The Probes Orchester Story

So, Emily Vardell and I were waiting for tickets online at the opera in October. The only other person waiting for as long as we were was another guy about our age. At some point I felt brave and started to talk to him to ask him if he was a musician. (It’s amazing how many musicians there are in Vienna). So, it turns out that he is a conductor named Takumi. He asked if we played instruments, and of course I play bassoon and Emily happens to play the oboe very well. He was so surprised and said that he needed an oboe and bassoon for his orchestra, so we signed up. It is a very interesting orchestra – it is like a practice orchestra for conductors. The maestro is an old-school conductor named Max Cencic, who is very good at both conducting and teaching and very energetic. We play the Hungarian Dances no. 5 and 6, and various J. Strauss Waltzes and Polkas. He really gets into it, and David was fortunate enough to have the chance to watch him in action as well as his students (among them, Takumi from Japan, Jennifer from Australia, a guy from Columbia, and a guy from Argentina). Now whenever Thursday rolls around David asks if I’m going to “buh-buh-buh” because that is what he remembers of the beloved maestro. Here are some pictures of Emily and me at orchestra, Takumi, Jennifer, and Herr Maestro.