ANNOUNCER: - TONIGHT ON SHOWCASE WITH BARBARA KELLAR, 14TH MUSIC DIRECTOR DESIGNATE OF THE CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, CRISTIAN MACELARU.

STAY TUNED.

SHOWCASE STARTS RIGHT NOW.

[MUSIC] KELLAR: HI, I'M BARBARA KELLER, AND IT'S A REALLY WONDERFUL DAY TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE AS OUR HONORED GUESTS THE NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR OF THE CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.

AND WE COULDN'T HAVE A BETTER PERSON THAN CRISTIAN.

YOU LIKE TO BE CALLED CRISTIE.

MACELARU: YES.

KELLAR: OKAY.

WE'LL CALL YOU CRISTIE.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GROWING UP IN ROMANIA.

MACELARU: YES.

FIRST OF ALL, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE HERE AND TO MEET YOU AND TO BE WITH YOU.

THANK YOU FOR THE INVITATION.

I DO COME FROM ROMANIA.

I WAS BORN IN ROMANIA IN THE '80S, AND AT THE TIME ROMANIA WAS UNDER THE CEAUSESCU REGIME, WHICH MANY PEOPLE, I THINK, PROBABLY STILL REMEMBER -- KELLAR: YEAH, I DO.

MACELARU: -- FOOTAGE FROM WHAT WAS SEEN.

AND THEN THE REVOLUTION, OF COURSE, AT THE END OF THE '80S IN 89.

AND SO I GREW UP THERE.

AND THEN IN THE LATE '90S, I CAME TO THE UNITED STATES TO STUDY.

I WAS PLAYING THE VIOLIN AT THE TIME, AND I CAME TO STUDY AT AN ART SCHOOL IN MICHIGAN.

KELLAR: INTERLOCHEN.

MACELARU: INTERLOCHEN.

KELLAR: WE ALL KNOW INTERLOCHEN SO WELL.

THE FORMER MANAGER OF THE SYMPHONY IS AT INTERLOCHEN NOW.

MACELARU: TREY DEVEY, HE'S A VERY CLOSE FRIEND.

YES, SO I WENT THERE TO STUDY, AND I -- IT'S THE PLACE, ACTUALLY, WHERE I DECIDED THAT I WANTED TO BE A CONDUCTOR RATHER THAN JUST A VIOLINIST.

AND IT GAVE ME SO MUCH HOPE.

AND THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT I RECEIVED WERE REALLY INCREDIBLE.

AND I WAS ABLE TO THEN ACHIEVE ALL THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO ACHIEVE.

KELLAR: YEAH.

YOU WERE THE YOUNGEST OF TEN CHILDREN?

MACELARU: I'M THE YOUNGEST OF TEN, YES.

KELLAR: YEAH.

WOW.

WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?

JUST -- MACELARU: WELL, I DON'T HAVE A COMPARISON, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I'VE ALWAYS BEEN THE YOUNGEST OF TEN.

KELLAR: YEAH, RIGHT.

MACELARU: BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS NOW, IN MY ADULT YEARS THAT I THINK BACK TO IS THE FACT THAT IT'S SO COMFORTABLE FOR ME TO BE IN THE MIDDLE OF A CHAOS.

I ACTUALLY, I ACTUALLY FIND GREAT COMFORT WHEN I'M SURROUNDED BY -- AND MY WIFE, WHO IS THE OLDEST IN HER FAMILY.

SHE ALWAYS TELLS ME, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU GO TO SEE YOUR FAMILY, IT'S LIKE THERE ARE 5 OR 6 CONVERSATIONS GOING ON AT THE SAME TIME.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MACELARU: AND SOMEHOW YOU ALL COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.

AND THAT'S A CULTURAL THING AS WELL.

KELLAR: YEAH, EXACTLY.

MACELARU: BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I THINK A BIG FAMILY WILL CREATE THOSE KIND OF CONNECTIONS WHERE YOU ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT SEEMS LIKE CHAOS, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY JUST EXCITEMENT AND ENERGY THAT IS ON A VERY HIGH LEVEL.

KELLAR: WELL, GROWING UP WITH NINE OLDER SIBLINGS, WELL, YOU WERE THE BABY, SO YOU PROBABLY ARE A LITTLE SPOILED?

MACELARU: MAYBE THAT'S THAT IS WHAT THEY TELL ME.

KELLAR: THAT'S WHAT YOUR WIFE SAYS.

MACELARU: I DON'T REMEMBER THAT.

KELLAR: RIGHT.

YES.

YOU DON'T THINK YOU ARE.

WELL, YOU PROBABLY GOT A LOT OF ATTENTION, BUT MAYBE SOME OF IT NOT SO -- NOT SO WELL.

BUT ALL YOUR SIBLINGS WERE MUSICIANS, ARE MUSICIANS?

