Episode 67: Andrew Francois

John: Welcome to Redbird Buzz. I'm John Twork with University Marketing and Communications. Our guest today is Andrew Francois, a violist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and an Illinois State University class of 2011 alum, a native of Kankakee, Illinois, Francois began playing the violin at age 10, and a stringed instrument has been a part of his life ever since. As an undergraduate student at Illinois State, Francis majored in band and orchestra instruction and performance, and he served as a teaching assistant and private instructor for the String Project, an impactful community program celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. He went on to earn a master's degree at Indiana University and was in the inaugural class of fellows with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Resident Fellows program, Francois then performed with the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami before joining the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 2019. And it's my pleasure to welcome Andrew Francois, class of 2011, to Redbird Buzz. What's the word, Redbird? Andrew, tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role as a violist for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Andrew: Hi, John. Thanks for having me. So my role with the St. Louis Symphony is that I am a section viola player. So that just means that I'm one of the 11 full-time tenured members that we have in the section. I've been playing with them since September of 2019, so that was my first season. So almost seven years now, and it's been a wild ride for sure, but really fun.

John: That's incredible. There can't be many professional violists playing in symphony orchestras across the world. I mean, if you did the math, I wonder what's you know more likely becoming like a professional baseball player or a professional violist. You know

Andrew: Fair, fair, yeah. 

John: Is it an honor to do that?

Andrew: Oh yeah, it's the biggest honor. To be honest, when I was you know first going into music, I didn't really know what I wanted to do in music because there are so many different paths you could take. But you know, I always loved playing in orchestra, so being able to do that full time professionally, you know, make a living in a respected ensemble as well is you know, it's really been a gift. Yeah, that sometimes I take for granted, but I tried that too.

John: Let's start from the beginning. So you were born and raised in Kankakee, Illinois. So that's about an hour and 15 minutes south of Chicago. Was music always a part of your life growing up?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. So my brother and I both play music, and my dad got us into piano lessons when we were like five. So my brother's a year older. Okay. So I was probably four, and he was five. I think he just wanted us to be able to read music, and you know, I think ideally he wanted us to, you know, play around the house. He was a minister, so I think he wanted us to eventually play in church. But in terms of professional musicians, no, my parents weren't trained, but you know, there was always singing around the house, and they encourage us to sing and listen to really good music. Always some sort of classical CD playing in the car, but no, I don't think it was ever a conscious decision. Like you're going to do music or you're going to play music. It was just like, hey, let's get them into piano and see what happens.

John: Did you enjoy it from the beginning, or was it more of a chore at first?

Andrew: Oh, I hated the piano. I still hate the piano. I love the piano. I love how people are really good at the piano, but I am terrible at it. And I've tried. My brother's my brother's pretty good, but I'm just. I was hopeless, and I think I was always hopeless. I'm still hopeless. But no, it was definitely a chore. I hated practicing. I hated going to piano lessons. I just couldn't wrap my head around the two hands. You know, the independence of them. So, yeah, it's gotten better. I love music still. It did give me a love of music, and you know, I was able to learn how to read music from that. But yeah, in terms of like going to lessons every week, it was I dreaded it every time. 

John: Yeah, but you stuck it out, and then what was your next instrument after piano?

Andrew: In fourth grade, I started playing the violin. That was actually my undergrad. I did violin performance at Illinois State, even though I play viola now. I got the degree in violin performance, and so in fourth grade, my brother again-he's two grades older than me, but two but one year older than me-and he started playing cello. And so when it was time for me to start thinking about an instrument to play, or even if I wanted to play an instrument, I couldn't really play cello or anything like that because we-I think my parents didn't really want comp. So I played violin. You know, it's right up front there. Everybody can see it. And the orchestra, the orchestra teachers at the time in the elementary, middle, high school, they all played violin, and so it was a really easy instrument to get started on. And you know, it it was fun, and I really enjoyed it. I don't know why that. Yeah, that sense of dread going to lessons and practicing didn't really happen when I switched to the violin. So I think it was more with relief that I really dove into it. Yeah, it's like, oh, this is actually cool. I like this. So yeah,

John: did it make sense how it the the music translated from the keys on a piano to now the strings of a violin?

Andrew: It wasn't natural. I mean, like in terms of reading the music, yeah, I knew they're both C instruments, so it was really easy to switch to you know treble clef on violin from piano. But in terms of of just like the mechanics of everything of how to play, you know, where to place your fingers, it didn't come naturally to me at first, even my setup. So, string instruments, especially chin instruments. We play with what's called a shoulder rest, or we don't play with the shoulder rest. And so when you're younger, you know they try to really set you up without one at first, like maybe just a pad or something. But because it didn't feel really comfortable to me, I had really bad posture, and like I mean, most little kids do. That's you know part of what String Project make what makes String Project necessary. You know, like getting great foundation. So it took me about like a year and a half until one of the teachers was finally like, "Hey, you know, you're sounding really good, but you know, you have all these like just things you really need to fix. And so it was really a chore trying to get that all fixed out, but in terms of just like the music, yeah, that I think that gave me a little bit of a head start. Just being able to read music before picking up the instrument. 

