Month: August 2024

Two trombone anniversaries: 50 and 127 years

by Douglas Yeo (August 24, 2024)

Anniversaries are a big deal.

This summer, I got to take part in two trombone anniversaries with the Wheaton (Illinois) Municipal Band.

Since 1930, the Wheaton Municipal Band—a high level community band that is supported by the city of Wheaton, the Municipal Band Commission, and the Board of Directors and Friends of the Wheaton Municipal Band—has been giving concerts for appreciative audiences each summer. In the summers of 1974 and 1975, when I was a student at Wheaton College, I was a member of the Wheaton Municipal Band. My memories of those summers with the band are fond ones, and little did I know that a couple of years later, (in 1977) I would become a member of the most famous concert band in the country, New York City’s Goldman Band. These were important stepping stones in my career as a musician which led to my many years as bass trombonist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1985–2012) and so much more.

Members of the 1974–1976 Wheaton College Trombone Quartet (Douglas Yeo, James Roskam, Eric Carlson, William Meena) with George Krem, April 23, 2022, on the occasion of a faculty recital given by Douglas Yeo at Wheaton College.

My path to earn my undergraduate degree in college was a little unconventional. I graduated in three, not four, years: one year at Indiana University (where I studied with Keith Brown) and two years and two summers at Wheaton College (where I studied with Edward Kleinhammer). During my first summer quarter at Wheaton College, I took trombone lessons with Wheaton College’s trombone teacher, George Krem. George was a superb teacher and trombonist and when I arrived at Wheaton College, he had already announced he would be leaving the faculty at the end of the summer to take the position of principal trombonist with the Victoria Symphony in Canada. (George later went on to be professor of trombone at University of Iowa.) In the summer of 1974, both George and I were members of the Wheaton Municipal Band and we played a duet with the band, Paul Tanner’s Concert Piece for Tenor and Bass Trombones. Teacher—George—and student—me.

Article from The Wheaton Leader, July 24, 1975

Wheaton’s town newspaper, The Wheaton Leader, published an article on July 24, 1974, about the performance George and I would give of Tanner’s Concert Duet at the Band’s concert the following day. Then, on July 25, 1974, we played the duet. I was so proud to stand on stage performing alongside my teacher. When I look at the photo of George and me that accompanied that article, I always smile. There I am, with my long hair (and it got much longer than it was at that time) and a little goatee. Times have changed. Good thing!

Now, fast forward 50 years. A few months ago, when I realized that the Wheaton Municipal Band had a concert on July 25, 2024—EXACTLY 50 years after George Krem and I played the Concert Duet, I contacted Dr. Bruce Moss, conductor of the Wheaton Municipal Band. Bruce has been conductor of the Wheaton Municipal Band for 45 years and he has just retired from his position for the last three decades of director of bands at Bowling Green State University. Two more anniversaries. I asked Bruce, knowing how much he likes anniversaries and celebrations, “Wouldn’t it be fun if the band played Paul Tanner’s Concert Duet again with another teacher/student combination, exactly 50 years after George Krem and I played it together?” Bruce jumped at the idea and I knew exactly who I would ask to play the duet alongside me.

Poorna Kumar and Douglas Yeo, July 14, 2024

As readers of TheLastTrombone know, I served as trombone professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2022-2024 while the School of Music was conducting a search for a new full-time trombone professor. One of my students at UIUC, Poorna Kumar, was a member of the Wheaton Municipal Band in the summer of 2022 and she was playing in the band again in the summer of 2024. Poorna is an exceptional person and player. She is now a senior at University of Illinois, simultaneously earning two degrees: a bachelor of science degree in community health, and a bachelor of music degree in trombone performance. Poorna is also in her third year as a drum major with the Marching Illini and she received the prestigious Robert E. Gray trombone award at Illinois in 2023. I pitched the idea to Poorna and she was happy to agree to play the Concert Duet with me. We had a rehearsal at our home (photo above) and a few days later, we were standing on stage together with Bruce Moss and the Wheaton Municipal Band at the bandshell at Memorial Park in Wheaton.

Douglas Yeo and Poorna Kumar performing Paul Tanner’s Concert Duet for Tenor and Bass Trombones with the Wheaton Municipal Band, Bruce Moss, conductor, July 25, 2024

Anyone who has been to a summer band concert knows how special and fun those events are. People of all ages bring chairs and picnic blankets to enjoy music as the sun is setting. My family was there; Poorna’s family was there, and together with a large, appreciative audience, we all enjoyed celebrating the 50th anniversary of a moment when the Wheaton Municipal Band featured a teacher/student duet with one person—me—as a common denominator in both performances.

Poorna Kumar, Bruce Moss, and Douglas Yeo on stage at Memorial Park, Wheaton, Illinois, July 25, 2024

That 50th anniversary performance was great fun. Any teacher can tell you what a joy it is to work alongside a student. I was so proud of Poorna; it was a special collaboration in so many ways.

But wait, there’s more! There was another anniversary coming up the following week.

Berliner 62Z, Romance for Trombone (1897)

In 2022, I wrote an article for TheLastTrombone about Berliner 62Z, one of the earliest trombone solo recordings (if you click the link above, you can also hear the recording). This recording was made before the great trombone soloist, Arthur Pryor, began recording trombone solos. I acquired an original copy of Berliner 62Z and researched the history of the recording, the composer of the piece, Romance for Trombone (Charles William Bennet), the trombone soloist (Harry Stone), and the accompanying band (William Haley’s Military Concert Band). You can read all about it HERE.