MACELARU: MY FATHER HAD THIS PHILOSOPHY THAT WE ALL HAD TO STUDY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

AND IT WAS ONE OF THE ONLY THINGS THAT NO ONE COULD ACTUALLY TAKE AWAY FROM YOU.

YOU KNOW, THIS BEAUTY AND THE FREEDOM THAT MUSIC ACTUALLY BRINGS IN ONE'S LIFE.

AND IN A SYSTEM, IN A POLITICAL SYSTEM LIKE COMMUNIST ROMANIA IN THE '80S, WHICH WAS VERY, VERY DARK.

AND IN FACT, I LOOK AT PICTURES OF NORTH KOREA TODAY, AND I AM REMINDED OF WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO BE THERE.

AND BUT MUSIC CREATED THIS PORTAL INTO A SPIRITUAL WORLD WHERE YOU MORE OR LESS FORGOT WHAT WAS AROUND.

AND I WAS TOO YOUNG TO PERHAPS UNDERSTAND FULLY PHILOSOPHICALLY WHAT HE WAS TALKING ABOUT, BUT IN RETROSPECT, I LOOK AT THAT AND I SEE WHAT AN INCREDIBLE GIFT HE GAVE US, AND MY MOTHER AS WELL, IN FORCING US AT TIMES TO REALLY PURSUE MUSIC WITH GREAT INTENSITY AND PASSION AND COMMITMENT.

SO WE ALL STUDIED MUSIC.

WE ALL PLAYED MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

SEVEN OF US GRADUATED FROM A CONSERVATORY.

YOU KNOW, AND MANY OF US CONTINUE TO MAKE MUSIC AS OUR PROFESSION AS WELL.

KELLAR: DID YOU HAVE LITTLE CONCERTS?

MACELARU: OF COURSE WE HAD CONCERTS IN OUR LIVING ROOM FOR FRIENDS AND FOR VISITORS COMING THROUGH, EVERY NIGHT, IT WAS A NIGHTLY OCCURRENCE.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF SINGING GOING ON.

AND MY FATHER PLAYED THE ACCORDION.

HE WAS TRAINED AS AN ACCORDION PLAYER, AND THEN HE PLAYED PIANO AS WELL.

AND MY MOTHER WAS A FLUTE PLAYER.

AND THEY MET WHILE THEY WERE IN MUSIC SCHOOL AS WELL.

AND THEN, YOU KNOW, MY FATHER WENT A STEP FURTHER, AND HE SAID THAT NO ONE COULD ENTER THE FAMILY UNLESS THEY PLAYED A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

KELLAR: OH, GOOD.

MACELARU: AND NOW THE NEXT GENERATION OF MY NIECES AND NEPHEWS, THEY ALL PLAY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

AND I THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT NOW HAS BECOME SUCH A TRADITION THAT YOU CANNOT CONCEIVE OF BEING PART OF THE MACELARU FAMILY WITHOUT PLAYING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

KELLAR: I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING MORE BONDING, AS WE SAY, THAN MUSIC.

THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL HAD AND YOU ALL ENJOYED.

WHEN YOU WENT TO INTERLOCHEN, WAS THAT YOUR FIRST EXPERIENCE IN THE UNITED STATES?

MACELARU: YES.

KELLAR: YEAH.

MACELARU: IT WAS.

IT WAS ACTUALLY IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I GOT ON AN AIRPLANE AND -- KELLAR: OH, WOW.

MACELARU: YEAH, SO IT WAS QUITE REMARKABLE BECAUSE AT THE TIME THERE WAS A DIRECT FLIGHT, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, FROM MY HOMETOWN, FROM TIMISOARA, WHICH IS NOT THE LARGEST, IT'S NOT THE CAPITAL IN ROMANIA.

BUT FROM TIMISOARA TO CHICAGO THERE WAS A DIRECT FLIGHT.

I STILL REMEMBER IT WAS ABOUT NINE HOURS LONG.

AND MY FIRST FLIGHT, THE FIRST TIME I GOT ON AN AIRPLANE WAS ON THIS TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT.

AND THEN I ARRIVED IN CHICAGO, AND THEN THE FAMILY THAT BECAME MY LEGAL SPONSORS BECAUSE I WAS UNDER 18, SO I NEEDED TO HAVE SOMEONE TO TAKE CARE OF ME.

THEY CAME TO CHICAGO AND PICKED ME UP AND THEN WE DROVE TO INTERLOCHEN.

KELLAR: WILL YOU BE CONDUCTING THE OPERA, ANY OPERAS AND/OR BALLETS?

MACELARU: I HAVE CONDUCTED ALREADY THE OPERA.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WHEN I CAME TO CINCINNATI AND WE HAVE PLANS TO RETURN.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT I LOVE DEEPLY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE OPERATIC REPERTOIRE IS SO PROFOUND AND BEAUTIFUL.

