Leadership Ensemble

Fortunately, New York City is filled with hundreds of high-quality freelance musicians and Juilliard graduates eager to perform with this unique chamber orchestra. Among that large group, Orpheus has a dozen or so regulars who perform so frequently with the group that they have become part of its extended family of musicians. Freelancers who are familiar with the Orpheus process are crucial, especially because newcomers are often reluctant to speak up, and full members can't carry the entire responsibility of shaping how a piece of music will be performed.

"I remember the first time I subbed, I felt as if I were entering a private club," recalls cellist Melissa Meell, who became a full member of the group in 1991. "At the time, I didn't clearly understand how much I was expected to contribute, so it was easy to feel odd about making my opinions heard. Now I know that all of the musicians need to participate as if they were members. Hearing fresh, new voices is always good." To help ensure that everyone is heard, members and subs in many sections participate equally over the course of a performance cycle, dividing the principal roles among each section member.

Sheer longevity in the business helps a lot too. Not only do you become familiar with a classical repertoire, but you also get to know other musicians, even if some of them aren't always around. "I remember reading a story about Bill Russell many years ago," says Bauch. "He said that when the intensity of the game of basketball reached its highest level, everything seemed to slow down so much that he could almost predict what each player would do and what each move would be. To me, that best describes the experience of playing chamber music with people whom I've known for years. Time stands still, and you can anticipate one another's every move. Nothing outside that moment seems to exist."

Nothing, that is, until the last note of Brahms's Serenade No. 2 resonates through Carnegie Hall. Then the silence is broken by enthusiastic applause from audience members, among whom are a large group of Baruch students who have come to see for themselves what collaboration and consensus building can do.

Ron Lieber (rlieber@fastcompany.com), a Fast Company senior writer, is based in New York City. For more information on Orpheus, contact Harvey Seifter by email (hseifter@orpheusnyc.com), or visit Orpheus on the Web (www.orpheusnyc.com).