Loved this graphic in yesterday’s U-T highlighting the symphony’s top players for each instrument. They are referred to as principal (like “Principal Cello”) or section leaders, except for the top violinist, Jeff Thayer, who is called concertmaster.
I love the graphic (by the U-T’s Aaron Steckelberg) because it gives us an understanding — kind of like a sports story would — of where the players sit and why: “The section leaders are arranged in strategic positions where they can best see the conductor, interact with one another and lead their sections.” And it includes the principal players’ names — often unheralded, but vital, cornerstones of the symphony.
The San Diego Symphony turns 100 this year. Its centennial season starts this weekend with Sir James Galway, the most famous flutist in the world. (This was the concert Nancy Fisch, the symphony’s librarian, was marking music for when we stopped in to see her work a couple of weeks ago.)
Please contact Kelly Bennett directly at kelly.bennett@voiceofsandiego.org or 619.325.0531 and follow her on Twitter: @kellyrbennett.