[2:51] As a young music director, Brett works consciously at leadership.

[4:29] Brett’s last position was with the Cleveland Orchestra, one of America’s Big Five orchestras. He started there in awe of the training and skill of the elite musicians. Brett learned that the better the orchestra, the more they want to be led. The musicians make music with each other and the conductor helps guide them, but does not dictate to them. The conductor is the arbiter of taste.

[10:06] Leonard Bernstein did a video with the Vienna Philharmonic, conducting them with his facial expressions alone in supreme trust and joy. Brett attributes his own career to the path Leonard Bernstein blazed for American orchestral conductors.

[16:20] The Conductor leads an orchestra; the Music Director is responsible for the artistic side; the Executive Director is responsible for the business side; the Maestro is a teacher. Brett studies the score, learns everybody’s part, listens to the orchestra, teaches the orchestra what the composer is saying through the score, and guides them through the execution of the score.

[26:38] John Williams’ film scores gave Brett the inspiration to study composition. Brett discusses how he and the staff at Public Radio Station WCLV happened to create the award-winning documentary on John Williams’ Star Wars movie scores, The Score Awakens.

[34:33] Brett is also on a guest conductor series. Trust comes from being reliable, getting right to work, showing you are prepared, and being authentic. The goal is not a flawless performance, but a performance as close as humanly possible to being flawless with passion. Beethoven said a wrong note is nothing, but to play without passion is inexcusable.

[43:00] Brett talks about dealing with mistakes during a performance. The conductor needs to find the mistakes that will not fix themselves, and correct and direct for them.

The better the orchestra, the more they want to be led.

As the conductor, I decide how fast is fast; how slow is slow; how loud is loud; how soft is soft.

To get an orchestra to deliver at its fullest potential it takes a conductor with the ability to truly listen.

A leader leads by trust.

The conductor is there to deliver information to the orchestra in a way that is useful to them.

It is so much easier to lead with joy if you’re doing what you love.

Trust comes from being reliable, getting right to work, showing you are prepared, and being authentic.

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable.” — Ludwig van Beethoven

Leadership is leadership regardless of the field.

“The separation is in the preparation.” — Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks