The North Carolina Symphony was excited to welcome a new member this season in Assistant Principal Trombone Jonathan Randazzo. Anyone who heard him perform the Tuba mirum during the season-opening performance of Mozart's Requiem knows that he is a special talent and a fine addition to our roster of wonderful musicians.

Yet for any young professional musician, the transition into a new position among a new set of colleagues in a new city presents its challenges--especially when that group travels as much as this orchestra. Jonathan offered these observations of his first months as a member of the North Carolina Symphony:

What a week I had moving in! I was exposed to an earthquake, a hurricane, and tornadoes all within the first week. I guess one could say, that was quite an extraordinary welcome to North Carolina.

Playing in the orchestra has been a great learning experience for me thus far. Although a music conservatory gives sufficient preparation for the physical demands of performing on the job, it doesn’t quite give you the real-life experience of being a full-time orchestra member. Here in the orchestra we have been performing new repertoire each week with minimal rehearsal time. Quite the opposite of what I had experienced at school! Nonetheless, it has been great to constantly be practicing and performing new music. This has been invaluable.

Traveling with the orchestra has been enjoyable for me, and since we travel periodically throughout each month, it makes everything seem more novel. I’ve also had plenty of bus hours to read, watch films and hone my skills at “Angry Birds.”

The most difficult thing for me to get used to has been life off-stage. Moving here was essentially the beginning of living on my own; a huge step from both high school and college. I can’t say that I’m not enjoying it, but I do miss my friends and family. Having the opportunity to meet such welcoming people down here has made this transition a smooth one.

I can’t stress enough how much I’ve enjoyed adapting, living, and performing in North Carolina. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season’s repertoire and experiencing my first Summerfest with the orchestra!