John: A lot of kids start violin or another orchestra instrument or band instrument around fourth or fifth grade, and a lot of them don't stick it out. So, like, what was it that made you stick with it, and and and why do you think you enjoyed it so much?

Andrew: I think I enjoyed it because you know my brother was doing it, and we got to play a lot of music together. I think if it was just me in a room practicing by myself, that wouldn't have been too much fun. But you know, we there were so many little duets that we could just pick up like piano music, like simple piano duets, and be able to read those. And so, getting to perform music with another person slash other people, I think that really made it fun for me. In terms of sticking it out, I don't know. It didn't really occur to me as something that I wanted to quit because I was having a good time with it. You know, if it were the piano, I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have happened. But with the violet, but with the violet, I definitely like felt this joy when I played. And my parents weren't those parents who like really pushed me to like you know practice 678, hours a day. You know, they were just like at least pick up the instrument once and play a scale, or you know like look at the music before your next lesson. But they weren't really like you have to do this every day. You have to, so I think that really helped me keep the joy rather than thinking about it as like this is another task that I have to perform. 

John: At what point did you start thinking maybe I want to go to college and study music and maybe I want to make a career out of music?

Andrew: I guess that would have been. I mean, I was pretty late. I think in high school we start going to we start doing like a district like IMEA. I guess it's called Illinois MEA now, and that festival takes place at U of ISU. Like so, we have it's it's band, orchestra, and choir and jazz band, and we basically have a district audition. We're in District Three, and then if you're selected for that orchestra, you go on and you play a concert there. And if you're selected into like the top four or five in each section, then you go on to All State and Peoria and you play a bigger festival. So I think I had been doing, you know, Illinois NEA, you know, IMEA since middle school, seventh grade, and I wasn't very good, but it was always nice going there and like congregating with all of these other instruments, you know, people I hadn't met before. You know, there were a few people from my high school that went, and then we'd go to this festival, and then you'd get to interact with all the other violinists, the cellists throughout the district, and that was really a good time for me. And so I was like, "Oh, I really like this, like playing an orchestra. And then I was in youth symphony when I got into high school, and then I did like Kankakee Valley Symphony was is a symphony in my town, and I started doing that in freshman year of high school as well, and I was like, man, I really love this. This is like something that I could do, but I didn't really know the paths to take for music. So actually, I went into Illinois State as a double major bio and music performance. I wanted the music so I could keep playing and get the scholarships. But I didn't think that there was like a financial career in that, and so I I did bio, trying to do a pre med track, which was not which was not smart. My friends used to tell me like it was obviously it was obvious you were going to be a musician of some sort, but but I didn't think about it in my mind. You know, I was like, I need to make money, and I want to help people, and you know, a doctor was the natural the natural path for me there, but I think it was like I ended up dropping the other major. I think junior year around sophomore junior year, but as soon as I got like the first day of orchestra with Dr. Black, I think he's retiring soon, which is going to be sad for the institution. But like the first day of orchestra, I think we were playing like a big symphony that I had never played before. It was a Rachmaninoff Second Symphony, and I just remember loving like the sound because to that day it had been like one of the best ensembles I had played with yet. And so it was just like the interaction of the instruments and the sound of the hall and and the way that Dr. Block ran rehearsals. I was like, "Oh, this is amazing! I really enjoy this. And so, in terms of like, when I decided I'm going to be a musician of some sort, it was probably practically junior year of of my undergrad. But I think from that first day, I I really veered off and you know went hard into music, like thinking about it more professionally than this is still just fun, you know something like that.

John: Absolutely, and so while you were at Illinois State, you became involved with the String Project program, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. You were a teaching assistant and also a private instructor, and there's almost 120 String Project alumni now. We understand, so you're among those. What What are some of your memories of that program? I guess first of all, why did you get involved in it, and then what was that experience like?