AND I LOVE TO DO EVERYTHING, SO DON'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU WILL SEE ME IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

KELLAR: DO YOU THINK EVEN BALLET?

BECAUSE THAT'S REALLY DIFFERENT.

MACELARU: I HAVE DONE BALLET IN THE PAST AS WELL.

YES.

AND I'M NOT CLOSED TO THE OPPORTUNITY OR TO THE IDEA.

I THINK MUSIC IS REALLY PHENOMENAL AND YOU CAN FIND WAYS TO MAKE MUSIC AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

SO I AM ALWAYS OPEN TO NEW CHALLENGES OR TO NEW WAYS OF UNDERSTANDING MUSIC.

FOR ME, EVERY TIME I MAKE MUSIC, I TRY TO LOOK FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF FINDING THE BETTERMENT IN WHATEVER IT IS.

AND IF THIS MEANS DOING A BALLET WHERE I HAVE TO LEARN DIFFERENT CHALLENGES TO BE TOGETHER WITH THE STAGE, THEN I WILL DO THAT.

KELLAR: YEAH, WE ARE SO LUCKY THAT WE HAVE THAT.

MY HUSBAND ALWAYS SAID, THE BALLET HAS -- OUR BALLET HAS THE BEST PIT ORCHESTRA IN THE COUNTRY.

MOST BALLET COMPANIES DON'T HAVE LIVE MUSIC AT ALL.

BUT THEN EVEN WHEN THEY DO, THEY'RE NOT THE CINCINNATI SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.

MACELARU: ABSOLUTELY.

KELLAR: AND THAT IS A HUGE GIFT.

I'M SURE YOU KNOW ABOUT THE NIPPERTS WHO LEFT THE MONEY SO THAT THE SYMPHONY COULD PLAY FOR THE OPERA AND THE BALLET, AS WELL AS THE REGULAR SYMPHONY.

SO I JUST WONDERED IF YOU, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT BALLET IS DIFFERENT.

BUT YOU SOUND LIKE A GUY WHO CAN MEET ANY CHALLENGE.

TELL US ABOUT HOW YOUR CAREER PROGRESSED AS YOU LEFT INTERLOCHEN.

MACELARU: YES.

SO WHEN I LEFT INTERLOCHEN, I WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI, THE ONE IN FLORIDA, NOT MIAMI UNIVERSITY.

AND I STUDIED, I CONTINUED TO STUDY THE VIOLIN AND ACTUALLY AT THAT TIME, CONDUCTING BECAME MORE OF A FARAWAY DREAM.

AND WHAT I WAS REALLY INTERESTED DURING THOSE FOUR YEARS WAS COMPOSITION.

AND I STARTED WORKING VERY HEAVILY ON COMPOSING.

AND I WAS SO LUCKILY, I WAS MET THERE BY AN INCREDIBLE FACULTY THAT SAW MY DESIRE TO DO THINGS NOT NECESSARILY IN THE ORDINARY WAY, BECAUSE I WAS THERE AS A VIOLINIST, NOT AS A COMPOSER.

BUT I SAID, YOU KNOW, I REALLY WANT TO COMPOSE.

AND THEY AFFORDED ME SO MANY OPPORTUNITIES TO HEAR MY MUSIC BEING PERFORMED, TO ALLOW ME TO JUST SORT OF DESIGN MY OWN PATH FOR FOUR YEARS.

IT WAS A TREMENDOUS GIFT.

AND THEN AFTER THAT, I WENT TO STUDY AT RICE UNIVERSITY, IN HOUSTON, YES.

AND THERE WAS A GENTLEMAN AT RICE UNIVERSITY THAT I HAD CONNECTED WITH ALREADY, ALSO ROMANIAN VIOLINIST, BUT MORE THAN JUST A VIOLINIST.

HE WAS THE MOST PROFOUND MUSICIAN AND THINKER THAT I HAD EVER MET.

AND I KNEW THAT THE WAY TO STUDY WITH HIM WAS TO CONTINUE MY VIOLIN WORK.

AND I WENT, AND I GOT A MASTER'S DEGREE IN VIOLIN PERFORMANCE IN HIS CLASS.

SERGIO LUCA WAS HIS NAME.

AND I LEARNED MORE ABOUT MUSIC AND MORE ABOUT UNDERSTANDING MUSIC AND THE ESSENCE OF THE MUSIC, AND HOW TO PORTRAY DIFFERENT EMOTIONS AND HOW TO MAKE THE MUSIC COME ALIVE.

I UNDERSTOOD MORE ABOUT THAT FROM HIM THAN IN ANY OTHER CIRCUMSTANCE IN LIFE.

