HTH EPSO INTERVIEW: Diana Gilliland

1. How long have you been a member of the EPSO? 37 years

2. Who is your conductor? Bohuslav Rattay
3. What is his occupation? He is the Musical Director of the Midland Symphony
Orchestra, the Lake Charles Symphony Orchestra as well as the El Paso Symphony
Orchestra. He frequently appears as a guest conductor with numerous others in the United
States and Europe.
4. How many members are there in the EPSO? There are approximately 80 musicians.
Some concert scores require more musicians to perform large-scale works on stage
including singers.
5. What do you know about the history of the EPSO? Ex.
- Conductors
H. Arthur Brown was the first conductor. (1931 to 1951)
Orlando Barera followed conducting the symphony another 20 years
Willian Kirschke
Abraham Chavez
Gurer Aykal
Sarah Ioannides
Bohuslav Rattay (2013 to present)
- Members
There are 80 members in the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. A large number of symphony
musicians are music educators or teach privately. In past years the symphony even had a
medical doctor (violinist) and the mayor of Las Cruces (bassoonist) perform regularly in
subscription concerts!
- Concerts
The El Paso Symphony performs 12 traditional classical subscription concerts every
season. Additional concerts include the annual El Paso Electric Young Peoples Concerts,
Pop Goes the Fort Fourth of July concert, Downtown Kids Palooza, the Side by Side
Concert combined the El Paso Youth Orchestras, concerts featuring rock music of Led
Zeppelin, Queen, ABBA, The Beatles, Pink Floyd. The symphony has also performed
Mariachi music, and presented movie music synchronized with famous classic films as
well as other collaborations with live performers from Cirque de Soleil or exciting multimedia presentations.
- Music
In the in season subscription series diverse works from the eras such as overtures,
symphonies, concertos, tone poems, newly commissioned modern works are programmed
as well as original compositions which the orchestra has the unique opportunity to
perform the work as a world premiere with that composer sometimes flying into El Paso
to be present at the rehearsals and the concert.
6. Why did you decide to join the symphony? I was deeply moved in the 4th grade by a
presentation made by our general music teacher. She played a recording of a beautiful

symphonic poem titled The Moldau. Once I heard the violins play the theme I was
determined to play this beautiful instrument the following year in 5th grade orchestra. I
attended a concert at Liberty Hall and was further inspired throughout high school to
continue to pursue my dream to play someday with the El Paso Symphony. I auditioned
and was accepted on both the violin and viola in 1979.
7. Does anyone else in your family play in the symphony? Unfortunately no. I have a
younger sister who played violin up through middle school, and a younger brother who
played violin up to his first year in college.
8. Where else (besides the Plaza Theater) does the symphony play concerts? Over the
years I have been a member, the symphony has performed at the Abraham Chavez
Theatre, Ciudad Juarez in various venues, the Don Haskins Center, McKelligon Canyon,
Fort Bliss, the Judson Williams Center, the El Paso Zoo, the Chamizal and in beautiful
auditoriums in Germany. The symphony also travelled to Turkey but I did not go on that
tour.
9. What type of music do you normally play? As an orchestral performer I am fortunate to
regularly play a very diverse body of Literature. As a teacher over the past 36 years, I
have had the opportunity to share solo and chamber music repertoire with students of
various levels of experience the music I have studied and/or performed.
10. Is there a specific type or preference in music? I feel I have embraced a more
expansive and eclectic body of music to enjoy and appreciate than when I was younger
and would limit my time to exposure to the traditional classical orchestral literature.
Technology has certainly made a profound impact on the almost instant access available
to listen to music from around the globe from the earliest years to the innovative present.