Our first virtual recital will be with MSO pianist John Hillebrandt on July 22nd. We connected with John to get a bit of insight on the program he’s put together for his recital and to see how he’s been since we last saw him on stage!

MSO: Thank you for doing this interview with us, we’re all excited for your upcoming virtual recital! Let’s start with your background with the MSO. You’ve been with us for 24 years. During that time, we’ve performed a couple of your compositions. Are there any specific performances that are particularly memorable or stand out?

John Hillebrandt: One memory that stands out is from just two years ago when the MSO commissioned my piece, Valley Fever, as part of the Graffiti Festival celebration. It’s always amazing to experience something that starts as a mental idea grow into an organized, written score, and then become realized by a live orchestra and dancers for a live audience. The whole process, including the marketing and collaborating, was tremendous.

MSO: That was a truly unique performance. A concert that featured three commissions focused around the Graffiti Festival and a collaboration with Central West Ballet – all to celebrate Modesto!

What led you to choose the piano as your instrument?

JH: Fate, perhaps. I did play clarinet for a while in elementary school, and I do play organ for church services, but the piano and its repertoire just clicked with my sensibilities and personality, and I’ve never looked back.

MSO: What do you enjoy most about making music with an orchestra?

JH: Pianists typically spend much more time in isolation practicing and working on their solo repertoire, or perhaps small chamber-sized pieces. So to be immersed in the rich and massive textures and sounds of an orchestra is like a whole different world. The professional musicians that I get to work with are amazing and inspiring, and I never get tired of being a part of that incredible experience.

MSO: We certainly miss hearing you and the rest of the orchestra perform. What have you been doing to pass the time while sheltering in place?

JH: My wife, Ramona, and I have a daughter who will be four years old in August. Since the shelter in place went into effect, we’ve all been home together most of the time. Having a young child at home 24/7 is a never-ending adventure and journey of imagination and discovery. We do a lot of playing, gardening, swimming, and learning. Thankfully, I was already teaching online through Modesto Junior College, and my church work also migrated to the virtual world, so we’re able to keep the lights on.

MSO: Thinking about your recital now, can you tell us about the Ravel and Chopin pieces you’ve programmed?

JH: Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, which means “Fountains”, is a great image for a hot summer season. It’s a beautiful, sparkling masterpiece by the great French composer—fun to perform and fun to listen to! Ballade No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 52, is one of Chopin’s mature masterpieces. It has everything one associates with Chopin—haunting, lyrical melodies, lush harmonies, and breathtaking pianistic writing.

MSO: You’ve programmed your composition, Nocturne, to end the program. Are there any ties from the Ravel and the Chopin to your Nocturne?

JH: My Nocturne was written in 1990 and is very much in the vein of Chopin, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, and Scriabin—all great Romantic or Impressionist composers whose music can be both poetic, yet often deep and melancholy. This Nocturne explores a twilight world, somewhere between major and minor keys, and is a kind of venture into dreamworlds.

We hope you’ll join us on July 22nd to hear more from John and enjoy our first virtual recital!