The tapping of leather shoes on the wooden floor echoed in the silent rehearsal hall.
Kaplan took the briefcase and Fan Ning straightened his bow tie before stepping onto the podium.
The musicians stared at themselves unblinkingly.
"Good morning, everyone." Fan Ning smiled and said, "Tell me about the plan."
"On August 15th, this Friday, the train to St. Taranburg will be at 10:30 in the morning. Please make your own time, bring your musical instruments and belongings, and gather at the Uvranser train station. We will attend
The opening ceremony on the 16th.”
"This time everyone will stay in the Imperial City longer than in previous years. The school has rented a rehearsal space at the Tioleian National Concert Hall for everyone, so before the official performance on the 21st, we will continue to perform for no less than 8 hours a day.
High-intensity rehearsals, in which I will try my best to have an hour every day to go to the stage for formal rehearsals, please stay tight to the final state."
"Then there is the issue of candidates that everyone is concerned about. After I finish reading, Mr. Kaplan will send the tickets to you."
Fan Ning said, reaching out and taking the pamphlet from Kaplan.
Although the elimination ratio is less than 20%, and the scoring progress of the assessment system is posted on the wall at all times, the top players are basically guaranteed... But before the results are released, the musicians still can't stand the anxiety in their hearts, especially the assessment.
The result was already in the middle-to-lower range, and their hearts were in their throats.
Except for a few who were calm and composed, most students couldn't help but reflect on their performance experience over the past month. Some felt that it was not their turn to be eliminated, while others began to complain that there were things they could have done better.
.
According to what Professor Fan Ning originally said, the elimination from more than 80 people to more than 60 people means that at least two people will be eliminated from each violin part of the string group, and the conventional instruments of the woodwind and brass groups -
—Flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, and trombone may each eliminate one person.
Even the two "heavyweight" tuba players sitting in the back right looked at each other, and they could see the uneasy expressions on each other's faces.
At this time, the most stable people in the orchestra, except for Roy, were probably the timpanist, harpist, and the classmate who played the triangle. Many people were secretly looking at them with envy. Now, these few people
positions will not be temporarily replaced.
As Fan Ning called out the names one by one, the shoulders of those who were read relaxed, they leaned on their seats with relief, and let out a long exhale, while the remaining people became more and more restless.
Time passed quickly.
"Finished reading?"
"That should be all, the chief is still here..."
"It seems that there were seventy-two people in total. Professor Fan Ning's final move seemed not to be as serious as what he initially said..."
Some people whose names appeared early deliberately counted the following situations with a leisurely attitude. They found that Fan Ning only eliminated 5 string players, 2 woodwind players and 3 brass players.
Group of musicians.
The proportion of musicians in this final configuration should be the sound balance adjustment made by Professor Fan Ning after considering the characteristics of the orchestra and the repertoire.
"without me…"
"Is it really gone?"
Those people whose names were not read only felt a huge sense of loss hit them. Their whole necks were frozen in place, and even the will to move their eyes and move their vision disappeared.
Some girls' eyes even started to turn red.
Those who can be selected as official members of the symphony orchestra have certain ideas and pursuits, and their performance level is also at the top level among the school students. At this moment, they can't help but regret their slackness during the initial rehearsal, and regret that after rehearsal
During the practice time, I didn’t study enough.
But when Professor Fan Ning met for the first time when he took office, he explained the detailed rules of the four major sections of the assessment very clearly, and answered everyone's questions. Later, he strictly followed this set of rules...Today, the elimination situation is even
The proportion of notifications is lower than in advance.
Several people admitted in their hearts at this time that they only realized the importance of this concert after seeing the sell-out record set on the ticket opening day, and realized that its influence and economic benefits far exceeded expectations, and they began to work hard.
With all my strength, half the time had passed by then.
Thinking of the other musicians whose performance level was not inferior to theirs but who still gave their best throughout the whole process, they felt that they had nothing to complain about, they were just really sad.
"I didn't expect that I really wouldn't be able to attend this popular concert..."
"The seven-eight-day trip to the imperial capital is gone?..."
Only a few people missed out on this precious opportunity. Although their eyes were dim and dull, the atmosphere in the hall was not solemn for the moment. The performance was about to happen, and more musicians were cheering and looking forward to it.
…In many cases, no one cares about the feelings of a few people. After being hit, what comes over them is a sense of decadence and alienation.
