BEHIND THE MUSIC:The Dean Williamson Story

From gawky high schooler, marooning himself in the band room during lunchtime to play Bartok, to affable conductor with world-wide acclaim.

Let's go behind the music and take a candid look at the conductor/artistic director in action. Before the Figaro orchestra took to the pit, Williamson worked with them on briskly negotiating Mozart's score.


Less is more: The Figaro score calls for a smaller than usual orchestra. Ours is nearly half the size of the orchestra we had for Boheme.


Double duty: In addition to leading the orchestra and rocking a tux, Dean plays the harpischord recitatives in the score. What the hell are those? (That's what she said.) Recitatives are passages in the score in which singers narrate, as opposed to singing an aria. Speak-singing, say.

Fortissimo.
Translation: Holla if ya hear me!

After exhaustively rehearsing Non so più cosa son, Dean throws in some Guns 'n' Roses. Just for giggles.