Cultivating the Complete Musician: A Conversation with Alana Wiesing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgtIsenQEBU

What does it truly take to thrive as a modern orchestral musician? As Principal Timpanist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, President of the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion (NDCP), and a faculty member at the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI+F), Alana Wiesing knows that the secret lies far beyond technical perfection. In this illuminating conversation with Black Swamp Percussion’s Nathan Coles, Alana dives deep into the art of professional compartmentalization, the vital role of grassroots mentorship, and why high-quality gear is a transformational tool for young artists finding their voice. She also tackles the shifting landscape of orchestral auditions, offering a candid look at why "audition-specific" preparation can sometimes hinder real-world ensemble performance, and why live music remains the ultimate venue for human connection. Whether you are an aspiring percussionist navigating the audition circuit or an educator seeking to inspire the next generation, Alana’s holistic approach to music and mentorship is a masterclass in artistry.

Read the full, polished transcript of our conversation below, watch the interview, and be sure to check out the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion to support Alana's incredible mission!

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A Conversation with Alana Wiesing

This interview transcript has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Nathan Coles: Hello, Alana. Welcome!

Alana Wiesing: Thank you so much, Nathan. It's really wonderful to be chatting with you today.

Nathan Coles: It’s great to have you. You are a longtime Black Swamp educator, the principal timpanist for the Tucson Symphony, and the president of the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion. That is a substantial list of responsibilities. How do you keep all of that straight?

Alana Wiesing: I had to get really good at time management and juggling many different responsibilities at once. Over time, I’ve practiced the art of compartmentalization. "Mastered" might be too strong of a word, but it is something I actively focus on when wearing all these different hats. The key is to avoid wearing them all at the same time.

When I’m playing as the principal timpanist with the Tucson Symphony, all of my mental energy and capacity is focused entirely on that performance. The same applies to any of the other roles I serve. This approach allows me to bring my absolute best self to every single way I contribute to our art form.

Nathan Coles: That is a skill in itself. At Black Swamp, we are a small business, so everyone wears a bunch of different hats. Sometimes they stack on top of each other and start sliding off depending on the day! But compartmentalization is incredibly valuable, especially for students entering the real world who want to pursue one path but are also passionate about other avenues. It’s important to know that it is okay to change your hat.

Alana Wiesing: Absolutely, and it is highly encouraged to explore those different paths. There are so many unique ways to build a career and make a living as a musician—whether you are a performer, an educator, or an advocate. I’m incredibly thankful to have multiple avenues to explore all of my passions.

Nathan Coles: Let’s dig into your work with the National Orchestral Institute and Festival (NOI+F). You are not only an alumna of the program, but now a faculty member. We at Black Swamp have been supporting you and the festival for a while now, and I’m wondering if you can explain what the festival is about for those who might not know.

Alana Wiesing: Absolutely. The National Orchestral Institute and Festival is an innovative, groundbreaking orchestral festival for aspiring professional orchestral musicians. It brings together pre-professional, collegiate-age, undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate students who are serious about pursuing a career as full-time orchestral musicians.

I’ve been incredibly honored to serve on the faculty for what is now my sixth summer. Prior to that, I attended the festival as a student for two summers—one in between the two years of my master's degree, and the other right after I graduated. Those two summers were completely formative and transformative in how I approached my professional career.

It wasn't just about the rehearsals, concerts, and the experience of working with incredible guest conductors, faculty, and guest artists—though those were obviously the initial draw. What sets NOI+F apart are the professional development aspects. We have seminars with faculty about navigating the career path and managing the off-stage responsibilities that are just as critical to a musician's success as the physical skills developed on the stage.

The festival also does an incredible job assessing the current landscape of orchestral performance, pushing the boundaries of collaboration, and actively engaging living composers. NOI+F commissions composers and premieres new works regularly, which is exactly what modern professional orchestras should be doing to keep our art form current, relevant, and inclusive.

From that perspective, NOI+F offers one of the best atmospheres for training the complete musician holistically. A highlight of my student years was the community outreach and engagement programming. We performed chamber music in intimate environments and engaged directly with younger children, patrons, and donors. It allowed us to see the humanity behind the art rather than maintaining a rigid barrier between the musician and the audience. That connection is a huge part of what I do now in my role with the percussion quartet at the Tucson Symphony.

Every summer that I teach at NOI+F, I give 110% to ensure the student experience is outstanding, sharing as much knowledge as possible and providing a steady support network for them as they navigate their careers. I am incredibly thankful to NOI+F for their support, and to Black Swamp for supporting my time there. The students' faces absolutely light up when I tell them I have Black Swamp gear to give away! They understand the reputation and craftsmanship behind everything your company creates.

Nathan Coles: It’s a truly full-circle experience for you. Since you went from being a student to a faculty member, have you noticed major changes in how the festival operates, or have you directly contributed to shaping that environment?

Alana Wiesing: I’ve watched the festival grow and improve every year. In addition to teaching lessons, leading masterclasses and sectionals, and providing real-time feedback during orchestra rehearsals, I have developed specific lectures and Q&A presentations for the students.

