BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
When Francois Combemorel started teaching, he didn’t like it much.
Stopping after only a few months, he says: “I was feeling that I didn’t have much to say, not having a huge experience of being on stage”.
But things have changed for the percussionist, who went on to spend the following years performing with leading international orchestras from the Monte Carlo Philharmonic to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and, closer to home, the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
Now, when it comes to his enjoyment of teaching, he says that “20 years later, it is just the opposite!”
“I can now share some skills that I got from live experience instead of personal practice only.”
Australian students are now receiving the benefits as Francois brings his knowledge and practice to participants of the Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists program.
Francois had formerly tutored at the National Conservatoire of Toulon among other workshops across France, and he’s also a teacher at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. He joined AYO in 2015 at the Toowoomba camp as a Young Symphonists timpani/percussion tutor.
After the very first rehearsal, Francois was dead set on uniting each performer into an inclusive section “to make them understand they have to play together, to find a sound quality about the music they are playing, and to blend with the other musicians”.
“I used to say to the students that they have to play music – not percussion!”
His intensity is shared among the sections, and he describes the Young Symphonists experience as “a total immersion and not only about the orchestral world”.
Performers take part in chamber music concerts and listen to their tutors play (not to mention taking part in a particularly “difficult to win” quiz night, while they’re at it). This year, they’re preparing to perform works by Borodin, Khachaturian, and Tchaikovsky at Toowoomba’s Empire Theatres this month.
Francois says the most important part of the Young Symphonists program is that tutors help out in real time – across musical areas from dynamic to sound or tone colour.
“It is a big opportunity to have so many professional musicians both in the same time just for you! You can share time talking or playing music with tutors who are not playing the same instrument as you, which does not happen much when you are still in high school. Learning from different people is always great.”
For students aged 12-17 considering taking part in the Young Symphonists program, it won’t necessarily be easy: as with most opportunities, it takes a little bit of effort on every step of the way. Francois has found that musicians face many challenges even on acceptance of musical programs such as this one.
“Musical practice can be really frustrating if the balance between technique learning and pleasure of playing is not good,” he admits.
“It is a school of excellence, as you need good technical skills to play in tune or with good rhythm – and it takes quite a lot of time to learn how to play an instrument well. It is not only about the technique but about you too, who you are, what you feel and what you want to say.”
But it seems the Young Symphonists program is a challenging and educational experience not only for students, but for their tutors as well.
“You keep learning while teaching, which is very important to me,” he shares.
And who knows – if you find yourself coming out of this program, maybe one day you’ll be in the same position as Francois. After all, he’d taken part in the French Youth Orchestra programs in his own student days – and has discovered that music “is one of the most beautiful international languages”.
Where might it take you?
Support the AYO Young Symphonists when they perform under the baton of Roger Benedict at 7.30pm April 14, Armitage Centre, Heritage Bank Auditorium, Empire Theatres, Toowoomba. Free admission for all, make your bookings online.
We teamed up with the AYO to bring you this story – be sure to check back in when we interview artists in other AYO programs, too!
Images supplied.