The Wheaton Municipal Band concert on August 1, 2024, was a special event that celebrated University of Illinois. Bruce had invited three conductors from University of Illinois School of Music to guest conduct the band: Dr. Linda Moorhouse, Director of the School of Music; Dr. Kevin Geraldi, Director of Bands (who as a young student, had been a member of the Wheaton Municipal Band); and Gary Smith, director emeritus of the Marching Illini. When I learned that the concert would be a celebration of University of Illinois bands, I just had to be a part of it and work alongside my friends from UIUC. I loved teaching at University of Illinois for the last two years; it was a very memorable time for me to work with my talented students and with great colleagues. I will always be an Illini.

So, I pitched another idea to Bruce Moss. How about, since the concert would celebrate music at our state’s flagship university, I do something that combined education and music? I asked Bruce if I could say a few words to the audience about Berliner 62Z and its important place in the history of the trombone. A little music history lesson, appropriate for an evening when we were celebrating University of Illinois. Then, we could play the original Berliner 62Z recording, on the 127th anniversary after it was released. And then I would perform Charles William Bennet’s Romance for Trombone with the Wheaton Municipal Band. Bruce said “LET’S DO IT!” So, we did.

Douglas Yeo performing Charles William Bennet’s Romance for Trombone with the Wheaton Municipal Band, Linda Moorhouse, conductor

Just like the week before, the audience was engaged in everything that was going on onstage. There were a lot of alumni and friends of University of Illinois present that evening. There was a lot of orange and blue—the school’s colors—in Memorial Park. When I came on stage, I opened my tuxedo jacket to reveal the orange and blue Illinois shirt I was wearing. The crowd roared. Then, I led the audience in the Illini cheer: I shouted, “I-L-L” after which the audience shouted, “I-N-I”! With school spirit fully activated, I said a few words about Charles William Bennet’s Romance for Trombone and we played the 127 year old recording. Hearing an old 78 rpm record made all of us smile – there were more than a few people present who remembered those old discs, and hearing the scratchy recording made all of us appreciate how far recording technology has come in 127 years. Then I played Bennet’s Romance with the band, conducted by my good friend, Linda Moorhouse. Working again with Linda was so much FUN – There’s that word again, FUN. Music making should ALWAYS be FUN! – and the band played great for the enthusiastic audience.

Kevin Geraldi, Gary Smith, Bruce Moss, Douglas Yeo, and Linda Moorhouse on stage at Memorial Park, Wheaton, Illinois, August 1, 2024

Two weeks of performing as soloist in concerts with the Wheaton Municipal Band. That in itself would have been a memorable experience for me. But to have those concerts celebrate two anniversaries—the 50th anniversary of the performance of Paul Tanner’s Concert Duet that George Krem and I gave with the band, and the 127th anniversary of the release of one of the earliest recordings of a trombone solo—took these experiences to a new level. This is the joy of making music: collaborating with friends, colleagues, and students, playing pieces that have importance in one way or another, bringing smiles to the faces of audience members. I’m grateful to Bruce Moss and the Wheaton Municipal Band for giving me the opportunity, once again, to stand on stage at concerts with them. Thank you, friends. These anniversaries were truly something to celebrate.

A day in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives with Joannès Rochut

by Douglas Yeo (August 15, 2024)

I’ve loved reading, researching, and writing for as long as I can remember. My curious nature leads me to want to know more about things. And when I learn things, I like to tell others about them and share the excitement I feel when I make a new discovery.

Over the years, I’ve published five books and many articles, book chapters, and dictionary entries. If you’re interested in some of what I’ve written over the years, you can find a list of many of my publications HERE. While there, you can click on the names of titles and view PDFs of some of my articles.

At the moment, I am deeply immersed in researching and writing an article about the celebrated French trombonist, Joannès Rochut, who played principal trombone in the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1925–1930. I have been interested in learning more about Rochut ever since I joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985.

Douglas Yeo giving a presentation about Joannès Rochut, International Trombone Festival, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas, May 28, 2024

I gave a presentation about Joannès Rochut at the recent International Trombone Festival that was held at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. I wrote about my experience at the Festival—including my presentation and other things I did there such as recitals and roundtable discussions HERE. Now I’m continuing the research I conducted to make that presentation and I’m writing a major article about Rochut that will appear in the January 2025 International Trombone Association Journal.

Douglas Yeo’s copy of the first edition of Joannès Rochut’s Melodious Etudes for Trombone, selected from the Vocalises of Marco Bordogni (New York: Carl Fischer, 1928)

I would be hard pressed to think of any serious student of the trombone—including professional players who are life-long students—who does not know the name “Joannès Rochut.” That’s because Rochut compiled three volumes of Melodious Etudes that he transcribed from Vocalises of Marco Bordogni that were published by Carl Fischer in 1928. Rochut’s books are among the most important and most frequently used trombone books in the world. Yet, most people don’t know a thing about Joannès Rochut except the fact that he published these books of Bordogni’s music.