Andrew: First of all, that experience was amazing. I never thought of myself as a teacher, especially because I was a performance major. I guess one thing, like I should say, like Illinois State. For those who don't know, feel like Illinois State is a school that produces a lot of really good teachers. They have really good teaching programs, and their music program, their music teaching, music education program is, I think, one of the top. I would say in the state, just based on the quality of teachers they produce. And so I wasn't really thinking about string. String project was only in my radar peripherally when I first got into college because all my friends were music ed majors and they were all string players, and so they all you know taught for string project. And I just remember you know they used to talk about how they had to go teach such and such or go to this class and teach this, and it sounded interesting. But I wasn't like, okay, this is something I have to do until I think they needed some extra private lesson teachers, and I was like, okay, that's something I could do. I don't know how to teach in a class. I haven't been trained for that, but I know my instrument, and I could teach other kids how to play that instrument. At least get them set up in some way. And so I think sophomore year or so, I went to Dr. Lewis, Kate Lewis, and I was like, "Hey, you know, I would really like to be considered for private teaching with the String Project. And she was like, "Yeah, of course, we need more teachers. And so she gave me a couple of students, and I really enjoyed teaching those students. But teaching those students, you know, like I feel like part of what I needed to know about them as students was missing because you know private lessons is half of it, but then group class is a really important large part of string project. And so I think that year I said if you would consider it, even though I'm not a music education major, I would really love to you know be an assistant teacher for one of the string project classes. And she was like, "Yeah, I think we can do that. We can make that happen. And so she started me off in the very beginning class, Dolce class, and I think I was learning just as much as the kids on how to, you know, like like teach. Like they were learning how to play the instruments, but I was teaching them how to, you know, I was learning how to teach them how to play the instrument, and it was really eye opening. And I think I never went back after that. I I just kept. I think I taught for three of the four levels that they had as a teaching assistant, and I I think yeah, like I said, I think I learned just as much as the kids did, just how to teach them, how to how to sort of help them discreetly in class without you know messing up the flow, how to you know really wrangle in a bunch of kids that had the attention spans that aren't really meant to sit through a whole class, you know, of music, but they did it, and they were all really happy, and it was really it was really a joy to be there and see them progress throughout the year and throughout the you know their four years or however many years they were in the program, class through class, and then see them go off to bigger and better things, or you know, no music at all. But I think one of the things that I'll miss and I do miss the most is just like, you know, getting to be around my friends and you know teach and and see what they really loved to do and what they were really good at. You know, I was always in awe of just how they instinctually knew things. About how to fix these kids or how to run a class, and and you know, I was just like, yeah, I don't think that's quite what I'm cut out for, but I'm glad to be here and help, and you know, see them grow too.

John: Yeah, and although you didn't go into music education professionally, are there aspects of your experience with the string project that help you now as a professional musician?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. So St. Louis Symphony does. I mean, most orchestras have this, but we have like community partnerships or community participation, and part of that is just like going into orchestras in schools and you know leading sectionals with the strings or maybe just the violas and that sort of basic grounding of like a classroom setting and that information that I had really helped me continues to help me go into those situations and be effective rather than just sort of fumbling around and getting in everybody's way. Yeah, yeah. Well, that's been nice. That's been nice.

John: I'd love to know from your perspective as a professional musician how powerful is it to get a youngster involved in, in this case, an orchestral instrument? But like, for example, with the string project, just to pick up an instrument and start to learn how to play music, how powerful is that?

Andrew: How powerful is it to the kid, like to the child, yeah, yeah. I think it's incredibly powerful. It sort of gives them. It's you say powerful, and I kind of think of it as a superpower. You know, not everybody can play an instrument, and I know it's really frustrating for kids when they first pick it up and they're not amazing. You know, because I feel like every kid has that moment where they pick up an instrument because they heard a song and they want to be able to play that song on that instrument, and so when they get the instrument and they're like they have no idea what they're doing, that can be demoralizing. But I think a lot of kids like turn the other way towards all right. So like at least somebody showing me how to do it, and with each little thing that they learn, their eye. You can see their eyes light up. Like today, I played pittacato on my first finger, and you know that's like the basic. But like you see them, they're like, "Yeah, I'm so cool, and they just go around playing that first finger for a while until you teach them a new one. But it's just like the joy that they get from you know, I guess you know, accomplishing something on the instrument. And I think that that is, that's priceless, whether they continue with music or not. Just them, you know, having that realization that they they have this knowledge that maybe not a lot of people have, or none of their friends have, or whatever. Like that, yeah, that can really impact them throughout life.

John: Yeah, and if they stick with it, can help them get through life, right? I mean, it's such an emotional, emotionally charged, therapeutic, probably very frustrating at times, but also amazing at times. Experience, right?

Andrew: Definitely, definitely. And everybody loves music, you know. Yeah. Whether it's classical or what genre, you know, everybody's listening to music in some way, shape, or form.

John: Well, from Illinois State, you went not too far away down the road to Indiana University, where you earned a master's degree in music performance, and then you started your professional career. Can you kind of take us through it? Looks like you started with the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami and ended up in Los Angeles. Just kind of take us through that trajectory, and then how ultimately you ended up in St. Louis.

