MR. KOJO NNAMDIFrom WAMU 88.5 at American University in Washington, welcome to "The Kojo Nnamdi Show," connecting your neighborhood with the world. Later in the broadcast, a pushback from some Virginia State legislators. We'll talk about the Redskins Pride Caucus. But first, for a young instrumentalist it sounds like a dream job trajectory, win a spot in a world-class orchestra, make music under world-famous conductors, tour the world, and retire with accolades from some of the biggest names in classical music. In this town, only an elite group of musicians can say their resumes include all of the above.

MR. KOJO NNAMDIAnd this month six of them, along with their long-time librarian, will be retiring from the National Symphony Orchestra. From Brahms to the Beatles, Lloyd Webber to Wagner, these musicians have seen it and played it all. Their careers with the NSO span nearly five decades, from the divisive years under Howard Mitchell's baton to the glory years under the great Mstislav Rostropovich, and finally the focused tenure of Christoph Eschenbach. In between, these distinguished musicians brought music to underserved communities around the nation as well as their own back yard.

MR. KOJO NNAMDISo, what's it like to make music in the nation's orchestra? And what musical memories will they take with them? Well, let's just ask them. Jacqueline Anderson is a violinist with the National Symphony Orchestra. She's retiring after 47 years with the NSO. Jacqueline Anderson, thank you for joining us.

MS. JACQUELINE ANDERSONOh, it's a pleasure to be here.

NNAMDIAlso in studio is Elisabeth Adkins, associate concertmaster with the NSO. She is retiring after 31 years. Elisabeth Adkins, thank you for joining us.

MS. ELISABETH ADKINSGreat to be here, Kojo.

NNAMDIAnd Sylvia Alimena is a second hornist with the NSO, retiring after 29 years. Sylvia, thank you for joining us.

MS. SYLVIA ALIMENAHi, Kojo. Great to be here.

NNAMDIIf you have comments or questions for us, you can call us at 800-433-8850. Have you been to a National Symphony Orchestra concert? What music was most memorable for you? 800-433-8850. You can send email to kojo@wamu.org. Or send us a tweet @kojoshow. Jackie, the three of you plus four other retiring colleagues who are not here today have given 251 years of collective expertise to the National Symphony Orchestra. Now that's what I call an institutional memory. You started in 1967. You're the longest serving member to retire.

NNAMDIIt's my understanding that you were thrown into the fray right after your audition with Howard Mitchell, who was the NSO's second conductor. Could you tell us about that audition and what happened after you got the job?

ANDERSONWell, the audition was very simple. I just played in front of Howard Mitchell and the personnel manager and the concertmaster. There was no committee the way there is now. There was not really a procedure. And Mitchell decided, okay, we'll take you, he said. But you have to promise you'll practice. And then immediately we went on a tour, a European tour. And there were really no rehearsals for the tour. Everyone knew the music except me. So I was really in a bit of a shock. But my stand partner kindly pointed out a few of the place where I would probably fall into a trap. And so -- I learned quickly.

NNAMDISo you were hired on the spot and told, you've got to promise to practice. As if you'll say, no, I won't practice. When you started, the orchestra had not yet moved into the Kennedy Center. You said that the group had pretty low morale back then. Why? And then tell us how and why the mood shifted. Was the move to the Kennedy Center a morale booster?

ANDERSONDefinitely it was. There was a lot of politics going on when I joined the orchestra. And I was too naïve and inexperienced to understand what that was. But there were those who liked Mitchell and those who didn't and just a lot of undercurrents that were kind of negative. Then when we went to the Kennedy Center and Dorati took over, it really was a complete change of atmosphere. And he made a wonderful speech to the orchestra one day, which I have remembered all these years, which was that we should take pride in ourselves.

ANDERSONAnd somehow that was a new thought. That was a new idea. And I think it really impressed everyone.

NNAMDIAnd improved morale. Elisabeth and Sylvia, you both came into the NSO under the great Mstislav Rostropovich. Most of us could not imagine auditioning in front of this great Maestro, this great cellist. So I wonder if you'd take us back to your auditions with the orchestra and when you met Slava, as you called him. I'll start with you, Elisabeth.