"I saw everyone's efforts, especially Mr. Kaplan after the ticketing date. Please send the tickets to everyone first. There are 83 tickets in total, including the musicians, including the music manager Miss Belinda." Fan Ning said this.
Smiling softly, "I have to thank your senior Mr. Lou Adair for this. He arranged a train with more convenient departure and arrival times, and reserved consecutive first-class carriages and two second-class carriages for us.
The carriage, and he will go to the Imperial Capital to help us, and you will see him again soon..."
Everyone's hearing was selectively blocked, and they basically didn't hear what Lu did next.
"83 pictures?"
"Did I hear it wrong? Aren't there only 72 musicians participating?"
Kaplan and Belinda began to divide the invoices from both sides, and sure enough, every musician present received one.
Those classmates who had not appeared on the list read out by Fan Ning held brown thin cardboard two-part bus tickets in their hands. They looked at the flying fonts of the names and times of various city stops on it, and repeatedly smoothed the thin strip of tickets with their fingers.
The dotted line is protected by a rubber strip, so I might accidentally tear it before checking in.
…Is this a consolation prize? …It’s pretty good. I went to the Imperial Capital to eat and drink for free for seven days without any performance obligations or psychological pressure.
The most uncomfortable thing for them before was when they stayed at home at 10:30 in the morning on August 15th, imagining the scene of the steam train leaving Uvranser.
"This trip to the imperial capital is more special than previous years." Fan Ning said loudly.
Everyone immediately collected their tickets and raised their heads to listen carefully to what the permanent commander would explain next.
"Three special points."
"The first is attention. Since there are some well-known situations on the billing day, I won't go into details on this point. I believe it will not be difficult for you to understand."
Everyone nodded silently in their hearts.
As soon as the news of the sold-out day came out, Fan Ning ended the rehearsal early because of exploring the secret door. The musicians were stunned by the news as soon as they disbanded. They immediately bought newspapers and publications from major media and almost told
To every one of his family and friends, the news spread faster than cholera and tuberculosis in this city.
"The second is the length. As mentioned just now, in the past years we usually only stayed for about three days, hurriedly rehearsing and rushing into battle. This time, in order to let you get more familiar with the new venue, it is also a rare opportunity to feel the atmosphere of the opening ceremony. Before
There are seven or eight days before and after."
"The third is the environment. The recent atmosphere in the imperial capital is not very peaceful!" Fan Ning said here, his eyes slowly scanning everyone, "Recently, security incidents in Santalan Fort have occurred more frequently, and I can even tell everyone
As a reminder, according to statistics, the proportion of residents encountering mysterious incidents is higher than in previous years, and the police and security system is under high security!"
Everyone's expressions became solemn when they heard this. In fact, some of them were well-informed or people with high news acumen had already heard about it.
"So, for those ten students who are not responsible for performing, the orchestra still needs you."
Fan Ning held his hands on the railing of the podium and met their eyes: "We have 82 members, including me, the conductor's assistant, the full-time music staff, and our violin soloist who is not here today, including Professor Commons,
The principal and other professors will also rush to the performance site a few days later...With a scale of 90 people and a seven-to-eight-day sojourn, under these special factors, daily management is an issue that cannot be ignored."
"Mr. Capron, Miss Sheeran, and Miss Belinda have their own things to be busy with... I need you 10 students to do the administrative work during this period. Each of you is responsible for the orchestration group you are in, including but not
Limited to: check-in procedures, counting people every morning and evening, taking care of everyone's belongings, collecting and providing catering needs, supervising travel discipline outside of rehearsals, handling and reporting of special situations, etc..."
"The things I'm talking about may seem trivial, but in fact, if there is an accident in any link, it will directly affect the performance. What you do is very important to the orchestra and determines whether others can devote their pure energy to music...also
Please all musicians observe discipline during this special period, obey their management, do not go out without permission, rehearse on time and go to bed on time."
The eyes of these ten students lit up little by little.
Their previous mood was actually a bit complicated. From not being able to board the train to being able to board it without the pressure of performing, it seemed like a purely good thing, but once they had nothing to do, they couldn't help but feel a sense of alienation.
What people fear most in a group is that they no longer have value. Especially those who have experienced playing in an orchestra, no matter how relaxed their mentality is, they will have a very deep feeling about this. Because they have experienced the notes they create.
, what a feeling it is to be merged into a huge and magnificent harmonious flow.
Fan Ning had already experienced and understood this truth in his previous life: a music career that only played "stand-alone" is incomplete.
