IN PORTRAIT
>// GETTING TO KNOW DIFFERENCE MAKERS
AS RESIDENT MAESTRO AT ROLLINS COLLEGE,
JOHN SINCLAIR LETS THE BATON
DO THE TALKING.
John V. Sinclair claims to be just like any-
one else, with one distinct difference — he
waves his arms for a living.
As the artistic director and conductor of
the Bach Festival Society of Winter Park,
he is anything but typical. For starters, he
is responsible for transporting classical
masterworks from one generation to the
next. A hefty mission indeed.
His schedule of about 100 perfor-
mances a year — sometimes in far-off loca-
tions like St. Peter’s Basilica or London’s
Royal Albert Hall, other times at Knowles
Memorial Chapel at Rollins College and
elsewhere — leaves little time for sleep.
“I get about four to five hours a night,”
says Sinclair. “It’s the life of a musician.
It’s one big musical pie, and each slice
feeds off of the other.”
A large portion of the pie is devoted to
Rollins, where he directs the choirs and
orchestra, teaches classes and chairs the
department of music. During the holi-
day season, he’s a conductor of the Walt
Disney World Candlelight Procession-
26 //< FIRST MON DAY
by Sarah Sekula//
als at Epcot. And he can also be found
directing the Moravian Music Festival in
other states or the annual Bach Festival
on the Rollins campus. The list goes on
and on. And none of this comes without
arduous preparation. He reserves 11 p.m.
to 2 a.m. at home to rehearse for upcom-
ing performances and spends many hours
rehearsing his choirs.
His dedication to the Central Florida
cultural community and his string of suc-
cesses could certainly land him an ego the
size of Texas. Sinclair, however, doesn’t
take himself too seriously.
Under his leadership, the Bach Festival
Choir has been compared to the likes of
the London Symphony Orchestra, and
The New York Times has recognized the annual
Winter Park Bach Festival as one of the
outstanding choral events in the coun-
try. Yet, deep down, Sinclair shows signs
of being an everyday person. His roots
are planted in the small Missouri farm-
ing community of his childhood, which
explains his love for gardening. And much
Conducting
Culture
of his free time is spent enjoying the great
American pastime, baseball. When he was
a child, his hopes of becoming the next
Brooks Robinson were trumped by his
newfound love for trumpet playing.
These days, Sinclair is busy preparing
for the annual Bach Festival, a multi-
week program of events running Feb. 15
through March 9. The festival includes
world-class lecturers, soloists and ensem-
bles, and features the work of renowned
pianist Leon Fleisher, among others, in
addition to performances by the Bach
Festival Choir and Orchestra.
Although Bach Festival performances
date back to 1935, organizers say it
remains one of Central Florida’s best-
kept secrets. “Central Florida is not aware
of the gem they have,” says Sinclair. “A
great Bach song is equivalent to the Mona
Lisa.” There is a reason why this music
lasts today, he adds: These works travel
well through time.
“When I go to a museum and see artwork,
I’m a better person,” says Sinclair. He aims
for his audience to feel the same way as they
leave any Bach Festival performance.
“There’s nothing more wonderful
than hearing live music in the [Knowles
Memorial] chapel,” he comments. “It’s
like being in a surround sound theater.”
As for the folks who imagine classical
music to be pretentious or stuffy, Sinclair
>// photo by NuVisions in Photography //<
challenges them to sample the music and
learn more. In an effort to bring in a new
crowd of classical music enthusiasts, this
year’s Bach Festival will include its first
Classical Music 101 event, a casual, free,
hourlong demonstration session designed
to help new audiences feel more comfort-
able and knowledgeable when attending
a performance.
“It’s a challenge in our ever-changing,
fast-paced world with shorter attention
spans,” he says. “How do you keep master-
works profound to the next generation?”
Sinclair says his organization is perfectly
poised to achieve that objective.
With Sinclair’s round-the-clock ambi-
tion and goal of teaching music for 50
years, he has another 18 years to go before
he sees a full night’s rest.
His dedication to the Central
Florida cultural community
and his string of successes
could certainly land him an
ego the size of Texas. Sinclair,
however, doesn’t take himself
too seriously.