From Studio to Center Stage—A Guide for First-Time Orchestral Soloists

By Laurence Vittes | From the January/February 2025 issue of Strings

Preparing to play with a professional orchestra for the first time requires a multifaceted approach. From developing chamber music skills and understanding orchestral dynamics to honing rehearsal strategies and embracing spontaneity, young soloists face numerous challenges. The insights shared by renowned musicians and conductors emphasize the importance of thorough preparation, effective communication, and adaptability. Whether it’s Kirill Troussov’s three-layer practice method, Margaret Batjer’s advice on courage and acoustics, Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s focus on embracing in-the-moment expression during live performances, or Cristian Măcelaru’s emphasis on trusting the conductor, these valuable lessons provide a roadmap for aspiring soloists.

At the Carl Flesch Academy in Baden-Baden, artistic director Kirill Troussov describes the critical role of chamber music skills in preparing for orchestral performance. He asserts that “logical phrasing is essential for ensemble unity” and that chamber music teaches musicians to read scores and understand entrances effectively.

Troussov also notes that playing with an orchestra involves adapting to a larger timeframe and sound. Unlike solo performance, an orchestra cannot instantly adjust its tempo, and experienced musicians are needed to manage such changes. “It’s easy to get an orchestra to go faster, but stopping one is a challenge only experienced players can handle,” Troussov explains.

He contrasts orchestral performance with duo settings, where the pianist often follows the violinist’s lead—an expectation that can be problematic when playing with orchestras. “In an orchestra, with up to 120 musicians, you have to play in phrase logically for everyone, not just the conductor,” he explains. He again advocates for chamber music playing as the best preparation for this, noting that many young musicians lack sufficient experience.

To ensure thorough preparation, and greater onstage comfort as a result, Troussov has developed a three-layer practice method: first, familiarize yourself with the piece through repeated listening; second, write out fingerings and bowings by hand to internalize them; and third, develop a photographic memory of the score, providing a mental backup during performances.

Concerning courage, Margaret Batjer, the Colburn School’s recently appointed director of the school’s music academy and concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, notes that students are often braver than expected due to their lack of experience. “They say that sometimes not knowing makes you even braver because you don’t know how difficult it is.” She encourages students to view orchestra performances as learning opportunities and “money in the bank” for future competitions.

Regarding rehearsal strategy, Batjer suggests letting the conductor guide the process and focusing on a few key areas for improvement: “You pick those moments; you let the conductor address the orchestra because they always have their own issues with the orchestra. And then you ask politely, could we go back and rehearse these three places?”

Finally, Batjer discusses the challenges of adapting to different acoustic environments and tempos when transitioning from practice rooms to concert halls. She advises students to practice in larger spaces when preparing for performances to adjust their playing accordingly.

Getting ready for a performance entails more than familiarizing oneself with one’s own part. So says violinist and conductor Dmitry Sitkovetsky, whose eventful summer included a performance at the gala concert for the 30th anniversary of the Verbier Festival, where his special new transcription of Bach’s Goldberg Variations was premiered by a star-studded ensemble of 42 festival soloists. He challenges what he calls “the common emphasis on melody among string players, especially violinists,” calling it “the biggest lie in our business.” He argues that focusing solely on melody overlooks the true essence of music. “Understanding harmony and bass lines is crucial for proper phrasing,” he explains, stressing that these elements give music its depth and meaning.

Sitkovetsky also highlights the importance of relationships within an orchestra—with the conductor and key members, of course, but particularly with the concertmaster, whom he compared to “the captains or lieutenants of an army,” essential for effective communication and a cohesive performance. He emphasizes that a concert begins the moment a musician steps onstage, with body language and first impressions playing critical roles. “And come on stage already tuned,” he adds. He stresses spontaneity in live performances, asserting that “the concert is where the music truly comes alive,” urging musicians to embrace in-the-moment expression. “And play soft in the rehearsal,” he says, “and the orchestra will play softer for you at the concert.”

One-time violin prodigy and now full-time conductor Cristian Măcelaru emphasizes the importance of soloists having a strong point of view and, echoing one of Batjer’s comments, communicating through the conductor rather than directly with the orchestra. “If you want something done,” he says, “make sure that it goes through the conductor, because if you don’t, you don’t know if it’s going to happen at the concert.” He encourages soloists to trust conductors and show their desired direction clearly: “Sometimes inexperienced soloists feel like it’s their job to be with a conductor rather than really go the way that they want to do it.” Măcelaru advises young musicians to closely follow the composer’s instructions, stating, “I have never heard someone argue with Beethoven. Never.”

There are, of course, also more technical concerns to address. Cellist Giovanni Gnocchi, who teaches master classes at Verão Clássico, says that the main problem playing with any orchestra is that what you hear “so clearly on speakers or headphones is going to be spread out onstage and some passages might be hard to hear.” He says that learning pieces with the full score minimizes this problem, but the acoustics of many concert halls “make the task still more difficult!” Gnocchi suggests recording rehearsal audio and video with a cell phone set up in the middle of the hall, and then, he advises, “immediately after, listen to how it sounded there, which will be exponentially different from what you heard onstage. Then, practice on the basis of what you heard—it will probably be, more or less, what the jury (and the audience) is going to hear.”

About affirming one’s own personality, Gnocchi advises “shrinking the amount of ‘genius’ moments to a few and delivering ideas so clearly with your body language that, for the orchestra and the conductor, it’s going to be super easy to understand and follow.”

For a healthy, realistic approach to a big performance, former solo violist of the Berlin Philharmonic Máté Szűcs, who taught at the Flesch Academy, had this advice: “One mistake is no mistake,” which means that a player “should know the piece well but allow themselves one mistake—no more, no less. Trying to play perfectly is an unnecessary stress and a block against spontaneous musical inspirations of the moment.”

Ultimately, success seems to come from a combination of diligent preparation, openness to learning, and the ability to apply feedback effectively. By embracing these principles, young musicians can confidently step onto the stage and deliver inspiring performances with professional orchestras. And, ideally, those young musicians won’t forget to enjoy the musical opportunity: When Dmitry Sitkovetsky was 23, Juilliard gave him the chance to rehearse the Brahms Concerto with the great violinist Oscar Shumsky conducting the school orchestra. Before they began, Shumsky asked, “Young man, have you played this concerto with an orchestra before?” When Sitkovetsky answered, “No, it’s my very first time,” Shumsky said, “I envy you. You are about to discover such beauty and such a different world.”