Hilary Bruer

Answer I’m a violinist in the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, and I’m about to hit the 30-year service mark! I did work at the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and West Australian Symphony Orchestra combined for about six years before that, so I’ve been an orchestral player for a very long time. I do some teaching, as well as bits and pieces of chamber music.

Answer I would have to say the 1984 European tour. The highlight within that was playing at the Royal Albert Hall in London. That was one of those childhood dreams, one I never thought I would achieve, and that was all thanks to AYO.

Answer This was a bit of a hard question, in as much as to get into the AYO, you have to have the skills to play in the AYO already! So I was trying to think of what extra skills I learnt from that time…<br> <br> One of those would be, to pace yourself in a rehearsal period leading up to a concert. I was in the middle of a music degree when I did my first day at AYO, for the 1984 tour. I remember coming to the first rehearsal fairly unprepared, I’m ashamed to admit, as I was in the middle of preparing for a recital. I suppose I learnt how to sight-read pretty quickly! I already had those skills but I honed them during the program. <br> <br> Touring with a big bunch of people is also quite challenging at times. People are off their home territory, and you never get relief from people – which in general is fantastic because in the AYO there are so many beautiful people and it’s much more exciting than being at home. But pacing yourself in terms of that constant social aspect of touring.

Answer When I look at the number of Australians that are in professional orchestral jobs, most of them have gone through AYO. <br> <br> The AYO is the step before the professional world, it’s generally a higher standard than any university orchestra you will get. The size of AYO, and breadth of the repertoire that you can therefore do, is above anything else that you can get prior to getting a professional job.

Answer In 1980, I played my first season in the South Australian Youth Orchestra, and we did Beethoven’s Symphony No.5. The last movement in particular swept me off my feet. And it still does! When I get to play it, I go back to that youthful vigour and excitement.

Answer From what my mother tells me, she took me to a concert and there were some violins playing, and I thought their bows looked really cool going up and down! Apparently I said, ‘I think that looks fun, I’d like to play that instrument’. <br> <br> Luckily at that time, music lessons were available in public schools in South Australia free of charge in small groups. And I doubt I would have ever done it if that wasn’t available as my parents weren’t particularly well-off.

Answer I have two answers to this question!<br> <br> My cheeky answer would be my daughter Rachel Bruerville. I love her works, and I actually performed one of her pieces with some of my students at a fundraiser. <br> <br> My other answer would be Tchaikovsky. I love his music, and I would love to know where those incredible melodies came from. I know he was a closeted gay man, and I can only imagine how awful that must have been. He’s who I would pick if I could have dinner with him and he was allowed to say anything, and I could ask anything... <br> <br> Whilst there’s so much of music that you can feel that trauma of no doubt his internal battles, there’s also such whimsical stuff like the 5/4 waltz in one of his symphonies. He has such beautiful whimsy and lightness in some of his melodies.