John Sullivan
Instrument: Violin
With the RPO since: 1979
Favorite time of year in Rochester and why: Fall, for the colors and relief from the heat and humidity of summer.
Hometown: Grand Rapids, MI
Drink or food you're most likely to order at Java's: Health Cookie
When not performing with the RPO, you can find me... At my PC, surfing the 'net. In my kitchen, brewing beer. In my easy chair, reading.
First music-related memory: Seeing and hearing the Grand Rapids Symphony, where my parents were principal clarinet and oboe.
I decided to be a professional musician when... I was in high school, and realized music was what I did best.
Favorite travel destination: Vail, CO
Influential teachers: Charles Avsharian, Julius Stulberg, David Cerone, Bernhard Goldschmidt, John Celentano.
Favorite ice cream flavor: Blue Moon (hard to find nowadays)
What are your other "hidden" talents? I make a good pizza from scratch, have a touch for all-grain beer brewing, have a knack for remembering combinations of numbers -- license plates, dates, etc.
What other orchestras have you performed with? Grand Rapids Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra.
Oddest RPO concert (or rehearsal) memory... David Zinman once came out and apologized to the audience, taking blame for "messing up the coda" of a symphony. He then had us repeat the coda.
What types of music do you like to listen to? Jazz, most types. In classical, I like Bach, Mozart, Brahms, Prokofiev and many more -- too numerous to mention.
Do you have a pet? Two cats, Comet and Gussie.
The RPO is essential to Rochester because... The most culturally advanced cities always seem to have a first-class symphony orchestra. Arts institutions also help drive their local economies.
My favorite part of working in the RPO is... being immersed in the re-creation of some of the greatest works ever written ... feeling myself become more artistically aware, resulting from exposure to talented colleagues and guest artists.
If someone were visiting Rochester, what would you tell them to go see or do? I would send them to the top of Cobbs Hill for the view of the city, then to Seabreeze for a view of Lake Ontario and Irondequoit Bay; to the Memorial Art Gallery and Rochester Museum and Science Center, then to the RPO for an enjoyable evening.