AND AT RICE UNIVERSITY WAS PERHAPS MY FAVORITE CONDUCTOR THAT HAPPENED TO TEACH THERE BY THE NAME OF LARRY RATCLIFF.

AND I WENT TO HIM AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, ACTUALLY, I HAD MET HIM ALL THE WAY BACK AT INTERLOCHEN WHEN HE CAME TO GUEST CONDUCT.

AND ALL THE WAY BACK THEN I ASKED HIM, I SAID, "YOU KNOW, I WANT TO STUDY CONDUCTING WITH YOU."

AND HE SAID, "OKAY, PRACTICE THE VIOLIN, PLAY AS WELL AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN, AND WHEN YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT TAKE IT ANYMORE, THEN I WILL TEACH YOU CONDUCTING."

KELLAR: OH, WOW.

MACELARU: WHICH WAS PHENOMENAL.

KELLAR: SO HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE?

MACELARU: WELL, THAT TOOK FROM THE AGE OF 17 WHEN I MET HIM UNTIL THE AGE OF 26, WHEN I STARTED STUDYING WITH HIM.

KELLAR: AND THEN YOU WERE READY?

MACELARU: WELL, AT THAT POINT, I WENT TO HIM AND I SAID, "LOOK, I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE."

I HAD ALREADY WON JOBS AS A VIOLINIST.

AND I SAID, "I WANT -- I'M READY TO STUDY CONDUCTING."

AND HE SAID, "OKAY, NOW YOU'RE READY TO STUDY IT."

AND BUT THIS IS SUCH AN IMPORTANT ASPECT, THE ADVICE THAT HE GAVE ME ABOUT WAITING TO STUDY, TO STUDY CONDUCTING, BECAUSE PEOPLE MIGHT NOT REALIZE, BUT A CONDUCTOR IS SOMEONE THAT NEEDS TO HAVE A MATURITY ABOUT THE MUSIC THAT THEY'RE CONDUCTING.

THAT IT'S NOT TAUGHT WITH A BATON IN THEIR HANDS.

YOU HAVE TO PLAY A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT FIRST AND FOREMOST TO UNDERSTAND WHAT CREATING A SOUND IS.

YOU CANNOT READ IT AS A SECOND HAND ACCOUNT.

YOU NEED TO EXPERIENCE IT.

THEN CREATING THE EMOTIONS HAS TO DO WITH PERFORMING AT A HIGH LEVEL.

IF YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO PERFORM FOR PEOPLE AND SEE HOW THEY REACT TO YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE A WAY TO RELATE TO WHAT THE MUSICIANS HAVE TO DO WHEN YOU'RE CONDUCTING THEM.

ONLY AFTER YOU'VE ACHIEVED THESE THINGS WOULD BE THE PROPER WAY TO THEN APPROACH CONDUCTING.

SO HE REALLY KIND OF FORCED ME DOWN THIS PATH TO GO THROUGH THESE STEPS.

OF COURSE, AT THE AGE OF 18, I THINK ANYONE WOULD FEEL READY TO CONDUCT THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC.

KELLAR: RIGHT, YES MACELARU: BUT I DON'T THINK ANYONE REALLY IS.

KELLAR: RIGHT.

SO YOU THINK THAT MATURITY, AGE MATURITY IS IMPORTANT, AS IMPORTANT AS EVERYTHING ELSE?

MACELARU: IT'S ESSENTIAL.

KELLAR: ESSENTIAL.

MACELARU: BECAUSE WHEN YOU STEP IN FRONT OF 100 MUSICIANS, LET'S SAY, OR 90 MUSICIANS THAT ARE ALL REALLY, TRULY SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT WHAT THEY DO, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU CAN BRING TO THAT ENSEMBLE THAT THEY HAVE NOT ALREADY SEEN OR HEARD, AND HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO PERSUADE THEM?

NOT THROUGH POWER OR THROUGH INTIMIDATION, BUT THROUGH PURE UNDERSTANDING AND AMAZEMENT OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING.

AN ORCHESTRA IS ATTRACTED TO A CONDUCTOR THAT IS ABLE TO CONCEIVE THE MUSIC IN A WAY THAT THEY'VE NEVER IMAGINED IT, AND TO OPEN A PATH AND TO OPEN A DOOR TO UNDERSTANDING MUSIC ON A MUCH DEEPER LEVEL.

THIS IS WHAT THEY ARE ATTRACTED TO.

THEY'RE NOT ATTRACTED TO A CONDUCTOR THAT IMPOSES THEIR POINT OF VIEW.

THEY'RE ATTRACTED TO A CONDUCTOR THAT IS ABLE TO BRING THEM ALONG A PROCESS THROUGH THEIR MAGNETISM AND THROUGH THEIR OVERALL SENSE OF UNDERSTANDING AND KNOWLEDGE AND CHARISMA.

