TBJ171: Nathaniel Silberschlag
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On This Episode of The Brass Junkies:
Being the 10th member of his family to go to Juilliard
The specialized horn he started playing on when he was three years old
How Julie Landsman told his parents she wasn’t available to teach him as a 12-year-old but gave him one Skype lesson and then was so impressed that she agreed to teach him anytime she came to DC
How Julie introduced him to Sylvia Alimena who he studied with through high school and was a major influence on his life
The one thing that each of his four private teachers all focused on
His use of specific images and colors to get a clear idea of what he’s trying to sound like
The importance of painting your picture away from the horn through things like singing
Jen Montone’s Process Cues
How his approach to sound has informed his teaching
The specific visualization he uses when performing Mozart concertos
How the best teachers teach you how to teach yourself (and how to be teachers)
The value of watching great teachers teach
The experience and pressure of trying to become a peer to brass legends who you’ve looked up to your entire life
What it was like to win the Kennedy Center Opera House audition even though he fully didn’t expect to win it at the age of 19
“I can only be the best me on a given day.”
How his dad was waiting for him in the car while he kept advancing through the Kennedy Center Opera House audition
All that he learned from sitting next to Geoffrey Pilkington including how and when to use your Assistant Principal
His experience of playing Mahler 5 in Carnegie Hall in his first full week as Principal Horn of the Cleveland Orchestra with almost everyone he knew in the audience while being sick
Bio:
Nathaniel Silberschlag was appointed principal horn of The Cleveland Orchestra in May 2019, and took up the position in August prior to the start of the 2019-20 season. He previously served as assistant principal horn of the Washington National Opera/Kennedy Center Opera House orchestra, where he was the youngest member ever to win a position with the ensemble, at the age of 19. He completed his bachelor of music degree from New York's Juilliard School in May 2019, where he was a student of Julie Landsman and recipient of the Kovner Fellowship.
Born in Leonardtown, Maryland, in the Chesapeake region, Mr. Silberschlag comes from of a family of sixteen professional musicians across several generations. These include former principal players of the New York Philharmonic, Italian National Orchestra RAI, and Jerusalem Symphony. He is the third generation of his family to attend the Juilliard School. He made his debut in Italy at age 9, with news of the performance appearing on the front page of Italy’s newspaper La Stampa.
As soloist, Nathaniel has performed with the Juilliard Orchestra, Bulgarian Philharmonic, Romania State Symphony, New York’s Little Orchestra Society, and the Chesapeake Orchestra. He has also played concerts with a variety of ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
At the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Mr. Silberschlag became a graduate of the National Symphony Orchestra Youth Fellowship program under the tutelage of Sylvia Alimena as part of her "Brass of Peace" scholarship program. He also spent two summers in the Kennedy Center’s Summer Music Institute. He was a fellow at the Music Academy of the West in the summers of 2017 and 2018, and in 2018 was named one of ten Zarin Mehta Fellows to perform with the New York Philharmonic as part of their 2018 Global Academy.
In 2015, he was the first recipient of the Edwin C. Thayer / Laurel Bennert Ohlson award for artistry and excellence in horn performance. Since 2007, he has been a full participant fellow at Italy's Alba Music Festival, and also attended the Eastern Music Festival in 2016. He is also a member of the New York Festival Brass Quintet.
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With Thanks
The brass program at The Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University
Parker Mouthpieces (including the Andrew Hitz and Lance LaDuke models.)
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Expertly produced by Will Houchin with love, care, and enthusiasm.