Andrew: Yeah. So in terms of just being a musician and studying music, like I think I sort of took a normal trajectory path. You know, after my undergrad, I I obviously switched instruments to viola, so I needed to go back to school and study that, and so I went to Indiana for my master's to study with Steve Warczynski, a viola professor there, and he really helped me, like you know, focus in on how to play the viola. Just like this is what you want to do, your performer, so like do it to the best of your ability. And so I spent two years there, like playing as much viola as I could, chamber music, orchestra, you know, solos, anything I could really get my hands on, and then from there I didn't know what I wanted to do after that, and so the next logical thing would be go to more school or try to get a job or you know this or that, and so what I was thinking was I wasn't quite good enough to really get a job yet, like a job, like a St. Louis Symphony type job yet. So the next best thing is a fellowship, which was what the New World Symphony was. And so I auditioned for that. Honestly, I didn't know if I'd get that. It's a very competitive program. You know, they only have so many positions open each year. So my teacher was like, you know, you need to really be going for things like this if you're going to be a musician. You got to start acting like it. So I was like, all right. He was tough on me, but in the best way possible. So I actually drove up to Chicago for the New World Symphony audition, and I had a fine audition. I was like, okay. That was okay. I didn't know if I got it, so I was planning on staying at Indiana for another year to do a performance diploma, which would have just allowed me to practice and continue to grow. But then I got the call in the middle of a lesson when I'd gotten into New World, and so ended up moving to Miami and you know doing this program, which was amazing for me, and that really helped me hone in on orchestral playing as a as a violist, which is it's an orchestral academy. So that's all they do. We play an orchestra. We play concerts every week. They sort of run it like a professional orchestra. So that was great, and I really enjoyed that. But at the end of that program, I hadn't won a job yet. I didn't take as many auditions as I probably should have, but I think like it. I started to panic a little bit, and I was like, "I know what I'm going to do now. So it was either more school or start you know just keep taking auditions until a fellowship opened up in the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Beckman Fellowship, and so that was another thing. I was like, "All right, so this is the next step, and I went and flew to Miami to flew to Los Angeles to take that audition, and then I ended up winning that position, and I played there for a year. It was supposed to be a three-year position in the viola section, but I ended up taking the St. Louis Symphony audition my first year there, probably February of that first year, and then ended up winning that position. So I finished out my time in Los Angeles, and I played up until September of the next year. And I came to St. Louis, and I've been here ever since. Yeah, it's just audition after audition, you know. And you really never know what you're going to get, but you sometimes just have to prepare as well as you can. Go take the audition, and you know, let them say yes or no. So, I'm glad, and I'm glad I had a lot of people in my life who were like pressuring me to do things like that. Because I don't know if you talk to Kate or anything, but if she says anything about me, she can tell you that sometimes I need like you know a good kick in the pants to just like to just get going, you know, like to to know that I can do it, and you know, take these opportunities, and so yeah, and I'm sure they're all very competitive. So it would be nerve wracking, no doubt. 

John: Let's back up just a second. I forgot to ask, why did you switch from violin to viola? That's kind of late in the game to make that switch. It seems like, but maybe not.

