ON A HIGH NOTE: NANCY IVES

Nancy Ives, Oregon Symphony principal cello since 2000, has built a career of such spectacular diversity that no summation will do her achievements justice. The broad strokes include teaching chamber music at Lewis & Clark College, becoming increasingly active as a composer, and playing locally with Palatine Piano Trio, Rose City Trio, Fear No Music, Chamber Music Northwest, 45th Parallel Universe, Portland Piano International Summer Festival, Third Angle, Pink Martini, and Portland Cello Project. She’s performed with Laurie Anderson, Gal Costa, and Naná Vasconcelos, in an off-Broadway production of Orpheus in Love, and with a touring production of Phantom of the Opera. While on that tour, she performed a comedy routine about the cello in aids benefits across the country. Ives is also a founder of Portland’s Classical Up Close, has served on the board of directors of the Oregon Symphony, spent a year as “Cellist in Residence” with opb Radio’s State of Wonder, and appears regularly on All Classical Portland to preview upcoming performances.

When and why did you start playing?

I was six years old. My mom studied violin and wanted her daughters to have the same opportunity.

Is the rest of your family musical?

I would say that music is my family’s “thing.” My mom plays viola in a community orchestra, and one of my sisters is a school orchestra director. Another sister went to Eastman to study violin but hasn’t pursued it as a career, and the other sister is a fine amateur singer. We all sing together, as a matter of a fact. My dad came from a family with deep roots in the barbershop world and was himself bass-baritone as well as a coach and judge for The Barbershop Harmony Society. Long car trips meant singing in four-part harmony to pass the time!

If you had not become a professional musician, what would you be?

In high school, I thought it would be interesting to be a genetic engineer – whatever I thought that was – and that would have turned out to be a fascinating

If we agree to define “classical training” in music as an “extended study and mastery of a complete system of techniques, pedagogy, musical knowledge, and repertoire,” make the case for this approach in our multimedia, digitally driven world.

Everyone should experience true mastery in something worthwhile. A pursuit that requires unity of mind, emotion, and body and is grounded in a deep historical tradition has a depth of meaning and reward that elevates one’s life. I would wish that experience for everyone, whatever the activity is.

What advice do you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?

Well, you probably don’t want to do what I did! I alternate between two ways of looking at how I built my career before winning my position in the Oregon Symphony. Either I was unfocused and wasted a lot of time, or I followed my passions and gathered a diverse range of experiences that feed my creativity – and appreciation – in my current professional roles. The thing is, when you’re developing as a musician, “you are what you eat,” musically speaking. The music you work on and the people you work with will mold you in many ways, both seen and unseen. Choose wisely!

Does your mind ever wander when you play onstage?

Oh, yes. The mind is an unruly monkey, after all! There are internal distractions that are related to the music, i.e., “here comes that spot I messed up this morning,” and those that are completely extraneous, such as mulling over a difficult conversation or something mundane like a to-do list. Part of the mental conditioning required to perform is to strengthen the ability to bring one’s attention back to the music.

What constitutes an extraordinary live performance in your opinion?

There’s a kind of energetic connection between the performers and the audience that feels electric and profound. When the music is great and the players are firing on all cylinders and the audience is absorbed and “with us,” it’s absolutely amazing. This happens a lot at the Oregon Symphony, I’m happy to report!

In your opinion, is the symphony orchestra still relevant or is it a museum?

I am thrilled with the current trends in this area. I think symphony orchestras are more relevant than ever, while still providing an opportunity to revel in the masterpieces of the past. People crave an immersive communal experience, and nothing beats an orchestra concert for that. Additionally, the current trends in composing and in interdisciplinary collaborations are broadening the range of issues to be explored and bringing fresh ideas to concert halls in very appealing ways. I also love the way our orchestra leverages its cultural capital to lift up others in the community.

Which famous musicians do you admire? Why?

Well, no surprise, I admire Yo-Yo Ma to the hilt. He is the essence of personal and artistic integrity and is an amazing ambassador for the cello to the world.

How do you handle mistakes during a performance?

If I have the bandwidth, I’ll file it away for later correction. I sometimes have to expend real energy countering my tendency to beat myself up about it. The most important thing is to keep my mind moving forward and not letting that mistake cause another one!

Artslandia’s theme for the 2019/2020 Season is A Night Out. Describe for our readers your perfect night out.

