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The Leader
The man in charge of bringing all of this together is brand-new to Verde Valley Sinfonietta, and he says he’s very much looking forward to his debut. Kevin Kozacek is the founding director of North Valley Symphony Orchestra in Phoenix and a pilot with Southwest Airlines. Kevin was born in Colorado and first moved to Arizona in 1986 when he was in the U.S. Air Force. Kevin would go on to earn music degrees from University of Northern Colorado and NAU and work as a music teacher. He has experience playing brass, piano and string bass, but it’s conducting that has been his passion since college. Kevin says he knew about Verde Valley Sinfonietta when it first started back in 2002 and was honored when the sinfonietta asked him to take over as conductor and music director this season. During our conversation, Kevin was in the middle of deciphering music from R. Carlos’ albums (much of it was recorded improvisationally). Orchestra members were set to receive their music in September with rehearsals beginning a mere two weeks before showtime, a timeline that Kevin says is typical for an orchestra the size of Verde Valley Sinfonietta. He describes the collaboration as “very exciting.”
“R. Carlos has elevated the genre of Native American music – he’s the one everyone looks to when it comes to an example of the Native American flute,” says Kevin. “He’s the benchmark, and this is a wonderful opportunity to work with him and duplicate the music. Jerod writes for an orchestra, and his songs all tell stories, which is what is so interesting about Native American art: It’s centered around storytelling. It’s my job as the conductor to research the music and know what it is the composer is trying to get across and conduct the work to evoke that emotion.”
Kevin says he’s always been drawn to music that tells a story, so he’s looking forward to collaborating with Native American musicians in a way that he hasn’t done in the past. In addition to Nakai in Concert, Kevin will conduct Verde Valley Sinfonietta’s Romantic Tapestry concert on Feb. 11, 2018, and its Emerging Artist Concert on May 6, 2018. That’s in addition to the four concerts he will perform with North Valley Symphony Orchestra this season. Kevin is used to a full schedule, though. He’s also the founding director of ProMusica Arizona Chorale and Orchestra and has guest-conducted orchestras in Russia and Ukraine. He is a big believer in music’s ability to bridge divides.
“For this audience, the Native American culture is so different from ours but so close in proximity that sometimes we don’t pay attention,” he says. “I think it’s important we open minds and hearts to each other’s lives, beliefs and spirituality, and music can do that. It’s a healing thing. Music really does soothe the soul.”
For more information, visit www.vvsinfonietta.org or call 928-282-3066.
