This week on the A List, I talk with a young conductor who is working to cultivate meaningful musical experience for audiences around the world.

think it's important.

I think it's important to have conversations.

I think it's important to be engaging.

I think it's important to make sur that the audience feels engaged.

We need them.

Like I think everybody needs music, but we need people to hear music.

I don't I don't think it's created in vacuum.

I don't think it should be created in a vacuum.

I love playing for myself.

I love studying music, I love listening.

I think every musician is happy with themselves, but we're there because we believe in sharing that experience.

Join me as I sit down with music director of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, Ilya Ram.

coming up next, on The A List In August of 2024, Ilya Ram was appointed music director of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, only the fourth person to fill that role since the organization's founding in 1933.

Though born here in the U.S., Ilya has spent much of his musical career abroad lending his artistic leadership to prestigious orchestra in Germany, Israel, and beyond.

A prize winning conductor, Ilya has set himself apart on the international stage with his expressive nature and inclusive approach to classical music, and now he's helping to usher in an energetic new era for a beloved community institution right here in our own backyard.

Well, Ilya, welcome to the A-list.

Thank you.

Very, very happy to be here.

And welcome to Chattanooga.

And thank you for welcoming us to, this beautiful facility.

I know we're in your, I think, dressing room right now.

Yes, we are in my dressing room or a dressing room here at the Memorial Theater auditorium.

I think this is the Walker dressing room, if I'm not mistaken.

Okay, good.

Well we're thrilled that you're here and you haven't been here quite as long as you're going to be here.

And so.

And you actually don't even live here.

No, I don't live here.

At the moment, I live in Germany and on planes and on trains.

Well, let's talk about where you grew up..

Yes!

I know you were born in the States, Yep!

but you grew up in Israel.

Tell me about your first two years in New York.

Or if you remember any of that.

I have videos of it.

So I was born in, in New York and spent I think about I spent two years there.

My parents where were there for, I think maybe 6 or 7 years when my dad was doing his PhD at the, at the new school.

And I was born during that process, towards towards the end of it and I don't remember much.

I remember watching a lot of videos.

And the thing is that I am still very connected to New York.

We spend a lot of time back and forth there, a lot of sabbaticals.

2 or 3 sabbaticals.

So I have had also elementary school experience, a high school experience, but tons of summers.

I still have a lot of family friends, and it's still a city that I feel like is my home okay?

Was English your first language, then?

No, so English was always sort of like a mothe tongue language, but my parents speak Hebrew so Hebrew is my first language.

English was always sort of on the same level.

So what was life like in Israel?

It was great.

Tel Aviv, is one of the most amazing cities in the world.

And any other city in Israel is just not not on par.

That's that's how we view the world.

And I think it's correct.

And it's jus an incredible place to grow up.

It is.

It is a mixture of.

American culture, European culture Mediterranean, Middle Eastern.

It is such a hub of everything.

And it is it's it really is one of the most incredible cities in the world.

The food is great.

People are nice or angry, but it ends up being, very friendly at the end, like the extremes are big.

Because the weather is hot.

That's how it works in warm climate places, there is culture everywhere.

There is the city.

It really is one of those cities that are that are open 24 seven There's always something to do.

There's always a lot of different, facades.

And, and I grew up in, in the very center of it.

And of course, my, my parent being sort of from this, like, intellectual background, we had a lot of, artist friends and cinema and, intellectuals, as one does, sitting in a lot of cafes, because coffee culture is very big thing in, in Tel Aviv.

So it's, I can't complain about growin up there, if I'm being honest.

Well, it when people think about conductors, at least when I do, I think about, I imagine, oh, you grew up in such a musical family surrounded by musicians and artists.

That wasn't necessarily the case.

No, and not at all.

I my parents love music.

They've always loved music but they have no musical skills.

They are, however, very keen judges of my conducting and are very annoyingly very right most of the time about what they say.

So they are, but let's say both negative and positive.

But but they, they do have somehow a very deep understanding, I think, through art.

And so sort of through, first of all, knowing me that they sort of see where I am, but I didn't grow up in a, in a musical family.

There was no, musical connections to other musical families.

I didn't grow up on the laps of an orchestra.

I wasn't waking up in rehearsals with, with, with great conductors being my parents friend and sort of taking me everywhere.

That was not the case at all.

So I was sort of I always loved it, but I was sort of taking care of myself to a certain degree in that regard.

So when do you think they recognized your affinity for music?

When I was born, like, I think so.