I’ve given presentations on my work within the diversity, equity, and inclusion space, showing how various arts organizations incorporate these initiatives. I also lead presentations on the audition and tenure journey. I walk students through the entire timeline: seeing an audition announcement, preparing for it, navigating the audition day itself, adjusting to life in a new ensemble and city once you win the job, and successfully traversing the tenure review process during your first year or two in the position.

These are crucial, real-world conversations—including discussions on musicians' unions (I also serve as the president of the Tucson Federation of Musicians, AFM Local 33)—that I wish I had been exposed to when I was a student. It speaks to my desire to provide resources and be a cheerleader for musicians, both in the next generation at NOI+F and within my local community in Tucson.

Nathan Coles: That is incredibly valuable information. I’m curious, how competitive is the selection process for musicians wanting to attend the Institute?

Alana Wiesing: It is highly competitive. Auditions are held across many major cities with prominent music schools and conservatories. For percussion and timpani specifically, auditions are conducted entirely via online video submission. I appreciate this approach because it allows students to perform on gear and in spaces they are already comfortable with, entirely at their own convenience. It increases accessibility and removes the financial barrier of travel expenses.

Even with that accessibility, the performance level is consistently outstanding. Something I am incredibly proud of is an ongoing collaboration between NOI+F and the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion (NDCP). This partnership allows one of our NDCP Emerging Artists (our collegiate-age cohort) who successfully passes the audition process to participate in the festival completely free of charge, with all expenses covered jointly by both organizations.

Additionally, it allows two other NDCP Emerging Artists to audit the festival during the week I am on faculty. They can attend every rehearsal, masterclass, sectional, and private lesson with me completely free of charge. This takes what is primarily a virtual program in the NDCP and gives it real, in-person momentum. It's a beautiful, mutually beneficial collaboration that brings down historical barriers and increases opportunity.

Nathan Coles: That's a perfect segue to discuss your work as president of the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion. For those who aren't familiar with the organization, could you share its mission and programs?

Alana Wiesing: Absolutely. The NDCP is a support system and resource for underrepresented and underserved communities within the concert percussion world. We achieve this through several key initiatives, starting with our Youth Artist program (for middle and high school students) and our Emerging Artist program (for collegiate and post-collegiate students up to age 25).

Our audition process operates differently than traditional music admissions. We don't just look at how well a student plays their audition; we assess their drive, determination, home environment, previous access to resources, and their ultimate goals in the industry. We evaluate the whole human.

We limit each cohort to just five students per program to maintain an intimate environment. This ensures every student is heard and can engage directly with our faculty. Our schedule runs concurrently with the academic calendar, and we host virtual masterclasses most Sunday evenings from September through May.

Our programming covers fundamental percussion topics—such as snare drum technique, orchestral mallets, and accessory percussion like tambourine, triangle, and cymbals—along side professional development sessions. We teach students about networking, career pathways, arts administration, composition, and collaboration. We also bring in diverse perspectives, including non-percussion arts professionals, to host classes.

Financially, we support our students through the Virtual Gear Garage, where active cohort members can request gear like sticks, method books, or instruments (including tambourines and triangles donated by Black Swamp), as well as funding for college application fees, audition travel, and recording equipment. We also offer our alumni the Alumni Futures Grant twice a year to support their ongoing career needs.

The cornerstone of the NDCP is our mentorship program. We pair our collegiate-age Emerging Artists to mentor our Youth Artists. We’ve found this peer-to-peer connection is incredibly approachable; high school students are often more comfortable opening up to someone just slightly older than them. We then pair our Emerging Artists with professional mentors in the field based on their specific career goals.

The real strength of the NDCP is the profound sense of community we have built over the last five years. It is incredibly empowering to log onto a weekly Zoom meeting and see a gallery of people who look like you and share similar life experiences—something many of our students do not experience in their local school or studio environments. Our board operates entirely on a volunteer basis, meaning every dollar donated goes directly toward resources and support for our students. It is truly the most meaningful project I have ever been a part of.

Nathan Coles: That is incredible work. It reminds me of a conversation we had recently with Rainer Carroll about the Alliance of Black Orchestral Percussionists (ABOP) and the importance of mentoring the whole person. If someone wants to support the NDCP, how can they get involved?

Alana Wiesing: You can find and follow us on our social channels! On Instagram and on Facebook, we are the Network for Diversity in Concert Percussion. Our main hub is our website. That is the best place to find a comprehensive overview of our programs and access our donation page to directly support our students' careers.

Nathan Coles: Excellent. We will make sure to link all of those in the description.

Now, let's talk about gear. As a timpanist and a well-rounded percussionist, how important is it for students—whether in the NDCP or at NOI+F—to have access to high-quality gear at a young age?

Alana Wiesing: It is transformational and of the utmost importance. Personally, playing on Black Swamp instruments allows me to directly express my artistry and share my musical voice with ease, all at an accessible price point. The value you provide for the quality of the craftsmanship is unmatched. I wouldn't endorse these products if I didn't completely believe in them.

