Arguably, there is no busier person in Powell River right now than Arthur Arnold. By Saturday, June 24, when he takes a bow at the podium as music director and conductor of Pacific Region International Summer Music Academy (PRISMA), Arnold will have put countless hours into the festival he envisioned five years ago. In addition to devoting time to PRISMA, Arnold is also music director of the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and conducts other orchestras all over the world. As an orchestra musician, he plays the cello.
When you are an accomplished musician, is it possible to have a preference between conducting, playing and teaching?
I enjoy both playing and teaching as a variety on the more time-consuming conducting. Master class conducting at PRISMA organized for young conductors with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra is a good example on teaching. The teaching is continued at PRISMA, together with rehearsing and performing as a conductor, and a tiny bit of playing.
Why did you pick the cello as your instrument?
I started with piano at age four. I could read music before I could read letters. My grandmother was a pianist. I began playing the cello at the age of 10. I was really drawn to the beauty of the sound.
You travel from here to the Netherlands and Moscow. What is your favourite city?
I love the variety between beautiful British Columbia, the gorgeous nature here, and the megalopolis Moscow. I was recently in Sibiu, an old city in the heart of Romania where I was conducting the orchestra. Lovely city, very old and well preserved.
What would you like PRISMA to become?
PRISMA is what I would like it to become. Artistically, organizationally, we have an inspirational team of staff and volunteers. And yet it grows and will become a premier festival in North America.
Do you have to be a certain type of person to be a professional classical musician and conductor?
No, but you need total dedication. Being an international professional musician is like being a top world-class athlete.
What is your definition of music?
I can play it for you.
For more information, go to prismafestival.com.