One of the things I tell my students—especially my doctoral students who need to write a thesis or dissertation—is that research takes time. It takes discipline. It takes patience. And it requires money. Not everything is free; not everything can be accomplished from the comfort of your favorite chair at home. The Internet is a remarkable, helpful tool (while, at the same time, it is also toxic cesspool), but anyone that assumes they can successfully research a subject simply by putting a few words in a search engine or an artificial intelligence program will found out quickly that they need to do more. There is no substitute for what I call “real research.” Not “compilation,” which is taking the work of others, stitching it together, and rewording it. I’m talking about real research: finding information from diverse sources, connecting dots, and creating a coherent, new narrative that sheds light on things that are not widely known. THAT is research.

Working in and with museums, universities, libraries, archives, and other institutions is essential if one wants to find information that informs research. In my research of Joannès Rochut, I’ve been in contact with many such institutions. The Library of Congress in Washington D.C. has the Serge Koussevitzky Collection. Koussevitzky was the conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra when Rochut played in the orchestra, and Rochut also worked for Koussevitzky in Paris before both of them came to Boston. The LOC has letters that Rochut wrote to Koussevitzky, letters that Rochut’s Boston Symphony Orchestra colleague, Jacob Raichman, wrote to Koussevitzky, and programs from Rochut’s and Koussevitzky’s shared time together in Paris.

Excerpt from page 27 of the 1926 New England Conservatory of Music yearbook, The NEUME, showing Ida Isabella Bisbee, trombone student of Joannès Rochut. Courtesy of New England Conservatory of Music Archives.

The New England Conservatory Archives has yearbooks, student cards, catalogs, and other information about students and faculty including Joannès Rochut and his students. Rochut’s first student at NEC was Ida Isabella Bisbee; she graduated in 1926.

The Sibley Library at Eastman School of Music has the Edna White Collection which contains more photographs of Ida Isabella Bisbee.

Postcard from Joannès Rochut to Anton Hansen. The text of the card (translated from the original French) reads: 9 September 1929 [the postcard was mailed from East Dennis, Massachusetts], Dear friend, Have you received the 2nd and 3rd books of my transcriptions of Mr. Bordogni?? I just spent a few pleasant weeks at Cape Cod and will soon return to Brookline. Best Regards, Joannès Rochut. Courtesy of the Royal Danish Library, with thanks to Mogens Andresen for photographing the card on my behalf.

The Royal Danish Library in Copenhagen has the papers of the influential Danish trombonist, Anton Hanson, including many letters that Rochut and Hansen wrote to each other in the 1920s and 1930s.

The National Music Museum in Vermillion, South Dakota, has an extensive collection of information about trombone manufacturers, including Besson (of London) who made an instrument that Joannès Rochut played for several years.

The Registrar of Deeds in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, helped me obtain information about the house that Joannès Rochut and his wife, Louis, purchased in 1927.

The Bibliotheque national de France has many documents relating to the annual Paris Conservatoire Concours at which Joannès Rochut won first prize in 1905.

Then there is networking, connecting with old and new friends, and gratefully receiving their considerable help when I ask questions or ask for their assistance. Benny Sluchin in Paris (who has helped me in countless ways, including taking photographs of Joannès Rochut’s home and grave), David Fetter, Ronald Barron, Mogens Andresen, and Carsten Svanberg, and many more. All of them will be thanked in my article.

Joannès Rochut’s business card, 1927, courtesy of the Rochut Family

Most importantly, I made contact with the Rochut family in France. The Rochut family has been exceptionally generous in sharing photographs, documents, and information about Joannès Rochut. I have always said that if you are researching a historical individual and you can find a family member who is willing to share things with you, the needles you find in haystacks suddenly turn to diamonds. I am so grateful to the Rochut family for their kind assistance and generosity.

The list goes on. Without connections to these institutions and individuals, my article about Joannès Rochut would amount to no more than a junior high school level term paper on the level with a paper titled, “My Summer Vacation.”

Sometimes archives are able to provide me with resources through scanning and then sending them to me. In other cases, if it’s not possible for me to get to an archive, a friend of mine is able to view the resources I’m looking for on my behalf. And sometimes, you just have to go yourself.

A few weeks ago, I decided I needed to spend one day researching in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. This is a place that is near and dear to my heart. When I joined the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1985, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the orchestra and its low brass players in particular, including Joannès Rochut. I asked William Moyer, who at the time (1985) was personnel manager of the BSO (he had played second trombone in the BSO from 1953 to 1966 before becoming personnel manager), if the orchestra had an archive. He took me to a building adjacent to Symphony Hall, what was, at the time, called the Symphony Hall Annex (today, fully renovated, it is the Cohen Wing of Symphony Hall). It was a run down building that the orchestra had plans to renovate someday. Bill and I came to a locked door, he put a key in the door, opened the door, and there was the Boston Symphony Orchestra archives.

It was a shambles. As I walked into the room—a large room with another room next to it—and Bill turned on the light, I saw shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling. There were jumbles of documents, books, and other materials strewn around the room. Filing cabinets were open and documents were falling out. There was no heating or cooling system in the room. It was damp.

But I could tell right away that the room was full of treasures. Despite the chaotic disorganization of materials, my mind raced and recalled on Howard Carter’s words when he first peered into King Tutankhamen’s tomb and was asked what he saw. “I see wonderful things,” Carter said. Yes. I saw wonderful things.

