Ellen Smith

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of performing for a masterclass with Ellen Smith. She's currently playing third horn with the Minnesota Orchestra, a group she's been with since 1993. I performed a movement from Aesop's Fables by Anthony Plog, and I found her comments to be very enlightening. Much of what she encouraged me to do involved playing through the notes to create an entire phrase with my air. Though I knew that it was what I should be doing, I had never experienced what truly playing through a phrase felt like until that masterclass. The experience has opened a whole new use of air that I had never considered before. I think I was always so concerned about getting the notes that I've never quite made it to the phrases. These kinds of epiphanies are the reason you should never pass up an opportunity to play for (or go to) a masterclass!