Farewell Anu Tali

By Ryan G. Van Cleave | Photo by Kabir Cardenas

Like so many people from our community, I’m a fan of the Sarasota Orchestra. And yes, my daughter plays in the Sarasota Youth Orchestra. Plus I’ve written about—and seen—some of the community outreach efforts they’ve made. But it was when Estonian director Anu Talia signed on in 2013 to be the Sarasota Orchestra’s Music Director that I realized the organization was taking a giant leap forward.

So it’s with a mix of pride and sadness that we watch Anu wrap up the 2018-2019 concert season—her last. Rather than try to sum up all that she did for us, I instead will share the full Q&A conducted with her, so you can hear everything in her own words.

What has your relationship with the SO been like?

We’ve become very close and that has enabled us to experience and communicate all these highly emotional musical moments. It’s nearly overwhelming to be able to make such beautiful music together.

Favorite moment or two with the SO?

I’ve had so many incredible moments—some have been funny and some just beautiful. The musicians have had my back at all vulnerable moments and the SO management has supported me immensely.

We’ve made some changes that haven’t been easy. We’ve buried some close friends together. We’ve lived through a scary moment of me coming to a rehearsal with a wrong score—this is every conductor’s worst nightmare. Although everything turned out well, you can only imagine the sense of horror at first.

Talk about memories for lifetimes!

What do you think is the most common misconception about being a conductor?

The common thought is that a conductor just keeps time and rhythm. Playing rhythmically together isn’t such a huge trick. It’s far more about helping create the musical freedom that you need to show and make everybody express unanimously.

And to help the musicians to create the sound that would make the music really speak to the audience—to express the sadness and joy and everything in between in all the colors of the spectrum. This is what you want to have when you come to listen to a concert!

The other misconception is that conductors and maestros have to remain distant—they can’t be a friend to the musicians. But I believe that you need to be a partner and actually KNOW your musicians.

What did it mean to you when the Washington Post called you “one of the female conductors to watch” a few years back?

It was nice and I’m grateful for the recognition, but I know there’s so many great musicians who’ve never been mentioned because they haven’t yet created enough public awareness. It’s often a lottery ticket to be noticed by reviewers or agencies. I’m very realistic about attention and compliments because it’s often a matter of how lucky one has been.

I’m dedicated to recognizing young talent (regardless of their gender) in early stages when they aren’t famous yet. This goes for the soloists, conductors, and players I sign for an orchestra position. It’s then that you’ll need to be brave and trust your hunch in order to support a new and unknown talent. It’s going to make all the difference in their lives and sometimes a new star will be born for the world.

If you could gather together the entire community of music lovers in our area, what would you say to them as you wrap up your final days with the SO?

I’d like to thank you all for this incredible time in Sarasota and Florida. I couldn’t have done it or enjoyed it as much if it hadn’t been for your kind, generous support.

I’d also like to say that the Sarasota Orchestra is going to have wonderful times ahead. We’ve succeeded in so many ways and I’m sure that the next music director and the orchestra will form a new and vibrant future.

That said, I will miss you a lot.

What’s next for you?

I’ll be guest conducting throughout the world. You’ll see me in London, Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Belgium, but also in the US. It’ll perhaps be a while before I take up another orchestra to lead as a music director. It’s a responsibility that shouldn’t be rushed into.

We’ll definitely meet again. Hopefully sooner rather than later.

So farewell, Anu Tali. We’re glad you came and shared your talent, energy, and love for music with us for a time. Best wishes on the next steps in your journey. You will be missed.

For more information on the Sarasota Orchestra, please visit www.sarasotaorchestra.org or call 941.953.3434.