Two of the several dozen negatives Douglas Yeo had made from photographs in the proto-Boston Symphony Archives, 1985–1987

Because of my interest in researching Joannès Rochut and other Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players, Bill gave me a key to this room. The BSO had no archivist at the time; Bill just gave me a key. He told me I could look through it and if I found things that were helpful to my research, I could use them. So I did. I spent hundreds of hours in those rooms, during rehearsal breaks, between rehearsals, before concerts, on some of my days off. And this was in the era before personal computers, scanners, or cell-phone cameras. If I found a photograph I thought I would someday use in an article, I needed to take photographs to a photography studio and have large negatives made so I could submit the images to publications. This was expensive. But it was the only way I could have permanent access to the images I wanted to use and continue to reference.

Cover of the Fall 1986 issue of the International Trombone Association Journal that contains the article by Douglas Yeo, “A Pictorial History of Low Brass Players in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1887–1986”

I began to systematically work through the contents of these disorganized rooms, looking for photographs and information about Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone and tuba players. I found a lot. I carefully made new piles of materials on the disorganized shelves, an attempt to bring some order to the mess. I would bring my discoveries to Bill Moyer who shared my excitement and in time, I amassed a great deal of information that eventually found its way into four articles I wrote about Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players (click on the titles to read a PDF of these articles):

A Pictorial History of Low Brass Players in the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1887-1986, International Trombone Association Journal, Volume XIV, Number 4, Fall 1986.
Tuba Players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1913-1987, T.U.B.A. Journal, Volume 14, Number 4, May 1987.
Horn Players of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, 1881-1988, The Horn Call, Volume XVIII, Number 2, April 1988.
Trumpet Players of the Boston Symphony, 1881-1990, International Trumpet Guild Journal, Volume 15, Number 2, December 1990.

These were among my earliest published research projects and if I did them over today, I would do them very differently. My research methods have improved over the years, no doubt about that. But they were an earnest attempt to inform readers about some of the rich history of Boston Symphony Orchestra brass players. Even after my articles were published, I continued my research into the lives and work of the fascinating individuals who played brass instruments in the BSO.

The opening paragraphs of a draft memo Douglas Yeo wrote for Boston Symphony Orchestra acting General Manager Daniel Gustin after meetings of the first ac-hoc committee to explore the establishment of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives (Douglas Yeo, Steven Ledbetter, Bruce Creditor, and Eleanor McGourty), April 27, 1987

But there was more. Intuitively, I knew that the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s history needed to be better preserved. Two disorganized rooms were not a proper archive. I began talking with others in Symphony Hall about this. I started with Daniel Gustin, who was, at the time, acting General Manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. He listened to all I had to say about the need for a proper archives at Symphony Hall. He suggested I get together with others who shared an interest in the BSO’s history and come up with a proposal that he could consider. So I began talking with Bruce Creditor who was Bill Moyer’s assistant. Eleanor McGourty was director of publications for the orchestra—she was responsible for putting together the weekly concert programs for the orchestra along with Steven Ledbetter who, as the orchestra’s musicologist, wrote program notes for the concert programs. Bruce, Steven, Eleanor, and I loved the BSO and its rich history, and we met to put our heads together. After we met, I drafted a memo on April 24, 1987, that summarized some of our discussion. You can read that memo (the opening paragraphs are in the photograph, above) HERE. It was a seminal document, the basis for a subsequent memo that was used by Daniel Gustin and then his successor, Boston Symphony Orchestra General Manager Kenneth Haas, as the orchestra’s management discussed the idea of a proper archive with the Board of Trustees. The happy result was the formal establishment of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives and the hiring of a full time archivist, Bridget Carr, who holds the position of Blanche and George Jones Director of Archives/Digital Collections for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, including the Boston Pops, Tanglewood, and Symphony Hall.

If you look at the four articles I wrote about Boston Symphony brass players that appeared in the International Trombone Association Journal, the T.U.B.A. Journal (now the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal), the International Trumpet Guild Journal, and The Horn Call (linked above), you will see that most of the material that informed those articles came from the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. As I’ve continued my research on Joannès Rochut more recently, it became clear to me that I needed to spend some dedicated time in the BSO Archives to get information that can only be found there. Many archivists around the world have been extremely helpful to me—including Bridget Carr—in locating and sending me documents and photographs. But archivists are not my personal research assistants. There is a limit to what I can ask them to do. And, while I had a long list of things I knew I wanted to see in the BSO Archives, I also wanted to look at resources and files and see what I might find that I didn’t even know I wanted.

So, last Tuesday (August 6, 2024), I flew to Boston to spend a day in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. It was another “crazy day,” my second one this summer. Readers of TheLastTrombone know that when my flight to Texas was cancelled when I was scheduled to attend the International Trombone Festival in Fort Worth, I did the only thing I could do to get to the Festival on time: I drove. 16 hours from Chicago to Fort Worth, 960 miles. Straight through, no overnight stop. Truly crazy. My trip to the BSO Archives was not THAT crazy. OK, I did have to get up at 3:00 am to get my 6:05 am flight from Chicago’s O’Hare airport to Boston’s Logan Airport. And I walked in my front door after my return at midnight the same day. But with a $139 round trip plane ticket (thank you, American Airlines), a couple of Uber rides to and from Logan, parking at O’Hare, and lunch and dinner (of COURSE I had a bowl of New England Clam Chowder and a lobster roll at Legal Sea Foods for dinner at Logan airport), my less than $500 investment in the trip bore rich fruit.