ADKINSYes, actually I was taking the audition for the associate concertmaster, because my friend James Steward, who was in the first violins of the National Symphony, had informed me about the audition. I had just finished up graduate school at Yale and was not really with any idea of how I might stack up in the professional music world. And I thought the audition would be a good thing for me to try. I didn't have anything to practice for that month. And so for me the audition itself was kind of a goal. And I do remember this blank thought, once I was offered the job, that, oh, I guess I have to move to Washington now.

ADKINSSo the -- I don't tell my students, however, that it was my first audition, because that's very difficult to do, particularly these days. And I do feel very lucky that I was successful on that first outing. And being plunged into the National Symphony with -- sitting next to William Steck, who was a very seasoned concertmaster, was great training for me, and under Rostropovich, just unimaginably wonderful musical experiences.

NNAMDIBut you did not have Jacqueline's experience of auditioning for just two people and being hired on the spot.

ADKINSI didn't. At that point they had a very strong audition procedure in place, which was designed to -- auditions used to be either like Jackie's or sort of plugged into the old-boy network that so-and-so knew so-and-so and knew they would fit in. So the modern audition procedures are instituted to protect the auditionee and to give a fairer, more even playing field. So the first couple of rounds are usually behind a screen, so the candidates are heard without being seen. And then many orchestras, for the finals, will remove the screen, because it's a little odd for us as performing musicians to be playing into a curtain.

ADKINSBut it's really changed the makeup of American orchestras. There are many more women than there used to be.

NNAMDISylvia, tell us a little bit about your audition experience and what were your impressions of Rostropovich as a conductor and artist?

ALIMENAWell, I actually auditioned for this orchestra four different times. It was the orchestra I always wanted to play in. And I'll tell you about my very last audition for the orchestra. As Elisabeth said, the first several rounds are behind a screen and nobody can see you. And for my very last round, this was without the screen, because the chairs are so tall at the Kennedy Center and I'm so short, I had to wear high heels for this audition. So when I went out to do my solo round, which is the solo round with the piano, and just you're playing a solo concerto, I took my shoes off and I was in my bare feet for my solo round.

ALIMENAAnd then when it was time to play the excerpts, I would put my shoes on. And supposedly, after I played my solo piece, Slava turned to someone, he says, oh, we must buy her shoes.

NNAMDII was wondering about that. She's not going to be allowed to perform without shoes.

ALIMENAOh, she must have shoes. So, but playing for Slava, even an audition, you know, there you are, you're all alone on the stage. And there is this great, legend of a man -- you know, somebody who you've seen year after year on television, on the radio, you have his recordings -- and there you are playing for this great, incredible musician. It was such a -- it was mind-blowing. And so I was so -- I was really honored to be chosen by Slava, because he was such a great artist. And Slava really chose wonderful people for the orchestra during his tenure. He liked people who had artistic souls.

ALIMENAAnd I think, that's what, for me, made my time in the National Symphony so wonderful. I was surrounded by so many wonderful, artistic souls.

NNAMDIIn case you're just joining us, we're talking with players who are retiring from the National Symphony Orchestra. Jacqueline Anderson is a violinist with the NSO, retiring after 47 years. Elisabeth Adkins is associate concertmaster, retiring after 31 years. And Sylvia Alimena is second hornist retiring after 21 years. If you have questions or comments, you can call us at 800-433-8850. You can send email to kojo@wamu.org. What are your favorite pieces of orchestral music? Are you a fan of the classics or more contemporary pieces?

NNAMDIWe have a caller, Greg, in Washington D.C. Greg, you are on the air. Ladies, please don your headphones so that you can hear what Greg has to say. Greg, you're on the air. Go ahead, please. Oh, Greg, my fault. Here you are now. There you are, Greg. Hi.

GREGHi, thanks so much. I'm about a ten-year member of Choral Arts Society. And I was wondering -- first of all, I was wondering if Jackie still has absolute pitch? And second of all, because I have absolute pitch, and I'm wondering if I'm going to keep it for life. And the second question that I've had is, what was an especially memorable performance of the Choral Arts Society that we've sung with National Symphony? I really thought that the Brahms' Requiem, which Norman conducted, which was sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society was terrific. So I'll take my answer off air. Thanks.

