Find a way to sustain a family life despite professional demands. Family brings relevance to our existence. Speak to your family in person or through telecommunication at least once a day.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephen Gunzenhauser.
Stephen Gunzenhauser is a musician with over forty years of experience. He has recorded more than 80 CDs and guest conducted all over the world with over 100 orchestras. He has served as Music Director of the Lancaster Symphony, the Delaware Symphony, and the Endless Mountain Music Festival.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Queens New York, a child of immigrant parents, and attended LaGuardia High School of the Arts. I started playing music before going to LaGuardia High School of the Arts since only 1 of 4 candidates were accepted. I had started clarinet because my middle school band teacher said I was too short to play the trombone. My parents found a metal clarinet at an army surplus store and I started 50 Cent lessons.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
I was groomed to go into my Dad’s business (food technologist) but kept putting it off. The granddaughter of Richard Wagner, a famous composer and theater director, told my mother that I would become a conductor when I was four years old. She looked at me and said to my mother that I have a musical back of the head, my mother thought that was bizarre. She also said, “If he’s to be a conductor, he should learn to play an instrument first so he knows what it’s like to sit in an orchestra before he stands in front of one.”.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I had my first conducting engagement at the Republican State Convention in Massachusetts from 1963–1965. A little old lady came up to me, pulled on my pants leg, and said, “Tell your boys they are too loud.”.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I started the Endless Mountain Music Festival where we bring world-renowned musicians to the Northern Pennsylvania and Southern New York area. This enriches the cultural, economic, and educational life of the region. It has now grown into 18 concerts in 17 days with a 65-piece orchestra.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
One of the dearest people that I have worked with for over 40 years was Mr. Rogers from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. He was one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. He was a soloist and performed with the Delaware Symphony.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
I have always admired Leonard Bernstein and his ability to connect with children and inspire them. He represented a complete departure from the European type of conductor because he wasn’t just a Maestro, he was Lenny. He was able to build a bridge.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Between 1980–1990 I was able to introduce American composers like Aaron Copland behind the ‘Iron Curtain’.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
1. Being a Music Director in the United States is more than performing German and Russian repertoire. It also means that you are dealing and meeting socially with people to encourage support financially.
2. Connect with people of all ages and backgrounds to build music appreciation. It is important and critical partially because many school systems have started to limit and reduce their funding of the arts programs.
3. Learning how to budget and sustain passionate efforts in building non-profit Arts groups.
4. Learning to deal with people all over the world, coming from someone who’s been all over the world.
5. Find a way to sustain a family life despite professional demands. Family brings relevance to our existence. Speak to your family in person or through telecommunication at least once a day.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I’d like to build a healthy respect for the influence of the arts in life and break down social barriers between “classical” arts and “pops” culture. There is a financial impact between classical and pop. The class audience is perceived as wealthy while popular is “here and now”. The term classical shows this, it could mean sophisticated arts compared to classical. I want to break down barriers and stereotypes, not just musically but through all of the arts (dance, voice, etc).
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
I think Mark Cuban is a multifaceted person able to function successfully in many different fields. He is not just a basketball owner, he’s an entrepreneur and has many different talents. His main talent, which is admirable, is connecting with people. He can bring his passion to a wide variety of activities.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
You can follow me on Instagram and Twitter both are @unknownconductr. My Facebook and LinkedIn are Stephen Gunzenhauser. And if you want to learn more about me, my book Travels With Stephen: The Most Famous Unknown Conductor is the way to hear of my travels around the world.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Stephen Gunzenhauser: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.