Douglas Yeo and Charles Cassell in the basement of Symphony Hall, Boston, August 6, 2024. Photo by Bridget Carr.

Bridget Carr met me at the Symphony Hall Stage door, and as we wound our way through the hall to the Archives, the first person I saw was my friend, Charles Cassell. We met with a big hug. Charlie is the only member of the Symphony Hall house crew who is still there from the years I was a member of the orchestra (1985–2012). When I was a member of the BSO, I always felt that he and the other members of the house crew were superheroes. They cared so deeply about Symphony Hall and nobody cared more—and knew more—about Symphony Hall than Charlie. I appreciated those great guys of the Symphony Hall house crew, and they appreciated me. It was really, really wonderful to see him.

Douglas Yeo in the Reading Room of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, August 6, 2024. Photo by Bridget Carr.

It was an absolute joy to be back in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. It is one of my happy places. Archivist Bridget Carr and I have been good friends for over 30 years. With my long list of things I hoped to find during my time in the Archives in her hand before I arrived, Bridget had them all ready for me in the Archives’ Reading Room. The day flew by and the discoveries mounted up. Bridget was exceptionally accommodating and helpful beyond words as we discussed Joannès Rochut and his time in the Boston Symphony Orchestra. All day long, I kept asking questions, Bridget kept pulling out more resources from the shelves and stacks in the Archives, and we immersed ourself in a moment of time in BSO trombone history nearly 100 years ago.

Handwritten comments by Boston Symphony Orchestra President of the Board Frederick P. Cabot, referencing Joannès Rochut on a document that was used to guide renewal of player contracts and salary adjustments for the 1926–1927 season. Cabot’s comments about Rochut read, “increase pay – magnificent.” Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

I was interested in learning about BSO member salaries at the time. The records were there. I wanted to learn about the impact of the Great Depression on the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The annual auditor reports were there. I wanted to find more photographs of Rochut with the BSO. They were there. I wanted to find newspaper clippings and reviews of concerts. They were there.

A page from a Boston Symphony Orchestra scrapbook that includes an announcement in the Boston Herald of “Boston Symphony Orchestra’s New Principals” (October 4, 1925). In the photo at the top of the page, Joannès Rochut is second from right. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

I found a photograph of Joannès Rochut in a Boston Symphony Orchestra scrapbook from 1925 (above). It appeared in an article in the Boston Herald on October 4, 1925. These scrapbooks proved to be invaluable during my research trip. I must have looked at 15 of them during my visit to the Archives. They are old and brittle, but, fortunately, they also have been photographed so the treasures they hold will be available for researchers to consult long after the fragile paper turns to dust.

A check from Arthur Fiedler to Joannès Rochut, payment for one week of concerts on the Charles River Esplanade, August, 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

And there were other discoveries, like this check (above) that conductor Arthur Fiedler wrote to Joannès Rochut for playing a week of summer concerts with Boston Symphony Orchestra members on the Charles River Esplanade in Boston during the summer of 1929.

Arthur Fiedler with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a concert in the Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, Boston, summer 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Detail of the above photo. Boston Symphony Orchestra trombone section members Joannès Rochut, Jacob Raichman, and Leroy Kenfield, Hatch Memorial Shell, Charles River Esplanade, summer 1929. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

Bridget brought out a huge photo of Arthur Fiedler with members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at a Charles River Esplanade concert in the summer of 1929 (above), one of many things that brought Rochut’s time in Boston to life during my visit to the BSO Archives.

The cover of Percy Paul Leveen’s unpublished book manuscript, I Played Fiddle for the Czar. Courtesy of the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives.

The Archives had another treasure I had not previously known about—the memoirs of violinist Percy Paul Leveen, who was a member of the BSO from 1919–1944. Leveen’s unpublished manuscript for a planned book, I Played Fiddle For the Czar—there is no doubt, after reading the manuscript, that “the Czar” was BSO conductor Serge Koussevitzky—provides first person insight to pivotal moments in Boston Symphony Orchestra history. Such as “Black Tuesday,” October 19, 1929, that signaled the beginning of the Great Depression. On that fateful day, the Boston Symphony Orchestra was in Chicago for a concert in Orchestra Hall. Leveen’s comments about how players reacted to those life-changing economic events are riveting. And I will use some of Percy Paul Leveen’s insights in my article.

A view from the stage of Symphony Hall, Boston, August 6, 2024

On my way out of Symphony Hall, I told Bridget I’d like to have a look at the inside of the hall itself. I was very happy to stand on the Symphony Hall stage again. The hall was undergoing the changeover from the Boston Pops season—the usual seats are removed on the main floor and replaced with tables and chairs during Pops—while the orchestra is at its summer home, Tanglewood, and there was maintenance work going on. I played so many concerts in Symphony Hall; seeing it again brought back a lot of memories. I played concerts on that stage for over 27 years, the same stage where Joannès Rochut played many concerts. Symphony Hall remains a very special place to my family and me.

In the days since I’ve returned from my visit to the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, my article on Joannès Rochut has taken on a new dimension. I have a lot more work to do in the coming weeks before I hit the submission deadline for my article, but many of the documents and photographs I obtained during my visit will now be part of my article. I am so grateful to Bridget Carr and her staff who are keepers of the history of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the value of her helpfulness cannot be overstated.

