Why Would You Need A Conductor for Just Six Musicians?
Hint: When Ballet is Involved

Have you ever considered the depth of collaboration and communication that goes into a group of musicians successfully creating a seamless experience? There are different collaboration strategies needed for different types of ensembles and performances. As regular attendees of Arizona Philharmonic concerts, you're accustomed to two kinds of performances we present: larger ensembles led by a conductor and smaller ensembles without a conductor. (The latter is called “chamber music”, named after the smaller-sized room suitable to hosting a smaller ensemble.)

In chamber music settings, where there are usually nine or fewer musicians, the dynamics are intense. Players can see and hear each other directly. They rely on body language, natural phrasing, and pre-discussed cues to move through a piece. It’s akin to a conversation where each participant is sensitive to the inflections, pauses, and emphasis of the others. Each musician must remain attuned to the other players to create a unified, compelling performance.

Once an ensemble surpasses about ten musicians, a central leader—usually a conductor—is generally needed. The conductor uses both verbal communication during rehearsals and a range of physical cues during the performance to impart artistic decisions and maintain synchrony. Musicians typically focus on the conductor and at least one other musician, like the concertmaster or section leader, to stay aligned.

Interestingly, this dynamic changes even further when music accompanies ballet. Arizona Philharmonic is honored to collaborate multiple times a year with the Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet (MFAB). For instance, last December, Arizona Philharmonic, led by Maestro Alexander Walker, accompanied the ballets for MFAB’s Nutcracker Celebration. When conducting for ballet, a conductor takes on a role similar to that of a chamber musician. The conductor is attuned both to the orchestra and to the ballet dancers. The need for synchrony goes beyond musical phrasing; it extends to matching the dancers' movements, especially during pivotal visual elements such as leaping and landing.

Without a conductor following the dancers, the ballet dancers would be forced to follow the orchestra, similar to how they would be forced to follow prerecorded music. However, with an engaged conductor, the ballet dancers have opportunities to be more expressive and reactive to the audience, hall, and musicians at that very moment. When a dancer takes more time on stage to express a beautiful movement, the conductor can lead the musicians to match that motion.

Ken Ludden, Artistic Director of the Margot Fonteyn Academy, will be at the helm of a small ensemble of our musicians for the upcoming Rainer and Friends Ballet Gala on Saturday, September 30, at 7 p.m. This ensemble will accompany three of the dances presented in the gala, in addition to performing a few other short works. There are only six musicians in the ensemble. When playing by themselves, they will not need a conductor. But, when the ensemble is accompanying dance, Ken’s role will be to connect the musicians' performance to each dancer’s creative and dynamic expression of their solos. Even if only two musicians are playing, the expressivity of the dancer needs very careful attention by a conductor, as in the beautiful video below. (Did you think I'd forgotten the question at the title of this article?)

We invite you to attend the gala and support Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet. Dancers from across the world come to participate in this gala, and you will be witnessing ballet at its highest craft. The Rainer and Friends Ballet Gala will be presented this Saturday, September 30, at 7 p.m. at the Hendrix Auditorium, on the Mile High Middle School campus. Tickets to the gala can be found here or by visiting MFAB.org.

- Henry Flurry, Executive Director

Thank you for coming to our first concert of the season, Serenades and Symphonies.

It was an amazing AZ Phil debut in the Ruth Street Theater.

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