David Judd, conductor of the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra, will lead a free concert of works by the the world's greatest composers this Monday at Centralia College's Corbet Theatre.
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. in the Centralia College Corbet Theatre, the Pacific Northwest Chamber Orchestra will give a free concert with the theme “Great Composers of the World” (see the March 4 item in the A&E Calendar for details.)
The orchestra’s director, David Judd, a longtime Chehalis resident now living in Longview, offers his perspective about the upcoming concert, along with background on his decades of musical involvement in Lewis County and Southwest Washington.
When did you first become interested in music on more than a casual basis?
I started piano lessons in fourth grade and continued until ninth grade. I started trumpet in eighth grade and continued in band throughout college playing trumpet, french horn, and baritone horn. By my junior year my voice had finally changed and I sang in choir and continued that throughout college. My parents had seven kids and they made sure all seven of us took piano lessons for at least a few years. As a result, we ended up with a very musical extended family that had some great family reunion concerts starting in 1980.
How did you choose to attend Whitman and the University of Oregon?
I graduated from Kings High School in Seattle and was drawn to Whitman because I had been born in Walla Walla and grew up in Milton-Freewater, Oregon just across the state line. Whitman was a smaller liberal arts college with a good music department and it had a tremendous scholarship endowment, which meant that college expenses would be minimal.
I wanted to major in music with the intent of becoming a music teacher and being in Walla Walla allowed me to have weekends to enjoy the Blue Mountains. After I took my first teaching job in Chehalis, I attended the U of O for three summers to pick up my masters degree. The University of course, had a strong summer music program highlighted by the Bach music festival that they hosted every summer.
When did you come to Chehalis and did you teach music from the get-go?
During my senior year at Whitman, our college choir took it's annual spring tour around the Northwest, singing at several high schools to help recruit students. One of our stops was at W. F. West, where we did a concert for the entire student body in the gym.
After the concert, my college director asked me if I would be interested in teaching here because they had an opening for choral director. It took me a little off guard since there were not a lot of jobs available and I had been considering a one year grad course at Multnomah School of the Bible. But my director took me around the school with the principal and gave me a good recommendation.
It was the only school I applied to and I was sure that I would not get the job. I was really surprised when I received a letter saying that I had been selected for the position. I had no idea that when I went to W. F. West in 1971 that I would retire from W. F. West in 2001.
What would you consider as your highlights teaching at W.F. West and Onalaska?
It took me about 30 years to begin to learn what makes a good music teacher. I was really young that first year (22) and didn't know much about how to work with students. I had to grow a beard those first few years, just so people would know which person in the group was the teacher.
One of the biggest highlights of my career in Chehalis was finding Vicki, my life partner. It was not under usual circumstances as Vicki was one of my students in choir and Westsingers. We were married a couple months after she graduated and she went on to help accompany many of our school and church groups as well as raise 4 wonderful children over the past 38 years.
Musical highlights from my stint at W. F. West include accompanying the choir on several trips to Disneyland, San Francisco, Orlando and England. It was also a real joy to help the students develop their vocal skills and watch them achieve success at the local and state level.
Being a music teacher in a school the size of W. F. West or Onalaska was the greatest job in the world. I was blessed with the best kids from grades 5-12 in a subject that was my passion and the class was an elective that they chose to take. The band and choir students developed a sense of family over the years that is much like an athletic team that plays together for many years.
How did you get involved with the Bethel Church's “Singing Christmas Tree” program?
In 1976 Don Brown returned to Chehalis and became our new pastor at Bethel Church. He asked Vicki and me to help produce a "singing Christmas tree." I didn't know what that meant, but Pastor Brown said he would build the structure if we could put together a choir.
It seemed to have great success and continued to be a holiday favorite in the Lewis County area for 33 years. It was really a community effort, as we had many members of the choir and orchestra from churches throughout the County. This event was the musical high point of the year not only for myself, but for many of the singers and instrumentalists and some of the audience members.
Why were you interested in conducting the PNCO?
The PNCO job opened up the same year that my teaching schedule had been reduced to a half-day position at Onlalaska. It was also the same year that Bethel Church discontinued the SCT.
I knew there would be a big void in my life without the Tree, and since I had more time in my schedule, I decided to apply for the position. I already had 36 years doing choirs and 6 years doing bands. It seemed like a new challenge to conduct an orchestra.
Looking back on it now, it was a great opportunity for which I have been very thankful.
How have you handled differences between conducting a choir and an orchestra?
There are some striking similarities between conducting a choir and an orchestra. The expressiveness of the musical line still needs to be brought out, with good balance and blend between the sections. It's important to realize as an ensemble member who has the melody and who is doing the accompaniment parts. Singing or playing in tune remains one of the bedrock fundamentals of good sound.
Musical excitement in all groups is built by use of dynamic contrasts using crescendos or ritardandos. The mechanism of creating the musical sound is different for the singer or the instrumentalists, but the language of music is still the same.
Since I don't play a string instrument, I rely on Rebecca Gage, our concertmistress for string terminology and instruction.
Have you had to find a sort of "comfort zone" in selecting music for an orchestra of volunteers with varying talents?
Musical selection is one of the most challenging parts of the job. We have players from middle school age up to 80 or 90 years. Since there is a wide variety of skill levels, I try to find music that will challenge the intermediate student and also bring joy to the more advanced players. It's not possible to keep everyone happy all the time.
When we play selections by the great composers, we usually play an "arrangement" instead of the original composition. From the audience perspective it will still sound like Mozart for example, but it's been arranged for intermediate players.
I have found that the Lewis County audience really loves to hear music that they recognize and is played well.
How unique is it to have a community orchestra that does NOT charge for admission to its concerts?
This is one of the really special things about our orchestra. It gives an opportunity for anyone in our community to enjoy classical music either as a performer or audience member. Very few community orchestras could ever do this.
The reason we have been able to offer this is: 1. Centralia College allows us free usage of the facilities as part of their continuing Education Program. 2. Because there is a PNCO board of directors who are committed to the idea of free concerts and 3. A very generous community.
Fund raising is not always fun or easy. But we have some generous local donors who consistently give to this cause. The value of arts in a community is something that none of us should ever take for granted. Arts advocacy is a cause that demands continual effort. Just imagine what it would be like to take music, art, dance and drama out of our lives and see the impact on our quality of life.
What does an orchestra like the PNCO mean to the community it serves?
It is my hope that the PNCO has a broad impact on our community. Not everyone likes to attend live classical music concerts, just as not everyone likes to attend a local football game. But there are many who do. And for those who do, it is our mission to provide them with an enjoyable and satisfying evening listening to and soaking up the kind of musical sounds that have touched the emotions and spoken to the souls of human beings for centuries.
I'd like to encourage anyone who has never been to a PNCO concert, or any symphony orchestra concert to give it a try. With the free admission, you can't go wrong.