Douglas Yeo and Bridget Carr in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives, August 6, 2024

This is research. Looking, digging, contacting, networking, visiting, calling, emailing, connecting. Last Tuesday, all of those things came together in Symphony Hall, Boston’s proud temple of music. The fruits of my research on Joannès Rochut will appear in print soon. His story is quite a story, and thanks to places like the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives and people like Bridget Carr, I will be able to tell it in a way that has never been told before. Stay tuned.

[And here’s a little bonus. Compare this photo of me, below, that I took last week outside of Symphony Hall’s Stage Door with the following photo of three members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra that was taken in 1934, 90 years ago. I love this stuff.]

Douglas Yeo at the Symphony Hall Stage Door, Boston, August 6, 2024

Three members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra: Jacob Raichman (trombone), Cornelius Van den Berg (horn), and William Gebhart (horn), Symphony Hall Stage Door, 1934. Courtesy of Irene Raichman Shermont.

[Header photo: The reading room in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives. The bust on the table is of Major Henry Higginson, founder and sustainer of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.]

Fast cars and the value of friendship

by Douglas Yeo (August 2, 2024)

Life is full of surprises, unexpected moments that lead to bigger things. Try something that’s a little outside your box—your comfort zone—and you’ll probably learn something. If you’re open to learning. Our friends, Phil and Laura Spotts, taught us something about this.

My wife, Patricia, and I met Phil and Laura at our church in 2012. We had just moved to Arizona after I retired from my long career as a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Phil struck me right away as a gregarious, “can do” kind of guy. The kind of person who is always volunteering to do something, make things happen. Phil’s an engineer but not one of those stuffy, geeky, academic types. He’s real, has a great sense of humor, and is always thinking about how to help others. Laura is a gifted pianist who played piano from time to time at our church services, another truly wonderful person. When we met them, they had a son, Cody, and in time, they became Superheroes and adopted two more children, Gage and Annaliese. There was something about this family that made Pat and me smile. We spent time together, went over to each other’s houses for dinner (Phil is a terrific cook, and we still use his fantastic leg of lamb recipe several times a year), we shared life. And our friendship grew even as we were very different people in some ways. For instance, they liked—no, they LOVED—something that was a mystery to me: NASCAR. I’m not gonna lie: before I met Phil and Laura, my life had no place for NASCAR. Growing up in and around New York City and living in Boston for nearly three decades, I fell into the east coast snobbery when it comes to things like NASCAR. “Go fast, turn left.” Doesn’t sound very interesting. Also, fast cars are loud and I work hard to protect my hearing. Big hair, beer, southern accents—those are some of the many stereotypes you bring to something like NASCAR when you’re in a cocoon in some parts of the elitist northeast.

Phil and Laura Spotts at Phoenix International Raceway, March 2, 2014

So, when Phil and Laura invited Pat and me to go to a NASCAR race at Phoenix International Raceway (November 2013), my mind quickly buzzed around through all of my NASCAR stereotypes before I said, in a confident voice, “Sure. Let’s go!” And we did. Because this was important to our friends.

Panoramic view of Phoenix International Raceway, March 2, 2014

The experience of going to a NASCAR race is unlike anything I’ve done in my life. I love football, and I enjoy baseball. I know what it is to cheer my team at a game, to engage with other fans around me. But NASCAR was something different all together. First, it was BIG. A lot of people go to races. A. Lot. Some come in campers and motor homes, driving from race to race and living in temporary camps that surround a racetrack, a camp that usually has a popup supermarket, bank, and urgent care center. For race weekend, a NASCAR track becomes a small city.

Phil and Laura had headsets for us that were both excellent hearing protection—I have to say, though, as I looked around from my seat, I was stunned to see so many people who were not wearing any kind of hearing protection, wow—and were connected to Phil’s radio scanner that gave us the race feed. Before the race I kept asking questions. I realized quickly that there was a lot more to NASCAR than the stereotypes I had carried with me for so long. This is a high-tech sport. There is a LOT of money involved. It’s really dangerous for the drivers. Fans are passionate about their drivers and their cars. Sponsorship is really, REALLY important. Pit crews—the crew of technicians who service cars before and during the race—work incredibly hard and fast, like a well-oiled machine. And there is a whole lot of strategy.

Douglas and Patricia Yeo, Phoenix International Raceway, November 10, 2013

There were other things. At the race, I didn’t have any skin in the game; I didn’t know any drivers, so I asked Phil and Laura who there favorite drivers were. OK, they were now my favorite drivers. But when cars are racing around the track at 180 miles an hour at 130dB (that is loud, like a jet engine ready for takeoff on a runway), there’s no point in cheering during the race. Your driver can’t hear you. Other fans can’t hear you. Heck, you can’t even hear yourself. When the cars were roaring around the track, I didn’t dare take off my headset and expose my ears, so if I wanted to say something to Pat, Phil, or Laura, I pulled out my phone and typed a text message and showed it to them.

