Crescendo Club: What Does a Conductor Do Anyway?
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About
Albany Symphony Crescendo Club
What Does a Conductor Do Anyway?
Join Albany Symphony violinist Paula Lynne Oakes and conductor Filippo Ciabatti at the Music Hub at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on Saturday, November 7, after the 3:00pm performance or before the 7:30pm performance. They’ll bust myths about what conductors do, with an interactive presentation, demonstrations, and answers to your questions. You’ll also meet Albany Symphony musicians up close. Learn what a conductor’s baton movements indicate and why conductors are necessary, and take your newfound knowledge to future symphony concerts.
This event is a concert add-on. Tickets to Passion & Power: Brahms & Elgar must be purchased separately. You can bundle concert tickets and Crescendo Club events in a Crescendo Club membership and save.
About the speakers
Paula Lynne Oakes
Paula Lynne Oakes has been a long-time member of the Albany Symphony’s first violin section and has held a stationary position since 2006. She has also performed regularly with the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Portland Symphony, the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and the Pro-Arte Chamber Orchestra, and serves as Principal Second Violin for the Boston Landmarks Orchestra.
An active chamber musician, Paula recently completed an eighteen-year tenure with the Lavazza Chamber Ensemble and a five-year tenure with the Landmarks Principals String Quartet. The Quartet performed dozens of programs in the greater Boston area as part of the Music and Memory initiative, with programs designed to foster connections with memory-impaired residents in retirement communities and nursing homes.
Before moving to Boston, Paula was a member of the St. Cecilia Chamber Orchestra, often appearing as concertmaster and soloist. She also played frequently with the Rochester Philharmonic and the Syracuse Symphony. After many years in Boston, Paula and her husband, trumpet player Dana Oakes, have decided to move full-time to their residence in Parsonsfield, Maine.
Apart from classical music, Paula enjoys political science, gardening, and knitting. In 2024, she completed a bachelor’s degree in political science from Southern New Hampshire University. She is connecting with her heritage through immersion programs and intermittent study and stays in Berlin, Germany. Paula will soon assume the position of Personnel Manager of the Albany Symphony.
Filippo Ciabatti
Filippo Ciabatti is Music Director of the Opera Company of Middlebury, where he made his debut with Fidelio in June 2023. He has conducted orchestras and opera companies across the U.S. and internationally, including Boston Baroque, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Irving Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, Macon-Mercer Symphony Orchestra, San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, Vermont Symphony Orchestra, Opera North, University of Illinois’ Lyric Theatre, and the ICM Orchestra.
His international engagements include performances with the Universidad Central Symphony Orchestra (Colombia), Aurora Festival Orchestra (Sweden), Orchestra Toscana dei Conservatori (Italy), and members of Maggio Musicale Fiorentino (Italy). In 2024, Ciabatti received the Joel Revzen Conducting Prize, leading to performances with the Festival Orchestra Napa alongside soloists Ray Chen, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Time for Three.
Ciabatti is the founding Artistic Director of Upper Valley Baroque (VT), a professional chamber orchestra and choir. He is also Director of Orchestral and Choral Activities at Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center for the Arts and has served on the faculty of Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy and Opera Viva (Italy). filippociabatti.com
About the Albany Symphony Crescendo Club
The Albany Symphony Crescendo Club creates community within the symphony experience. Events take place before their respective concerts and pair the music with a surprise guest, local partnership, or unique experience. It’s a community for curious music lovers who want more than just a great concert, though you’ll get that too.