KELLAR: THAT'S A VERY GOOD EXPLANATION.

I WANTED TO WANTED TO ASK YOU, YOU'RE A VIOLINIST.

WILL YOU EVER PLAY A SOLO OR DO A SOLO?

MACELARU: YOU KNOW, I'VE IN RECENT YEARS I HAVE JOINED SOME OF THE GUEST ARTISTS THAT COME ON STAGE AND WE WOULD DO AN ENCORE TOGETHER OR SOMETHING FUN.

SO I DO SEE MYSELF AS DOING THAT.

THERE'S ALSO A FABULOUS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES THAT THE ORCHESTRA HAS, AND I WILL VERY LIKELY PARTICIPATE IN SOME OF THOSE CONCERTS BECAUSE I LOVE PLAYING THE VIOLIN.

I STILL DO I WOULD SAY A HANDFUL OF CONCERTS EVERY YEAR.

BUT IT'S SOMETHING IT'S A PASSION THAT I DON'T THINK I WILL EVER GIVE UP.

KELLAR: WHAT ABOUT YOUR COMPOSING, WOULD YOU PLAY SOME OF YOUR OWN MUSIC?

MACELARU: IF IT FEELS NATURALLY RIGHT, YES.

I DON'T -- YOU KNOW, I LIKE TO SAY THAT CONDUCTING IS MY JOB AND COMPOSITION IS MY HOBBY, YOU KNOW, SO I DON'T WANT TO -- I THINK IF IT MAKES SENSE IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT IT REPRESENTS OR WHAT IS NEEDED, THEN FOR SURE.

KELLAR: TELL US ABOUT YOUR -- YOU'VE HAD PAGES, I'VE READ YOUR BIO AND YOU HAVE PAGES OF EXPERIENCE AS A CONDUCTOR.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT CAREER THAT FINALLY BROUGHT YOU HERE, SOME OF THE DIFFERENT -- AND YOU NOW AS OUR CONDUCTOR, YOU WILL STILL GUEST CONDUCT AROUND THE WORLD.

MACELARU: OF COURSE.

SO IT'S A -- IF YOU ALLOW ME I'LL JUST EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT HOW THIS PROFESSION WORKS, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE IT'S IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT AT ANY GIVEN TIME RIGHT NOW IN THE WORLD, I WOULD SAY THERE ARE PROBABLY AROUND 200 TO MAXIMUM 250 CONDUCTORS THAT DO WHAT I DO IN THE WORLD.

KELLAR: 250?

MACELARU: I WOULD SAY IT'S NOT MORE THAN THAT.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, WHEN YOU GO ON A HIGHER LEVEL OF MUSIC DIRECTORS OF AN ORCHESTRA AS PRESTIGIOUS AS THE CINCINNATI SYMPHONY, THEN YOU'RE REALLY LOOKING AT MAYBE 60 TO 70 CONDUCTORS IN THE WORLD.

NOW, WHAT THIS PROFESSION REQUIRES FROM ME AS A CONDUCTOR AND AS A MUSIC DIRECTOR IS TO CONTINUALLY FIND WAYS TO CHALLENGE THE ENSEMBLE TO GROW ARTISTICALLY.

AN ORCHESTRA DOES NOT STAGNATE IF IT DOES NOT GROW UP, IF IT DOESN'T CONTINUE TO GROW ARTISTICALLY, IT WILL DIMINISH ITS ARTISTIC VALUE.

WHICH IS WHY ONE OF MY BIGGEST RESPONSIBILITIES AS MUSIC DIRECTOR IS TO FIND WAYS TO CHALLENGE IT ARTISTICALLY.

THE BEST WAY THAT I CAN DO THAT IS TO POLLINATE ALL OVER THE GLOBE WITH THE COMPARABLE ENSEMBLES, AND THEN MY KNOWLEDGE THAT I GAIN FROM THAT TO BRING TO CINCINNATI.

SO IT'S NOT SO MUCH SOMETHING THAT IT'S FUN, YOU KNOW, TO BE GONE EVERY SINGLE WEEK AND TO CONDUCT OTHER ORCHESTRAS AND TO TRAVEL ALL OVER.

IT'S NOT FUN.

IT'S NOT A VACATION.

YOU KNOW, IT'S REALLY TRULY A RESPONSIBILITY THAT HAS TO DO WITH MY OWN ARTISTIC GROWTH, WHICH THEN IS MIRRORED ON THE ARTISTIC GROWTH OF THE ORCHESTRA ITSELF.

KELLAR: WELL, THAT'S INTERESTING.

YEAH.

MACELARU: YES.

IT'S NECESSARY ACTUALLY.

YOU KNOW, IMAGINE A BEEHIVE THAT THE BEES NEVER LEAVE THE HIVE.

THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PRODUCE HONEY.

KELLAR: NO.

