Exclusive Bay Crossings Interview: Christian Reif

Photo Credit: Stefan Cohen

In addition to his new SFSYO post, to which he was named in February, Christian Reif is also the San Francisco Symphony’s Resident Conductor, effective in the 2016-17 season.

 In that role, he assists Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas and several guest conductors with subscription concerts, touring, semi-staged productions, recordings and other special projects. 

In this exclusive interview with Bay Crossings, he shares some of his insights and observations on the current state Bay Area classical music scene.

Bay Crossings: Given your interest in cultivating young audiences, what will it take to build sustainable programing for future generations? 

Christian Reif: I’m doing what I love. And I want to transmit what excites me to the audience, and show what we – myself, the symphony players, and the musicians of the Youth Orchestra – find important, and simply cool!

I believe, when you offer a performance of great quality and frame it appropriately (e.g. explaining what the music is about or what makes it special to you) you can excite anyone at any age level for classical music. It is important to engage the young listener on their experience level, without patronizing them. If someone is introduced to classical music early in their life and experiences live performances, then it isn’t a foreign idea to go hear an orchestra or a chamber music concert later. I think it’s also key to keep the performance concise and under an hour. The San Francisco Symphony takes curating performances for young audiences very seriously,  through its Family Concerts, Concert for Kids, and Adventures in Music. I’m thrilled to host and conduct so many of these concerts this year.

I also think it is important to show that classical music is not just a thing of the past, but that it lives, by commissioning living composers. 

BC: What types of programming are especially attractive to younger people now ? 

Reif: Often it is easier to present a gateway to the symphony through movie soundtracks or video game music. It’s more relevant to the kids these days and immediately recognizable. The challenge (and joy) is to show them that the leap from a “classical” symphony is not as far as one might think, and that indeed all of that music is rooted in classical composing. 

BC: Describe what it’s like to be mentored by MTT. What makes this experience special?

Reif: I met MTT for the first time two and a half years ago in Miami, when I auditioned for the Conducting Fellowship at the New World Symphony. That week proved to be life changing, in many ways. I honestly can say that I’ve become a better musician and conductor since then and I’m very grateful to have found such an inspiring and supportive mentor. He always has an open ear for me, and we can talk about anything. 

MTT, given his family’s theater history, has always connected music to drama, and he himself is a wonderful director, as I’ve witnessed many times, with stage productions. This keen sense of story telling and how to connect with an audience informs his musicality. 

BC: Education, Youth Orchestra…

Reif: Early on I discovered that I love teaching. Whether it was through giving instrumental lessons, or voice coachings, or Ear Training Classes at The Juilliard School, it always inspired me and made me a better musician. I am so happy to be able to work with the Youth Orchestra here. They are an amazing group and we have a great season ahead of us! 

BC: What can we expect of this season’s YO concerts?

Reif: I created programs with a mix of educational and artistic goals in mind. We play some staples of the classical repertoire, such as Dvorak 8 and Brahms 4, but also some lesser known works by great composers (Shostakovich’s 6th Symphony and Hindemith’s Mathis der Mahler). I have an affinity for Mozart, not just because of my studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, but I believe it is crucial to understand his music in order to play any other classical composer (we’re performing the “Jupiter” Symphony in the spring). In our first concert, on November 13, we open  with a piece by Hans Werner Henze, one of the most important and controversial German composers of the 20th century, followed by YO violinist Jason Moon performing the Sibelius Violin Concert. The concert concludes with Shostakovich’s rarely played, brilliant, mourning, but also youthful, 6th symphony. I can’t wait!

BC: Finally, does The San Francisco Bay inspire or motivate you when it comes to working with SFS staging and conducting? Do ideas ever occur to you when you see the shoreline or some of the amazing vistas?

Reif: Absolutely. Almost every day, I find a café, and study my scores outside. It truly inspires me to walk around San Francisco or in one of the surrounding parks and hills. I always have music running through my head and I often use this time to let my mind wander through a particular piece, sing phrases and memorize them. Just biking to and from my place in Noe Valley every day, I marvel at the view. It is a joy to be here and I’m very excited for my first season!