Graduate student Juan Mario Moreno was offered a position as a professional violinist with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra after an open, blind audition in Little Rock Aug. 14. He will join them in Sept. for their 2021-2022 season.
Chair of the Department of Music Stephen Plate said that there are over 2,000 orchestras in America, which are ranked by size, budget, venues and quality of performance. “In this region, the Arkansas symphony is one of the best,” Plate said.
Moreno is not the first of the UCA community to join the ASO. There are approximately 25-26% of the symphony orchestra who have a connection with UCA as faculty, alumni or current students. Professor and Director of Orchestras Israel Getzov said, “We have a number of UCA students who serve as occasional substitute musicians, but it’s an uncommon feat for someone to win a full-season contracted position while still a student, especially with all the professional violinists from the region vying for just one or two open spots a year.”
According to uca.edu, Moreno will continue to attend UCA and pursue a Master of Music in music performance and perform with the Conway Symphony Orchestra as associate concertmaster, while working with ASO. He is expected to graduate December 2022.
“It’s what your drive is and what your desire is that propels you forward or not and so, you know he has gotten to the point where he can win an audition even before graduating, and that’s stupendous,” Plate said.
The rigorous preparation for an orchestral audition rivals “getting ready for the Olympics,” Getzov said. Moreno would practice for hours and hours in the summer to achieve his goal.
“During my first semester at UCA, my violin professor coordinated workshops exclusively to study orchestral excerpts required by orchestras around the world, and we even did mock-up auditions,” Moreno said. “When I found out about the opening, I organized myself in advance, and since it was during the summer I was able to have intense hours of practice guided by Dr. Linda Hsu [UCA’s violin professor] and Mr. Getzov.”
It’s those tireless hours that got Moreno to the place where he is today.
“You work for your whole life to master your craft, and then you work for hours every day for weeks to prepare for one 15-minute audition,” Getzov said. “The judging panel is behind a curtain, so they can’t see you and judge you only on your music. And one mistake can cost you the whole thing—they are looking for someone who won’t crack under pressure. I don’t think any other profession has a harder “job interview” than orchestral musicians.”
The core sound of a symphony orchestra is the strings, so that proves the magnitude of Moreno’s skill.
“Our string students come from around the world, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, many South Americans from Bolivia, they have come here because of the quality of the program, the quality of the string instruction, the quality of the Conway symphony orchestra. But, this isn’t about us, this is about [Moreno]. He’s done this because he’s worked hard,” Plate said.
Moreno, originally from San José de Chiquitos, Bolivia, has shown characteristics as a humble leader, and keeping his composure under the spotlight. “He used to be the head of a music school that had over 100 students, and he gave that all up for a chance to come to UCA and take his music making to the next level,” Getzov said. “He’s been a quiet star here at UCA—definitely a positive influence on his peers in the school orchestra.
Before deciding to pursue his masters at UCA, Moreno originally came to UCA to begin a post-baccalaureate program in music performance in 2019.
“We’re so proud of his accomplishments, we’re so proud of all of our students’ accomplishments and their artistry and their diligence and their practice. Many people are born with innate talent for music, but it’s what you do with it,” Plate said. “Notes on a page are a roadmap. They’re just a roadmap, you have to drive. You have to be nuanced, and well versed and practiced, so that’s kind of why it’s a big deal.”
Conway Symphony Orchestra will hold their season-opening concert at Laurel Park Sept. 17 at 7:20 p.m.