Native Tucsonan Ludek Wojtkowski is gearing up for his second season with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. After serving several years as concertmaster with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra in Alaska, he joined TSO last fall, quickly becoming an integral part of the organization.
His first memory of music capturing his attention took place as a toddler. His older brother had left his cello out following a practice session, Ludek took the opportunity to try and play. Handling the large instrument, it fell from his hands and broke, an unexpected beginning to what would become a lifelong connection to music.
Rather than seeing the incident as a reason to discipline their energetic child he says, his parents recognized his genuine curiosity and soon brought home a small violin for him to play. “The instrument has been in my hands ever since,” Wojtkowski says.
As first stand, first violin, Wojtkowski occupies a role that requires both musical precision and constant awareness. He balances collaboration with the concertmaster while helping to serve as a vital link between the conductor and orchestra.
“In an orchestra, your ears have to reach much farther than they do in chamber music or a small ensemble,” he explains. “From the first stand, or as concertmaster, the task is to help lead the string section while responding in real time to everything happening around you. You listen to your own section, a solo wind instrument, to the brass, and to the approximately 100 players that fill the stage, all while helping to coordinate them with decisive playing and confident cues. You are in essence, the third ear for the conductor, helping connect the conductor’s vision with the sound and coordination of the orchestra.”
Wojtkowski also performs regularly in TSO’s UpClose chamber series, where he says musical decisions are shaped in real time by the individual players. In this more intimate setting he adds, personal style and musical personality can come forward in ways an orchestra does not always allow, while each exposed part requires careful blending, close listening, and deep sensitivity to one another’s interpretation and execution.
This season, the symphony will tackle a wide range of classical masterpieces and audience favorites – a challenge for musicians who must keep each program fresh with every performance and interpretation. We asked Wojtkowski if there are pieces he never tires of playing, or others he finds particularly challenging.
“I love all kinds of music. There’s some I love to play but never listen to, some I love listening to but dislike playing, and some I wish I could play but I know I can’t. Music is like food for the soul. You can’t say necessarily that you have one favorite food, but you know you have to eat. Music is much the same way.
If he had to choose a favorite, Wojtkowski joins many musicians who gravitate toward the same composer– J.S. Bach.
“I love jazz, blues, and contemporary rock music, but I never get tired of hearing the Brandeburg Concerti. I would happily play them any time.”