Publication Date: Friday May 14, 1999

A legacy of music and musicians

Taking a rare break from a very busy musical schedule, William Whitson relaxes in the living room of the Palo Alto house he shares with Margaret, his wife of 23 years, and permits his mind to drift back to earlier days.

He recalls how, after forming the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra as an all-ages outfit in 1959, he decided in 1966 to convert the group to one exclusively for high school musicians. He wanted to give them the opportunity to experience more of the classical repertoire than they might in school music programs.

"There is much more than just the big orchestral stuff," he said. "There is also chamber music, from Haydn to Bartok and beyond, that did not require large orchestral groups. Just stop to think: The earliest composers wrote much more chamber music than larger musical forms. For example, Beethoven wrote nine symphonies but completed almost twice as many string quartets.

"Young people were not getting close to all that was available musically. It's a process of education. It's not only learning string technique and solo playing."

Converting the orchestra proved the right move, as PACO grew into an organization known in music circles around the world. Over the years, PACO has made a number of highly acclaimed tours of the United States, Canada, Asia, Australia and Europe. It has won honors in international youth orchestra competitions, still performs annually at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore., and has produced 11 professional recordings.

Whitson himself has also been frequently honored. Among other laurels, he was voted "Citizen of the Year" by the Palo Alto Civic League in 1982.

Now, at age 60, Whitson is scaling back his duties with the orchestra. He will step behind the podium Saturday to co-conduct the last program of his final full season with the orchestra.

PACO has been a full-time job for Whitson, who plans the repertoire, deals with guest conductors and musicians, runs rehearsals and auditions prospective members. As he scales back his role, he should have a bit more time to pursue some of his other interests, including fly-fishing (he founded the Palo Alto FlyFishers in 1971) and coaching Little League baseball in Palo Alto. He'll also probably be relaxing more at the family cabin near Mt. Shasta, although he emphasizes that he will remain active with PACO.

"Like the orchestra's other conductors, coaches and managers who are former members, I will not be going away," Whitson said. "I will still be involved in the orchestra's management and conducting about half of the time, but we will be bringing in new and interesting conductors to help broaden our young musician's musical horizons."

Composed of about 100 musicians of high school age or younger, PACO has five different orchestra levels, based on age or ability. The five groups, each of which has fewer than 25 members, combine to perform roughly 25 concerts per year.

Some have called the PACO experience like having an extended family. Members typically spend five to 10 years with the organization, and by the time they reach Senior PACO--the highest level--most have discovered a sense of "ensemble," both musically and socially.

"Bill's priority is to favor human relationships and foster long-term relationships through music making," said violinist Karen Bentley, a PACO alumna and assistant conductor for the organization. "His legacy is the current crop of kids who will be playing together for years."

What brought Whitson to focus on chamber works?

"The usual musical outlets for serious musicians are solo work, chamber music and participation in full-scale orchestras," he said. "I decided that I simply did not wish to live in a symphony orchestra environment."

"More than that," he continued, "perhaps the most important joy experienced in the chamber music form is the human relationship. One needs to respect and listen carefully to the others in the group in order to grow together musically over the years, and the friendships created in this musical venue often endure through entire lifetimes."

Born in Seattle, Whitson was introduced to the violin at age 5. But his love of chamber music did not really flower until he was a student at Palo Alto High, where he was deeply influenced by Adolph Baller, a famed Palo Alto pianist and piano teacher.

"He gave me great insights in chamber music but wouldn't accept a single penny for his lessons," Whitson recalled.

As a youngster, Whitson established several chamber ensembles, in which he played violin. He also served as concertmaster for the first youth symphony on the Peninsula, California Youth Symphony, which his parents were involved in organizing, during several of its earliest seasons. Whitson would go on to study at the Julliard School of Music and established a string of trios--the Whitson Trio, Bell' Arte Trio and Nohant Trio--in which he played violin. With these groups, Whitson toured extensively through the United States, Canada and the West Indies.

Through the years, what has kept Whitson engaged and fascinated has been "the ever-changing personality" of PACO, formed by the changing "demographics, philosophy and chemistry of the Peninsula," he said.

"When we first began, Palo Alto was simply a small town where everyone seemed to know everyone else and the surrounding areas had some unpaved streets. Now it is a densely populated and complex quasi-metropolitan area with a population drawn from what we then looked upon as exotic and distant lands," he said. A number of the orchestra's alumni have gone on to distinguished careers as professional musicians. Among them are cello soloist Matt Haimovitz, who has performed with numerous major orchestras; Krista Bennion Feeney, concertmistress of the St. Lukes Chamber Orchestra in New York; Eileen Moon, with the New York Philharmonic; Naiomi Barlow, one of the rare female members of the Berlin Philharmonic; Catherine Ro, who plays on the East Coast and internationally; Harold Lieberman, an active member of a number of orchestras in the Boston area; Richard Woodhams, principal oboe with the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Karen Bentley, now assistant conductor for PACO and a recording artist.

Bentley says she learned from Whitson not only the basics of ensemble playing but to enjoy the whole process of music making--from rehearsals to concerts. She also has found the veteran to be a great source of information.

"I love talking to him about Beethoven," she offered as an example. "He loves the classics."

Lieberman credits Whitson for introducing the young violist to a full range of chamber music.

"He opened the door for me to the richness and extent of the chamber music repertoire," he said. "He's a great musician and a great inspiration."

What: Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra performs its season finale. William Whitson and George Thomson co-conduct.

When: Saturday at 8 p.m.

Where: Spangenberg Theater, Gunn High School, 780 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto.

How much: Tickets are $10 general admission; $8 seniors and students.



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