A Conversation with Symphony Conductor, Maestro Dingwall Fleary

1. What do you do in the field of music? 

I am primarily a classical musician whose emphasis is orchestral and choral conducting. I preside over two orchestras in Northern Virginia and have served as a guest conductor in the U.S and abroad. I am also active as a pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and teacher, and I have had extensive experience with musical theater in New York and throughout the greater Washington, D.C., area.

• Who has influenced, motivated, and inspired you in your music?

Several teachers have inspired me. One of my first instructors was the remarkable musician Kenneth Brown Billups Sr., in St. Louis. Equally influential was Vladimir Golschmann, past conductor of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, who expanded my love of orchestral music by permitting me to be present during rehearsals. My formal studies were at the University of Kansas and Northwestern University. From 1962-1968 I taught at Bennett and Vassar colleges in upstate New York.

• What role has music played in your life?

My work in the field of music has made it possible to live comfortably, raise and support three children, and see much of the U.S. It also created opportunities for foreign travel and music-making.

• What prompted you to write and perform your stage production titled The Measure of a Man: The Life of Paul Robeson? 

After hearing of, then reading about this remarkable individual, who just happened to have become acclaimed in so many fields of endeavor, The Measure of a Man: The Life of Paul Robeson developed out of my admiration and respect for him. From the time I learned that he was an African American who overcame many obstacles during his personal quest to be the best in every one of his endeavors, I was moved to find a way to tell his story in a way that would be factual and the same time entertaining. My vehicle for telling his story was through music and elements of theater, both of which played a major role in his life.

• As a versatile musician, conductor, pianist, organist, harpsichordist, and pedagogue, how do you know which area in music to focus on at any given time? 

I have been asked this question quite frequently over many years. Some time ago the answer I eventually settled on is the same one I give today: I pour my complete focus into whichever area I’m involved with at that moment.

• How has COVID-19 changed your life?

The COVID-19 experience has affected businesses, leaders and followers of communities of faith, and absolutely every form and aspect of the performing arts. Throughout the crisis, right up to the present, I have a much more expanded appreciation for how much we all must rely on each other. A conductor is nothing without musicians to lead, just as merchants need customers. So, more than ever, I consciously seek to find something to cherish every day.

• What character values did your parents instill into your life growing up in St. Louis?

I am “the son of a preacher-man,” a Seventh-day Adventist born in Grenada, British West Indies, and a well-educated mother who was a social worker and an extremely talented seamstress. With that heritage, my upbringing was fairly strict, although my younger brother and I never felt that it was. Music, reading books, attending concerts and outdoor summer theater events, etc., played an important role for us, and these experiences extended to my grandparents as well, especially my grandmother.

• What advice can you give to musicians today in regard to responding to obstacles and adversity?

Although modern-day musicians will likely face challenges, opportunities are far more available to those who have the desire to have a fulfilling career in the field. Keeping in mind that not everyone will become a marquee celebrity, there are numerous paths toward satisfaction, not the least of which is to share one’s zeal for a particular specialty as a teacher. Without question, mydesire to be involved with music developed from seeds planted by outstanding instructors, few of whom ever became superstars themselves.

• This is a special year for you and the McLean Symphony, celebrating 50 years together!  Not many orchestras can say this. What do you love about being the conductor, music director, and founder of the McLean Symphony? 

To answer this question, with your permission, I’d like to quote myself. The following is an excerpt from my introductory statement found in this year’s anniversary program booklet:

In a similar message ten years ago, for the celebration of season 40 (you’d figured that out already, right?), I began by saying, “I’ve been told that 40 years is a long time to have spent in any one place, especially when it comes to music and the arts. But, because each day, each new rehearsal, and each concert is always so rewarding and satisfying, it simply doesn’t feel like it has been that long.” Well, here I am a decade later (and older!), and I still feel exactly the same way now as I did then, “it simply doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.”

Over these fifty years, the performance venues have included local churches, schools, and retirement communities. Unquestionably, the most significant partnership had been with the Robert Ames Alden Theatre at the McLean Community Center. It was the place to which we’d become most attached and the performance space which gave us our identity. The auditorium and areas on the Center’s beautiful grounds where we played outdoor concerts hold cherished memories for me. “The Alden” was the “home” to the orchestra and me for the better part of our existence.

For half a century, we have had the support of more individuals than I can name …. They have served as thoughtful members of the Symphony board, as well as energetic and selfless volunteers who have given many hours of assistance through their various specialties. When I add to the list the literally hundreds of musicians who have played under my baton (including the ones who’ve had to dodge it when it slipped from my fingers), I am truly humbled. From the bottom of my heart, I offer my profound and sincere thanks to my colleagues in the orchestra.

Finally, without a doubt, this season could not have happened without the countless patrons who have encouraged us with their attendance over the years. It is abundantly clear to me that this achievement is to be shared by many. If you are among them, we can all share this year of celebration!

2. The McLean Symphony will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary Winter Holiday Concert on Dec. 4th at 7:30 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Comforter, Vienna, Va.  Who will be featured at this special concert? What types of music can the audience expect to hear?

Before I answer that question, allow me to muse a bit. To be clear, a Golden Anniversary Season is an exceptional and infrequent achievement, especially for an all-volunteer community orchestra. It seems to me that such a year demands very special music, with Washington-area soloists of the highest caliber to appear as guest artists.

For the first program of the year, we were honored to be joined by the world-renowned African American organist, Dr. Mickey Thomas Terry. In the spring celebration at the Capital One Hall, our guest will be a Symphony favorite, Filipino American pianist, Carlos Alberto Ibay, who, although blind, has dazzled our audiences and many others around the world. The final concert of this special year will be a program in honor of Juneteenth, with an amazing jazz horn trio, New World Order, as well as bass-baritone Bryan Jackson.

I’ve titled the concert scheduled for next week A SEASON OF JOY! The featured artist will be violinist MICHELLE KIM, a member of the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.

Supported by The McLean Symphony, Ms. Kim will perform the only highbrow selection on the program, the Concerto No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra, by Max Bruch, one of the most popular concertos ever written for the violin. Before and after the concerto, the balance of the program will showcase the orchestra playing medleys and other favorites of the winter holiday season. Among the selections will be music from the popular film The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, a medley of songs of Hanukkah, and the seldom heard, complete version of “A Christmas Festival,” by the ever-popular composer, Leroy Anderson. (For the very first time, full-throated singing of these once-a-year songs will not be encouraged, due to health concerns.)

3. When and where will The Season of Joy 50th Anniversary Winter Holiday Concert take place?

Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 7:30 – 9:00 p.m. at the Church of the Holy Comforter, 543 Beulah Rd. N.E., Vienna, VA 22180.

4. Where can we get tickets?

Tickets are available through the McLean Symphony website:https://www.tickettailor.com/events/themcleansymphony/578968

Editor’s note:

For additional information about Maestro Dingwall Fleary, as well as a more complete overview of the first Fifty Years of The McLean Symphony, see the orchestra’s website by clicking here McLean Symphony | About the Conductor (mclean-symphony.org) or typing mclean-symphony.org.