Musician spotlight: David Rehner
Welcome to the first Oakville Symphony Musician Spotlight!
We look forward to introducing you to some of our talented musicians during the 2020-21 season. While we can’t see them perform live at the Oakville Centre at the moment, they are still practising at home, and staying in touch with each other over Zoom.
First up is David Rehner, OS violinist and Young Artist mentor. In addition to being a fine musician, David is also a skilled video editor. He has produced several fun videos for children featuring other OS musicians for the Community Classroom Program (Oakville Community Foundation). David also got behind the camera to film Oakville Symphony’s Virtual Recital Series, starting with Sharlene Wallace’s performance on the harp. He’s currently finishing up an exciting digital presentation of The Twelve Days of Christmas – stay tuned for that one!
Q. David, how did you start playing the violin?
At the age of 3, I saw violinist Itzhak Perlman on Sesame Street and was completely enraptured by his phenomenal violin playing. Money was tight but my aunt in St. John’s—an amateur string player herself—sent us a small child’s violin, and at the age of 4 I began taking lessons. I haven’t stopped playing violin for 40 years since and love it now more than ever.
Q. What is the most challenging part of playing the violin?
Intonation — playing in tune — is a never-ending challenge for violinists. Double stops, or the technique of playing multiple simultaneous notes, present another challenge because it is difficult to play them in tune. In an orchestra, playing the first violin part can be challenging because we often play very fast or very high parts.
Q. How long have you been playing in the Oakville Symphony?
I have been playing with the OS for about 13 years.
Q. What is the best thing about playing in the Oakville Symphony?
Roberto De Clara is an amazing Music Director, and the challenging orchestral repertoire that he programs each season is very satisfying to perform.
Q. Do you play with any other musical ensembles?
I am the concertmaster of The Rose Orchestra in Brampton, and perform at times in leadership roles with other GTA community orchestras.
Q. Do you have any advice for young/aspiring musicians?
Always be listening. Listen to as many different artists, ensembles, and conductors as you can, in whichever genre of music you pursue.
Q. What are you doing to keep busy during the pandemic?
I am back to teaching full time in-person as a public school teacher of music and mathematics. I have also been busy releasing various musical video performances on YouTube. If you’d like to check out some of my projects, my YouTube channel is https://bit.ly/2IAFeHb
Q. What are you reading/watching/listening to?
I have been enjoying new episodes of The Third Day starring Jude Law, and listening to many different recordings of Schubert’s Der Erlkönig for an upcoming collaborative video project with a colleague. Prior to that, I was listening to many recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto for a solo performance that was to take place last March, but unfortunately has been put on hold because of the pandemic.
(With thanks to Jill Yokoyama, member of the Development Committee.)