Topilow, marking 10 years as local conductor, said he's like a coach

SANDUSKY — Carl Topilow said being a symphony conductor resembles being a football coach. An orchestra is a team working together, one that works well if it has been well-coached during rehearsals."You can't just throw a team on the field and expect them to succeed if they haven't been well-coached," Topilow said.Topilow marked his 10th year as the conductor and music director of the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. Since he took over in 2008, season ticket subscriptions grew from 56 a year to 550, according to the biography on his official website.Firelands Symphony Orchestra conductor Carl Topilow with his trademark colored clarinets. Experienced leadershipThe Firelands symphony is only one aspect of Topilow's conducting career.He's the founder of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, which draws large crowds, including to the orchestra's annual New Year's Eve concert. He spends two months a year in Colorado as the music director and conductor of the National Repertory Orchestra, a summer music festival. He's done about 32,000 auditions for young musicians trying out for the orchestra. He serves as guest conductor for orchestras all over the world and teaches conducting at the Cleveland Institute of Music.Topilow doesn't just conduct the Firelands Symphony Orchestra. He also selects all of the music the orchestra will play. He tries to select a balance between classical and pop and to fit the themes for particular concerts, such as Christmas and patriotic tributes to America's veterans.The orchestra performs plenty of classical music standards, including Beethoven symphonies, but Topilow doesn't attempt the entire repertory when he's in Sandusky."A lot of it is also based on what I feel the orchestra can thrive on," he said.For example, the Firelands Symphony has not played any Mahler symphonies. They are very long, they require a great deal of preparation, and the orchestra might not shine performing them, Topilow said."We're not doing the Rite of Spring," Topilow said, referring to the groundbreaking Stravinsky piece. It is difficult and requires a huge orchestra, larger than the Firelands Symphony, he said.But the orchestra did do Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite," and it illustrated the orchestra's musical growth, Topilow said."That was a huge step for us. We did really, really well," he said.Practice is keyThe key to a good orchestra performance is the rehearsal, Topilow said. The way the Firelands Symphony Orchestra sounds on Thursday is not what it will sound like on Saturday night, he said.Conducting is a complicated business. The "Conductor's Corner" section of Topilow's website includes an essay on successful orchestra rehearsals. A conductor has to worry about uniform bowings in the string section, put a lot of thought into selecting the tempo and be prepared to add notes to certain instruments, bearing in mind the capabilities of modern instruments."It may seem obvious, but the real job of the conductor is to listen to the orchestra. This is actually easier said than done," Topilow writes. "Learning to keep your ears open is much more important than planning gestures or learning 'baton technique'."Topilow wrote that he sometimes listens to an orchestra play without a conductor."Sometimes I start the orchestra and go into the hall to listen. I find that this technique obliges the musicians to listen to each other more carefully, which is one of my goals for any ensemble," he said.Topilow's chores with Firelands Symphony also including 60 or 70 auditions each September from musicians hoping for a job, or at least to be listed as a substitute musician as needed. Each musician gets about five minutes to show what he or she can do.Topilow said it doesn't take long to figure out if the player is good."Five seconds are usually enough. That may be a little extreme. I can tell pretty quickly," he said.Modern conductors also know they have to take an active role in fundraising, said Topilow, who has played the clarinet and piano at Firelands Symphony parties.Music is Topilow's job, but he also likes to listen. He has satellite radio in his car, and tunes into the Metropolitan Opera, Broadway musicals, symphonic music, jazz, National Public Radio and the comedy channel.Topilow has a collection of about eight clarinets, including instruments that are colored red, white, green and blue.The different colors can come in handy. Topilow said he is preparing a March 17 St. Patrick's Day concert in South Bend, home of the Notre Dame "Fighting Irish." He said he'll take along his green clarinet and play "Danny Boy" with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra.Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontomCarl Topilow leading the Firelands Symphony Orchestra.