MACELARU: EXACTLY.

SO IT'S A SIMILAR KIND OF CONCEPT.

AND ARTISTS NEED TO MEET TO EXCHANGE IDEAS, TO EXCHANGE STYLES, TO EXCHANGE POSSIBILITIES OF BETTER.

AND FOR ME, THIS MEANS GOING TO MANY, MANY ORCHESTRAS.

SO I HAVE CONDUCTED, I LITERALLY HAVE CONDUCTED EVERY ORCHESTRA IN THE UNITED STATES IN MY CAREER SO FAR.

MANY, MANY ORCHESTRAS ALL OVER THE GLOBE.

KELLAR: ALL OVER THE WORLD.

MACELARU: YES.

AND I MEET MUSICIANS THAT BRING DIFFERENT EXPERIENCES TO WHAT THEY DO.

I MEET COMPOSERS THAT ARE STILL ALIVE.

I MEET REPERTOIRE THAT IS MUCH MORE STYLISTICALLY CORRECT IN ONE GEOGRAPHICAL PLACE THAN ANOTHER, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE MUSIC IS ALL LINKED TO THE PERSONALITIES AND TO THE IDENTITIES OF THE PEOPLE.

YOU KNOW, MUSIC IS NEVER ABSTRACT.

SO TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM STRAUSS IN VIENNA IS A DIFFERENT OPPORTUNITY FOR ME TO LEARN ABOUT THAT CULTURE, WHICH THEN I CAN BRING THAT EXPERIENCE TO CINCINNATI.

YEAH.

KELLAR: WHAT WOULD YOU SAY WAS YOUR MOST INTERESTING CONDUCTING EXPERIENCE?

MACELARU: WELL, I HAVE TO SAY, MY VERY FIRST TIME THAT I CONDUCTED A BIG PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA WAS THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA, WHICH OF COURSE, HAS AN INCREDIBLE STORY BEHIND IT.

AND IT WAS JUST AN AUDITION.

I WAS VERY NEW AT THE CONDUCTING, AND IT WAS AN AUDITION, AND I REMEMBER CONDUCTING A BRAHMS SYMPHONY.

AND TO EXPERIENCE FOR THE FIRST TIME THE SOUND OF A PROFESSIONAL ORCHESTRA REALLY OVERWHELMING YOU, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL NEVER GO AWAY.

AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT I COME BACK TO EVERY TIME I'M ON THE PODIUM, BECAUSE THAT EXPERIENCE, I SO WISH THAT EVERY PERSON WOULD GET TO STAND ON THE PODIUM NEXT TO ME WHEN THE ORCHESTRA STARTS TO PLAY, BECAUSE IT'S ACTUALLY AN ENERGY THAT GOES THROUGH YOU, GOES THROUGH YOUR BODY AND YOU FEEL IT.

YOU FEEL SOMETHING HAPPEN, THE AIR BECOMES HEAVIER.

AND WHAT YOU DO WITH THE MOTIONS THAT YOU MAKE TO ENCOURAGE THE MUSIC AND THE DIRECTION OF THE MUSIC AFTER THAT, IT'S ALL INFLUENCED BY THAT SOUND AND THE WEIGHT OF THAT SOUND.

AND IT'S A PHENOMENAL PLACE.

MAYBE IT BRINGS ME BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD OF BEING IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SOUND CREATION, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ORGANIZED CHAOS THAT THE SOUND CAN BE.

SO IT'S A FEELING THAT IS TRULY PHYSICAL, NOT JUST MENTAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL FOR ME.

KELLAR: DO YOU THINK THE MUSICIANS CAN FEEL THAT?

MACELARU: ABSOLUTELY.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY MUSICIANS AND MANY GUEST ARTISTS THAT PERFORM WITHOUT SHOES.

THEY PERFORM BAREFOOT BECAUSE THE VIBRATIONS.

KELLAR: FEEL THE VIBRATIONS.

MACELARU: EXACTLY.

YOU KNOW, THERE'S A PERFECT EXAMPLE.

SHE'S A WORLD FAMOUS PERCUSSIONIST, EVELYN GLENNIE, AND SHE HAS THIS DISABILITY WITH HER HEARING.

SHE PERFORMS BAREFOOT BECAUSE SHE CAN FEEL THE VIBRATIONS OF THE ORCHESTRA AND UNDERSTAND THEM THAT MUCH BETTER, EVEN THOUGH SHE'S NOT ABLE TO REALLY HEAR EVERYTHING FULLY.

SO IT'S AN INCREDIBLE THING, YOU KNOW?

THE STAGE VIBRATES.

THE STAGE IS LIKE A SOUND BOX THAT THEN, YOU KNOW, GIVES MORE SOUND TO THE AUDIENCE.

KELLAR: I'VE NEVER HEARD ANYONE SAY THAT BEFORE.

