Overture Magazine - 2014-2015 September-October 2014 | Page 6

{ IN tempo The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra NEWS OF NOTE {I n Touc h} In Case You Missed It: Announcing the BSO’s New Conductors! Nicholas Hersh and Michael Repper have recently joined the BSO in different conducting capacities. Here are some things you probably don’t know about them yet! BSO Assistant Conductor Nicholas Hersh serves as a staff conductor, provides artistic support to Maestra Marin Alsop and guest conductors, and also serves as the cover conductor for orchestral programs. Nicholas has worked with orchestras in North America and Europe, and has received numerous awards for his conducting, including the 2012 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award. Nicholas Hersh Michael Repper 4 O v ertur e | What songs (classical or not) are you jamming to right now? I usually have the radio in my car tuned to the classic hits station—and one of my favorite Pandora playlists is James Brown Radio.  My most recent plays on Spotify include AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” and Mumford and Sons’ “Babel.”  Between those, there’s a good amount of head-banging!  Oh, and I have a soft spot for Pharrell’s “Happy,” too. Favorite thing(s) about the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra? Cross-experience programs like Beethoven and Brews: food + beer + amazing music, doesn’t get much better than that!  Of course, OrchKids continues to blow me away, and the Academy programs are brilliant, too. The BSO’s outside-the-box programming is beyond inspirational! Favorite piece to conduct? (If you can pick just one!) Oy, just one … I’m gonna have to go with Rachmaninoff’s Second Symphony. Absolutely thrilling, spine-tingling, hackleraising, emotional music! www. bsomusic .org Favorite pizza topping? Pineapple.  Don’t knock it ‘til you try it. Dogs or cats? Cats.  Not that I don’t love dogs, too, but I grew up with cats.  There’s a reason they’re all over the Internet! Michael Repper is the fifth recipient of the BSO-Peabody Conducting Fellowship, a one-year program designed to support the development of today’s young conductors. Mike begins this appointment while continuing his doctoral studies in conducting at Peabody. What songs (classical or not) are you jamming to right now? Weird Al did just release an album! Seriously though my iPod library is fairly diverse, from Beethoven to the Beatles, Sondheim to Copland, I like it all! Favorite thing(s) about the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra? There is so much to admire about the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Overall, I greatly appreciate the warm, welcoming atmosphere that surrounds everyone as they share their music, and I am particularly fond of its commitment to the Baltimore community, especially the education of youth in the arts and inspiration of young conductors! Favorite pizza topping? The works! The more toppings, the better. If I had to choose just one, it’d have to be pepperoni. Dogs or cats? I have a dog and a cat and I love them both!