I think it's a really interesting sort of mixture of them knowing from the get go to a certain extent that I will have something to do with music.

There is, very my grandmother died four months after I was born.

And there's a story about my mom, bringing me from Israel to the hospital.

And my grandmother was completely out, by the time that I was there.

But there is a story of her, sort of my my mom bringing me over to he and her reacting to my presence.

And I think that there was a letter that she wrote when my mom was pregnant, wishing for me or something along the lines that she imagines that I will have the fingers of a pianist or something like that.

So something abou that was always somehow present.

There's a picture of me like when I was two years old, with a stick going like this.

So I think there was alway a certain affinity or affection towards music.

And I started studying piano when I was when I was six, and so the, the sort of beginning push or the, the, the understandin that this is sort of my artistic path, whether I will end up being a professional or not, through them, how they viewed it.

But it started very, very early.

Ilyas passion for classical music blossomed when he was in high school, and as he began conservatory, he had his sights set o a future as a concert pianist.

But a teacher's insigh that Ilya might make a skilled conductor shifted the focus of his studies, and the trajectory of his career.

So I would imagine it's, not simple, but easier to, to be able to say this person is a great musician, right?

A wonderful guitar player, a great piano player.

How do people judge whether you're a great conductor?

First of all just because they like judging.

So it's very it's very easy to judge.

You just find judgy people and.

Just say like, no, that's not good.

Yeah.

Yeah, I think it's it's really fascinating because we talk like you mentioned, it's easier to sa like a musician is good or not.

I also think with conductors there's a lot of talk of like it factor, which I completely disagree with.

I think there are people that, like Mozart have had the skill set sort of, they were either brought up in an environment or they're are more ap to understanding certain things that other conductors have to learn or should learn, and they're not learning.

And so you get to a certai point much earlier in terms of all of that.

But I do think it's all in theory, something one can learn and improve on.

And so what, what do conductors actually do is still a question that everybody's sort of trying to figure out.

And I think every conductor worth their salt deals with that question, actively trying to figure out what it is that we are actually doing and why.

And even if there's no one answer, its sort of sticking to something and then seeing if it works.

And understanding, at least from my perspective, is that we are there for music.

True.

The composer's intention?

Fine.

But we're there for the people that are actually there.

And so how do we?

I think for me at least a good conductor is a conductor that manages to change something in the experience that is happening for the better, whether it' the musicians are enjoying more, which is important, whether it's the audienc that is getting transformative, whether it's a conductor, you can also say with a bit of skill set, like, again, with musicians, there is a certain level that one can hear, but beyond that, it's also a question of skill.

And with conductors, we're relying on the skill of an orchestra to a certain extent or the musicians around us.

And I think if we accept that and lean into it, then you will be a better conductor.

I don't think that is good or bad.

Well, there is good or bad conducting, but I don't think that it's necessarily what people always imagine is good and bad conducting to that extent.

There are conductor who, for the life of them, have zero coordination and create some of the most incredible, musical interpretations that I've heard in my life, or who are also not necessaril the nicest people in the world.

And that is also a questio whether it's now relevant or not and how you act, or peopl like Toscanini, who had the hand skills at interpretation and you hear recordings of him, you want to burry yourself in the sand.

That guy was angry an and it's again, people still say playing under him was probably one of the most transformative experiences I've had in my life.

I don't think he would hav gotten the job these days, but it's one of those things that it changes with time and it's part of understanding where we are and what we do and being sort of conduit to, to, for me to for positivity through that, through music.

Well, I have to at this point acknowledge my silver jacket, which as you can imagine, I don't wear for any interview, only this one because it had to go with my silver shoes, which are an homage to your silver shoes.

And if anyone has seen you conduct, then they know that this is one of your very delightful staple pieces of your wardrobe.

At times.

How did these come to be?

So People are obsessed with what people, especially female performers, wear to concerts.

Yuja Wang has always bee the perfect example of somebody that wears whatever she wants.

And people still think that commenting on her dresses is the way to go.

I one of it is I always like to, I'm a bit confrontational, so I like to make a point.

When you do that like that, what do you call it?

This, personality quiz of 16 different personalities.

I'm a debater, confrontational debater, which is not always good, but is fun.

So it is.

It is a bit of a statement.

Part of it is.

Well if you're looking at my shoes, then why are you not listening to the music?

If you're here for the music, the other aspect of it, they're much more comfortable.

But, and I and I don' like, conservative concert wear.

I think it's, it is part of in a, in an essence.

