Willis

As Berliner Philharmoniker horn player Sarah Willis exited the stage door following a concert at Carnegie Hall, three of her fans launched themselves at her legs. There was no reason to worry, however: these eager patrons were no more than eight years old and had just danced like bees to music by Iannis Xenakis. Sarah was thrilled by their enthusiasm.

“That’s the biggest thanks, the biggest reward there is,” she says. Sarah wasn’t necessarily talking about the leg-hugging but, rather, the gratitude that comes from sharing what she loves with children.

Sarah will have another opportunity to have an impact on enthusiastic young lives this November 15, when she and three other Berliner Philharmoniker horn players perform at the Miccio Youth Center PAL in Brooklyn as part of Berlin in Lights and the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series.

Until Sir Simon Rattle’s arrival, Sarah explains, the Berliner Philharmoniker believed itself to be an elite ensemble devoted solely to the concert hall; performing for these frank young people was simply not a priority. When she and other orchestra members began to visit students in the community and in the classroom, they saw how rewarding it could be, even for musicians at the pinnacle of their profession.

“It’s not easy: if kids don't like it, they'll let you know,” she says. “The family concert I did last time at Carnegie Hall was tougher than a Mahler symphony.”

While most Americans wouldn’t blink at the sight of a female horn player, Sarah’s 2001 appointment to the Philharmoniker—which she calls “a great honor”—marked the first time a woman had joined the brass section of the august group. Sarah sees her trailblazing status as a great responsibility, and says she often speaks to young female brass musicians in Germany who come to her for lessons and advice.

As a trailblazer, Sarah is conscious of the ways that young audiences see classical music for the first time and is happy to engage them on their own terms.

“These days people want to see how instruments are made, not just look at them, and it’s the same for classical music in general,” she says. “I think, for our orchestra especially, we have to roll up our sleeves and work on showing young people what the music is all about.”

As long as those sleeves remain free of her littlest fans, there’s much to be gained from such hard work.