NNAMDIJackie?

ANDERSONWell I'll remember very well our performances with Choral Arts and they were always a thrill. And I know I will miss doing that. To answer your question about the perfect pitch, I do still have it. I hope that it will continue on as long as I do.

NNAMDIAnd in that case, Greg, there is hope for you too, that it can continue on for as long as you. Jackie, what was it like, and you too, Elisabeth, as string players, to have a world-class cellist like Rostropovich come in as your director? Were you intimidated or just a lot more enthusiastic?

ANDERSONWell, I was a little intimidated in anticipation of his coming to be our music director. And the word was that the violin section was going to have to play Paganini's "Moto Perpetuo" as an encore on tour. And that we were going to have to play it from memory and all standing up. And that put the fear of the whatever in my heart. We'd never been asked to do anything like that before. But also, I have to say, it was thrilling to anticipate and then of course to enjoy his musicianship when he came. And he was very inspiring.

NNAMDIYou did play standing up, but fortunately for you, you didn't have to play it from memory.

ANDERSONWe had four pages across the music stand. Yes, we...

NNAMDIRostropovich really brought the orchestra into world-class status. What did if feel like as musicians to, well, ride that wave, Elisabeth?

ADKINSIt was really marvelous to play with him. And the thing about Rostropovich is that he was really larger than life. And even as a fabulous musician, we played with the finest musicians in the world, and Rostropovich was even something past that. He was a citizen of the world, just an enormous spirit. And to feel like we took up any space in his brain at all was really an honor. To see the world's stage through his eyes, when we toured with him, to be in Russia with him, to play in the capitals of Europe and see the kind of esteem that this man was held in all over the world, and for us to be on the same stage was thrilling.

NNAMDISylvia, you mentioned artistic soul. And it seemed that Rostropovich was more interested in whether or not the performer had an artistic soul than he was in whether the performer was a great technician.

ALIMENASlava (sp?) very often used an expression when we were rehearsing with him and it is something like, ladies and gentlemen, we must make magic. And Slava was always interested in not just making the orchestra be together or sound great, but there had to be the extra special something that the orchestra was bringing to every single moment in the piece of music. And in order to make magic you have to know what that means. And in order to make magic you have to be an artist. And of course he knew what that meant.

NNAMDIRostropovich studied under the great composer Dmitri Shostakovich at the Moscow Conservatory. When he was exiled from the Soviet Union, Rostropovich made Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 a signature piece of the NSO. Let's listen to a bit of the NSO playing No. 5 at the Kennedy Center in 1994. And then I'd like to get your thoughts on this piece.

NNAMDIThe NSO really made this piece its own. I'd like to hear your thoughts on it, starting with you, Jacqueline.

ANDERSONWell, in listening to that it really conjures up the feeling that I had when we were playing it. And I guess the thought that comes to my mind is that when we played it with anyone else, it wasn't the same when Rostropovich conducted this piece. That was the real item. That was the real deal.

NNAMDIAnd you played it a lot, didn't you?

ANDERSONAnd we played it a lot.

NNAMDIDid Slava instill a love of Russian composers in any of you? What was it like to play this piece in Red Square in 1993 four years after the Soviet Union had crumbled?

ANDERSONWell, the thing about Slava with Shostakovich is that Slava lived this music. He lived what it was about. He lived everything that Shostakovich was trying to tell the world with this music. And so Slava would tell us what this music really meant underneath. And so even just hearing it, as Jackie says, it really not only conjures up how we felt to play it for him, but what this music meant and how it really touches the soul and what it really is supposed to show the world.

NNAMDIElisabeth, it was different playing it for him than it was for anyone else?

ADKINSAbsolutely. And in fact, playing for Rostropovich almost any music was different from playing it with anyone else. The world that I always come back to with Rostropovich is commitment. He had utter commitment to everything that he did. And when we would be on tour playing this piece, maybe the sixth or seventh time on a tour, you would come in and think, boy I don't have the energy for this tonight. And every time he had enough energy for everyone, and enough compelling vision to really bring the orchestra up farther than we could ever imagine.

ADKINSAnd even on those nights when you were sinking by the end, you were glowing. It just -- it was such an amazing experience to be with him and to have experienced that kind of transcendent music making.