It is also part o why classical music is perceived as conservative because we appear conservative.

And so if I visualize mysel as less conservative on stage, then maybe other people will feel more comfortable.

But, specifically silver, I my very first musical experience in Europe, maybe 15 years ago, was a masterclass that I did, I think in Budapest and on the way back I was traveling through Berlin staid there for the first time for a couple of days and in my last day it was sunny.

It was gorgeous.

I went to a caf that it was recommended to me, and I sort of sat outside in the sun and the cafe was starting to fill up.

And so this woman comes up and asks me very nicely if she can sit with me in the table, and sure.

And I said, sure, I don't care.

I was reading something and so she sat, she ordered something, and then she takes out a score out of her bag and just puts it on tables, opens it, starts studying.

And I was like, okay, she's the conductor.

And so I was a bit shy at first and I was like, we started talking.

And she was, wonderful to talk to.

At that point, she was working in an opera house and sort of an assistant capacity house conductor.

And her name is Anja Bihlmaier.

She is now one of the most sought after female conductors in the world, and she is one of the reasons that I moved to Europe when she started he trajectory, started exploring, she started playing around with her wardrobe and one of the first things she did was put on really cool silver shoes.

And I was like, that is awesome.

So, as one does, I went to TJ Maxx and sort of browsed because I'm obsessed with shoes and I was TJ Maxx and I was looking aroun and I saw these shoes for $20, if I'm being honest.

And I was like, great, I can't actually buy them.

Fine.

I might want to.

I took a picture.

I sent it to my partner, and I told her I'd love to have these shoes.

I'm not going to do it.

Who understands you, because she is also an opera singer.

Yes!

She is an opera singer.

And so we I went to do a conducting competition, one of the first major conducting competitions I did, and I got to the finals and I won the audience prize, which was great.

And it was very exciting.

I was very happy.

And when I got home, these shoes were waiting for me on the table as a gift.

And I was thinking, well, then I'm going to wear them.

And one of the first concerts I did, I think I'm the first person ever to wear sneakers on the stage of Gewandhaus, in Leipzig, in the concert, but, we had a concert there where the critic and that was, for me, the biggest win commented on my shoes, saying something along the lines, and I'm paraphrasing a bit, although Ilya appears, nonchalant, walking on stage with his silver sneakers, his conducting is and musicality is the complete opposite, intense, riveting and exciting and and accurate and something like that.

And it brings out the ensemble, etc., etc., etc..

So it was a very, very, very good review saying basicall exactly what I was hoping for.

It's this combination of, you don't have to be rigid to do good music can be exciting.

And for me, it's part of my both my M.O..

But what what my mantra is, I, I wouldn't want to work with orchestras that would not see that this way.

I don't want to wor with orchestras that are trying.

I mean, might be nice, but if your perception of musi is something that conservative, then we're probably not going to see eye to eye even in how I interpret music to a certain degree.

And I understand that I sometimes need to make compromises and be flexible about it.

I don't wear colors to concerts.

I think it's distracting, but this shouldn't be enough of a distraction to cause that much chaos.

But it doesn't.

That makes me happy.

It's clear that Ilya ha set himself apart as a conductor and artistic leader, not only with his sneaker choices, but by offering a fresh interpretation of classical music that emphasizes accessibility and inclusivity.

And now he's bringing that ethos to Chattanooga.

And I have to ask because everybody's wondering this.

What is an Israeli American living in Germany doing conducting in Chattanooga?

I'm having fun.

That's what I'm doing.

I think it's I mean, it's a good question.

But inherently our profession is international.

It doesn't actually matter where I am, what I do, and where I come from.

I think it adds to who I am and to my personality and experience.

But what I do, where I d is not relevant to that extent.

I think it's just fascinating to be everywhere and do things everywhere.

Chattanooga is one thing.

Other orchestras in the U.S. sound different, and that means working different.

And it's different people.

Other countries are different cultures, and I can't control the fact that I was born in New York or grew up in, in Israel, but that also influenced who I am.

And then moving to Germany, which is the hub of culture.

And then I found myself working there and studying there.

But at the same time I had this very deep connection to the American musical landscape I grew up on, on Disney and Bernstein and New York Phil and playing in Central Park and the met and all of these things.

That was I wanted to play in Carnegie Hall.

That was my peak of what music is in a certain way.

A European culture played in the U.S. and so for me there was something of a given.

At a certain point even though I didn't study here, that I'm going to find my way to do something in the US.

And honestly, Chattanooga just came up on my radar and I was like, oh, that sounds like something I might be a good fit for.