Once you have this kind of ensemble or chorus experience, your entire person's values will definitely change, either deeply or shallowly.
"Since your subsequent efforts are also inseparable from the success of this concert,... you will participate in the distribution of the box office proceeds from the performance as usual." Fan Ning continued.
"What...participate in distribution as usual?"
"Such a high price, all sold out...how...how much profit is this?"
Train tickets, management tasks, income distribution. Fan Ning first gave them the same status in form, then the same status in value, and now the same status in economics. These people were knocked unconscious by the happy reversal that fell from the sky.
, especially the ladies with red eyes before, have now become Professor Fan Ning’s loyal fans and admirers.
Although Professor Fan Ning was strict in the early days, now he is relatively kind and easy to talk to. There are also many musicians who normally participate in the performance, and they think so at the moment.
"Of course, it's a little regretful." Fan Ning keenly captured the subtle changes in the expressions of everyone in the orchestra, "Live music recording... your names can't appear on the record. There will always be some losses caused by slacking off in life.
, as your teacher, I have the obligation to let everyone experience this truth... I will try to reduce your losses, but completely eliminating them is unrealistic."
At a time when these people were feeling both lost and thankful, he changed the topic again: "As a final reminder, the new Turner Hall is expected to open to the public in November, and a new resident professional symphony orchestra will also start in advance.
Formation, you are all outstanding potential musicians that I know very well, so...graduates may have some bonus points when applying."
Speaking of this, Fan Ning blinked: "Let me tell you about the salary package provided by the band. In my preliminary plan, it is about twice the industry average...nearly twice!"
"Twice?" The ears of the musicians present, especially the senior musicians, all stood up!
"The average weekly salary for a professional symphony orchestra should be 8-10 pounds, right? Nearly double!? Starting at 16 pounds?" Some of them suspected that they heard it wrong.
——Compare with the job opportunities that graduates had been looking forward to at the graduation ceremony: the weekly salary of administrative staff is 5-6 pounds, and the weekly salary of teaching assistants is 7-8 pounds.
The income of a normal professional symphony orchestra musician alone can be compared to that of a normal professional symphony orchestra musician. This does not take into account that the happiness index of working in a symphony orchestra is higher than that of a relatively boring administrative or teaching and research life.
Most people are starting to get excited.
My performance this month has not been good enough. Fortunately, I will have another chance in the future.
"Mr. Fan Ning's pull is really... and it's very subtle to ask the classmates who were slacking off in rehearsals to supervise and manage others this time... and this future symphony orchestra, I'm also moved, the treatment is not the point.
..." Roy, who was sitting in front, listened carefully to Fan Ning's words the whole time and watched everyone's reactions change with a smile.
Fan Ning's way of handling the situation has not only affected these ten people, but also the students whose evaluation scores are in the middle and lower reaches, as well as the voice department chief who should have higher self-requirements, all have more ideas.
Moreover, he deliberately put the announcement of the formation of his professional symphony orchestra at the end.
Judging from the experience of rehearsing for more than a month, this group of students all have solid academic backgrounds. Although they do not have much artistic accumulation and sometimes have a playful nature, they have many malleable talents, just like a picture.
High quality white paper.
Is it important for a mature artist with a strong personal style? Of course it is! But you can definitely choose to improve the level of the orchestra in the form of concerto collaboration. In addition, there are currently several talented vocal principals who are as skilled as mature artists. Such a ceiling for the overall performance quality
You can pull it up.
And to improve the stability and performance limit of the orchestra... For Fan Ning, graduates of the student symphony orchestra from the Conservatory of Music are the most important and direct fresh blood.
After the rehearsal in the afternoon, Joan, who was wearing a white dress, was squatting on the ground to pack up her flute and sheet music. When she saw Fan Ning coming over, she softly asked, "Caron, do you think your mental problems have improved recently?"
Several musicians around him who had not yet had time to walk away turned back curiously.
"..." Fan Ning almost choked on her saliva when he heard her words. After the musician walked away, he said helplessly: "...It's better than nothing."
"Me too." Qiong picked up her small satchel.
"Go home after dinner?"
"good."
The two of them were walking on the campus, which was still sweltering in the heat. He asked, "I heard that you have a small elixir experimental bench at home?"
"Yes." Joan nodded happily, "So you invited me to dinner today in exchange for me taking you to visit? When did you become interested in this?"
"No..." Fan Ning handed a piece of paper folded in half several times to her hand, "I just want to ask where you purchased or ordered your glass instruments or other equipment...