Phoenix International Raceway, March 2, 2014

Before the race there was the National Anthem, then a flyover and a prayer, and then we were—literally—off to the races. And somehow, what enfolded in front of me captivated me in a way I didn’t expect. As I saw it with my own eyes, as I gave it a chance, as I tried to understand it, I found myself pulled into it. The old stereotypes fell away; I was learning something new. And I liked it. And that experience would not have happened were it not for friends that asked us to do something that they loved and wanted to share with us. I learned a very important lesson on that day. Several, actually. When, a year later (March 2014), Phil and Laura asked us to go to another race at Phoenix International Raceway, we did.

Then Phil took a new job and their family moved to Tennessee. Pat and I moved to the Chicago area so we could live near our grandchildren. While Phil and I weren’t seeing each other regularly any more—something we did a lot when we both lived in the Phoenix area, especially meeting for lunch at our favorite sushi place, Ah-Hai in Goodyear (yes, there really and truly is amazing sushi in the desert!)—we kept in touch, texting and talking on the phone. Then Phil called one day to tell me Cody started playing the trombone—Phil said that Cody picked the trombone because he had heard me play trombone in our church.

Poster of Cody Spotts, trombonist at East Hamilton High School, Tennessee

Then, last October, Phil texted me. Cody was graduating from high school in a few months and Phil wanted to take him to a NASCAR race as a graduation present. Any race, anywhere. And Cody said, “I want to go to the Chicago Street Race with Mr. Yeo.” Phil and Cody were coming to Chicago and they asked me to go to another NASCAR race. Of course I said “yes.” I was excited. July 6 and 7, 2024 couldn’t come soon enough.

Douglas Yeo and, Phil and Cody Spotts, Portillo’s, July 5, 2024

I picked up Phil and Cody at Chicago’s O’Hare airport and because Cody had never been to Chicago, they wanted to immerse themselves in “the full Chicago experience.” We started with lunch at that iconic Chicago hot dog restaurant, Portillo’s. A Vienna Beef hotdog on a sesame seed bun, tomatoes, mustard, relish, dill pickle, raw onions, sport (hot) peppers, celery salt—but NO KETSUP! There’s nothing like it and Portillo’s is the place to get the real deal.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts, Giordano’s, July 5, 2024

Dinner that night was at Giordano’s where Cody experienced his first Chicago style deep dish pizza. Pat and I don’t eat at Portillo’s and Giordano’s very often—our low fat diet doesn’t have a lot of room for zillion calorie, high fat meals—but, hey, now and then, you gotta live a little.

Course map for NASCAR 2024 Chicago Street Race

The Chicago Street Race is a unique NASCAR event. It’s a race (two races, actually) that—literally—goes through streets of downtown Chicago. Instead of a long oval track, the Chicago race track is a modified figure-8, a course that snakes through the heart of the city, along Lake Shore Drive, Michigan Avenue, and South Columbus Drive. Phil had gotten Turn 1 Reserved tickets for the three of us in the Jack Daniels Turn 1 Club. I didn’t know what that meant but I found out soon enough.

Cody and Phil Spotts at “The Bean” (officially called Cloudgate), Millenium Park, Chicago, July 6, 2024

We took the train from College Avenue Station in Wheaton, Illinois, to downtown Chicago and walked toward Millenium Park near Chicago’s waterfront. There, we walked around as I showed Phil and Cody some of the iconic things in the Park, like “The Bean.” In the photo above, you can see me in my orange Phoenix International Raceway shirt, reflected in this remarkable public art installation, taking this snapshot of Cody and Phil.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts, Millenium Park, Chicago, July 6, 2024

Once we got through the turnstiles with our wristbands, we made our way to our seats to get a look at our view. It was stunning. As one who knows Chicago pretty well, it was truly remarkable to see the race course laid out on roads and in view of iconic buildings that I had seen in completely different contexts.

The view from our seats for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend, Jack Daniels Turn 1 Club, July 6, 2024. The start/finish line was down South Columbus Drive by the grandstand in the right of this photo. The Sears Tower (AKA Willis Tower) is the tall building on the left of the photo, with white antennas on top.

I mean, there we were, seated on South Columbus Drive, with the Sears Tower (OK, I know it’s been called the Willis Tower since 2009, but no Chicagoan calls it by that name) and the hotels of Michigan Avenue in view. I have driven down South Columbus Drive many times on the way home from Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field but traffic is always going north. For the race, the cars would be going south. It took some time for me to get my arms around that. It was surreal to see the city transformed into a racetrack.

Phil and Cody Spotts and Douglas Yeo, Jack Daniels Turn 1 Club, July 6, 2024

Phil really outdid himself with tickets in the Turn 1 club; it was a lavish gift. We had terrific reserved seats, a nice, shaded area where we could relax, and UNLIMITED amazing food and drink. During the whole race, the three of us grazed on fantastic food. It was always there for us, all day long. What a special experience it was to sit in such remarkable seats with these amenities. And it happened because of friendship.

MONSTER Energy Drink acrobatic motorcyclists, Chicago, July 6, 2024

Before the race, we walked around to all of the sponsor tents, the NASCAR shop, and the wide open area where concerts were going on all day. The MONSTER Energy Drink acrobatic motorcyclists did their show; it was breathtaking.