Andrew: Yes, it is. It is late in the game, but I think I remember like feeling a little burnt out, you know, with music because you know you do a lot of other things outside of playing. The playing's the fun part. That's the part we all love. But it's like the rest of it that sort of gets you down. And so I thought I was. I thought I was burnt out on the violin, which probably was the case just a little bit. It's not really my personality type, but I enjoyed playing it. You know, it was great. But I was in a quartet with, like, I guess from freshman year, I was in a quartet with three other people that were sort of as dedicated into performance as I was, and our violist at the time had switched to had was a violinist who switched to violist before coming to ISU, and so I think we were just you know messing around with each other's instruments, and he was like, you know that sounds kind of good. Maybe we should like switch for a concert, and I was like, oh yeah, okay, whatever. And so, but then I remember thinking, like, oh, I really like that. You know, that sounds like a good time. Like, I didn't know how to play the instrument. I didn't know how to read the clap, but you know, you still play it sort of the same way. So, like, I could make sound, and it wasn't terrible. So I was like, I could do this. But I think I spent like winter break. Like, he like picked a piece, and I was like, okay, give me a piece of music that we can play as a quartet, and I will take this winter break and try to learn the viola part, like see if I can do it. And so I, I, you know, he let me a viola, and I got the music, and I like wrote in all the notes, so I could because it's a different clef. So I had to learn how to read that music, and I started like working on it. I was like, I could do this. This is really fun. And then at the end of that year, we ended up, you know, performing the piece where he played violin and I played the viola. And the viola professor heard me, and she was like, "You know, Andrew, that sounded” Kate, she heard me, and she was like, "That sounded really good. Like, you know, if you ever want some lessons, you know, let me know. And I was like, "No, that's you know, that's I'm too busy. There's no time for that. And then like the next year, I decided I was like, "Oh yeah, I couldn't stop thinking about the vial. And so I was like, "Hey, Kate, you know, could you give me a couple of lessons and sort of just like shore up some of l these foundational things I I can't really do yet? And she was like, "Yeah, that's fine, as long as your violin professor is okay with it. So I asked my violin professor. She was, she wasn't ecstatic, but she was okay with it. She could tell that I really was having fun, and so she was like, "All right, if this is what you need to do to like you know get back into it, then you do you. And so then I sort of just like sporadically kept taking viola lessons and more and more. I was, you know, playing more viola on the side while still trying to, you know, do the violin performance major. And so when it was time to graduate, I had to think, and I was like, okay, so do I want to really take the leap and try to switch to viola, or do I want to go audition for master's programs on violin? And I decided, like, no, I'm a lot happier playing viola, and I think I just think I'm better at it too. Like, it aligns with me more as a person, and you know what I love about music. And I, yeah. And then I just decided, like, okay, I'm gonna switch. And so Kate was like, yeah, I will prepare you for grad school auditions if that's really what you want to do. So she did. She helped me prepare for grad school auditions, and I ended up taking some and getting into a few schools. And I chose Indiana. Yeah, and it helped that Steve Steve came. We have like what's called Viola Day at like, Kate hosts all a bunch of violas from all over at Illinois State University, and Steve came and he was like giving a master class, and I played for him. And then he did like you know like mock auditions, like where you play behind the screen and they gave you comments, even though they didn't know how you were. And he was like, you know, I really enjoy your playing, but you need to fix this, this, this, this, this. You know, like a list. And I was like, okay, I want to study with you. Like I really want to study with you. So I auditioned at his school in Indiana, and yeah, he accepted me as a student. And then when the other offers were coming, and I was like, you know, I didn't really know any of those teachers, or and I didn't really feel like they were invested in me as a musician, you know. And I was like, all right, I'm gonna go study with Steve, and I never looked back, you know. And it was scary at first. I was really like, I had never done anything like where I could sort of completely change the trajectory of of you know my life. I guess when I decided not to be a doctor and be a musician, that was a change. But I was already sort of in that. You know, this felt completely different, and yeah, it it worked out, which I'm very happy for. But yeah, it was not part of the plan for sure.

John: So, what felt so right about the viola compared to the violin?

Andrew: Oh, it's the function of the viola in an ensemble, or even just as an instrument. Like the violin is very flashy, and we you know we're set up front. Everybody knows what a violin is. You know, where like I was a concert master a lot, so I was like that very first chair, so I'd walk out and I tune the orchestra, and that's all well and good, you know. That's great being seen, but the music is is so difficult, and there's so many notes, and it's just it seems like there's never a time to just sit back and enjoy the music. You're always having to drive it and lead it, and that's that's, I mean, I can be that sort of hyper energetic person, but if I can help it, I don't want to be. You know, I want to be with go with the flow guy. You know, like mix into the crowd and enjoy my time. And so that's definitely the viola's role in any ensemble. We sort of have to be in the middle where the harmony instruments. So we play all the best parts of music that you hear in classical music, it's because the viola is playing it. You know, it's the good stuff. You know, you have the melody, that's fine. You have the bass notes, that's important. But the ooey gooey insides are the viola, and and it's just a slower pace of life, and it's it's a really it's really easy to sort of be able to luxuriate in the sound of an ensemble when you're playing viola because you're playing a supporting role, but it's a really important supporting role, and I think that fit me as a person a lot better than you know the flashy violinist did for sure. I think everybody was shocked when I decided to switch, though they didn't expect that, but but I knew it all along personally. It just just took me a while to figure that out. 

John: Is there a piece that really showcases exactly what you're talking about regarding the viola?

Andrew: The viola. I would say any Brahm Symphony that you listen to, the viola parts are very amazing. I would say Brahms Symphony Number Four, and it's an E minor. It's dark and broody and and luscious. Listen to that. The viola parts are really really good in that one. 

John: Yeah, is that one that you play often and enjoy playing?

Andrew: Yeah, I don't get to play it as often as I would like. It seems like it's really standard repertoire, but you know, like in the time I've, I guess I played it about three times, so that's a lot in you know not so long a career, but still, it's it's it. I would personally love to see it on programs more, but that's just me. That's my pay grade. But it is very standard.

John: So you joined the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra viola section in September of 2019. Can you just talk about? Obviously, you auditioned. Why did that seem like a good fit for you joining the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra?