Students need high-quality gear because it provides the smoothest pathway to discover and cultivate their artistic voice. If a student is constantly fighting against an instrument that doesn't respond properly to their technique, it limits the musical "colors" they can paint with. When students request gear through our Virtual Gear Garage, they frequently ask for Black Swamp products because they want tools that offer nuance, sensitivity, and rich sound quality. The instrument you play is a direct reflection of your artistry, and high-quality gear is essential at every single stage of a musician’s development.

Nathan Coles: Finding your voice is certainly difficult if you are fighting your instrument. But when a student has the right gear and still struggles to find expression, how do you teach concepts like touch, feel, and musicality, especially to younger players?

Alana Wiesing: I emphasize to my students that they must first conceive the sound in their mind. They need a clear vision of how they want the music to sound before they ever strike the instrument. If you just go into the practice room and aimlessly repeat a passage hoping for a different result, you won't progress.

I focus on demonstration so they can connect physical execution to visual and auditory memory. I teach them to stop during practice and ask themselves intentional questions: Why didn't that work? What am I physically doing that is affecting the sound? What specific result do I want? This line of questioning replaces aimless repetition with clear direction.

We also have to remind students that music is supposed to be fun! Reframing a technical challenge as an exciting puzzle to solve, rather than a frustrating roadblock, keeps students engaged, empowered, and eager to grow.

Nathan Coles: That is fantastic advice. Cultivating that internal feedback loop is key. Along those same lines, what advice would you give to musicians currently on the audition circuit?

Alana Wiesing: Approach the audition circuit with that same spirit of self-reflection and exploration. While winning the job is the ultimate driver, it is much healthier to view the audition as a competition with yourself: How can I be a better musician today than I was yesterday?

An audition is one of the rare times in your professional career where you have complete artistic freedom. You get to play the repertoire exactly the way you want to play it, without a conductor telling you how to interpret the phrasing. It is your opportunity to showcase your unique voice.

When you prepare, don't just rinse and repeat the same excerpts the way you always have. Take them back to the drawing board and ask: Is this mallet choice working? Am I truly communicating the phrasing? If you view auditions as solo recitals and opportunities to showcase your musicality rather than stressful barriers, the process becomes a powerful catalyst for your personal growth.

Nathan Coles: That's an outstanding answer. How do you see the current generation of students adapting to the orchestral world, and how is the orchestral world itself adapting?

Alana Wiesing: I’ll answer that in two parts. First, the audition circuit has shifted heavily toward "audition-specific" preparation—meaning training specifically to win the audition room. While those skills are necessary to get the job, they don't always translate to actual ensemble performance. Auditions rarely assess your ability to listen across an ensemble, blend your sound, or react to visual cues. Students must remember that large school ensembles are not just credits on a transcript; they are the primary environment to hone those critical ensemble skills.

In terms of performance trends, percussion and timpani audition sounds have gotten smaller and softer. Candidates are utilizing smaller snare drums, smaller cymbals, and a tighter dynamic range to suit the intimacy of an audition room. However, in a real orchestra, you have to project through 80 or 90 musicians on stage. Personally, I use sticks and mallets in the orchestra that are one or two steps harder than what I would use in an audition room to ensure clarity and projection in a large concert hall.

Nathan Coles: This ties back to a conversation we had with Rainer Carroll regarding the vital importance of playing in a live ensemble. You can't fully learn the nuances of a Beethoven symphony just from studying clips on a smartphone. With the rise of the younger generation learning audition repertoire from Instagram Reels, what are your thoughts on that medium?

Alana Wiesing: It's a double-edged sword. I am grateful for the increased accessibility that online streaming and social media provide, especially for people who face geographical or financial barriers to attending live concerts.

On the other hand, there is absolutely no substitute for sitting in a concert hall and experiencing the physical sound of an orchestra. I have learned semesters' worth of material simply by watching professionals perform on stage. If you are a student visiting a city, reach out to the percussionists in that orchestra, meet them for coffee, and connect after the show. Fostering those genuine, in-person networks is invaluable. Music is about sharing space and engaging in a real-time community, and those bridges are most effectively built in person.

Nathan Coles: I completely agree. Support live music and build genuine human connections. Now, how have you seen the orchestras themselves adapt in recent years?

Alana Wiesing: Orchestras today expect percussionists to be incredibly versatile. The days of specializing in only one area—such as being strictly the "cymbal player" or the "snare drum specialist"—are largely gone. Today, players must be ready to play triangle on one piece, marimba on another, and manage complex multi-percussion setups with rapid transitions.

The repertoire itself has also expanded significantly. Because percussion is a relatively young art form compared to the violin or piano, we are currently living in a golden age of innovation. Composers are writing more extensively for us, utilizing unique instruments like waterphones and pushing the boundaries of what our instruments can do. I always encourage students to collaborate with student composers and join commissioning consortiums. It pushes the boundaries for both the performer and the composer.

Nathan Coles: That is fantastic. Shameless self-plug, but Black Swamp has been actively commissioning several new works over the past few years to see how our artists interpret our instruments. It's a wonderful collaborative spirit.

Alana, thank you so much for taking the time to share your passion, wisdom, and experience with us today.

Alana Wiesing: It has been an absolute pleasure, Nathan. Thank you so much for having me!