Houston Symphony audition. How many years\/hours prep did it take? Talk about the trial process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#What-is-your-favourite-part-about-being-in-a-symphony-orchestra\" title=\"What is your favourite part about being in a symphony orchestra?\">What is your favourite part about being in a symphony orchestra?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#What-is-your-favourite-orchestral-piece-to-play\" title=\"What is your favourite orchestral piece to play?\">What is your favourite orchestral piece to play?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#What-is-your-favourite-chamber-piece-to-play\" title=\"What is your favourite chamber piece to play?\">What is your favourite chamber piece to play?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/#What-do-you-like-to-do-in-your-spare-time\" title=\"What do you like to do in your spare time?\">What do you like to do in your spare time?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4 id=\"howoldwereyoustartedplayingviola\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-old-were-you-started-playing-viola\"><\/span>How old were you started playing viola?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>My parents started teaching me <a href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/hire\/violinists\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Hire Violinists\">violin<\/a> when I was five. When I was seventeen, I volunteered to play viola in a chamber group for my violin class recital. I went on to play both instruments for a year, and completely went to the dark(er) side when I moved from Hong Kong to the USA to study at the University of Michigan.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"wasitamassiveculturalshockwhenyoumovedtotheusafromhongkongattheageof18\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Was-it-a-massive-cultural-shock-when-you-moved-to-the-USA-from-Hong-Kong-at-the-age-of-18\"><\/span>Was it a massive cultural shock when you moved to the USA from Hong Kong at the age of 18?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Having to speak English all day was pretty tiring in the beginning. My friends were extremely nice, and were patient with me when I had to find some words, and made fun of my little bit of British accent here and there (Hong Kong was a British colony, so we learned British English).<\/p>\n<p>Ann Arbor, Michigan is a diverse and lively small city with 40,000 students. Moving to Ann Arbor from Hong Kong, where there are more skyscrapers than in New York City, I felt like I was moving to the country! Only parts of the streets were lit at night. And the fact that there was room around me when I walked and I did not have to twist my body to avoid contact with other pedestrians? Incredible!<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"howmanyprofessionalorchestraauditionshaveyoutaken\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How-many-professional-orchestra-auditions-have-you-taken\"><\/span>How many professional orchestra auditions have you taken?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>I have taken maybe around eight or nine. Auditions are expensive! Plane tickets, hotel accommodation, shuttles, meals, etc.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whatwasyourworstauditionexperience\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-was-your-worst-audition-experience\"><\/span>What was your worst audition experience?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>There no one worst audition experience per se. Unfortunately I take audition results very personally (one shouldn&#8217;t); hence each time where I did not perform well (and did not win the audition), I felt terrible for days. It took me some time to get used to the situation and the pressure. It really helps to know what one needs physically and mentally for an audition &#8211; should I treat it as any other day and warm up as usual, or do I play better if I prepare as if I have an important event coming up.<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whowasyourmostinspiringteacher\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Who-was-your-most-inspiring-teacher\"><\/span>Who was your most inspiring teacher?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>It is difficult to pick just one! My mother, who is a violin teacher, taught me everyday when I was young. My high school violin teacher in Hong Kong, Hong-Ying Ho, gave me a strong basis of technique and relaxation methods. My college teacher, Yizhak Schotten, helped me transition to viola. Last but not least, James Dunham and Joan DerHovsepian who inspired me so much with their musicality and their approach to solve problems.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"youstudiedbiologyinundergradaswellhowwasitdoingtwodegreesatthesametimeincompletelydifferentfieldshowdidyouhandletheworkload\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"You-studied-biology-in-undergrad-as-well-%E2%80%93-how-was-it-doing-two-degrees-at-the-same-time-in-completely-different-fields-How-did-you-handle-the-workload\"><\/span>You studied biology in undergrad as well &#8211; how was it doing two degrees at the same time in completely different fields? How did you handle the workload?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Pursuing two degrees is fun! It is like playing a game of puzzle &#8211; to fit the different things one needs to do in a constricted frame. Everyday in the morning I would look at the schedule for the day, look for upcoming deadlines\/performances\/recordings, and make a list of priorities. Then just go through each of them. If I lose focus while doing one, move onto the next, and go back to the original one later!<\/p>\n<p>But I think the most important thing is I really loved what I did &#8211; going to classes, doing homework, and playing music with friends. By the way, solving a reaction in organic chemistry and writing 18th century counterpoint are both like sudoku. The fun is in finding the solution. (Sorry I am nerding out.)