Three strings to violist Ansell's bow
By Judith Sandler
If being the violist of the Muir String Quartet
-- the acclaimed ensemble-in-residence at SFA --
weren't enough to occupy his time, Steven Ansell
also has two other major musical jobs: he is the
principal violist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra
and he teaches viola at BU.
Asked how he manages what sounds like three
full-time jobs, he smiles and shrugs, as if to say,
"No big deal."
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Boston Symphony
Orchestra member Steven Ansell balances
more than that orchestra's viola section:
in addition to being a first-desk player
with the BSO, he is violist with the Muir
String Quartet and he teaches viola at the
School for the Arts. "Steve's dedication
to music is really inspiring," says SFA
Dean Bruce MacCombie. "He's playing two
full schedules of concerts, yet his
students feel that they are his first
priority."
Photo: Boston
Symphony Orchestra
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A faculty member at SFA since 1983,
cofounding member of the Muir Quartet, and violist
with the BSO since 1996, Ansell may take his
multiple commitments in stride, but he also revels
in his good fortune. "My life has become musically
more interesting," he says. "I'm playing a much
broader range of repertoire. I think that I've
become a better and more complete musician."
His casual attitude belies his stature in the
musical community. Steven Ansell is at the top of
his profession. "As far as I know," says SFA
Associate Professor Peter Zazofsky, who is first
violinist with the Muir, "there's no one else in
the American musical scene to hold simultaneous
positions as a member of a major quartet and a
principal player with a major symphony orchestra.
Steve is uniquely qualified to fulfill the demands
of this multiple career."
Former violinist with the Muir and Adjunct
Associate Professor Bayla Keyes also marvels at
Ansell's multiple talents. "It's unusual to be so
gifted as a private teacher, an ensemble coach, a
chamber musician, and an orchestral player," she
says. "He's inspiring."
Phyllis Hoffman, director of the Music Division,
agrees. "All of his experience comes together in
what he brings to the orchestra, the quartet, and
to his teaching. For those of us who have heard the
BSO viola section with and without him, there's no
question that he's provided the kind of leadership
that has enriched and enhanced the section. And he
has a big, rich, beautiful sound that projects in
the Tsai Performance Center as well as in Symphony
Hall."
As a fellow musician, Keyes finds him to be
"gifted with the ability to get to the heart of the
music. His playing is full of character; it's
natural and from the heart. He has a great musical
understanding that gives his playing conviction and
a distinctive sound not like any other violist.
He's demanding as a musician and as a teacher, but
his students uniformly worship him."
It is all the more remarkable that Ansell
maintains a level of playing that the Boston Globe
recently called "glorious" because his Muir
schedule alone includes 50 to 60 concerts from Rome
to Rumania each season. And summers bring
additional tours and festivals. Into this schedule
Ansell weaves the regular Symphony Hall season of
the BSO, from late September through April, with
international tours and recording sessions, along
with eight weeks of performances during the summer
season at Tanglewood.
His position as principal violist means added
responsibilities: performing solos with the
orchestra and as a member of the Boston Symphony
Chamber Players, directing the viola section, and
taking part in musical discussions within the
orchestra that help determine the BSO's sound and
style.
"I feel it's a very well-balanced life," says
Ansell of his musical juggling act. "The symphony
and the quartet play off each other." Rather than
draining him of energy, the schedule seems to
recharge him. "I feel refreshed because of the
variety in my music-making."
And a big part of that charge comes from his
students at SFA, he says. "I'm passing on my
knowledge to my students. Our students are like our
children. They're our professional children. We
live on through them and the knowledge from our
teachers gets passed on to them. I hope my students
will find their ways into big orchestras and
quartets and they'll love playing as much as I do,
ultimately passing on their knowledge. That makes
me part of a continuum linking my musical heritage
with future generation of musicians."
Steven Ansell begins his fall season Wednesday,
September 24, with the opening night of the Boston
Symphony Orchestra; on Tuesday, November 18, at 8
p.m., he performs at BU with the Muir String
Quartet in the Tsai Performance Center.
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