The sounds of healing

Courtesy artsBHAM

In his young tenure as Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s music director, Carlos Izcaray might already have met his greatest challenge. In late March and early April, he conducted Giuseppe Verdi’s “Requiem,” the powerful and poignant romantic-era monument. 

Few knew at the time that the Venezuela-born maestro, who is about to start his third full season at ASO, was tackling an even greater life challenge. In January, doctors diagnosed him with Hodgkin lymphoma, a rare blood cancer that compromises the immune system. A month later, after starting chemotherapy, he was faced with the choice of staying active or resting easy.

“My doctors said, ‘It’s up to you,’” Izcaray recalled in early September at his ASO office. Despite additional surgery, he chose the podium. 

“The orchestra didn’t know yet. I didn’t want them to focus on anything but the music,” Izcaray said. “I did the first week of the American Festival [January-February] with a scar over half of my neck, so I was juggling a lot of pains and feelings.”

By mid-February of this year, Izcaray had conducted Gershwin’s “An American in Paris,” a Susan Botti world premiere and Max Richter’s “The Four Seasons Recomposed,” among other feats, all while on chemotherapy. Verdi’s “Requiem,” a piece commemorating the death of the poet Allesandro Manzoni, was yet to come.

“Trust me, going through the Verdi and being faced with death right in front of you gives you an extra layer of death when looking at the score,” he said.

It also brought him closer to the musicians — some of whom have gone through similar circumstances — and with his family: wife Yolanda and three children, ages 7, 5 and 2. 

Izcaray is now completely clear of cancer, but at the end of his treatment, Yolanda was facing her own crisis.

“She has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is currently being treated,” he said. “That was right at the end of my treatment. So she’s going through hers now. She’s having a very positive response. Fortunately, the medical community here is as strong as anywhere.”

Izcaray said the experiences have given him a new perspective.

“Your job is bigger when you have young kids, a family and an orchestra to look after,” he said. “They are not just abstractions of celli and violins. You’re with this person and that person, and their own life dramas. Having gone through all of this, I got to see the best side of them as people.”

Izcaray’s summer was spent guest conducting in Interlochen, Michigan, where he graduated from high school and attended the prestigious Interlochen Academy for the Arts. He also conducted the City of Birmingham (U.K.) Symphony Orchestra in a recording of Richter’s “The Four Seasons Recomposed,” which is scheduled for release in February on the Orchid Classics label. Recently he returned from Los Angeles, where he is music director of the American Youth Symphony. There, he heard 380 auditions to fill slots in the ensemble of 80, which range from their teens to mid-20s.

If there wasn’t enough on his plate, Izcaray also returns to ASO facing several changes in key administration positions and a reduction in programming. Former Executive Director Curt Long has been replaced by Cheryle Caplinger, who was the orchestra’s vice president for marketing and communications. No longer with the orchestra are Director of Artistic Planning Pierre Ruhe, Director of Communications and Public Relations Debbie Bartoletti and Director of Marketing Britney Elliott.

Canceled or put on hold for 2017-18 are the Classical Masters Series and the Sound Edge Festival, both of which Izcaray hopes to revive. Also missing from the lineup is “Reflect and Rejoice,” the annual tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Concertmaster & Friends will return with four concerts of chamber music, and SuperPops will stage eight events.

Izcaray is no stranger to adversity, most notably in his native Venezuela when he was mistakenly arrested, injured and tortured in 2004. As he did then, he views overcoming cancer as another example of the power of music.

“I’ve proven it many times in my life for different reasons,” he said. “Music has healing qualities. It was very illuminating to deal with musical problems during this real-life juncture. Has this experience has made me a different interpreter? I don’t know about different, but I know there’s an extra layer of something there.”