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"describetheprocessofpreparingforthehoustonsymphonyauditionhowmanyyearshoursprepdidittaketalkaboutthetrialprocess\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Describe-the-process-of-preparing-for-the-Houston-Symphony-audition-How-many-yearshours-prep-did-it-take-Talk-about-the-trial-process\"><\/span>Describe the process of preparing for the Houston Symphony audition. How many years\/hours prep did it take? Talk about the trial process<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Preparation works differently for everyone. I happen to do the best when I am not focusing all my energy on the audition. My theory is, the more you put your life on it, the higher the risk and the more the stress is. Two days before the audition, in addition to going to school, I was playing the final performance of Richard Wagner&#8217;s Walk\u00fcre with Houston Grand Opera. I worked out twice a day in training for Tough Mudder (a 10-12 mile mud run with obstacles, or 16-19km for the rest of the world).<\/p>\n<p>The excerpts were standard, therefore I picked them back up about a month before the audition. Playing for people helps! I played for someone everyday, starting about two weeks prior to the audition.<\/p>\n<p>Houston Symphony arranged the trial to start the morning after the final round. Of course it was nerve-racking to prepare for anything with that short of a notice, leave alone a trial for a job! Fortunately, it was a piece I loved and knew extremely well &#8211; Bartok&#8217;s Concerto for Orchestra. So, back to the last question, it helps a lot when you like what you do! (But the panel wanted to hear me play a couple excerpts again, after a double rehearsal during the week. Eeks!)<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whatisyourfavouritepartaboutbeinginasymphonyorchestra\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-your-favourite-part-about-being-in-a-symphony-orchestra\"><\/span>What is your favourite part about being in a symphony orchestra?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Playing music while making a living!!! Houston Symphony has great EVERYTHING &#8211; board, staff, music director, musicians. They are looking to build a new hall. I am spoiled!<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whatisyourfavouriteorchestralpiecetoplay\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-your-favourite-orchestral-piece-to-play\"><\/span>What is your favourite orchestral piece to play?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Bartok&#8217;s Concerto for Orchestra. It is well-written and is a showcase for each instrument and the orchestra; stylistically represents Bartok; has a white range of characters. Too many reasons why this is an awesome piece! There are quite a few juicy viola section soli, namely in the third and fourth movements. In terms of viola solo, Ginastera&#8217;s Variciones Concertantes is my favorite!<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whatisyourfavouritechamberpiecetoplay\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-is-your-favourite-chamber-piece-to-play\"><\/span>What is your favourite chamber piece to play?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Even harder to choose than an orchestral piece. I like the <a href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/hire\/string-quartets\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Hire String Quartets\">string quartets<\/a> of Beethoven, Ravel, Debussy, Shostakovich, and Bartok. A couple years ago though, someone introduced me to Leo Ornstein&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/hire\/pianists\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"12\" title=\"Hire Pianists\">Piano<\/a> Quintet. It is a big and exciting piece with some heavy Jewish influences!<\/p>\n<h4 id=\"whatdoyouliketodoinyoursparetime\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What-do-you-like-to-do-in-your-spare-time\"><\/span>What do you like to do in your spare time?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Read and exercise, e.g. play tennis, play frisbee, run, weight-lift. There is this series of Chinese martial arts novels written by a Hong Kong author that I am addicted to and can&#8217;t put the books down (think Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon &#8211; running on walls, fighting on trees, etc).<\/p>\n<p><center><small><br \/>\nDuring the 2015-16 season, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.houstonsymphony.org\/Default.aspx\">Houston Symphony<\/a> will celebrate its 102nd season with Music Director <a href=\"http:\/\/www.houstonsymphony.org\/About-Us\/Conductors\/Orozco-Estrada\">Andr\u00e9s Orozco- Estrada<\/a>, and continues its second century as one of America\u2019s leading orchestras with a full complement of concert, community, education, touring and recording activities.<\/small><\/center><center><small><br \/>\nEncore is the largest musicians&#8217; network in the UK,<br \/>\nand the fastest way to book great musicians for gigs.<br \/>\nJoin now for free <a href=\"http:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/musician\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a> <\/small><\/center>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Encore talks to Houston Symphony Orchestra violist Jarita Ng about the viola, cultural transitioning, and how she got her orchestra job. How old were you started playing viola? My parents started teaching me violin when I was five. When I was seventeen, I volunteered to play viola in a chamber group for my violin [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1956,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How I Became a Violist in the Houston Symphony | Encore Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/playing-in-houston-symphony\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How I Became a Violist in the Houston Symphony | Encore Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&nbsp; Encore talks to Houston Symphony Orchestra violist Jarita Ng about the viola, cultural transitioning, and how she got her orchestra job. 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None of this comes as a surprise when you consider the wide reach of this young man's network, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Musician Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Musician Updates","link":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/category\/musician-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/thing.png?fit=700%2C400&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18,"url":"https:\/\/encoremusicians.com\/blog\/interview-with-ben-glassberg\/","url_meta":{"origin":70,"position":1},"title":"Interview with Ben Glassberg","author":"Jonny Venvell","date":"18th February 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For the seventh interview in Encore's Rising Stars series, we chatted to Ben Glassberg. 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