Blast from the Past!!!!

Well then.

Today on yahoo.com "In the News," they had an article entitled • L.A. Philharmonic hires 21-year-old French conductor.

Do you remember this post? You know, the one where I posted this picture?



The blond chick on the right (dreaded hair, even!) was one of my flight partners from LA to Heathrow in June of '06. And she mentioned that she had just spent the last year as a nanny to the ... 2? 3? kids of the conductor for the L.A. Philharmonic. I found it a bit impressive, even though I had no idea who the conductor was, much less that he was Finnish. (I bet my roommate from college still remembers the particular "sound" of "THOSE FINNISH PEOPLE!!!!" from the CD I played a lot in college - w00t, traditional Finnish music in Finnish language!) It was interesting to talk to Saija about her work. She was happy to be going home. I wondered why they got Finnish nannies, especially - but I guess it was obvious! Yeah, and they were all flying out back to Finland for the summer (conductor's family on vacation, with Saija going home) with a layover in London - and Saija was back in coach with me, though she did go up to visit with the young son/family for a bit during the flight. Eeps.

To quote the article:

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Even though he has just wrested a coveted contract with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at just 21, French conductor Lionel Bringuier is keeping his cool and says he wants to continue his studies.

"I live one day at a time," said the young man relaxing in his office at Walt Disney Concert Hall, an ultramodern building in downtown Los Angeles.

The office, with orange leather sofas and bookshelves, will belong until 2009 to the Frenchman, who will serve as a deputy to the musical director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen of Finland.

"Esa-Pekka already was one of my favorite orchestra conductors. Before even coming here, I listened to recordings of LAPhil," said Bringuier, who was selected from 150 contenders for the post.

His job involves being ready to replace the famed conductor, when necessary, while carrying on with his own concert program.

***

He said he appreciates the relaxed work atmosphere under Salonen, 49, who has headed LAPhil since 1992.

"I learn enormously from working with him."

"Once, at a concert of modern music, Esa-Pekka began a discussion with the composer who was on the stage, in order to explain the piece to the public," he recalled.

"Then the orchestra played. This is no doubt the only place in the world where one can see something like this."

Haha. Hi, Saija!!! I guess "Esa-Pekka" was the conductor and family for whom she was a nanny. Boy, she had some interesting tales about that job!!

Whee, I am two degrees away from the famed conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic. Kinda. If I could track Saija down again, ever. Doubtful.

Also, two other Finnish names that I remember from dudes I went to college with are ... Pykkonen and Issakainen. And yay for me that I still remember how to spell them. Ben and Ryan, hugs to you wherever you are right now. Very, very, very, very, very nice, Mid-western boys, they were.

The end.

P.S. Esa-Pekka is a cool name. It's like, the perfect name for a raggedy dragged up ole teddy bear a la Paddington or Winnie. I could even see naming my dog that. Though I don't have a dog. The plan is, though, if I ever get a dog - the first one MUST be named Isosceles. Because that is a cool name for a dog. A Greek name for a canine of indeterminate origin. Also, dogs are bilaterally symmetrical, just like we humans are. And like isosceles triangles are. See, freshman geometry wasn't a gargantuan waste of time, and neither was AP Bio (luuuuuuuuuuved it). :)