Andrew: Well, because I needed a job. Yeah, you know. The fellowship was a job. That was a great position. I loved it, but but it was only you know three years max, and so the position with St. Louis Symphony was the tenure track position, and it was actually the first position, the first audition I took after winning the fellowship in Los Angeles, and so it just happened to be the first one I took. It was like a line of three, so I took the audition in St. Louis, and then two days later, I think I flew to Pittsburgh to take another audition, and then three days after that, I flew to Boston to take another audition. So it just happened to be, you know, in the lineup, and I, you know, came here. I said I'll do my best, and I happened to win it. So it wasn't like a conscious like, okay, I've been grinding. This is the moment to win this audition. It was just like it happened to be an audition that I took, and I happened to win it. But in terms of how I feel now that I'm here, it's amazing. Like the orchestra has a storied history, you know, like multiple Grammys. They used to be one of the biggest orchestras in the country under Leonard Slatkin, who's amazing conductor, you know, again multiple Grammy awards. But in terms of the way that they play, the way that they sound, they have this big, rich, beautiful sound that's built mainly by the hall. Powell Hall is amazing. I don't know if you've ever been to St. Louis or been able to go to a concert, but it's what I think it's one of the best halls in the country. Like in terms of just how it makes the orchestra sound, and it's beautiful. But it like I just remember thinking, okay, you know, I don't really know anything about St. Louis. I know about the St. Louis Symphony. They have a great reputation. I'm really excited to join them. But after being here for a little bit, you know, hearing how they play-that's exactly like how I want to play. You know, a lot of orchestras have very specific way that the ways that they play, and I think they have sounds that they're known for. And the type of sound that St. Louis Symphony plays with is something that you know resonates with me a lot. It's rich and it's beautiful and it's deep. It has this depth of sound and color, that really, that really, it's hard to get. I think, and we just happen to have a great hall that lends itself to that. And so, when the two are combined, it's you know, I think we're one of the best in the country for sure. 

John: I think I also heard you say somewhere in an interview before while I was researching for this interview that it's one of the friendliest orchestras in the country. Can you talk about that and maybe why that's important?

Andrew: Is it important? I don't know, but it's nice to have for sure. Yeah, you know, it's a midwestern orchestra, so of course, like the personalities and the situations and the environment we're in really, you know, help facilitate that friendliness, but I think it's just like people in St. Louis or in St. Louis Symphony and the organization specifically, like they care about each other. You know, like we're a fan. We see each other often. You know, I remember when I was in LA. Like, yes, they also they're also a friendly orchestra, but every but if you've ever been to LA, it takes forever to get anywhere, and so people don't get to hang out as often because you know we live all over the you know all over the Los Angeles area, and so you can't just you know pop out really quick for a drink or dinner with a friend from the orchestra. You know that has to be a very conscious thing. While here, like St. Louis, is big enough to have a lot of things to do and a lot of life and energy, but it's small enough that it probably doesn't take you more than 20 minutes to get anywhere where a symphony musician would live. So it's really easy to be able to interact with each other. And I think the age of the orchestra is on a very similar level. And so, like you know, like people who have kids, their kids are around the same age, so they go to the same schools, or they they have playdates, or you know after school programs, and like you know the younger kids, like I guess that came in with me, you know, like we're all childless and you know partnerless still, and so like it's really easy to still just go out and and have dinners or take trips or you know go on hikes and things, you know. So I think the sort of one, the demographic and makeup of the orchestra really lends itself to being able to have that camaraderie, and two, it's just, you know, really accessible to reach people, and you know they're just good people too. It's, you know, besides all the other stuff, I think they're just friendly individuals, and being in the Midwest definitely helps, you know. 

John: Yeah, for sure. So, take me through what is the life of a professional musician, a violist in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra like? How many shows do you have? How much practice do you do? You know what what what is a day in your life like?

