Former Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) principal harpist, Ann Hobson Pilot, who many -- including James Levine, Yo-Yo Ma, Sir Simon Rattle and Seiji Ozawa -- consider the most accomplished of her time, has made the rare move into a successful solo career.
After 40 years with the BSO, Ann retired to seek new opportunities to play recitals and perform with orchestras throughout the world. She parlayed momentum as a soloist opening the BSO and Carnegie Hall seasons premiering John Williams' concerto, "On Willows and Birches," written especially for her into a partnership with Spring LLC -- a NYC-based commercial management company.
The goal of the collaboration was to inject the sales and marketing sophistication of the corporate world into the staid traditions of classical artist representation. The result was a unique approach to career development uncommon among classical musicians.
"Ann is an extraordinary musician and person," said Spring managing director, Michael Aiken. "Although we weren't involved with classical music, after considering her accomplishments and openness to new ideas, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to work with such a legend."
The first step was to reintroduce Ann as a soloist to leading orchestras and concert associations. Focusing less on her artistic talents, which were already well documented, they chose to highlight her ability to spur box-office results -- especially for a harpist. "We knew all about Ann's significant artistic reputation with the BSO, and we were pleased to have her as a soloist this season," said Brian Ritter, executive director of the Albany Symphony (NY). "She astounded our audience with the John Williams Concerto. The performance exceeded our expectations and was our earliest sell-out concert of the year."
Another step was to build her profile with wider audiences through viewings of A Harpist's Legacy, Ann Hobson Pilot and the Sound of Change, a documentary about her career, struggles and triumphs as the first African-American principal player with a major orchestra. This led Tampa's WEDU to spearhead syndication to almost 100 other PBS stations.
In 2012, Ann continues to explore her limits as an artist and harp ambassador. She recently partnered with the Associacio Xavier Montsalvatge to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth and as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the 20th Century.
"I really enjoyed Montsalvatge's Concerto Capriccio for harp and orchestra," said Pilot. "The more I learned about him, the more I became interested in playing it for new audiences and fostering a greater understanding of his contributions to contemporary classical music in Spain and beyond."
Concludes Ann, "I really enjoyed my time with the BSO, but this is a whole different type of fun. The best part is that I'm free to explore anything and everything."
(Press Release)
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