‘I must know the music perfectly’

By Anand HollaAs the Resident Conductor of the renowned Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Fawzi Haimor powers through a range of concerts such as classical, pops, education and outreach, with the self-effacing flair of a natural.However, for Haimor, it wasn’t always the plan. Until his love of classical music lured him into its lap of endless melodies, Haimor was all set to join medical school. While he wouldn’t have been a bad doctor either, music lovers would be happy to know that the longtime violinist of Jordanian-Lebanese heritage switched his major to music and secured a master’s degree in conducting from a top institute in the US.As he made his grand conducting debut with the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in Doha yesterday, with the music of Robert Schumann, the Associate Conductor of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Haimor spoke to Community about his work.What are the biggest challenges of conducting the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra?The Pittsburgh Symphony is a world-class orchestra with some of the best musicians I have ever worked with. So, for me, the biggest challenge would be that I must be absolutely prepared and secure with what I conduct in front of them. That’s because you have to remember that most of the musicians have performed the piece more than I have conducted it and in order for them to be convinced by my interpretation, I must know the music perfectly. This preparation takes an incredible amount of time and dedication, and can be quite challenging as well. What is that distinct cohesive sound you want out of the Orchestra, and how do you ensure that you get that?When working with any orchestra, first and foremost, you have to be able to clearly show exactly what you want with your gestures. That means showing everything musically with your hands, facial expressions, eyes, eyebrows, etc. These have to come naturally, otherwise the sound won’t be natural. When possible, sometimes, I also like to provide my own parts, in which case I mention in the music how I’d like certain sections to be played. That way, we won’t have to spend valuable rehearsal time discussing segments that can easily be resolved by already following the instruction in the parts. During rehearsal, I try to be as clear and concise as I can with what I should ask for. But I also believe that making music with an orchestra is a collaborative effort after all. Often, I hear musical ideas that come from the musicians that I like more than my own, and I certainly embrace those ideas and the end result becomes something really unique. How have you personally developed and evolved an ear for nuances in music or staying a cut above the rest?One of the beautiful aspects of music is that it is not black or white. If every conductor conducted the music the same way, it would become rather boring. So it’s refreshing to hear when someone tries something new and adds their own ideas to the music. When I study a score, I try to analyse passages and phrases in different ways and see if that works. That way we can listen to music in a different way. One also learns from past interpretations of excellent conductors. Eventually, the conductor will come up with an interpretation that is all his/her own. Your life story speaks volumes about the body of work you have amassed in such a short time. What is your advice to people at the cusp of a life-altering career move -- like you were at -- and those who are hesitant to follow their passion?Enjoy the ride and appreciate every moment of it. The truth is nothing lasts forever and one never knows when the moment comes, or when they are unable to do what they love to do. So I continue to be thankful every day for having gotten the opportunity to do what I love to do. In addition to that, I never forget about where I came from and the people who helped me along the way. Be it family, teachers, co-workers, friends … no one can achieve success without some sort of support system. So I always remember to thank them at every opportunity I get. As for those who are hesitant to follow their dream, I would tell them that one can’t truly succeed in something unless they are passionate about it.  It’s the passion that fuels the drive to succeed. So you might as well embrace it, do what you love, and enjoy life.