Glenda Bates is not an ordinary 27-year-old.
With an effusive personality as bright as her joyful smile, she’s smart, articulate, fun and funny.
But she’s also a serious and dedicated professional musician.
A seasoned oboist, Bates and 44 other members of the orchestra are preparing to delight area residents Saturday, when the acclaimed American Wind Symphony performs at the John C. Stennis Lock and Dam from aboard The Point Counterpoint II barge.
As a flute trilled sweetly in the background on the barge, she explained Wednesday the power of music, both in her life and in its ability to reach prospective young musicians.
A native of Vienna, Va., Bates began playing the piano in second grade, followed by the flute and then violin.
At the age of 13, she started playing the oboe and now is studying at Stony Brook University, in New York, for a doctorate of music, specifically in oboe performance.
Her music teacher, Pedro Diaz, who also plays with the Metropolitan Opera, recommended her for the six-week position with the American Wind Symphony.
“That sounds great,” she recalls telling Diaz, when informed of the opening. “I’d love to be on a boat all summer.”
As a member of the floating orchestra, Bates joins some of the best young musicians in the world –varying in age from 18 to 30 and originating from nine different countries and 19 states — in traveling and performing on the 195-foot long barge in about 12 cities before concluding the tour on July 29.
The musicians are given a $1,500 stipend for their time spent with the orchestra and only are financially responsible for the transportation costs to Columbus and to Pittsburgh, as well as one meal — breakfast — per day.
“Meeting all the people from everywhere is the best part,” Bates said of performing with the orchestra. “It’s nice to meet other musicians and play with them.
“The extreme heat is difficult to deal with,” she added. “We had planned to have rehearsals on stage, but it’s too hot. There is lots of heat and long days, but it’s worth it to make music.”
The American Wind Symphony last performed in Lowndes County 11 years ago; Columbus is the first stop on this year’s tour.
“A lot of the places we’re going are not used to having bands and orchestras of this quality play for them, especially in a free concert, and so what I hear is thousands of people will come gather to hear it and that’s kind of exciting,” Bates said, noting outreach efforts from the orchestra members, including playing at local schools, have been a “good experience for the kids.”
After only three days on the barge, Bates recognizes the challenges of being a member of the orchestra, but she also knows there’s nothing else she’d rather do.
“Maybe,” she responded, when asked if she’d tour with the orchestra again. “It’s pretty tiring, a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun, too. I think maybe, if there was another tour, I’d do it again if I got to go to a new place.
“Don’t be afraid to go for it,” she continued, referring to advice she would give young musicians following in her footsteps. “It’s better to be a musician and be poor than to be unhappy in another job. And the way the economy is now, we might be poor no matter what we do. Being a musician isn’t a bad thing.”
Bates generally spends about eight hours a day practicing, as a member of the Wind Symphony, and about four hours a day when not performing with the orchestra.
After earning her doctorate, Bates plans to either get an “orchestra job” or a position teaching oboe to university students.
“I’m OK with any job that pays me to play the oboe,” she laughed. “I’m not too picky.”
And she stressed the importance of music programs in schools.
“It’s very important (to teach music in school),” she said. “If (kids) are not exposed to it at an early age, they won’t develop an interest in it.”
Bates also bemoaned a lack of musical exposure for today’s college students and young adults.
“I taught Music 101 as an assistant at Stony Brook,” she recalled. “We required students to see a symphony concert and for many of them, it was their first. People don’t do that for fun anymore. They just go to the movies or play video games. It’s not a part of the common day anymore.”
The free concert will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday. For more information or to make a donation to help cover the expenses of the free concert, call 662-328-8936.
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