Page 18 - Phil Connections Magazine 11-2020 final_Neat

Musician Q & A

Photo credit Denise Maccaferri

MEET Phil MUSICIAN KEN ALLEN

Chamber and orchestral musician, Ken Allen, has been I was also finishing up a graduate degree in historical performance
playing viola with the Phil since 2013. He performs with a at Longy, though, so having fewer extracurricular concerts to prepare
variety of groups and ensembles in and around the Greater for made it possible to put more time and energy into completing the

Boston area, spending much of his time preparing for these program. Now I have diplomas in both modern and baroque viola.
engagements, refining his craft. How has your life changed?

When was your last large-group performance? Before COVID-19 every day, every week, was quite different for me. I
was constantly juggling practice, classes, lessons, rehearsals, concerts,
My last public concert in a hall with a large live audience was over my work as personnel manager of the New England Philharmonic, and
8 months ago with the North Shore Philharmonic. It was quite a family time, along with my own personal reading and writing projects.
special performance for a number of reasons. The program included Nowadays my schedule is a bit more predictable and I spend much
Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, which I hadn’t performed before. Also less time in the car! Though I miss the camaraderie of orchestra and
on the program was a new concerto for two clarinets with the Phil’s chamber music rehearsals, having more time to concentrate on etudes
principal clarinetist, Catherine Hudgins, and her husband, BSO musician, and scales has been an unexpected gift. I feel like a stronger musician
William Hudgins, playing the solo parts. Steven Karidoyanes came to than I was before the pandemic.
observe one of those rehearsals. During the break, I remember saying
hello, telling him how much I was looking forward to playing in the What new challenges did you face in your
upcoming Family Concert in Plymouth—and shaking his hand! I don’t professional life?
think I’ve shaken anyone’s hand since then. Well, I definitely had to deal with a lot more technology than before. All

my classes went online in the spring and the little viola work I’ve gotten
What were the immediate impacts of lately has involved recording tracks for ensembles that are putting
quarantine? together virtual performances.

Like every performing artist on the planet, I was disheartened to have In some ways, technology has been like a zany new friend, exciting to
most of my livelihood suddenly vanish in such a short period of time. get to know, full of surprises—a bit unreliable at times!

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