And it worked.

And then it's just a question of, well, I'm flying a lot and it's fine, but it's part first of all, it's part of the job.

And two, I think it's a it's an important part of the job to a certain extent.

You are an ambassado for all that you do both ways.

I'm an ambassador for Chattanooga.

Anywhere else I go in the world.

People in German have now heard of Chattanooga.

Orchestras have heard of Chattanooga, the theater, the opera house where actually the performance my partners doing, they are doing Andre Pervin, Streetcar Named Desire, and the opera version of it.

And, on the stage set up on the fridge and you can take a look at, think, on one of their socials.

I gave them a magnet of Chattanooga.

And so Chattanooga is now a part of the set in, in in Bielefeld, Germany.

And, so I was able to bring that to, to where I work to Europe.

It's part of what everything is.

And I can do that the other way around.

I can bring my friends, my colleagues, my knowledge and information from Europe, which I think peopl are still very fascinated about.

And it's very big and sort of find my find how to use that influence.

What what I keep saying, sort of my my vision for, for Chattanooga as an international standard orchestra with a very local identity and doing that requires me to be able to do both at the same time as well, create a local identity and a local understanding of what Chattanooga is.

The orchestra of Chattanooga, what it is that they do.

And in Chattanooga, while we are a part of the classical music world and not just European, but overall there is a certai standard and certain and also, certain experience and and joy in exploring everywhere.

And I want to be sort of a catalyst for that.

Ilya's international perspective is ushering in an exciting new chapte for the CSO and his contemporary interpretations of timeles compositions are paving the way for musicians and audience alike to discover something new in classical music.

Well in Your pursuit of accessibility when it comes to music, i extends so far beyond the stage because you really have been a champion through everything you've done and really bringing in as many diverse voices and artistry into your conducting and onto that stage as you can.

Why?

Why is that important?

Why is that become really, I think, a sacred part of of what you do as a conductor.

So the short answer is it's it's just important.

I don't thin one needs to really elaborate.

It is just important.

I think that there are lot of reasons, at least for me.

One of my joys as a conductor is to find music I like that, I don't know, I have gotten through most of the classical repertoire to a certain point.

I might have not conducted all of it, but have heard most of it repeatedly.

It's great, but it it repeats itself at a certain point and I can always do more Mahler.

I can always do more Brahms I can always do more Beethoven.

But I think Amy Beachs Gaelic Symphony is probably one of the most exciting pieces of music in the 20th century, and it is a schlager.

It has everything somebody wants from a symphonic piece of work.

It's, it's phenomena and it's not being played and, you know, we're we're talking to a certain exten about about diversifying what, what we're playing.

Not every piece of Beethoven wrote is is the pinnacle of creation.

Some of them are beyond exceptional, but a lot of them are also, very frankly, were written for, for entertainment.

And, amateur musicians wanted to play something for him.

He was the first freelance composer.

So he wrote to make money and that also meant that some of the artistry is different.

It's not all about changing the world.

And so if I can program more music and sort of create that as wel with, with me being very active in creating an image of of accessibility through wearing different shoes, through going to community through talking to people in cafes, bars, whateve I love talking, as you can see.

think it's important.

I think it's important to have conversations.

I think it's important to be engaging.

I think it's important to make sur that the audience feels engaged.

We need them.

Like, I think everybody needs music, but we need people to to hear music.

It's not I don't I don't think it's created in vacuum.

I don't think it should be created in a vacuum.

I love playing for myself.

I love studying music, I love listening.

I think every musician is happy with themselves, but we're there because we believe in sharing that experience.

So what is that experience that were sharing?

When you get down to the core of it.

And then if you try and find that core everything else is superfluous and you can sort of play around with that.

So that's.

Yeah.

so to you what's the greatest compliment when someone leaves a concert that you've conducted?

Wow!

Thank you.

I think is is usually the thing to go.

I had somebody once come to me and say I had to leave because I started crying, and that really, that actually really changed my life.

That was a very specific moment where I was uncertain about what I'm doing and, conducting wise, bu somebody really just came to me and told me, I just I started crying, but I think it's just you feel it in the air and you sense it.

And I think i somebody comes to me and says, thank you, whether it was becaus they were entertained, whether because they had fun, whethe because it changed their life, because it was emotional.

But by coming to me and sharing that experience with me, that this was something meaningful, that is already the biggest compliment I can.

I can get.

Well, then I'll just end by saying, thank you.

Thank you.

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