It can be challenging to find time to attend concerts when you play as many of them as I do, but when I can, I love to hear the performances given by my friends, colleagues, and students. It’s especially ideal to attend an afternoon concert and then go out to a leisurely dinner with my sweetheart and some friends. Being able to linger over a meal with wine (I can’t have any with dinner before playing a concert!) is a real treat – in fact, I’d say it’s one of the great gifts of civilization! .

She’s not the sweetest usher in town (for which competition is fierce), but she knows her stuff.

Greetings, Artslandians.

I’m Portland’s foremost and award-winning expert in propriety, crowd management, security, and patron services administration. I’m Ursula the Usher. Yes, that’s right. What’d you think? That ushers just stand around handing out the playbills and pointing to seats? You don’t even know the things we do to keep you safe and comfortable. Ushers are the unsung heroes of the performing arts. .

Email your questions to ursula@artslandia.com.

A DEAR URSULA,

With the infiltration of cameras in every sphere of our existence and the penchant for documenting every experience having run wild, have the rules about taking photos at live performances changed? I see people doing all things now, but I’m curious about the actual rules.

– K.G.

DEAR K.G.,

Ah, a kindred spirit! Always a delight. Thank you for writing. I am, as you know, always happy to state rules. It is, actually, one of my favorite things.

For the sake of word count, I’ll spare you the monologue on the avalanche effects of these camera-encompassing personal devices. It’s tempting, but Artslandia has yet to reward my burgeoning fame with a second page.

Historically speaking, another favorite of mine, photography within a performing art auditorium has been strictly forbidden. Of course, cameras have become ever more diminutive throughout the years. Low lighting has become less and less of hindrance and deterrent. An eagle-eyed usher could quickly address an offending flashbulb or two. Rules were rules. And I do so love rules.

However, as my five children, 14 grandchildren, and seven greatgrandchildren remind me endlessly, times are changing. As of 2016, two of three major Broadway theater owners changed their policies to allow photos. The director of media relations for the one of the organizations stated to the media: “To accommodate theater-goers

46 artslandia.com in the age of social media, audience members in Shubert-owned theaters are generally permitted to take photos inside the house prior to the curtain going up, during intermission, and after the show, never during the performance when the taking of pictures is strictly prohibited.” The age of social media? Oh my.

Perhaps some of my more finely aged readers will remember the glory days before cameras were pocket-sized and living real life in real-time was a fact of life instead of an acronym.

Here in Portland, the stated rules for Portland’5 venues of Schnitzer, Winningstad, Keller, Brunish, and Newmark are: “Most shows do not allow photography of any kind, and flash photography is never allowed.” Why not take the bull by the horns with a clearly stated and outright ban? Some of the artists Portland’5 hosts have apparently embraced the age of social media as well. The modes of communication for this gray area vary greatly, which some ushers see as an opportunity to shine in their informativeness. In my book, definitiveness is divine.

Of course, some artists are so definitive (and bold) that they call in reinforcements to create “phone-free spaces” In these cases, P5 brings in an outside vendor named Yondr. According to this social media-age company, “In our hyperconnected world, [they] provide a haven to engage with what you’re doing and who you’re doing it with. In physical space and real-time. Phone-free shows are more fun. Artists are uninhibited. The audience is present. Everyone is swept up into a shared mood.” Cue the Hallelujah Chorus! This ingenious system provides each patron with a locking bag in which to place their phone as they enter the venue. Each patron retains possession of the locked bag containing their device. On egress, special-tool-wielding staff reunites patron and device. Life goes on as usual. Hannah Gadsby, a recent performer at Brunish Theatre, employed this system and made no bones about stating, “Anyone seen using a cellphone during the performance will be escorted out of the venue.” Gloriously definitive, if you ask me. If it were up to me, it’d be a matter of time before this becomes the standard, and if I were a betting woman, I’d put my money on a collective cry of relief from audiences and performers when that day dawns.

I digressed. Back to the topic of clearly communicated rules, we have our beloved Oregon Symphony, clearly stating thus: “You might be surprised to hear that we sometimes encourage you to take pictures with your phone or to participate on social media. Most of the time, though, we’ll ask you to silence your phone before the concert begins. If you aren’t sure, just ask an usher, and they’ll be glad to let you know. The best photo opportunities are right before the conductor arrives and immediately following the concert.”

Just ask an usher, indeed. We are, after all, experts in the firm but oh-so-polite policing of policies. Enough said, except for a final note of thanks to Colleen Schultz of Portland’5 for her help with this bit of wisdom.