Curtain Call
by Michael Kurth
The end of the 2021/22 ASO season gives us the opportunity to thank six long-time musicians for their combined 281 years of bringing joy to Atlanta, and indeed the world, through their music. We celebrate the careers of Laura Ardan, Sharon Berenson, Ronda Respess, Dona Vellek, Paul Warner and Bill Wilder as they leave our stage, but not our family, for their retirements.
Read more about 2020/2021 retirees Ronda Respess and Paul Warner here.
As Principal Clarinet, LAURA ARDAN has long been one of the most visible members of the ASO. Her solos can be heard on dozens of recordings, and her leadership has helped make the ASO woodwind section the envy of many other orchestras. Laura joined the ASO in 1982. She was simultaneously finishing her studies at Juilliard and playing as a substitute with the Metropolitan Opera orchestra when she was offered the job of leading the ASO clarinet section. She remembers (as do all of her colleagues, myself included) encountering one of the less glamorous aspects of working at Symphony Hall while auditioning — the tedious trudge up two long flights of stairs from the chilly cement “warm-up” rooms in the basement up to the stage level. She also recalls with terror her first rehearsal, a last-minute program change: Robert Shaw would lead Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which she had never played before.
Laura continues, “I never wanted to do anything but play Principal Clarinet in a major orchestra. My goal was to be in the middle of a masterpiece every day, to feel it around me and add my voice and send it out to anyone who could hear it.”
Having shared her voice for 39 years, she now looks forward to spending more time with family, playing chamber music, teaching clarinet at Emory, and enjoying great music from the other side of the proscenium.
SHARON BERENSON has played violin in the ASO since 1975, and has been an essential part of the symphony’s youth programs; she is also a collaborative pianist, and regularly accompanies members of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra and Talent Development Program for recitals, competitions, and recordings.
Known affectionately to her fellow musicians as “Share Bear” because of her willingness to serve as the unofficial email hub for the musicians, she can also be relied on to synchronize every clock backstage at least twice a year, or whenever they’re off by a second or two.
Sharon says, “I was so thrilled to be offered a position in the orchestra. It was excellent back in the 1970s, but now the caliber of the new musicians throughout the decades seems to be getting better and better. It’s exciting to be around these new talented musicians.”
Her fondest ASO memories? “We used to go on multiple tours each year — the Southeast, the Midwest, and a Florida tour in the winter. That was so nice, to get out of the cold weather and put on shorts! Of course, having the opportunity to play at Carnegie Hall was such a great experience. And I’ll never forget the two European trips we took in 1988 and 1991. We played in some of the most glorious halls in the world.”
And how does she plan on filling the next chapter? “Now that I’ll have more time, I want to continue my work as a professional pianist, accompanying young musicians (without having to juggle my ASO schedule!)”
DONA VELLEK joined the ASO cello section in 1981. About her audition, she recalls, “I had passed up the opportunity to audition for Assistant Principal Cello (second chair) twice before I was invited to the third round for a playoff between myself and another cellist. It was a grueling three-hour process, and it was only when I was finally preparing to leave the hall that I found out I won the audition! When I joined, there weren’t as many women in the orchestra, and very few in titled positions like mine. But I was truly amazed at how so many people from different age groups could work together so well!”
Her fondest ASO memories? “I think one of my most memorable moments was when we were on tour in Europe, playing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with Robert Shaw in the former East Germany before the Berlin Wall was taken down. Our three tour buses were thoroughly searched before being allowed to cross into East Berlin, where we were scheduled to perform. We were given some lunch money in East German currency, but as it turned out, we were all ushered into a room and served lunch together (I guess in order to keep an eye on us.) After the performance, the entire audience applauded over and over, and tears were flowing. As our buses were preparing to pull out, we threw our lunch money onto the street, and as we drove away, people scurried from hidden places to pick it up. Unbelievable!”
And her plans for retirement? “I plan to continue teaching and coaching in the Raleigh/Durham area, perhaps at the college level at Duke or UNC. After many years of working with the Talent Development Program here in Atlanta, I plan to find a way to continue supporting diversity programs there as well.”
BILL WILDER joined the ASO Percussion section in 1968, “the first year that Mr. Shaw required musicians to commit to the ASO full-time.” Bill continues, “Before that, musicians had other jobs, like high school band directors. The job vacancy I filled was from a player who decided to stick to his day-job.”
Among Bill’s most memorable ASO concerts are the dozens (hundreds, more likely) of Pops performers who relied on him, as our resident drum set player, to provide the rock-solid beat to their songs. As the bass player often tasked to be the resident pops-style bassist, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Bill on many occasions, helping to provide that rhythmic foundation. Every time Bill sat behind that drum set, his rhythm was flawless; I even joked with him that he could beat a metronome in a who’s-more-in-the-pocket competition.
Bill waxes philosophical when talking about his career: “I’ve had the honor, the luxury, of sitting inside the greatest sound system in the world. The people in the audience, they’re hearing our music from a distance. But I’m right in the middle of it. And what an honor it’s been to make music in the company of great artists like my colleagues. Music has been my passion my whole life, and I was able to make it my career. How many people can say that? And the Atlanta Symphony has been very good to me. I got in on the ground floor, I grew with the orchestra.”
Bill’s plans for the next chapter of life? “A lot more free time to play tennis and travel. And not having to get up early.”
The entire ASO family wishes each of our beloved retirees every possible joy in the future and offers our sincere gratitude for all they’ve contributed to the city’s culture.