Shane Van Gisbergen (97 car) after crossing the finish line at the Loop 110 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, Chicago, July 6, 2024

And then Saturday’s race, the Loop 110 NASCAR Xfinity Series Race, began. I can’t explain it. It was such a totally different experience than I had at Phoenix International Raceway. Drivers were not going in a loop, always turning left. They were navigating sharp 90-degree turns after long and short straightaways. Speeds were fast, but not as fast as a regular oval track NASCAR race. The cars went flying by; we followed the progress of the race in our headsets. It was absolutely thrilling. The race was won by Shane van Ginsbergen in his 97 car. If you want to get an idea of what we saw, click here to view the whole race on YouTube.

Cody and Phil Spotts at the beginning of historic Route 66 begins, Michigan Avenue, Chicago, July 7, 2024

After the race, we took the train home and after a short night of sleep, we headed back to Chicago for Sunday’s race, the Grant Park 165. When we got downtown, I wanted to show Phil and Cody where historic Route 66 started—at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and East Adams Street, just across from the Art Institute of Chicago. I took this photo (above) while I was STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF MICHIGAN AVENUE. I had never done THAT before.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, July 7, 2024

In the center of Chicago’s Grant Park is the Buckingham Fountain. It was a centerpiece of our race days, its fountains providing soft mist to cool off on hot days.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts, on the NASCAR Chicago Street Race track, E. Balbo Drive, Chicago, July 7, 2024. Note the temporary bridge over E. Balbo Drive.

Once we got in the Park, we had an opportunity to walk ON THE TRACK. This was another thrill, to get up close to the view the drivers had.

Douglas Yeo in the rain, NASCAR Chicago Street Race, July 7, 2024

While the day—and the race—started off with beautiful sunshine, we knew that rain was in the forecast. And the rain came. It sprinkled. Then it cleared up. Then the skies opened up and it poured. And poured, and poured.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts during the NASCAR race delay, July 7, 2024

The race continued for awhile in the rain but when it simply got too wet for drivers to race safely, we found ourselves in a rain delay of nearly two hours. We hung out at a picnic table in the Turn 1 Club, under an umbrella. The rain didn’t dampen our spirits. We were still having a great time, grazing on food and drink nonstop, enjoying conversations, talking about the race, the cars, and the drivers. When confronted with a situation you can’t control, you make the best of the situation. As teachers at our grandchildren’s elementary school frequently say, “You got what you get and you don’t throw a fit.” The rain didn’t matter. A lot of fans left but we stayed to watch the race start up, shortened because it was getting dark. Once again, it was a thrill to see the drivers cautiously—at over 100 miles per hour!—navigate the slick race course.

Alex Bowman (48 car) after crossing the finish line at the Grant Park 165 NASCAR Cup Series Race, Chicago, July 7, 2024

The race was won by Alex Bowman in his 48 car, and as he crossed the finish line, the rain stopped, the sun started to come out from behind the clouds even as it was setting, and we finished our days of enjoying racing in downtown Chicago. Click here to view the race on Youtube.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts, Buckingham Fountain, Chicago, July 7, 2024

As we exited Grant Park, we passed by Buckingham Fountain one more time. Its fountains had been turned off for the night but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it look more beautiful than in the twilight of that Sunday night after the race.

Douglas Yeo and Cody and Phil Spotts atop the Sears Tower (AKA Willis Tower), Chicago, July 8, 2024. The red circle shows where we sat for the NASCAR Street Race.

We headed home again but our time together was not over. Cody wanted to do something he had never done before: go up a seriously tall building. So we took the train back to Chicago on Monday morning and visited the Sears Tower. From the observation deck, we looked down on the race course. In the photo above, you can see where our seats were in the red circle I drew between Cody and Phil. And yes, I’m wearing a Shane Van Gisbergen t-shirt. I’m a fan.

Cody and Phil Spotts on “The Ledge,” Sears Tower (AKA Willis Tower), Chicago, July 8, 2024.

But there was a limit to what I would do. While Cody and Phil happily—and fearlessly—walked out on the Sears Tower’s “The Ledge”—looking straight down 103 floors through glass to the street below—I was happy to be their official photographer, my feet firmly planted on the carpeted floor.

Douglas Yeo and Cody Spotts, July 8, 2024

When we got back to our house after yet another train ride (Pat had prepared a delicious dinner; as good as the food was at the race, it was nice to be home and have Pat’s wonderful home cooking), Cody and I played trombone duets. I’d never heard Cody play trombone before and it was so great spend some time together with trombones in our hands. The thing that solidified Cody’s and my friendship—the trombone—was shared in a memorable, tangible way.

This is friendship. Being together, talking together, sharing together, enjoying experiences together. Saying “Yes” when a friend asks you to do something you can’t imagine yourself doing. And then appreciating how they stretched you. And saying—and showing—”thank you” when someone gives you a gift—and Phil and Cody gave me a remarkable gift. Not just tickets to a race weekend, but a shared brotherhood that started with our shared faith in Christ. The three of us know and truly understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote, “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11) Though separated by distance, when Cody asked to come to the Chicago Street Race with his dad and enjoy it with me, we picked up our relationship like we were next door neighbors who had never been apart. That is friendship.

Before I went to the NASCAR Chicago Street Race weekend I did not know what to expect. These friends taught me a lot. We shared something that has bound us together in a new way, and I will treasure the memory. Just as I treasure our friendship. Thank you, friends.

Official program and my wristbands for the 2024 NASCAR Chicago Street Race Weekend, July 6-7, 2024