The Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest symphony west of the Rocky Mountains. It began in 1902 with a newspaper invitation to “Any professional or amateur musician, both vocal and instrumental, of good repute, to become a member of the Honolulu Symphony Society.”

It met and performed in a clubhouse on Spencer and Emerson streets on the slopes of Punchbowl.

I haven’t written much about the symphony, but was inspired when I went to see Jake Shimabukuro perform with the musicians in May. I thought 60 musicians might overwhelm one tiny ukulele, but Jake knew just how to blend the two energies together into one delightful evening.

Afterward I was thinking about the members of our Hawai‘i Symphony. I wondered how the instruments they play came into their life. What are their favorite pieces of music? Which conductors were their favorites?

I thought each member might have a story to tell. I approached the new musical director, Dane Lam, and suggested that some of their stories could make for an interesting topic for Rearview Mirror. He agreed.

Here’s one of their stories from Maile Reeves. She’s in the first-violin section of the symphony. I’ll share a few more musician’s stories in the near future.

‘William Tell Overture’

Reeves said she was introduced to the violin at a fourth grade assembly in the school cafeteria. “We sat cross-legged on the floor and faced a stage full of orchestral string instruments.

“Mr. Haas, the orchestra teacher, explained a bit about each instrument and then demonstrated it. It was only casually interesting to me, certainly not compelling, until he picked up the violin and tossed off Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture,’ which I only knew then as the ‘Lone Ranger’ TV show theme song.

“That bow effortlessly bouncing on the strings was mesmerizing. He made it look so easy. In that very instant I knew I needed to play the violin like that.”

Family

I asked whether her family was musical. “My mom enjoyed singing, my brother played trumpet and piano, and my dad taught himself to play ukulele. I have many happy memories of my family just sitting around singing Hawaiian songs.”

Reeves began playing the violin when she was 9. “When I was young, someone asked me to play a song in church, which didn’t appeal to me at all. I said no. But my dad said to me, ‘Maile, you have to play because it makes the old ladies cry.’

“It never occurred to me that my playing might actually be meaningful to someone other than me. I began to take my musical studies a bit more seriously.”

Tanglewood Institute

“The summer I graduated from high school, I was accepted to Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute, a pre-college summer music training program for high school students worldwide.

“I was completely unprepared for what I experienced at Tanglewood: musicians and audiences passionate about all things musical. We studied privately with members of the Boston Symphony. We had master classes featuring international artists. We performed, and we attended Boston Symphony concerts, Tanglewood Music Center concerts, rock concerts, folk concerts and chamber music concerts.

“The whole experience was like drinking water from a fire hose. My teachers and mentors encouraged me to become a professional musician. They were so convincing that I jumped into music school, much to my father’s chagrin, and never looked back. I have never regretted my choice. And neither did my father, after I got a job.”

Andre Previn

I asked which conductor was her most memorable. “Andre Previn,” she said. “Many years ago he was in town to guest-conduct the Honolulu Symphony. We were given two days to put a show together. The difficult repertoire was so woefully underrehearsed that we musicians anticipated catastrophe.

“We were still playing wrong notes at our dress rehearsal. Our entrances were sloppy, our intonation questionable. If there’s one thing musicians loathe, it is to perform when we aren’t ready. We need to know that we are going to nail everything before we get to the concert.

“Mr. Previn, casually noting our collective stress, refused to be fussed. He soothingly said, ‘Don’t worry. I’ll help you.’ I was dubious about how exactly he would accomplish such “a monumental feat.

“However, at the concert it became clear to me why he was such a big name in the music world. When we placed our trust and reputation in his hands, he gifted us with the most beautiful, completely perfect road map to follow.

“We had zero wrong turns, no wrong entrances, no derails. We were tight, taut and terrific, and he made us look great. It was one of the easiest, most exhilarating performances I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing. And the audience responded in kind.”

Favorite symphony story

“It’s a rare occurrence when the planets align, so to speak, in a performance,” Reeves said. “We had one such instance when Zdenek Macal was guest-conducting the orchestra in 1991.

“We were performing (Modest) Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition.’ The house was packed. We were striving to play our best in spite of a few unfortunate stumbles along the way.

“Inexplicably, midway through, we suddenly hit our stride. The musicians felt it, Macal felt it and we knew the audience felt it. The last page was electrifying. The brass were blasting away. The percussion section was beating gongs and bells. The strings were on fire, we were sawing away so hard.

“There was so much accumulated tension that the audience could not hold themselves back any longer. As one, they spontaneously leapt to their feet and began cheering wildly, three bars before we finished. The ovation was deafening and drawn out.

“That has happened exactly once during my career, and I’ve attended and played many orchestra concerts.

“Here’s the thing: It didn’t matter who were listeners or who were musicians. It didn’t matter that we messed up in a few places. No one was better than anyone else. We were all the same that night in the same space, where we bonded over the same piece of music, and together we celebrated its uplifting power.”

A musician’s life

Reeves said she didn’t anticipate that a musician’s life would be as tumultuous, grueling and unpredictable as it is. “It’s long hours practicing alone in a room. Injuries are inevitable, especially in extended, stressful circumstances.

“Yet it is those circumstances that have caused me to stretch and develop new job and life skills. It is exhausting but often fortifying at the same time. For that I’m grateful.

I cannot think of another career that would reward me regularly with the kind of opportunities I now enjoy.

“I never thought I’d share the stage with the likes of musicians such as Luciano Pavarotti, Lang Lang, the Sons of Hawaii, the Bolshoi Ballet, Three Dog Night, Leonard Bernstein and Sarah Chang, to name a few. It’s hard to whine when collaborating with musicians who are at the top of their game.

“The Hawai‘i Symphony is full of unbelievably talented colleagues who I respect and admire and who have proven themselves to be trusted friends and dedicated musicians over the years.”

Upcoming season

What is in store for the 2024-2025 season, which begins Oct. 4? For the first time ever in Hawaii, it will perform each of the nine symphonies of Beethoven in a five-concert series.

The season will also showcase performances of Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Leonard Bern­stein’s “West Side Story” and works by Mahler, Tchaikovsky, Strauss, Ravel, Haydn, Mozart, Brahms and much more.

The “Hapa Symphony” will celebrate local musicians, allowing fans to hear popular music accompanied by a full orchestra of Hawaii’s most talented musicians.

Bob Sigall is the author of the five “The Companies We Keep” books. Contact him at Sigall@Yahoo.com or sign up for his free email newsletter at RearviewMirrorInsider.com.