Oberlin

Each fall Oberlin Conservatory brings a panel of seasoned musical experts to judge the Senior Concerto Competition. An event open to all Oberlin Conservatory seniors, the weekend is a celebration of the musical excellence of Oberlin's finest students, and grants five of these young musicians an opportunity to perform with the Oberlin Orchestra. For pianist and 2013 Concerto Competition winner Joseph Hauer, this prize could not be any sweeter.

Hailing from Appleton Wisconsin, Hauer likely had little choice but to begin his musical training at an early age. With three older siblings involved in music, and parents who play piano, he began lessons with his mother at age three. Hauer developed an early competence in both piano and violin, but his parents were careful not to push, leaving him space to discover his own passion for music. Hauer says "it allowed me to develop a love for music more strong, though later than some others I know."

As a student at Oberlin, the young pianist finds the environment effective in helping him develop as a young artist. The infrastructure was built for music, and supports the students throughout the day, providing countless opportunities for performance, discourse, experimentation, collaboration, learning, and of course, practicing. However, taking full advantage of all aspects of the conservatory goes hand in hand with obstacles such as fatigue and injury.

Hauer is very sensitive to the potential for injury, and pays close attention to signs of soreness or tightening. "I examine my technique carefully and always stay aware of even minute fatigue" he says. This has enabled him to accomplish an injury-free performing career, a feat that has eluded many professional musicians. 

Hauer also acknowledges the difficulty of staying motivated in the practice room, as training musicians must develop energy to enable them to practice for hour upon hour each day. Hauer finds this through accompanying and chamber music. "I stay so busy with accompanying and chamber music. If I'm not motivated to practice, then there's always accompanying deadlines to keep me going."

Hauer's busy accompanying schedule has led him to perform with each orchestral instrument, except bassoon.  Relating accompanying to dining with a friend, he says, "accompanying is sometimes supporting, sometimes conversing, sometimes leading, often all of those things together. It requires a more sensitive ear, sensitive personality, and willingness to listen to others and feel their emotions." 

In preparation for the competition, Hauer was tasked with simultaneously continuing his performance commitments and preparing the concerto. Early in preparation, he did not add significant time to his daily practice regiment, but prioritized the concerto over other commitments. Just two months before the competition, Hauer had to switch focus away from the concerto in order to prepare for a series of seven concerts. Unfazed by the hectic demands of performance, he found space to extend his practicing to six hours a day in the week leading up to the competition.

His piece of choice? Rachmaninoff's fourth piano concerto. The work has seen little time on stage, often overlooked by professional pianists and orchestras in favor of the composer's more well-know concertos. In explanation of his decision to play a work not commonly considered to be a "competition piece," he says "I don't want to be compared to the other pianists by picking a concerto that others may be playing or is already well-known. I want to be judged for who I am."

The day of a competition, Hauer prefers to stay loose. "I joke with my accompanist, friends, anyone who's around and do anything but focus," he says. "Just a few moments before I perform, I pull myself together for about five seconds and then walk on stage."

Upon hearing the results, Hauer was overwhelmingly excited. This excitement was not in response to his victory. Instead, he says, "I was excited because it meant a chance to perform a piece I love by a composer I love with all of my friends for all of my friends." This opportunity had been a dream of his since freshman year. 

Hauer sees music as a language, a means of communication through which he can express who he is as both a musician and person. He says "I don't treat music as 'art' -- it is a tool to communicate with others. Since music is not like English, where a particular story is told, the emotions can be at the same time more general and more personal. I want to share with the audience in two-way communication. I don't perform to the audience, I share with them. A successful performance means I left nothing on stage, opened up completely to the audience, and found out afterwards that the listeners were touched by my emotions and personality and shared their own emotions with me. It's hard to explain in words, and easy to explain with music."

Hauer's first stop after the competition? A rehearsal with his trio. But as the young pianist is paving his way to a very successful career, he will have plenty of opportunities to relax after great musical accomplishments.