THAT IS REALLY PROFOUND.

WOW.

MACELARU: AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE ORCHESTRA AS WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LOVE, WHEN I SIT IN THE AUDIENCE, I TRY TO LOOK AND TO SEE HOW AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CONCERT YOU START TO NOTICE THE MUSICIANS START TO MOVE LIKE A WAVE, LIKE A SWARM OF BEES REALLY THAT ARE ALL GOING IN ONE DIRECTION OR ANOTHER.

AND THEY FOLLOW EACH OTHER.

AND IT'S VERY RARE THAT YOU WOULD SEE MUSICIANS, YOU KNOW, SORT OF GO IN DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS ON STAGE WHEN THEY'RE MOVING, WHEN THEY'RE -- IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL TO SEE THIS BECAUSE IT'S PART OF THAT SAME WAVE AND ENERGY AND YOU KNOW, THIS, IT'S PALPABLE.

YOU CAN FEEL IT ON STAGE.

KELLAR: YEAH.

WOW.

WHEN YOU CONDUCT THESE DIFFERENT ORCHESTRAS, YOU OBVIOUSLY MUST HAVE A REHEARSAL FIRST.

MACELARU: OF COURSE.

KELLAR: AND YOU PICK THE MUSIC?

MACELARU: YES.

THE REPERTOIRE CHOICE IS ALWAYS A NEGOTIATION BECAUSE IT HAS TO DO WITH WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO DO.

IT HAS TO DO WITH THE ORCHESTRA MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER, YOU KNOW, SO THAT IT HAS FAIRLY IMPORTANT ACCESS, YOU KNOW, TO EVERYONE IN THE WAY THAT WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCES.

SO I WOULD SAY IT'S ALWAYS A NEGOTIATION, BUT I AM SO HAPPY.

I WAS SO HAPPY TO EXPERIENCE AND TO DISCOVER NEW REPERTOIRE THAT I'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.

IN FACT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M KNOWN FOR IN THE INDUSTRY IS THE FACT THAT I DO REALLY EVERYTHING IN TERMS OF REPERTOIRE.

I GO ALL THE WAY BACK TO BACH, AND I CONDUCT A LOT OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC AS WELL.

I CROSS GENRES VERY OFTEN BECAUSE TO ME MUSIC REPRESENTS SOMETHING MUCH MORE THAN A SOUND OR AN INTERPRETATION ON STAGE.

MUSIC HAS TO DO WITH CONNECTING PEOPLE.

MUSIC HAS TO DO WITH CREATING A UNITY THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE WORDS OR PHILOSOPHY OR DISCUSSIONS.

YOU KNOW, YOU ARE TOGETHER.

YOU'RE EXPERIENCING A MOMENT IN TIME THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK.

BUT NEXT TO YOU IS ANOTHER PERSON THAT HAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE.

BUT IN THAT MOMENT, YOU ARE ONE.

YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE ABOUT AN ENTIRE AUDIENCE LISTENING TO A CLASSICAL MUSIC CONCERT WHERE AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CONCERT, OF COURSE, THERE ARE 2000 PEOPLE PRETTY CLOSELY, PRETTY SOON INTO THE PERFORMANCE, THEIR HEART RATE STARTS TO BE THE SAME.

KELLAR: OH, MY GOODNESS.

MACELARU: AND THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE WOULD HAVE THE SAME HEART RATE AND THE SAME PULSE.

ISN'T THAT PHENOMENAL?

KELLAR: WOW.

THAT WAS A STUDY?

MACELARU: THERE WAS A STUDY THAT WAS DONE THAT DEMONSTRATED THIS.

AND THIS IS PHENOMENAL TO THINK THAT WHERE ELSE ON THE PLANET DO YOU FIND 2000 PEOPLE THAT ARE QUIETLY LISTENING IN A MEDITATIVE KIND OF STATE OF MIND, AND YOU ARE ALONE IN YOURSELF, BUT YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING WITH YOU.

AND YOU CREATE A SPECIAL MOMENT IN THE UNIVERSE AND THE POWER OF PEOPLE FEELING THE SAME THING AT THE SAME TIME, IT'S REALLY SPIRITUAL IN NATURE.

IT'S NOT EARTHLY ANYMORE.

MUSIC BRINGS ME THERE.

KELLAR: YOU NEED TO GIVE SOME LECTURES TO THE AUDIENCE.

SERIOUSLY.

I MEAN, WHAT YOU'VE TOLD US TODAY IS, AND I'VE BEEN INVOLVED WITH ORCHESTRAS FOR A VERY LONG TIME, LONG BEFORE YOU WERE BORN.

