Brass holds down the root of the Butler County Symphony Orchestra
This article is the second in a series about the Butler County Symphony Orchestra.
Every time the Butler County Symphony Orchestra announces the concert lineup for a new season, Jason Venesky checks to see which ones he will play in, and which ones omit the use of his primary instrument, the tuba.
The tuba was invented around the 1820s, Venesky said. It has one of the lowest sound registers in an orchestra, and Venesky said the tuba is not always part of orchestras, but when it is, it adds a punch.
“I play the least of the brass section,” Venesky said. “If any instrument is left out, it’s tuba. Tuba wasn’t invented until 1825. Basically from 1825, that was one of the earliest times pieces were written for tuba.”
The brass section makes up a good portion of an orchestra of 60 players. Tuba, trombone, trumpet and other horns often hold down the base of a song while other instruments build the melody on top.
However, brass instruments aren’t always playing loud blasts, according to Adam Janssen, who plays trombone with the Butler County Symphony Orchestra. The trombone alone can produce a range from booming root notes to soft melodies, which Janssen said he particularly enjoys playing.
“I think a lot of people assume the trombone or brass is just there to be loud,” Janssen said. “What I love to impart on people is to listen to how soft the trombone can play. Some of my favorite is playing Brahms. There’s so much soft, delicate-like playing within the trombone section.”
Janssen mainly plays bass trombone with the orchestra, but considers himself a “utility trombone player.” He said he can play any type of trombone and has played different “seats” depending on the show and demands of the music.
One of the recent shows Janssen particularly enjoyed was the symphony’s salute to composer John Williams, who penned music to movies including the “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” series.
According to Janssen, Williams wrote great parts for the brass section, but the section is frequently a focus of other modern composers as well.
“We did a John Williams program, which was incredible. It was a brass player’s heyday,” Janssen said. “We’ve done some really cool concerts. I love to play everything, I truly do.”
Venesky, too, said the variation in music the symphony performs is commendable, because it gives him and every other player music to chew on to challenge their own playing abilities.
“We’re playing wonderful music, we have wonderful soloists and we’re playing at a high level,” Venesky said. “We’re playing some classical music and repertoire. That’s something great about Butler County, is we’re playing music that’s 400 years old to music that’s written a year ago.”
Although members of the brass section don’t always — or even frequently — carry the melody in orchestra compositions, Venesky and Janssen each said their notes often carry heavy weight because they make up a song’s base. Venesky said he thinks of every note he plays as a solo, because there seldom is more than one tuba in an orchestra setup.
The tuba often plays the root notes of a chord, along with string basses and sometimes the cellos.
“In a way, I think of myself as an individual bass section,” Venesky said. “I don’t remember the last time we played with two tubas. A couple years ago we played with euphonium.”
One of the challenges of playing brass, Venesky said, is preparing the lips for the music. Brass players use a lot of air in their playing, and he practices in the week or two leading up to a concert to make sure he is familiar with the tunes.
“If it’s a piece of music I’m not familiar with, I try to find it, so I know how much time I need to prepare it,” Venesky said. “During the orchestra season, depending on the repertoire, I’m trying to play an hour to two hours a day. In reality it’s 30 minutes here and there. Brass players need time … the lips need time to learn.”
Janssen joked that people’s perception of the orchestra’s rehearsal schedule may be a little off from reality. The musicians get the music a few weeks ahead of the scheduled performance date, and they only get together as a whole to practice a few times.
“I think people think we rehearse weekly,” Janssen said. “Really what it comes down to is for most shows we have three rehearsals — Wednesday, Thursday, Friday — and then we have the show Saturday.”
Janssen said while the concerts throughout the orchestra’s regular seasons are a blast to play and take part in, he also enjoys the smaller shows that involve portions of the orchestra. He performs regularly in the Butler County Symphony Orchestra’s chamber sessions, where about 12 musicians perform selections in a small community space, making for more intimate performances.
In addition to getting to entertain and educate the community through these smaller performances, Janssen said he enjoys getting to speak with people about the music and the orchestra in general.
“I think one of the greatest parts of the orchestra is we get to be part of the community,” Janssen said. “It’s a community that supports and appreciates the arts. The last couple of years, the orchestra has been making great strides in community outreach.”
The orchestra’s performances are the true reward for the players, who are paid for their time in the symphony, but as more of a stipend. Janssen and Venesky have full-time jobs connected to music, and the orchestra acts as a good outlet to show off their musical chops and improve their abilities.
“Everybody I sit around, it’s not a hobby for the people in the symphony,” Venesky said. “We’re not making our living with the symphony, but we make our lives in music.”
Even after several years of playing with the orchestra, the appeal of being in the group has not worn on Janssen. He said the group never ceases to amaze him with its improvement every season, and each concert is a chance to share that joy with colleagues who are in the orchestra for the same reason as him.
“I’ve played six or seven seasons with the orchestra and every year it gets better and better,” Janssen said. “The greatest joy in my life is playing music, and especially playing with colleagues.”
Venesky agreed.
“I’m proud of the group, I’m proud to play in it,” Venesky said.
