Harmonizing music
and marriage

By Ruth Rovner
For the Times

Every weekend, when the Philadelphia Orchestra performs at the Kimmel Center, Mark Gigliotti is in his usual place in the bassoon section. Seated close by is his wife, Holly Blake, who plays contrabassoon.
They’re not the only married couple in the orchestra — there are four others — but they’re the only ones who play the same instrument.
Besides playing together in the orchestra, the Wyncote couple give recitals and play in chamber music concerts together. At one such concert, husband and wife even played the same piece together: it was Vanhal’s Concerto for Two Bassoons.
"It’s very unusual to have two bassoons in one solo, and even more unusual to have players who are married," says Gigliotti.
"It was really fun," adds Blake. "Because we’ve played together for so many years, and we’re so connected, it’s almost like one person playing."
Their musical bond began early. Blake was a student at Northeast High School and Gigliotti was at Temple University when both played in a concert given by the Symphony Club, a community orchestra.
"I remember thinking she was very talented, a really good player," he recalls. "And I was a bit intimidated because she was playing more notes than I was."
They soon followed parallel paths in their musical training: Each attended Temple University and then the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, although not at the same time.
"We were always friends and colleagues, and we always enjoyed playing together," says Blake.
But in their personal lives, they went separate ways over the years — until they both found themselves single and discovered they were in tune both romantically and musically. Seven years ago, they were married.
It’s a marriage of almost round-the-clock togetherness. At Philadelphia Orchestra concerts and rehearsals, they sit either nearby or next to each other, and then travel home together. At home, they share the same music studio. And they share non-musical activities such as skiing.
"People sometimes ask me how we can spend so much time together," says Blake. "But Mark and I never get tired of it. We thrive on it."
"And when we’re not together, we wish we were," adds Gigliotti.
Although they sit together for concerts, they do have separate roles. In the small four-person bassoon section, Gigliotti is co-principal bassoonist, so he and the other principal player, Daniel Matsukawa, share all the parts written for first bassoon.
Meanwhile, Blake takes all the contrabassoon parts. Occasionally, she’s also called on to play the bassoon parts.
"When that happens, Mark is the leader and I follow," she says.
And the reverse is true when a piece calls for two contrabassoons and her husband is the other player.
"Whenever we do that, she’s the boss," says Gigliotti.
Their instruments are the largest woodwinds in the orchestra. The bassoon, shaped like a tube, is 7 feet long. And the contrabassoon, which is folded over several times, is twice as long, and has a lower sound than the bassoon.
Besides their roles in the orchestra, the busy couple have other musical activities. Each has appeared as a guest soloist with other orchestras.
One novelty was when Blake was soloist with the Lower Merion Symphony Orchestra, and the conductor was her husband: (he’s music director and conductor for this orchestra)
"He’s a very good conductor because he follows the soloist very carefully," says Blake.
Both musicians are also teachers. Gigliotti is on the faculty of the College of New Jersey and has given master classes not only in the U.S. but abroad. Blake teaches bassoon and contrabassoon and gives master classes at Curtis and Temple.
Besides bassoon, the versatile Gigliotti also plays jazz guitar — "just for fun," he emphasizes. He’s played at family events and sometimes joins other guitar-playing friends.
Their Wyncote home is clearly the residence of musicians. There’s a piano in the living room. And the music studio is filled with instruments: four bassoons, one contrabassoon and three guitars. Then, too, there are numerous musical scores plus photos of musicians important in their lives, including Mark’s musical family.
His late father, Anthony Gigliotti, who grew up in Mayfair and graduated from Frankford High, was first clarinetist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. His mother, Amelia, is a pianist, and his grandfather, Joseph, was a clarinet teacher who played with the Stanley Theater Orchestra and with the Federal Symphony WPA Orchestra during the Depression era.
Both Blake and Gigliotti got their musical start in Philadelphia public schools. Blake, a Fox Chase native, attended Northeast High.
"They had an incredible music department," she says.
She started out with clarinet but soon switched to bassoon, and played with the All City Orchestra.
"We learned the major orchestral repertoire and performed at a very high level," she says.
Gigliotti, who grew up in East Oak Lane, also began with clarinet, but by age 12, he was playing the bassoon. At Olney High, he eagerly participated in every musical activity.
From these starts at Northeast High and Olney, both went on to illustrious musical careers. Blake was formerly a member of the Filarmonica de Caracas in Venezuela. In 1992, she joined the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Gigliotti started out with the Hague Philharmonic in the Netherlands, and was also principal bassoon with the Pittsburgh Symphony. He joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1982.
He’s not only an orchestral musician but also a conductor. Besides serving as conductor for the Lower Merion Symphony, he’s conducted at Curtis and the Settlement Music School.
A major highlight of his conducting career came this past September. As one of the top five finalists for the position of Philadelphia Orchestra assistant conductor, he was given the opportunity to conduct the orchestra during a rehearsal.
"Usually only the world’s greatest conductors get to stand there, so it was a thrill and an honor for an orchestra musician to do this," he says.
Both husband and wife are now tuning up for the orchestra’s holiday concerts this month. These include Handel’s Messiah, plus three performances of an annual favorite, The Glorious Sounds of Christmas, and then the traditional New Year’s Eve concert.
But when there’s a break in their busy schedule, they’ll put away their bassoons and happily put on their skis.
"It’s my passion," says Gigliotti, a certified ski instructor.
They’ve enjoyed skiing vacations in Colorado and Utah. Closer to home, they ski in the Poconos, Catskills and Vermont. Often they manage a ski getaway on Sundays and Mondays when no concerts or rehearsals are scheduled. They start in the Catskills, where Gigliotti teaches at Hunter Mountain.
"Then we drive to Vermont, ski all day Monday and drive home that night," says Gigliotti. "We’d even love to retire to Vermont."
But for now, the Philadelphia Orchestra is their anchor, and they take great pride in being members of this world-class orchestra.
"There’s such a great tradition with this orchestra," says Gigliotti, who completed his 25th season last May. "My father was part of it, and now I’m happy to be continuing that tradition."
"For me, it’s the thrill of a lifetime," says Blake, a member for 15 years. "I decided in ninth grade that my dream was to be in the Philadelphia Orchestra. I even wrote that in my high school yearbook. And it’s a thrill to know I’ve followed my dream." ••

Hit the high notes . . .

Upcoming Philadelphia Orchestra holiday concerts will be held in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center, Broad and Spruce streets. They include:
• Handel’s Messiah, Sunday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m.
• Holiday organ and brass concert, Tuesday, Dec. 18 at 7 p.m.
• The Glorious Sounds of Christmas, Thursday to Saturday, Dec. 20, 21, 22, at 7 p.m.
• New Year’s Eve concert, Monday, Dec. 31, at 8 p.m.
Tickets are available by calling 215-893-1999, the Kimmel Center Box Office, or online at www.philorch.org