NNAMDIYou would manage to extricate your artistry regardless of how you were feeling at the time. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, we will continue this conversation. But in the meantime you can still call, 800-433-8850. What have been your favorite concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra? Have you heard the NSO play in your neighborhood, 800-433-8850? You can send email to kojo@wamu.org or go to our website kojoshow.org and join the conversation there. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.

NNAMDIWelcome back to our conversation with players who are retiring from the National Symphony Orchestra. We're talking with Sylvia Alimena, second hornist with the NSO retiring after 29 years, Jacqueline Anderson, violinist retiring after 47 years, and Elisabeth Adkins, associate concert master retiring after 31 years. I'd like to go directly to the phones again and speak with Rhea in Arlington, Va. Rhea, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

RHEAHi, Kojo. Thank you for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

RHEAElisabeth and Sylvia and Jacqueline, congratulations, and thank you so, so , so much for the wonderful cultural leadership you have brought to the Washington D.C. area. My father took me to my first National Symphony concert back in the early '70s. I was probably four or five years old. And I said -- Elisabeth, I remember you -- and when I was four and five years old I said, that is what I want to do and that is who I want to be.

RHEAAnd then in high school I became your student. I'm just so grateful for everything. And you sent me off to the Cleveland Institute of Music. And Sylvia, I've worked under your baton and your leadership McLean Orchestra. And I'm just -- I'm sad and I'm excited for the next chapter of your lives. And I just thank you so, so much for just being so accessible in grooming the future generations of professional musicians in Washington, D.C. who not sit in the National Symphony and who now sit in some of the major orchestras in this country. So thank you so much.

NNAMDIAnd thank you for your call, Rhea. But Rhea brought up an interesting question that I'd like to ask each of you, starting with you Sylvia. What is the next chapter of your life?

ALIMENAWell, I've done a lot of conducting in this area and I've also done a lot of educating. I've been the director of Brass of Piece which is a high school scholarship group for the last 25 years and I plan to continue to do that because it's very important work to be an educator. In terms of my conducting projects, my next project will be an opera showcase kind of a project. I'd like to create a showcase for our American great singers and have the Washington area get to hear these folks singing different roles that they've heard these other people sing before, some new roles and unusual roles. So that's kind of my next project is an opera showcase project.

NNAMDIAnd yours, Elisabeth?

ADKINSI'm actually leaving the orchestra to take a violin professorship in Fort Worth, Texas. I'm from the Dallas/Fort World area originally and I'll be teaching at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, which is where the Van Clyburn has been located for the last 40 years. And the string program is rising to international/national prominence to catch up with the piano program.

NNAMDIAnd you, Jacqueline?

ANDERSONWell, I also plan to continue to teach, which I have been doing all along. And I plan to continue having music performances at my house, which I've been doing for many, many years on Sunday nights. And then I say somewhat tentatively I'm going to try my hand at opening some kind of antique shop out in Sterling. And that's an unknown.

NNAMDISounds like a fascinating unknown though. Onto Paula in Cabin John, Md. Paula, your turn.

PAULAWell, I'll probably start crying. I'm a colleague and I cannot tell you how much we're going to miss these three ladies. It is just horrible that they're leaving but I also am thrilled that they have such wonderful futures. They have given so much to the NSO.

NNAMDITell us a story about them, Paula.

PAULAWell, one story is that seven years ago I was in Paris. And I had just arrived. I don't speak French so I went to eat out and a waitress sat me down next to two gentlemen who were Americans. And we started chatting and I mentioned I'm in the NSO, I'm a violinist. And one of them just lit up and he said, oh my goodness, is Jacqueline Anderson still in the orchestra? And I said, well of course she is. And he said, I'm a journalist with the Washington Post and I interviewed her 20 years ago. Oh, please give her my love. And he still had a crush on Jacqueline for all those years.

NNAMDIThat's the part of the story I wanted to hear.

PAULAThat's only one of many stories, trust me.

NNAMDIPaula, thank you very much for sharing that story with us.

PAULAThank you so much for having my colleagues on the radio.

NNAMDIAnd Jackie, you and Elisabeth both come from distinguished musical families. From what I understand, your grandparents were quite pivotal to the founding of the Berlin Philharmonic. Can you tell us about that history?

