Hello

Please Introduce Yourself.

My name is Taneli, I’m the Musical Director of the White Rose Concert Band

 

What do you most enjoy about WRCB?

All of the wonderful people that make up the band. Everyone comes to rehearsals ready to engage with the work we do on the music and to enjoy themselves whilst we do it. Sometimes they even laugh at my jokes!!

 

Why did you get into conducting?

My stepdad was a choral & orchestral conductor so I was watching him and learning about conducting from a young age. Despite that I predominantly studied classical music performance at University, but I realised that being a multi-instrumentalist, which I’d always hoped would be a strength, was actually more of a weakness in that context as my experience and expertise was divided across several instruments. Conducting seemed to be an area where this varied knowledge would be more valuable so I decided to pursue it more seriously.

 

What do you think is the most important skill to have as a conductor?

There are obvious things that are important like conducting the beat correctly, reading a score well & having a good musical ear. But personally I think the most important thing is to have opinions about music. If you don’t have any opinions about how you want the music to sound, how can you carry out the role of conducting an ensemble to play the music? Put simply - if you want to direct then you need a direction. The second most important thing is probably communication, so the musicians can join in your passion for the music and understand how you want them to play.

 

What type of music do you listen to?

I like a lot of variety! I listen to wind band, brass band, classical, jazz, folk, funk, a lot of barbershop quartet music and much more. For example my most listened to tracks on Spotify last year included a song from a Bollywood film, a Salsa band from Romania and the soundtrack from a German musical about Robin Hood, so I really do like a good variety!

 

What are you interested in outside music?

I am obsessed with cricket, so we are currently in one of my favourite times of the year - the Indian Premier League!!

 

If you would like to attend a concert, book the band, or join, please contact us through our website whiteroseconcertband.org or Facebook. Please note that whilst Training Band is accepting all instruments, space in Main Band is limited, and you may be asked to join our waiting list.