Svoboda returns for Alumni Masters Week

Richard Svoboda, principal bassoonist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, gives a masterclass to Hailey Cheek, a sophomore music student in the Glenn Korff School of Music.

“It’s really special being back, and I’m going to be able to share with the students my path and how I managed things while I was here. It’s really nice,” said Richard Svoboda (B.M.E. 1978), who was on campus this spring as part of the 2022 Alumni Masters Week.

Svoboda, who is the principal bassoonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, was one of eight alumni named to the 2022 class of Alumni Masters by the Nebraska Alumni Association.

Since 1964, more than 400 alumni have participated in the Alumni Masters. Selection is competitive, and candidates are alumni who have shown great promise, success and leadership in their fields.

While at the Glenn Korff School of Music, Svoboda spoke to all music students during convocation, attended a UNL Symphony rehearsal and conducted a masterclass for bassoon students.

“The part of my job that involves working with young people has always appealed to me,” Svoboda said. “It’s just kind of the unselfish part of what I do. Playing in the orchestra to me seems selfish, in a way, because it’s so much fun, and it’s what I’ve always wanted to do. But teaching is much more altruistic. It’s a way to share what I can and help people be what they can be.”

Glenn Korff School of Music Assistant Professor of Bassoon Nathan Koch said it was an honor to host him in the bassoon studio.

“We were honored and incredibly grateful to have Mr. Svoboda return to his alma mater to work with and speak to our students,” Koch said. “He brings with him such an immense wealth of expertise from being part of many of the top performing arts organizations in the country (Boston Symphony, Tanglewood, etc.), and I know the students really enjoyed working with him throughout his visit. This was an event that we’ll all be talking about fondly for years to come.”

At the Glenn Korff School of Music convocation, he told students that when he was at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he practiced about three to four hours per day.

“I had these dreams that I wanted to see if I could do, first to be a college professor because that’s what I knew, and then later to play in an orchestra,” Svoboda said. “And I didn’t really see how I could possibly get there unless I worked as hard as I could.”

While at UNL, Svoboda studied with Professor Emeritus Gary Echols.

“He was very sort of low key and nonchalant and laid back,” Svoboda said. “I remember once early freshman year, I was not really practicing enough my etudes. I was concentrated on the sonatas and concertos, and he told me the etudes are what are going to make you good, so that’s all I needed to hear. He never steered me wrong. He just sent me in the right direction.”

Svoboda took advantage of every opportunity he had in the School of Music.

“If there was an orchestra coming to town, I reached out Left to right: Chancellor Ronnie Green, Richard Svoboda and Nebraska Alumni Executive Director Shelley and tried to get a les- Zaborowski. Photo by Laura Elizabeth Photography. son,” he said.

Svoboda has been principal bassoonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1989. He is also currently on the faculties of the New England Conservatory, the Tanglewood Music Center and the Sarasota Music Festival and has given masterclasses throughout the world. Prior to his appointment to the Boston Symphony, he performed for 10 seasons as principal bassoonist of the Jacksonville (Florida) Symphony.

Svoboda said the experience of playing with the Boston Symphony Orchestra is hard to describe.

“It’s the Shangri-La, nirvana, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “Especially in the last decade or so, it seems like individually in the orchestra, there’s a very high-level work concept. Everyone comes prepared, and everyone is an amazing musician. It’s fabulous.”

Svoboda says he feels very lucky to have the career he has had.

“I worked as hard as I could, but I will acknowledge that I didn’t know if it would be enough,” he said. “I would have loved being a band director. I think I would have been super happy and that would have been a rewarding experience. But I feel really lucky that the combination of things that I did somehow enabled me to be good enough to follow the path that I did. I feel lucky, but also grateful the good work I did led me here.” ■