The Hong Kong Philharmonic’s new season opened Sept. 10-11 to a great reception at the Hong Kong Cultural Center with cello icon Yo-Yo Ma as soloist under the baton of Maestro Yu Long who also leads the China Philharmonic, Guangzhou and Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
What most Filipinos didn’t know was that the opening concert was the first assignment of Filipino conductor Gerard Salonga as the newly appointed assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic along with a Hong Kong national, Vivian Ip.
Salonga is still music director of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic, but during months when his services are needed, he will be in Hong Kong for his other orchestra assignment which officially started this month.
“I am humbled, honored, and really stoked!” posted Salonga on Facebook when he announced his appointment by Maestro Jaap van Zweden who is the music director of the Hong Kong orchestra.
Gerard learned about the opening in March this year while he was working with the HK Philharmonic and the Beach Boys. Some of the musicians mentioned it to him and he thought there was nothing to lose by handing in an application. With a few hours left before the deadline, he sent in his CV and video links to the e-mail address specified. On June 13, some 170 applicants were shortlisted to four candidates, and they all went to Hong Kong for the live audition with the orchestra and the music director, Maestro van Zweden.
The audition pieces were Beethoven Symphony No. 5 and Brahms Symphony No. 1. About 10 minutes before he led the orchestra, Maestro van Zweden chose the movements—1st movement from the Beethoven, and the last from the Brahms. The audition lasted around 30 minutes. Present were the orchestra, the eminent music director and officers of the orchestra’s upper management.
After that momentous Monday audition, he got the result on a Friday when Raff Wilson—director of Artistic Planning—officially announced the result: he along with a young female conductor from the city named Vivian Ip were the official choices.
Salonga said the job of an assistant conductor is basically to help the main conductor in any way possible. “Things can sound quite different in the audience compared to the podium. I’m there to listen in the audience during rehearsals, and if there are any problems with balance, wrong notes, intonation that are not addressed, then I can help. If any musicians have any questions that they don’t feel are appropriate for the rehearsal, then they can come to me. I also have to be ready to conduct any rehearsals or performances for whatever reason.” (For the record, eminent conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Bruno Walter started as assistant conductors.) As it turned out, he got along well with the distinguished guest conductor and the soloist.
He recalled, “Maestro Yu is a very friendly humble man, which was very good to see given his stature in China. I had worked with the other soloist Wu Tong before, premiering a large piece with him and the HK Philharmonic in 2013. On the other hand, Yo-Yo Ma is just amazing. A funny moment when principal cellist Richard Bamping introduced me to him. I, of course, said that pianist Cecile Licad was a friend, and after saying ‘Of course I know Cecile,’ he even imitated her speaking style and her voice.”
On the other hand, the assistant conductor is also expected to take over if something happened to the guest conductor.
He pointed out, “That is an important part of the job description. Yes, I prepared as if I were going to conduct the pieces myself. It turned out to be quite useful, especially whenever players needed to ask me a question. Knowing the music well also meant that I am listening in the hall with an informed ear, aware of any possible problems before they happen.”
Salonga first worked with HK Phil in 2008 for his sister Lea’s concerts with them. That moment was simply feast for his ears. “For that project, the arrangements were written by me and other Filipino arrangers, and it was glorious to hear our work performed by an orchestra of the HK Phil’s calibre. Before them, the last time I had heard a world-class orchestra was during my student days in Boston, when I would frequent the concerts of the Boston Symphony with Seiji Ozawa.
I was invited to come back after the first rehearsal, and we’ve had a great relationship since.
One memory that sticks out from that week was the orchestra shuffling their feet (their version of applause) when I told them that I didn’t want to be called ‘Maestro’ and that they should just call me Gerard.”
For him, the great part of the job was working with conductor Jaap van Zweden as his mentor.
Zweden will take over the New York Philharmonic in 2018. “Another good thing is to be a part of the Hong Kong Philharmonic which hasn’t had a Filipino member in many years, and is now one of, if not the top, orchestras in Asia. There are also aspects like travel. I’ll be going with orchestra on the second leg of their Asian tour to Singapore, Melbourne and Sydney. I look forward to hearing the orchestra in the Singapore Esplanade Concert Hall! Every day with the orchestra is a reward in itself and to be around such high-level musicians during the entire process from first rehearsal to performance is something that just cannot be matched.”
What he learned from the opening concert was to see the orchestra being transformed from one rehearsal to another. “One of the good things I experience is to see the orchestra go from good to great as the week progressed. A major lesson learned this week came from Yo-Yo Ma himself. He said that context can really shape a musician’s performance.”
Yes, he will still be music director of the ABS CBN Philharmonic and it was a good thing the calendar of the Hong Kong orchestra is finalized two years ahead of time. “The schedule is not that heavy actually. Since I share the position with Ms. Ip, that means I get to spend more time at home with my orchestra and my family.
It’s a win-win situation. What I learn in HK will naturally cascade down to my colleagues in Manila as well.”
The encounter of a lifetime in Hong Kong was meeting music director Van Zweden. “He’s very intense. I came to attend his rehearsals of Strauss Ein Heldenleben and Mozart Symphony No. 40. He’s a musician of the highest order, and I look forward to his mentoring. I only met him once, and it was at the audition — and he seemed like a very personable gentleman. I understand from those who have worked with him that he’s very serious in rehearsal, demands the best from everyone, but is also a kind-hearted human being who really cares about people.”
At this phase of his life as musician, Gerard is only sure about one thing. “I just want to learn, learn, learn. This is something that normally happens to much younger conductors fresh out of school.