Andrews: A day in my life, wake up as late as possible. So, in terms of our schedule, we are a 52 week orchestra, but luckily for St. Louis Symphony specifically, we get July and August off, so that's wonderful. And most of us will go do other. Musing festivals and things like that, but during the year we play a concert every weekend, and we have about four collective vacation weeks off. So, if besides those four weeks or relief week that you're not playing, we're playing. We have a show every weekend, and we usually start rehearsals on Tuesday or Wednesday, and we'll rehearse until probably Friday, and then we'll do a Friday, Saturday, Sunday concert, or Friday, Sunday, or Saturday, Sunday, but usually Friday, Saturday, Sunday. And yeah, so I guess I would just say like rehearsals in the morning and afternoon, and then after that, it's sort of just like my own time, which I'll usually spend practicing or teaching or honestly, just relaxing it, or you know, trying to do something else. I like tennis. I like to read. You know, I like to cook. So things like that. But most of the time, yeah, it's just sort of going to rehearsals, playing, and then coming back and reinforcing whatever I learned, or you know, preparing for the next week, and that's like week after week after week. So we get through a lot of music for sure, but it doesn't feel like too much, you know. Like I mean, sometimes some programs are pretty big, and those are a pain. But overall, like yeah, it's pretty. It's a lot of rep that either I've seen or heard before, or I've played before, so it's not terrible. But my life as a professional musician definitely revolves around music a lot, and I know a lot of people have like you know other people in the orchestra. They have hobbies, you know, like various hobbies that I would never even think to do, like woodworking, or you know, like like some people like do Airbnb properties, or like carpentry, or things like that, and so you can you pretty much have the time to do anything outside music that you want to, without you know losing too much time, which is great. That's why I love being a musician because you can still travel. You have plenty of time to travel and do outside of music things. You know, it's not a nine to five. It's at best it's like a 10 to three, and then concerts.

John: Yeah, you mentioned the travel. You've gotten to travel a lot as a musician, right?

Andrew: Yeah, yeah, I have. 

John: Can you talk a little bit about where all you've gotten to play?

Andrew: So I, when I was, I guess I, when I was younger, I would do music festivals, and sometimes I like a big festival I did was the Verbier festival in Switzerland. That was right after I finished my master's, and so that's a three-year program where you just they fly you off to Switzerland and they put you up in chalets, and you basically play in an orchestra for five weeks of the summer, and it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. But like a lot of musicians do, festivals like that aren't inside the country. You know, while I was at Illinois State, I traveled to England for two weeks, and I did a concert tour there with a pianist from Russia and a and a cellist from London because like Bloomington, Indiana is a Bloomington, Illinois is apparently a sister city. Oh yeah, to I think it's Canterbury, England, and then Ladinia, Russia. So like they brought us all together, and we you know worked up some music and we performed it throughout England for those two weeks, which was an amazing opportunity for me. I love that. And then I've been on tour with like some of the orchestras that I've played with, you know, like Los Angeles Philharmonic, I got to go to Asia for about three weeks on a tour with them. We went to Scotland to the Edinburgh Festival. I had been to Columbia to go teach and played on there. I've St. Louis Symphony. We just did a tour three years ago, and we just went to a bunch of cities and played in a bunch of halls in Europe. You know, like we were in Belgium, we were in Spain, and we were in Amsterdam, and you know, so you like get to travel a lot if if on somebody else's dime. That's important. Somebody else is paying for these trips because you worked hard and you know you won these auditions, but yeah, so that's been a really nice thing that I get to do as a musician, you know. And and in the summer, like I do a festival in Washington State in Bellingham, which I I really enjoy because it's beautiful out there, and that's just like I've never lived in the you know Pacific Northwest, so being up there for even for a little bit, I spent about a month there in the summers. It's you know, it's really a nice place to recharge. And then I go teach in Miami for a couple of weeks, and then I go to and then I finish out the summer in Minnesota. I do a festival there in Lakes area. It's called, and that's just like lake life. We you know we all stay with host families. They have their their houses on the lake, and it's just a really nice because I didn't grow up on a lake, so it's just a really nice way to end up the summer playing music with a lot of friends that I you know don't get to see in the during the year, and just you know being out on the pontoon and riding, you know. So definitely that's one of the biggest perks of being a musician. It's where it'll take you, and how much traveling you get to do if you do it right, which you can.

John: I didn't think pontoon boats would make it into our conversation today, if I had to be honest. But that's great. That sounds like a blast, and just amazing that you get to travel so many places. I I want to know about your performance viola. Do you have? I guess first of all, how many violas do you own? And tell me about the one that you use in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Andrew: I only have. Or I'm sorry. Did I say Chicago? 