ANDERSONActually, it was my great grandparents.

NNAMDIYes.

ANDERSONI'll take another generation in there. Yes, they ran a concert management in Berlin and they founded the Philharmonic at that time. And just had a fascinating life with everybody who was anybody in the musical world passing through their hands. And I wish I had a chance to ask them about it now.

NNAMDIWell, it clearly had an influence on you. Let's talk a little bit about during the Slava years. When the NSO established a regular presence on public television and also underlined its national title by creating a series of residencies in different states, starting in 1992, the NSO lost its grant after 2011 for that program. But you brought music to a lot of underserved communities. Can you share some of your memories of those residencies, Elisabeth?

ADKINSI think the state residency program was one of the finest initiatives that the National Symphony Orchestra ever had. And I would love for it to be resurrected in some form. We -- as opposed to a normal tour where we would go, for example, to Germany and play in a different city every night, on the state residencies we would center ourselves somewhere. And then the full orchestra would play at any venue that was large enough to receive some version of the full orchestra. And then we would split up into chamber music groups, solo coaching, master classes. We played at nursing homes. We played outreach programs.

ADKINSThere were cultural exchanges. I know our percussion group went and played with -- at the Baskin Indians drum group. And so there are all kinds of activities. We would generally do between 100 and 200 different activities over the course of eight to ten days. So the wonderful thing about that from our standpoint was since we would stay in the same place for three or four days, we had a feeling like we had actually been to the area and got to know some of the people.

ADKINSAnd also, as you mentioned, these -- outside of the main cities are very underserved areas. So when we were going into elementary schools, when we were going into nursing homes, this was an audience that was not receiving classical music at all, and certainly not at the level that the National Symphony could find...

NNAMDIGlad you brought that up, Sylvia, because what did those residences tell you about the state of classical music education in this country?

ALIMENAWell, it's varied. It depends on what state you go to. The problem is that not everybody has the same quality public school education. And frankly that's where I got my beginnings on an instrument. If all schools throughout the country had the same quality of public education and instrumental programs there would be no question about whether classical music was going to succeed into the future.

ALIMENASo I think our residencies -- I would hope that our residencies, which I also agree with Elisabeth, were one of the most meaningful things we ever did, if they were to do anything it would be to show perhaps state legislators how important it is to have music in the schools -- quality music education in the schools.

NNAMDILike Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit, the NSO is now focusing more locally by bringing its players to neighborhoods in D.C. I had the opportunity of performing Peter and the Rabbit with the NSO at the Lincoln Theater here in Washington last year.

ALIMENAActually I think it wasn't a rabbit. I think it was a little scarier than that.

NNAMDIPeter and the Wolf.

ALIMENAYes.

NNAMDIDo you think...

ALIMENAWe wanted to get you in easily. We thought Peter and the Rabbit would be the...

NNAMDI..would be the factor that would draw me in.

ALIMENAExactly.

NNAMDIThe -- is this playing in neighborhoods a key to future sustainability for orchestras and classical music even though it might not be bringing in high ticket revenue, Jacqueline?

ANDERSONWell, I like to think that at least some of these children would hear something that would catch their attention and their imagination and they would -- even if it wasn't so interesting at that time, it might come back to them years later and they would want to pursue it somehow.

NNAMDIElisabeth.

ADKINSI think that it does show the accessibility of classical music in general that probably some of the people that come to our concerts in your neighborhood program might not venture to the Kennedy Center to hear a formal concert yet when they're able to hear something down the street in a venue that they know. They're presented with an extremely entertaining and very rewarding experience that I think may encourage them to seek it out in the future.

NNAMDIIs, Sylvia, popularizing classical music, because in my own preparation for Peter and the Wolf I listened to David Bowie doing it. Is that playing more crowd pleasers the best way to keep Americans interested in orchestral music?

ALIMENAWell, first of all, you know, any music is great music in my opinion. And popular music is part of our American culture. It's part of our great American culture. And frankly, I'm one of those people who really enjoys playing American popular music. I enjoy pops concerts. I think anything that gives people what they want musically is a good thing. I don't think there's anybody here in this room that's necessarily a musical snob that only listens to classical music or only feels that playing classical music is valid. I think we all enjoyed our pops concerts, especially the ones with Marvin Hamlisch. I think we see the value in all types of music. And bringing that to people is what we do.

