Just in: Chicago finds a second flute

Just in: Chicago finds a second flute

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norman lebrecht

May 25, 2017

Emma Gerstein has emerged from audition as the new second flute of the Chicago Symphony, starting in September, it was officially confirmed today.

Emma is presently principal flute of the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in New Zealand, a position she’s held for just over a year.

She’s Chicago born and bred.

Comments

  • boringfileclerk says:

    Is it me, or does she look like a spitting image of Victoria Coren Mitchell?

  • bye bye says:

    Don’t put that down payment on the new home in Chicago until you’ve passed your probation period! Apparently it’s brutal in Chicago, you can go 2 years of probation and still get denied tenure.

    • Dileep Gangolli says:

      Says who? Chicago has one of the best audition procedures in the US (which means the world). To get invited to be a member is a real accomplishment.

      But that doesn’t mean she should buy a house just yet.

    • Bruce says:

      That can happen anywhere. I read somewhere that the Berlin Phil denies tenure to 1/3 of its audition winners.

  • Nathaniel Rosen says:

    The orchestral tenure process is an opportunity for corruption, isn’t it, just as in academia?

    • Bruce says:

      Could you explain what you mean?

      • Nathaniel Rosen says:

        Untenured players are often denounced by their colleagues in order to open up the orchestra to their own students. The tenure process, which used to be a formality, is now a nightmare due to the increasing scarcity of good jobs.

        • Bruce says:

          Wow. I thought I was cynical because I figured they just “influenced” auditions so their students would win. Nice to know I was still a little bit naive.

          • Wai Kit leung says:

            Even if their students don’t win the auditions, they can still get the jobs.

  • Bruce says:

    I thought this piece of news looked familiar. I guess it’s official now.

    https://slippedisc.com/2017/03/chicago-has-a-new-second-flute/

    • Steve P says:

      NL prolly spending too much time scouring the innerwebs for anti-Trump/pro-feminine news articles to remember.

      • Max Grimm says:

        Doubtful. Given the vast quantity of “anti-Trump/pro-feminine” material readily accessible, one needn’t spend “too much time scouring the innerwebs [sic]” to find news articles relevant to those topics.
        Considering that clicking on ‘Emma Gerstein’ in the introduction of this thread linked to the first SD post on her appointment from the start, I think NL remembered just fine.

      • NYMike says:

        Prolly?? I see that your education level is on par with your favorite hero, Herr Trump….

        • Steve P says:

          Is that what you see, NYMike? Guess you find reason to scorn under every rock and around every corner. Typical for your ilk.
          For those too dense to read through my sarcastic prose, I’ll spell it out for you: using slang or intentionally incorrect terms- like prolly and innerweb- was meant to make the blows of my critique more lighthearted.
          As I’m sure both of the above commenters were inferring with their usage of (sic) and Herr. Or maybe you are just both smug assholes; I’m really not sure since I don’t know you personally. I would presume you are insufferable, over-correcting bores with few friends and lots of causes to get riled up about.
          Anyway, big ending: JUST KIDDING, NORMAN!
          Max and nym…not so much kidding.

          • Max Grimm says:

            “For those too dense to read through […]”
            That is one possible explanation for missing the intended sarcasm and lightheartedness.
            Another possibility is that familiarity with the tenor of much of your usual prose on SD may lead to your initial comment in this thread being taken at face value.
            As for the “innerwebs”, I hope you have it in you to forgive this German, non-native-Anglophone, for not being well versed in American slang. I shall endeavour to improve.

        • Bruce says:

          LOL. “Prolly” is a thing the young (and the young-at-heart) people are doing these days. It’s on a par with “dunno” or “gonna,” not an indication of illiteracy.

  • mr oakmountain says:

    Congratulations and good luck for the future!!!

  • Carson Kievman says:

    Congratulations dear Emma!

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