Boston Symphony picks new clarinet
NewsThe orchestra has appointed Christopher Elchico as its second clarinet.
He’s from California, a former student at Jacobs School of Music Indiana University.
He appeared for the first time in the BSO last weekend in Symphonie Fantastique, and can be seen next in the same program at Carnegie Hall on March 14.
Seriouselly? Is this a Worldwide News? Second Clarinet in boston? People are getting orchestra job every single day..
Slipped Disc has been covering appointments like this to prominent orchestras for years.
would it hurt you so much just to congratulate a guy?
hate to sit next to you at a wedding. “seriously? I put on a tie for this? People are getting married every single day”
Do you have any idea how difficult & rare it is to get a full time wind position in any orchestra these days, let alone in a major US orchestra?
How many clarinets in an orch? 3 or 4. How many major US orchs are there? Maybe 10, tops. So you’ve got, what, 40 jobs in the US which are usually filled for life. When one opens up there are literally hundreds of well qualified candidates applying. Then you face juries who can’t agree on a candidate, and managements which want to save money by not filling the job permanently, just hiring long term subs. If anyone can get thru all of that, and actually secure a job, it’s major news!
It is literally easier to place as a finalist in any major international competition than it is to win a wind job in a full time orchestra. Competitions are world wide news & so is a wind appointment in a major US orch.
Thank you for that comment, ‘Anon’. I believe that Stanley Drucker, former principal clarinetist w/the NY Phil, held that position for 60 years before he retired, so Christopher Elchico’s appointment to the BSO position is truly something to celebrate.
I think news about Massachusetts’s 2nd biggest orchestra would be better than this. The Springfield Symphony was illegally refused a contract offer last year when the last one expired. The season was delayed. The National Labor Relations Board finally ordered the Springfield Symphony Orchestra (SSO) to pay its musicians $276,406 in back wages. This is terrible for the people in Western MA. It is a really excellent orchestra and worthy of being on the blog here:
https://www.gazettenet.com/National-Labor-Relations-Board-rules-for-musicians-in-contract-dispute-with-Springfield-Symphony-Orchestra-44412636
Congratulations getting a great job! The sound of the BSO in Symphony Hall is unforgettable.
Yes, that may be the best concert hall in the U.S., bar none.
I’m sure you meant to write “hear,” not “see.”
Congratulations to Christopher Elchico for winning the position of second clarinetist. (Slipped Disc needs a better editor.)
Nice to hear about another outstanding player of my favorite wind instrument succeed in a big way in my own back yard!
What a lovely comment! So nice to see clarinet fan here on Slipped Disc!
Congratulations Christopher Elchico, on this outstanding achievement! Enjoy every moment of every performance to come!