NNAMDIOne of the things I discovered while rehearsing with the group was that members of the NSO, just about all of them, play in other kinds of groups. During the course of the year a wide variety of genres of music can be found in the members of the NSO. But let's go back to the phones. Here's Mark in Silver Spring, Md. Mark, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

MARKHi, Kojo.

NNAMDIHi, Mark.

MARKI have a very vivid recollection of my favorite concert. It was -- and I think these folks played so admirably. It was Leonard Bernstein conducting. He was playing Schubert's 9th. And I specifically remember after the end of the second movement thinking that I would never hear that piece played as well as it was that night. So I'd like to thank your guests for their music that night and ask them if they remember it.

NNAMDIAnd a little bit?

ANDERSONWell, Leonard Bernstein is unforgettable, certainly. We had the opportunity to play with him a number of times. And it was always quite an amazing experience. The musicality that this man represented and the place that he holds in American music was a little daunting to work with him. But we certainly remember that performance. And he was really magnificent.

NNAMDIAnd when you played with Leonard Bernstein, you also did the mambo. Let's hear a clip of the NSO doing the mambo from Leonard Bernstein's Westside Story.

NNAMDIWhat's amazing about professional musicians of your caliber is that you have many other talents outside the instruments that you play. Sylvia, you're an active conductor outside the NSO with a group Brass of Peace. Tell us a little more about that group and your work with young people.

ALIMENAWell, Brass of Peace is a scholarship ensemble of high school players. It's a scholarship ensemble which means they don't pay anything. And I see them once a week on Sunday from 7:00 to 9:00 and we do much more challenging repertoire than they do in other groups. And it's really a joy to work with these kids who are so energizing. I love it.

NNAMDISpeaking of pay, I think that's what Frank in Wheaton, Md. has a question about. Frank, your turn.

FRANKYes. I played for years the flute and piccolo with Fabian Sevitzky and Izler Solomon of the Indianapolis Symphony. And I was curious, the basic -- I know we had -- we played for the soul and the love of music, but wrong. We played for the money. I just wondered, for people that -- I'd love to compare my salary (unintelligible) when I played for 19 years -- what did you start out at and what did you end up with?

NNAMDIWell, we're not going to reveal specific numbers here, but I'd like to…

FRANKWell, just generally speaking, generally speaking.

NNAMDI(unintelligible) did the disparity between what you made when you started and what you made in later years.

ALIMENAWell, you know what? I understand what it's like to freelance. I was a freelancer in Boston. And as a freelancer you work a lot harder, you know, three service days, you know, two rehearsals and a concert. But what I can say is this, that the dues that I paid to get to the National Symphony were also very high. So I'd say the dues that I paid were just commensurate with the salary that we make. I'll leave it at that.

ADKINSThe symphony also, with the string players in particular, we must have very fine instruments to be competitive at the level of the major symphony orchestra. And it's a little difficult when your violin is something like using a Van Gogh painting in your work. So we always have to take the instruments and the training into account.

NNAMDIAnd I guess, Jackie, the difference between 47 years ago and today is quite significant.

ANDERSONWell, I was going to say, yes, that when I started out it was not a fulltime job and most people had other jobs to make ends meet.

NNAMDISylvia, you've worked under four music directors at the NSO. I'd like to know who was most influential in your conducting career. I'll mention that in the break we were talking about Leonard Slatkin.

ALIMENAWell, you know, Leonard was a wizard. And to watch him, from my standpoint as a conductor, to watch somebody who was so incredible with his hands -- he could show so many things with his hands. He very rarely had to say anything. And so I learned so much from watching Leonard and watching how he rehearsed and how efficient he was. And I couldn't help but grow as a conductor by watching Leonard. So I'm actually very grateful to Leonard.

NNAMDIElisabeth?

ADKINSYes. I think we've seen so many fine conductors over the years. It continues to amaze me how they can communicate, particularly the guest conductors who just come in and stand up on the podium and within a couple of minutes we've made up our mind whether they're any good or not, and just the variety of expression that is possible in the field to be effective.

