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Impromptu - March 2006
photo by Michael Ciesielski
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BSO Percussionist Brian Prechtl spends his “free” time coaching his three children in their many athletic endeavors.
Here he is photographed with Jason, age 14; Naomi, age 12, and Adam, age 6.
Question: Why do you enjoy coaching your children’s sports teams and how does that experience compare to your life
as a musician?
Answer: What I love the most, as any parent does, is watching my kids grow and learn. The fact that I
can be more involved by coaching helps to draw us even closer. The experiences of being in an orchestra and playing on a sports
team are far more similar than you might think. In both venues, the spirit of cooperation and trust is essential to success.
And, no matter how great you play as an athlete or a musician, you are only as good as the team or orchestra that you play
with.
Q. Any coaching moments you’d like to share?
A. I have found that the most exciting and gratifying moments
came with the teams that struggled through the season but eventually had an underdog victory. You can’t beat the feeling
of fighting out of the cellar and back into the ranks of the contenders. Also, seeing your kid’s first base hit or soccer
goal is one of those life moments you never forget.
Q. Last fall you wrote and produced “The Mystery Express” for the BSO’s family concert series. It was
a huge hit! What prompted you to undertake that endeavor?
A. There is nothing more important than passing on an appreciation
of music to young people. I don’t think I’ll ever forget looking down from the sound booth where I was running
the presentation. Every child in the Meyerhoff Hall craned to see the characters as they scrambled through the aisles in a
climactic chase scene, set to Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance. Row upon row of classes walked out of those performances with
smiles on their faces, and I knew that we had given those kids a memory of seeing the BSO that they will never forget. That’s
what it’s all about. Isn’t it?
Read more about Brian
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