A Conversation with Master Conductor Thomas Wilkins

Faith, respect and a life-long love of music created a path to conduct some of the world’s most famous orchestras!

When I sat down to interview Maestro Thomas Wilkins I didn’t expect to have a deep discussion about humanity, but most who know the famous conductor would not be surprised to read this. Wilkins illuminates an inner energy that makes everyone around him both hopeful and peaceful. We chatted and I got a glimpse of his journey to become one of the most sought-after conductors in the world and his philosophy on life, music and leadership.

First, a bit of background. Wilkins is principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Artistic Advisor, Education and Community Engagement. He holds Indiana University’s Henry A. Upper chair of orchestral conducting, established by the late Barbara and David Jacobs. At the end of the 2020–21 season he concluded his long tenure as music director of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.   
 
His past positions include resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay), and associate conductor of the Richmond (Virginia) Symphony. He has served on the music faculties of North Park University (Chicago), University of Tennessee (Chattanooga), and Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond).   
 
Hailed as a master at communicating and connecting with audiences, Wilkins  has led many orchestras throughout the United States and abroad; recent engagements have included returns to the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra (Washington, DC), to name a few. 

His commitment to community has been demonstrated by his participation on several boards of directors, including the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce, Charles Drew Health Center (Omaha), Center Against Spouse Abuse (Tampa Bay), and the Museum of Fine Arts and Academy Preparatory Center (both in St. Petersburg). He currently serves as chairman of the board for the Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund and as national ambassador for the non-profit World Pediatric Project headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, which provides children throughout Central America and the Caribbean with critical surgical and diagnostic care. 
 
In 2014 Mr. Wilkins received the prestigious Outstanding Artist award at the Nebraska Governor’s Arts Awards for his significant contribution to music in the state, and in 2018 he received the Leonard Bernstein Lifetime Achievement Award for the Elevation of Music in Society conferred by Boston’s Longy School of Music.   
 
A native of Norfolk, Virginia, Thomas Wilkins is a graduate of the Shenandoah Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.  

When did you know you wanted to be a conductor?

TW: When I was 8 years old in Virginia and heard the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. The first thing they played was the National Anthem and that was the first time I heard an orchestra.  I saw that the man standing at the podium seemed the most closely related to this new sound world that I was falling in love with and at that moment I knew I wanted to be a conductor of classical music.

What type of music were you listening to growing up?

TW: In my home, it was gospel music. My mother played in a church for a while and I heard a lot of gospel, I also listened to  Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke, but certainly never any classical music. After hearing the symphony, I began to go to the local library to listen to classical albums.

I used to line up my toy army soldiers to look like an orchestra when I was little. 

You have said that music is both life altering and life affirming, can you talk a bit more about that?

TW: For me, I am a poster child for music to be life altering. When I speak about the value of arts education in our schools, one of the things I point out is that because I had fallen in love with music, I was able to  answer all those critical life choice questions that kids have to answer when they are young. I lived in a housing project and my single mother raised me and I had plenty of unsupervised time. The question of what I would do with the unsupervised time, the character and nature of the friends that I had and if I dreamt of going to college and other  questions were already answered for me because I had fallen in love with music. That is a life changing event. 

By life affirming, I often say that composers don’t write music to demonstrate how smart they are, they write music to come along side of us in our journeys as human beings. Whether it’s Mozart or Marvin Gaye, they know their music has an impact of hope for people. 

When you have music communicating messages that can fuel the fire, they are life affirming and you have music inspiring you to feel that whatever  journey you are taking is worth the work.

Your journey to come to where you are now?  What do you think was your path?

TW: In America, there is no organized route to become a conductor, unlike the European Opera houses. I am a firm believer in you bloom where you plant it. The grass is not always greener on the other side, the grass is greener where you water it. I had made an early determination in my life, partly because of my faith, that I did not have to be political to get where I want to go in life or be in the right place at the right time, I can just be in love with music and let music do its thing to help the people and  that I am here to serve. For me what I do is servant leadership. 

Every place I go I try to contribute. I also had the good fortune to have friends who were also musicians, and we all had a strong work ethic. Even my single mother, she insisted that I do my homework, that I was respectful to my teachers and took care of myself. My life was always trying to be better. Even now, I’m still trying to become a better conductor in my 60’s.

What struck me is that you learn the names of every musician in your orchestras and that philosophy really strikes me as a characteristic of being a great leader.

TW: Yes, and it is especially important when you are a guest conductor. When you call someone by their name, the first thing that says to them is that you count. I notice that they sit up taller, and they play better, and they respond better. By recognizing someone you are communicating that you value them and their humanity and that is a great gift to give to someone. I tell my conducting students that first and foremost we are leaders of men and women who happen to be musicians, not musicians who happen to be men and women. That requires from us a certain degree of respect and an acknowledgement that they have a humanity that counts, they have their own sets of aspirations, obstacles and challenges, it says that I value their sense of an aesthetic, even though it is my responsibility to unify what that sense is in a rehearsal. Our job as artists is to make sure that everyone in the building leaves the building a better human being and belieiving something better about themselves than they felt when they walked in the building. 

That seems like a unique way of looking at conducting. 

TW: Yes, that is why I enjoy teaching. I want to create a major paradigm shift as to why students are standing at their podium. If you think about it, it can be a trap. We are given our own special box to stand on, we get to waive a baton, and when we wave the baton music happens. There is someone waiting backstage with water for us and a towel, you often fly first class, all of these things can make one think that this whole thing is about them when it really isn’t. Leadership is about equipping and inviting, it is less about instruction and more about invitation. 

What is the role of a conductor beyond keeping time and having musicians follow you?

TW: People often say, ‘It must be neat to be an instructor and have all that power.’ My answer is always that it’s not about power, it’s about control. It’s about when to exercise control and when to relinquish it. I think you have to have a respect for the musicians’ sense to learn how to belong to each other inside the ensemble. 

How do you know when to step in?

TW: You acquire the radar. I learned this when I was the resident conductor of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The musicians know how to get to a downbeat, there are moments when the musicians need just a little tweak. Great musicians are accustomed to listening to each other, and it elevates their sense of dignity. It is a subtle thing that has to do with music, but it has more to do with humanity. Trust is a huge thing in the orchestra. I say to young players you have to understand that this music was here long before we were ever here, and it will remain long after we are gone. In regard to its beauty, and our ordinariness, we will never really measure up. True artists are always trying to measure up. I’m always amazed at where I work. If I wrote my memoirs, I would have the first chapter entitled “No one is more surprised than I am.” 

What is your process when you are collaborating with different artists and different types of music?

TW: I try never to use the word “I” in rehearsal. It is always “we” or “this music needs this at this moment.” I learned from YoYo Ma the first time I worked with him  that establishing a relationship is key.  I realized that he spent the first 15 minutes talking about life and getting to know each other. I thought to myself that he must realize that people are in a bit of awe when they meet him for the first time. The first thing he did was get to know me and establish a human relationship. I now do the same thing with artists that come to the Bowl. Some people call me the “artist whisperer” because I believe we have to work together. I see a lot of young conductors over conduct because they feel an overwhelming need to prove to the audience that they studied the score and that they deserve to be on the podium. The reality is that none of us deserve to be on the podium, it is all a gift. 

You get to a stage where you no longer are trying to build a career and you aren’t trying to impress anyone anymore. You just want to make good music. 

What is your favorite thing about conducting at the Bowl?

I love shocking people who have never heard the orchestra before and seeing them realize what a powerful experience it is. Being a part of the Hollywood Bowl history is also amazing.