Noteworthy
Previously, on the Real Musicians of the TSO…
It’s a “good group of people," quips a chipper Dominique Tersigni, but "we're all kind of crazy."
As the TSO's Assistant Production Manager, she’s packed a lot of cases, to be sure. But now she’s along for the ride when it comes to unpacking the psychology and behind-the-scenes of the orchestra in The Real Musicians of the TSO.
Whilst playing a Tetris game of getting 100 musicians and their instruments, where and when they need to be on a multi-city European tour, things are pleasantly tense in episode two. There is a possible broken nose, and the hunt for some cellos, and a glimpse into the netherworlds of Roy Thomson Hall.
Michael McCauley, the TSO’s Principal Librarian—who very much looks like he’s come from principal librarian central casting—gives some insight, meanwhile, into making sure all the music sheets are accounted for. A big responsibility! His goal, at the end of the day, he says: “Making plans for every eventuality.”
It’s a line that could almost act as the Tao for this entire docu-series, made up of six snappy episodes lodged on the TSO’s social media feeds. Paying a nod, in part, to the “workplace” TV show—a persistent and varied genre, including the likes of Murphy Brown and Cheers, VEEP and Severance—it’s also a way of bringing audiences into the “room” with musicians. In our world today, though, of reels and feeds and le tout social media—when TV is us, and us, TV—spinning our own stories has become almost the default, after all. We are all broadcasters now.
Given the breadth of an orchestra—so many different personalities, all while trying to make beautiful harmony—it also happens to be a no-brainer of an idea.
How to pivot? How to adapt? How to act as a cohesive unit all while keeping individual sparks alive? It's all part of the narrative here, as the orchestra zips from Madrid to Vienna. On the way, there are weather snafus, missing luggage, logistical boo-boos, as well as challenges associated with performing in unfamiliar halls.
Standout personalities? They include clarinetist Miles Haskins, whose deadpan vibes and rascally ways sometimes make you think he’s Jim “talking to the camera” on The Office. In a case of his “social battery” running out at one point—and in a moment that made me truly laugh—he tries to run away from the tribe and book himself on a separate flight. Then there is Principal Harp Heidi Elise Bearcroft (what an awesome name for a principal harp!). With her statement necklace, pulled-back hair, and direct-talking M.O., she could have wafted out of Mad Men.
Conjuring with the dead, meanwhile? All part of this “work trip,” too. Landing in Vienna, towards the end of the series, young Double Bassist Chris Laven beelines for the Währinger Ortsfriedhof, the cemetery where Beethoven is buried. “An incredible experience,” he says about making the pilgrimage, explaining that the tour in general has inspired him to “fall more in love with music than I already am.”
The appeal of the series, it struck me, is the very reason why “workplace” TV shows have never really gone out of style: workplaces function as backdrops for conflict and conflict resolution. Shows like The Mary Tyler Moore Show—which became a bellwether of 1970s feminism, Mary trying to figure out how to compete in a male-dominated workplace—also became petri dishes of personal ambition and group dynamics. Likewise: Grey's Anatomy, which is in season 23 now, and is the reigning champ of that niche workplace genre: the hospital-set show.
By sea as well as by space? The Love Boat famously brought viewers into the churn on a cruise ship...and what is Star Trek if not a glimpse into intra-shuttle dynamics? Talk about working remotely!
The advent of reality TV brought, of course, new streams of "workplace"-gawking. The reality-world child of the aforementioned The Love Boat, of course? It is Bravo's super-popular Below Deck, which follows crew hands working on luxury yachts, but is its own whole eco-system now—the original show, which is 12 years deep, has spun onto endless spin-offs.
In many ways, this TSO series is just Below Deck on land—and with batons.
The most emotional moment of all in this series, though? One that gives a peek into the interior lives of working musicians, people who've obviously sacrificed so much to get where they are (and the kind I would like to see more of in a possible season two)? It's seeing how many of these folks are rendered speechless after playing at Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw, one of the world's greatest concert halls. Everyone is beyond moved.
Musing on the legendary acoustics of the Concertgebouw (its reverberation time is said to be an incredible 2.2 seconds!), Haskins, our clarinetist, sums up the experience: "There were actual moments of that performance I could hear things I had never heard before."
Clearly, just another day at "work."
The Real Musicians of the TSO can be found on The Toronto Symphony Orchestra's YouTube and Instagram.
Written by Shinan Govani. A contributing columnist for the Toronto Star, he has long been recognized as one of Canada’s most distinctive voices in society and culture reporting. He has chronicled scenes from Art Basel to the Cannes Film Festival, and his work has appeared in Vanity Fair, Town & Country, and The Daily Beast. He is also the author of the novel Boldface Names.