First time’s a charm
for David Bilger

By Ruth Rovner
For the Times

When the Philadelphia Orchestra presents three concerts on March 6, 7 and 8, David Bilger won’t be in his usual place in the trumpet section. Instead, for one of the pieces on the program, he’ll be right out front, standing on the stage at Verizon Hall as the featured soloist.
It’s not the first time that the orchestra’s principal trumpet player is also its soloist. The Fort Washington musician is a highly praised soloist who has appeared with major orchestras and has given recitals here and elsewhere.
But his upcoming solo is special to Bilger. He’ll perform the U.S premiere of a concerto for trumpet and orchestra titled Eirene (It’s named for the ancient Greek goddess of peace) and it was Bilger who gave the Asian premiere of the same work last summer in Sapporo, Japan.
His appearance there was part of the Pacific Music Festival, where Bilger has been a faculty member for three years.
Not only was this a premiere, but the composer himself, Herbert Willi, was in the audience in Sapporo. And Bilger had the chance to spend time with him for a week before the premiere.
"He’s an amazing man," says Bilger. "He lives in a small town in Austria, and he composes in a tiny hut on the side of a mountain. Sometimes he spends months at a time writing."
Eirene is part of a cycle of concertos Willi composed in 2001 for various instruments. Well before Bilger even met the composer in person, he was impressed with the score, which was sent to him by the Pacific Music Festival.
"I thought right away, ‘This is exceptionally good!’" he recalls. "It’s unique in the way it uses the trumpet as a solo voice. And there are some incredibly grand musical gestures that you know come right from the heart."
He was so taken with this concerto that he consulted with Music Director Christoph Eschenbach about replacing the solo he had originally been scheduled to play this season and doing this one instead. Eschenbach readily agreed to the change.
Meanwhile, Bilger began to prepare for his solo in Japan. Then, when he arrived in Sapporo, he had the rare chance to spend time with composer Willi before he actually played the piece with the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra.
"He gave me good insights about how to approach it musically," he says. "And he talked about the mysticism and spirituality of the piece. The trumpet is supposed to be channeling spiritual energy and bringing it to the audience."
The composer not only worked with Bilger but attended all the rehearsals. And of course, he was there for Bilger’s performance.
This was a first in Bilger’s solo career — having the composer of the concerto he’d play sitting in the audience.
"It was a somewhat nerve-wracking experience, especially with a piece that’s incredibly challenging," Bilger acknowledges.
But his performance was a resounding success. The audience gave him a standing ovation and he came out for three curtain calls. The composer stood proudly on the stage with him.
Now Bilger is preparing for the U.S premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra and guest conductor Christoph Campestrini. The program also includes Wagner’s Overture to the Flying Dutchman and Orff’s Carmina Burana with the Philadelphia Singers Chorale.
For his solo, Bilger has been diligently practicing at home in Fort Washington. He plays the entire piece several times a week, and practices the most challenging parts every day.
"I do this until I feel totally secure," he says.
His unofficial rehearsal room is in the basement, where he has an attentive audience of one — his dog Promise.
"She sits and listens, and whenever it gets loud, she likes to sing along. She howls in this high-pitched voice, and it drives me crazy!" he says with evident fondness.
The dog, an all-white Samoyed, was dubbed Promise because when the canine joined the family 10 years ago, Bilger’s wife and three children promised they would take care of her so Bilger could work on his music without distraction. It hasn’t quite worked out that way, but Bilger doesn’t mind.
"She really likes to be around whenever I’m practicing," he says.
This music-loving canine has no doubt enjoyed hearing Bilger play the trumpet concerto. And the audience will have the same opportunity next weekend. They’ll surely hear a virtuoso performance by a trumpeter whose playing was praised by the New York Times as "easy brilliance."
Even when he’s not giving a high profile solo, Bilger is devoted to his role as a Philadelphia orchestra musician.
As principal player of the four-member trumpet section, he plays all the parts written for the first trumpet, and assigns the other parts to his three colleagues. And he’s expected to give solos periodically.
For eight seasons, he’s also been a member of the orchestra’s Artistic Advisory Committee.
"It’s a bridge between the musicians and management," he explains. "We’re a voice for the musicians, focusing on the artistic well-being of the orchestra."
Before joining the Philadelphia Orchestra, he was with the Dallas Symphony for seven years. When he heard about the Philadelphia opening, "I just had to audition," he says. "It’s a world-renowned orchestra."
He was one of 125 applicants, and the selection process was rigorous, with three full days of auditions. Fifteen semi-finalists were invited to these auditions. Then it was narrowed down to six finalists, then finally just two.
In the final audition, Bilger and the other candidate performed with the trumpet section while the audition committee listened.
Then came a suspenseful waiting period — until the personnel director came in and congratulated Bilger. "I was thrilled beyond words!" he recalls.
He and his family relocated from Dallas to Fort Washington, and he began his first season in 1995.
At home, he’s not the only musician in the family. He met his wife Cynthia when both were students at Juilliard. She plays French horn and has been a freelance musician.
Both sons, Richard and Abe, are singers, and Richard plays electric bass.
"He’s a really musical guy," says his father. But daughter Emily has other interests.
"She heard so much practicing at home that her energies are in tennis and academics," says the dad.
It was her enthusiasm for tennis that got him interested in the game.
"Now it’s my favorite sport," says Bilger, who plays three times a week. All three children play, too, and the family often plays family doubles.
"It’s fun, and it’s good to have some balance in life," he says.
He indeed needs the recreation to balance his unusually busy musical life. Besides his role with the orchestra, he’s a soloist and chamber music performer. And he’s on the faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music and at Temple University, where he gives private lessons to graduate students studying trumpet.
But right now, this versatile musician is looking forward to his upcoming role as featured soloist at Philadelphia Orchestra concerts.
"It always feels great to play a solo with my colleagues," he says. "We’re like a big musical family, and I always feel the energy of everyone pulling for me, wanting me to do well."
Because he’ll be presenting a U.S. premiere — with the composer in the audience — this solo is even more special.
"It’s exciting to share something brand new with the audience," he says. "I know it’s a work they will really understand and appreciate." ••

Music to your ears . . .

The Philadelphia Orchestra concerts featuring David Bilger as soloist take place in Verizon Hall at the Kimmel Center on the evenings of Thursday, March 6, and Saturday, March 8, and on the afternoon of Friday, March 7.
For tickets, call 215-893-1999 or go to the Web site www.philorch.org