ADKINSFor example, Rostropovich, that we spoke about earlier, was not anything like a classical conductor in his technique. Yet, somehow he was able to convey the musicality and the effects that he wanted, even though his hands were not nearly as organized, maybe, as some of the conductors that we've had.

NNAMDIJacqueline?

ANDERSONWell, I was just thinking about the conductor -- what did they call that -- the Institute -- Conducting Institute?

ADKINSOh, yes. That Leonard had.

ANDERSONAnd that we would play for some of these student conductors and witness the teaching that he did. And I found that fascinating. And that he really had studied his art and it was very clear.

NNAMDIIt is my understanding that you keep up your family, going back to your great-grandparents tradition, by opening your home to house concert on Sunday nights.

ANDERSONThat's right, yeah.

NNAMDIWhen is the next one?

ANDERSONI don't have anything…

ADKINSYou're doing "Peter and The Wolf," I think.

NNAMDII'd be happy to be there. Let's go to Sarah, in Reston, Va. Sarah, you're on the air. Go ahead, please.

SARAHHi, Kojo. Thank you for taking my call.

NNAMDIYou're welcome.

SARAHI just -- I was at the NSO concert last night with Ben Folds at Wolf Trap. And I know we had already talked about pop music a little earlier in this show…

NNAMDIYeah.

SARAH…but, I just wanted to say thank you to these women. I went with my fiance and that was his first time ever seeing a symphony orchestra. And I said, you know, this is not what it's usually like. And Ben Folds is quite a character. And it was so awesome for me. I'm a professional musician in D.C. and it was so cool for me to see his eyes opened to this world of classical music in a very different setting.

SARAHAnd I think that, even though it's not necessarily the high-art classical music that you women are capable of performing, you touched so many lives just doing that one concert last night. I think it's amazing that you're such versatile musicians. And I just wanted to say thank you for being willing to be flexible and open with your music making.

NNAMDISarah, you have underscored our purpose here today. Because, Elisabeth, as members of the Nation's Orchestra, you were asked to play music of all styles, all genres, from pop and Disney tunes at Wolf Trap to the big classic composers like Brahms and Beethoven. Is it easy to switch styles or is that a skill you've had to acquire with the job?

ADKINSYou know, it's very interesting. With the National Symphony in particular, but any orchestra, we pride ourselves on that flexibility. And it is asked of us in the job, but it's also something that we take great pride in. So it makes it difficult to answer the common question, when someone says, oh, what's your favorite piece? Or, who's your favorite composer? I think, for many of us, our favorite composer is the one that we are bringing to life at the moment.

ADKINSAnd the skills required to go from the high-art music to playing pops concerts and children's concerts and occasionally we have to get up and act, sometimes -- Marvin Hamlisch, in particular, would just take a stroll through the orchestra and stick a microphone in somebody's face and, you know, everyone really rises to the occasion. But that is something that we do pride ourselves on particularly. And the National Symphony, I believe, has -- we have not had the long tradition with a single conductor that you had with Philadelphia and Ormandy or with some of the other major orchestras.

ADKINSBut what it gives us is a willingness to hear what the conductor we have this week has to say. I believe, in the past, sometimes people would get up to conduct some of the famous orchestras in their own repertoire. And they would play it their way, no matter who was up there. And we don't have a kind of a tradition like that. But it also makes us, I think, very responsive to people when, week after week, as they come through, guest conductors that we have, quite different styles.

NNAMDIElisabeth Adkins, she is associate concert master with the National Symphony Orchestra, retiring after 31 years with the NSO. Thank you so much for joining us.

ADKINSThank you.

NNAMDISylvia Alimena, second hornist National Symphony Orchestra, retiring after 29 years. Thank you for joining us.

ALIMENAIt's been a pleasure.

NNAMDIAnd Jacqueline Anderson, violinist, retiring after 47 years with the NSO. Thank you for joining us.

ANDERSONIt's been an honor.

NNAMDIThank you for all that you've done and good luck to you in the future. We're going to take a short break. When we come back, a pushback from some Virginia state legislators. We'll talk about the Redskins Pride Caucus. I'm Kojo Nnamdi.