On Friday, I received the sad news that my former oboe teacher passed away. He was not only a teacher for me, but also a role model, and even a friend, despite our 50-something year age difference. I was really looking forward to contacting him when I got back to the US, and sharing stories about my experiences in Sarajevo.
I want to write this short blog post about Grover because he was such a great example of how a hard-working classical musician can still have a well-balanced life that is full of adventure. Grover Schiltz played oboe and English horn in the Chicago Symphony for about 45 years. (He can be heard on dozens of recordings of the orchestra made between about 1960 and 2005.) When Grover began playing in the CSO, the orchestra had short seasons and paid very little, so he and his wife ran a dog kennel to supplement their income. In the meantime, Grover was an active supporter of the American musicians’ unions that eventually succeeded in improving the working conditions, audition process, and compensation for professional orchestral musicians.
The Chicago Symphony is one of the best orchestras in the world, and its musicians are constantly pressured to meet the highest standards in their field. Despite this, Grover never gave up his passions and hobbies, and maintained a great sense of humor. I had so many fascinating conversations with him about cooking, wine, oriental rugs, travel, dogs… He was so passionate about collecting rugs that he and his wife recently traveled to Romania just to see them, learn about them, and purchase one or two to bring back home.
As a teacher, Grover was extremely honest but never discouraging. He often would have frank discussions with me about how being a professional musician can be difficult. However, I also felt like he had faith in my abilities, and I got the message that if I was hard-working, patient, and entrepreneurial, I could find my place in the music world. I’m not sure that I would still be a musician today if I hadn’t had supportive yet realistic guidance during such a critical point in my education.
It is hard for me to believe that I studied with Grover for only two years, because I feel like I made about five years of progress under his tutelage. He taught me to break down a phrase note-by-note and ensure that my vibrato, intonation, and tone color always progressed logically and musically. If I didn’t play something well, he would do humorous, and maybe slightly cruel imitations of how I sounded. I think he knew that I wasn’t overly sensitive, and I didn’t take the imitations too personally. I liked that Grover always held me to the highest of standards, no matter the technically difficulty of what I chose to play for him.
Grover was incredibly open-minded. He was always experimenting and trying to improve his playing and reed making, even during retirement. I was sometimes afraid to try a new instrument, type of cane, or shaper tip, but Grover convinced me that a little experimentation can only lead to improvement. After all, there is no reason to play a Loree oboe just because everyone you know plays one. (And yes, I still play a Loree oboe, haha.) I really admire that Grover continuously tried to learn new things and improve, even at the very end of his career.
So, yes, I miss my teacher already, and will be thinking of him throughout the rest of my time in Sarajevo. I hope that I can honor his memory by being a conscientious musician, an honest yet supportive teacher, an adventurous tourist, an avid learner, and of course a kind and accepting friend.
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