Hi Mara, What you do depends what kind of orchestra you are in. I'm guessing that it is a youth or school orchestra. If that is the case, then your options are limited.
You can quietly take him to one side and point out that it is the job of the rest of the section to blend together as well as possible, and that his actions aren't helping that. But by the sounds of it, this is not going to achieve much. It sounds as if he is firmly of the opinion that he should have your chair. Ultimately, the only means you have of demonstrating otherwise is to play as well as possible so that he has few mistakes to point out. I suspect that you don't have the power to force him out or the orchestra if he persists. If his comments are disrupting the concentration of the orchestra as a whole, then the conductor should intervene and tell him to shut up. But if the conductor can't or won't do this, then you have no means of forcing him to. On no account should you try and do the same to this other player as he is doing to you. He might garner a few laughs among the other players, but if you ignore it and act with dignity, then the conductor & other teachers will notice - and think much better of you for it. Descending to his level may result in the conductor deciding that one of you has to go - and if you are both behaving as badly as each other, there's no guarantee that you will be the one to stay. If it is really bothering you, speak quietly to the conductor or one of the teachers about the situation - not to complain, but to ask their advice as to how best to handle the situation. Regards Jonathan West _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
