Carol Jantsch' debut

[Rick Denney]

...Personally, I have been discriminated againist in the past and for me this is very rewarding to see.

I've been discriminated against, too. The TubaMeisters had the outdoor entertainment gig in the German section of the Fiesta Texas theme park, and we held that position for the park's first season with a good crowd response and without requiring the administration to expend any energy on us.

But the park wanted an all-female group for the second season, so they put together a pickup brass quintet and we were out.

My only beef with them was that they strung us along instead of telling us the truth. But that is a genderless complaint.

Rick "wondering if a sousaphone is heavier than a chip" Denney

[TubaRay]

The paucity of professional female tuba players seems more a matter of choices females have made than a matter of external restraint, at least outside of Berlin and maybe Vienna.
Rick "thinking some journalist assumed past bias" Denney

Hey guys.....I think Rick is right

He usually is!

[TexTuba]

Hey guys.....I think Rick is right

He IS called the 'Resident Genius'

Ralph

[TubaRay]

Hey guys.....I think Rick is right

He IS called the 'Resident Genius'
Ralph

Makes sense to me. And I know Ralph wouldn't lead us all astray.

[porkchopsisgood]

I don't know about the rest of you, but until I can take her in an audition (which seems kinda unlikely now that she's got one of the better orchestras in the world....don't think she'll be auditioning for the Augusta or Richmond Symphonies anytime soon....and, oh yeah....I suck), I will be standing and clapping right along with everybody else.

You go, gurl.....

[Rick Denney]

Not to step on Rick's comment, but when Connie won, was Miami a MAJOR orchestra then? KC? How old was Connie then? Was there any kind of reaction in the tuba community? Was there a fervor? Sorry, five years before I was born....

The point is that the fervor is partly based on the belief that Ms. Jantsch has crashed through a ceiling, when my point is that there was no ceiling.

Connie Weldon had offers from other symphonies, but she was a Floridian and Miami was close to home. Now, how many tuba players have been so good that they were able to win gigs in their home regions? The point is that any woman with the qualifications and ability was as likely to win a tuba job as, say, an oboe or viola job. Just not that many women of that ability have chosen to play the tuba.

Given Ms. Weldon's accomplishments, I have this feelling that she would have been competitive against any male tuba player of the time, whether or not Miami was a first-tier orchestra.

But, to my thinking, ANY full-time professional orchestra (which I believe Miami was in those days) is a major orchestra.

Rick "thinking even acting principal of the Concertgebouw is no walk in the park" Denney

[Mark]

Rick "thinking even acting principal of the Concertgebouw is no walk in the park" Denney

I agree. We can argue about Miami; but Concertgebouw is and has always been a major orchestra.

[THE TUBA]

Sounds like the audience was filled with idiots to me.

I would have clapped...

It doesn't matter to me if she is or isn't the first principal tubist in a major orchestra, or the first "great" woman tubist, or whatever is being debated. She won the spot in the Philly Orchestra; if the result was different, I would still applaud the winner. What is amazing to me is that she won when she was 20!!!! She beat out tons of great tubists with more orchestral experience. That is amazing, no matter the gender.

Why not clap? The people heard her story and the significance of her appointment (she may not be the first woman tubist in a professional orchestra, but the result of the audition is still significant) and felt like she deserved applause. If I get to go see the Chicago Symphony sometime in the future, I'll probably clap when Gene Pokorny walks on stage. I just hope I don't pee myself ...

[Kevin Miller]

It's no doubt that she is the Mia Hamm of the tuba world. Mia is famous for shedding her jersey on field(with sports bra underneath) in celebration of winning the 1999 women's World Cup soccer title.

I'm waiting for Carol Jantsch to nail the Bydlo on a big horn, rip her top off and do a lap around the Kimmel Center.

That'll boost ticket sales!!

[TonyZ]

It's no doubt that she is the Mia Hamm of the tuba world. Mia is famous for shedding her jersey on field(with sports bra underneath) in celebration of winning the 1999 women's World Cup soccer title.

I'm waiting for Carol Jantsch to nail the Bydlo on a big horn, rip her top off and do a lap around the Kimmel Center.

That'll boost ticket sales!!

...Sorry, but Brandi Chastaine stripped down to her Nike bra (not Mia) for her endorsement...

[drow2buh]

I met Carol and heard her play at the IWBC conference this year. Not only was she an amazing player, she was also a stand-up nice girl and fun to be around. She should be congratulated by us all, regardless of her reason or why some crowd applauded. I'm kind of surprised this has become such a large post!

If I get to go see the Chicago Symphony sometime in the future, I'll probably clap when Gene Pokorny walks on stage. I just hope I don't pee myself...

Met him and heard him play at the IWBC conference as well - freakin' amazing! He's also really nice and hilarious. We asked if he wanted to go to Hooters with us after his little spiel, and he said he would but he had to go straight back to Chicago. Shucks!

[Posaune2]

What is missing from the newspaper account of Carol's debut is the circumstances surrounding her entrance. Blair Bollinger had made a little speech welcoming the audience to the concert at the beginning of the show, and in his speech he mentioned that this concert was going to be Carol's official debut as a full member of the orchestra.

She wasn't onstage at the top of the concert (William Tell Overture), so when she came onstage the audience welcomed her with a round of applause, as I am sure they would have if she had been onstage when Blair welcomed her to the orchestra.

Yes, I am sure some of the warmth of the applause was due to her gender and youth, but most of it was a natural and appropriate reaction to Blair's pre-concert speech.

Let's not make mountains out of molehills guys.

Eric Carlson

[tubatooter1940]

The P.C. crowd likes to emphasize her youth and femaleness but the lady can play.

[windshieldbug]

This is a person who made an international name for themselves by playing outstandingly well, being smart, and using the opportunties they were offered.

No, I do not think it is out of place for such a player to be recognized for their accomplishments, introduction or not.

I only hope that the job proves ongoing to be worth all the effort it took to get there.