Led by Conductor Cliff Colnot, the Orchestra’s Quality, Professionalism & Esprit de Corps Grow

The DePaul Symphony Orchestra will mark a milestone in its history May 23 when it performs its 25th annual Joseph and Marie Grant Spring Concert at Orchestra Hall, 220 S. Michigan Ave., beginning at 8 p.m. The program for the free, public concert will be “First Essay For Orchestra” by Samuel Barber, “Symphony No. 4” by Tchaikovsky and “Clarinet Concerto” by Mozart, the latter work featuring a special guest performance by DePaul faculty member Larry Combs, Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) principal clarinet.

The concert not only represents a quarter century of tradition for DePaul’s School of Music but also showcases the rebirth of the 90-member student orchestra under the direction of multitalented conductor Cliff Colnot and guidance of DePaul music faculty members.

Colnot, a distinguished conductor, arranger, composer, orchestrator and commercial music entrepreneur—whose credentials span the jazz, pop and classical music worlds—brought a new sense of professionalism and uncompromising musical standards to the DePaul Orchestra when he became conductor four years ago.

His approach to leading the student musicians is influenced by his professional experiences as conductor of the critically acclaimed CSO performance series MusicNow, his collaborations with his mentor, CSO music director Daniel Barenboim, with whom he produced the 1999 “Tribute to Ellington” CD, and his position as resident conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

“What I’ve tried to do is to bring the same professionalism and high standards that I exhibit in my collaborations with the CSO to my daily rehearsals with the DePaul Orchestra,” Colnot said.

“I behave professionally and musically with the student musicians in the same fashion as I behave in the highest echelon of the profession,” he said. “I don’t change hats on the taxi ride from Orchestra Hall to DePaul.

“I expect the students to reflect the same musical values and behaviors of the professional music world—to behave honorably and respectfully during rehearsals, to strive for the highest musical quality and to focus completely on producing a cohesive work of music,” Colnot explained. “The students have responded very positively to these standards, and their growing talent and esprit de corps are evident in their performances.”

The orchestra’s most recent public concerts—two rousing performances of Brahms’ “German Requiem” with the music school’s combined choirs—drew an enthusiastic response from a capacity crowd at the DePaul Concert Hall March 9 and 10. The audience reaction was no surprise for violinist Stefan Hersh of the Rembrandt Chamber Players, who directs DePaul’s string music program, or clarinetist Julie DeRoche, who heads the school’s woodwind program.

“From the very moment Cliff took the podium, he brought an incredible level of discipline,” Hersh said. “Through discipline you have quality and through quality comes self-esteem. They are playing over their heads now—beyond the expectations everyone had four years ago.” Colnot also has forged cohesion within the orchestra, Hersh said, through close collaboration with faculty members and additional guest CSO musicians who work with sections of the orchestra to improve their performances.

DeRoche credits Colnot for conveying “a clear understanding of what students must learn regarding the techniques of performance—proper production of orchestral tone, understanding of intonation, ability to produce clean technique, good rhythm, etc. He holds them to a high standard—a standard that will be required of them later in life.”

Megan Roth, a School of Music senior who has been a violinist with the orchestra since Colnot joined as conductor, said Colnot “sets such a standard for himself that you can’t help but strive for a high standard for yourself.”

“Cliff has taught us how to make the most of our time in rehearsal, from simple things like promptness to the importance of maintaining total concentration and focus throughout the rehearsal,” she said. “A lot of musicians think that music is about the performance—that the concert is the most important thing. What Cliff taught us was that the most important aspect of music is the rehearsal. It’s there that you learn valuable lessons that you will use for the rest of your career.”

In addition to higher standards, the impeccable musical credentials of Colnot and DePaul’s faculty have improved the orchestra by attracting a higher caliber of student to the School of Music, said faculty member Donald Peck. Like Peck, who was the CSO’s principal flutist for more than 40 years, many of DePaul’s faculty members perform with the CSO, Lyric Opera Orchestra and area ensembles.

“It builds on itself,” Peck said of the orchestra program. “If you have good teachers, you attract talented students, and then the orchestra improves. The students influence each other, too. They challenge each other to play better.”

Associate Dean Judy Bundra, who teaches in the school’s music education program, said Colnot’s talent as an educator also is an asset for the program. “He is a master teacher, someone who communicates clearly and effectively to the students and, most importantly, helps them find the means to express musical ideas,” she said.

While striving to expose orchestra members to the standard repertoire of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms during their years with the orchestra, Colnot also encourages students to expand their musical knowledge outside of the rehearsal room. He once offered to pay the admission charge of any orchestra student who wanted to attend a Jazz Showcase concert by pianist Randy Weston, Bundra recalled. Colnot made the offer because he believed the students could learn from Weston’s unique artistry and harmonic language.

“Cliff has had a profound impact upon the lives of our students, and we are grateful for his outstanding contributions to the School of Music,” Bundra said.

For tickets to the concert, call the Orchestra Hall box office at 312/294-3000. The annual concert is made possible through the generous support of Joseph Grant, a 1932 DePaul Law School alumnus and School of Music advisory board member.