John: Yeah. The St.Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Andrew: Not quite, but yeah, no. Someday. I only. I only have the one viola, actually. Okay. And it's the viola that I bought when I decided to switch to viola. My friend worked for William Harris Lee in Chicago, and he was helping me find an instrument when I was looking. And I wanted something good because, like, one thing about the viola is that it's an imperfect instrument in terms of like its size and dimension for the sound that we have to make. So it's really important to find something that can do everything you want and get a good sound out of it. I feel like that's not emphasized enough. Violas can make a good sound, guys. So make sure you find a good one first. So I only have the one viola because I have like three violins, and so I was just like, I don't want a bunch of random more, a bunch of other instruments. If I get a good viola, that's all I need. So I think I spent a long time looking like for this viola I have now, and I ended up finding it because somebody else didn't want it. Actually, they got commissioned. It's by a maker called Gary Garavaglia, and it was made in 2011, 2010 or 11. I think 2011, and it's a copy of a more famous maker, Amati Nicolo Amati, and he has like amazing instruments, really expensive. He didn't make a lot of them, so I think this person found like the specs for an Amati viola that they liked, and so Gary made a copy of that viola, and I think that the client ended up not wanting it, and so my friend was like, "Hey, you know this viola is just rejected. Why don't you try it out and see how you like it? And it like from the first three notes I played on it, it was like love at first sound. It was amazing, you know. It has a dark, rich, almost you know burgundy color, and it just has this depth of sound that really resonates with me as a violist and as a person. And so, as soon as I heard it, I was like, "All right, this is the one for me. And so, I begged my parents to help me buy it, and and I even got a discount on it because Gary was like, "Yeah, you know, it was supposed to go to this other person, but it's really nice to see that you know my work is appreciated, and so yeah, here's this instrument. I was like, sweet, but yeah, that's how I found the viola. But most, yeah, I would say most people spend a lot of time looking for their instrument. I'm, I'm just lucky that I got it right on the first time, and it's taken me through a lot. You know, like everything that I've done on viola since has been with this field, and so you know, people keep saying, "Oh, you know, you do you want? Do you think it's time to buy another instrument, or you know, like upgrade? So now that you're a professional, I'm like, "Well, this instrument sounds great still, and it's you know, it's gotten me to where I am, so I'm happy with it. Eventually, I'll probably buy another instrument, but I think it'll go the other way, like a cheaper instrument that I can play outside and things like that, rather than anything better. But yeah, it still sounds good, and I love it. Yeah, we've been through a lot together,

John: And all over the world, huh? Yes, incredible. One thing I wanted to ask you about because I don't get a chance to interview a professional musician very often, but you know, there's this theory that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become like a world class expert at something. Have you clocked 10,000 hours of violin slash viola practice? Do you think that's do you think that's accurate? I mean, did you hit that mark and think, yeah, I'm an expert now?

Andrew: Well, I have. Well, I no, I've definitely gone over 10,000. 

John: Yeah, okay, for sure. I figured. I figured. 

Andrew: Yeah, yeah. I don't know what exactly I would have hit that mark. Yeah, if I felt the magical change wash over me, like I'm a professional. But I would say, yeah, at least 10,000 hours is a good start. It's a good start for becoming a professional musician. Yeah, that's funny. I, you know, I, I have to think like it would have been amazing to like keep a practice log and just see how many hours I've practiced there all my life. But definitely over 10,000, I'm sure.

John: Yeah, yeah, probably closing in on 20 by now, huh? Before before I let you go, what advice do you have for young people, maybe who are starting out in music or even parents of of young people, and and and then I guess two pieces of advice. So for that kind of group, and then also maybe for kids who are in high school or thinking about you know Wayne being a doctor or. Pursuing a career in music, so just in general, kind of what's your what's your what's your musical advice?

Andrew: My musical advice would, I guess, for younger people and their parents, like just make sure that it's fun. Yeah, nobody wants to do a chore. You know, that's not really fun. I mean, it is fun for some people, but then it's not a chore, you know. Something you're doing for fun. But always make sure you're enjoying what you're doing. You'll have days where you know you don't want to make music or you're really down about it. But if you've ever felt that spark of joy making music, just push through it and keep going and see where it gets you. In terms of like being a professional, or you know, thinking about the next steps of music, I say just take it, you know, one one situation at a time. You know, if you're thinking about going to music school, then practice for those auditions and pick some music schools, like do your research, and then go into that. You know, if you're thinking about whether you want to quit or not, think about you know, like, is this how good I am? Have I been putting in the work? Will I continue to put in the work? Does this make me happy anymore? You know, do I love this? You know, just always be self-aware of where music, what place music holds in your life, and if it's you know greater than most things, then continue with it. And if you feel like you'd be happier having those memories and playing on the side, but doing something else full time, then you know take that step too. But always just keep checking in with yourself and remembering what you want to do. And in terms of being a professional, like getting to this level, just work, work really hard, make the connections with people. You know, take all the auditions that you can. You know, take every opportunity that's offered to you. And again, like which will be a theme. Keep having fun, you know. Music, something doing something that you love should always be fun. I don't think a lot of people get to get to do that. You know, like you know, some people work jobs that they work just because they have to. But music, I think music is like sports. You know, you're basically doing something fun that you love for a living, and so just always remember that it should be fun.

John: Andrew, this was a fun conversation. Thanks so much for the time.

Andrew: Thank you. Thanks for having me. It's been great.

John: That was Andrew Francois, a class of 2011 alum and violist for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. You can read more about the String Project in this fall's issue of State Magazine, and tune in to Redbird Buzz next time for more stories from beyond the Quad.