BUT WHAT -- YOUR EXPLANATIONS ARE SO PROFOUND THAT PEOPLE SHOULD HEAR THAT I'M -- SERIOUSLY, THEY SHOULD HEAR THAT BECAUSE I DON'T THINK ANYBODY'S EVER HEARD ABOUT THE HEART RATE BEING THE SAME.

AND WHEN YOU GET IN FRONT OF THE ORCHESTRA IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT PLACES, DO THEY ALL SOUND DIFFERENT?

MACELARU: YES.

THIS IS WHAT'S BEAUTIFUL.

YOU KNOW, EVERY MUSICIAN HAS THEIR OWN IDENTITY.

AND ONE THING THAT I DISCOVERED IN MY MATURE YEARS IS THAT ACTUALLY WHAT MAKES A REALLY GREAT ORCHESTRA IS NOT ELIMINATING YOUR IDENTITY, BUT RATHER ALLOWING IT TO SHINE EVEN MORE.

AND THE COMBINATION OF ALL THESE STRONG IDENTITIES COMING TOGETHER TO CREATE ONE ORCHESTRA, IT'S WHAT DEFINES ITS CHARACTER.

SOME PEOPLE WOULD THINK, WELL, YOU KNOW, PLAYING IN AN ORCHESTRA MEANS THAT YOU HAVE TO ELIMINATE YOUR IDENTITY TO BLEND IN.

IT'S THE OPPOSITE OF THAT.

IT'S THE OPPOSITE OF THAT.

AND IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL REPRESENTATION AND I USE IT OFTENTIMES AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW INCREDIBLE SOCIETY CAN FUNCTION TOGETHER.

BECAUSE BEING IN A SOCIETY, IT'S NOT ABOUT ELIMINATING WHO YOU ARE AND ELIMINATING YOUR OWN PERSONAL CULTURE, OR YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU'VE BROUGHT TO THAT SOCIETY, BUT RATHER DOING THE BEST OF WHO YOU ARE.

AND THEN IN CONCERT WITH EVERYBODY ELSE AROUND YOU THAT IS DOING THEIR BEST, THEN YOU CAN CREATE A BEAUTIFUL SOCIETY AND THE STAGE IS EXACTLY THE SAME.

THE STAGE IS -- THE ORCHESTRA, IT'S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL REPRESENTATION OF DEMOCRACY, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE EVERYONE HAS A VOICE THAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT.

NOW THERE IS A NATURAL HIERARCHY THAT WE ALL HAVE TO FOLLOW SO THAT IT'S NOT ANARCHY.

BUT TOGETHER WE CAN CREATE SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE WILL BENEFIT FROM.

BUT YOU'RE STILL AN INDIVIDUAL THAT IS HIGHLY VALUED AS AN INDIVIDUAL.

KELLAR: WOW.

THIS IS A TUTORIAL.

OH MY GOSH, I'M JUST BLOWN AWAY.

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT.

REALLY SO IMPORTANT.

AND DID YOU COME AND LISTEN TO OUR ORCHESTRA CONDUCTED BY OTHER PEOPLE?

MACELARU: OF COURSE.

KELLAR: YOU DID.

AND DID YOU SIT THERE AND THINK HOW YOU WOULD DO THINGS DIFFERENTLY?

MACELARU: FIRST, I SIT THERE, AND I WAS SO PROUD AND HAPPY WITH THE QUALITY OF WHAT I HEARD.

AND I REMEMBER THINKING, "WOW, THIS IS A SPECTACULAR ORCHESTRA."

IT'S REALLY AND A FABULOUS VENUE THAT WE PERFORM IN.

AND THEN AS I STARTED UNDERSTANDING MORE ABOUT CINCINNATI AS A CITY AND A COMMUNITY, I UNDERSTOOD WHY THIS EXISTS HERE.

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE FROM CINCINNATI, I THINK IT'S EASY TO TAKE FOR GRANTED THE QUALITY OF WHAT WE HAVE, BECAUSE WE'RE USED TO IT.

IT'S HERE.

I THINK ANYBODY FROM OUTSIDE OF CINCINNATI IS JEALOUS OF WHAT CINCINNATI HAS WHEN IT COMES TO THE APPRECIATION FOR THE ARTS, THE INTENSITY GIVEN TO ALL THE ARTS IN CINCINNATI, THE QUALITY OF WHAT THE ARTS SCENE IS IN CINCINNATI, THROUGH THE SYMPHONY, THROUGH ALL THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT ACTUALLY TOGETHER FORM AN ARTS SCENE.

IT'S NOT ONE PERSON.

IT'S NOT ONE TREE THAT MAKES A FOREST.

RIGHT?

AND THEN TO HAVE ALL THESE ELEMENTS TOGETHER IN BUILDING A BEAUTIFUL COMMUNITY HERE, I THINK PEOPLE IN CINCINNATI HAVE A LOT TO BE PROUD OF.

KELLAR: WE ARE, WE DO.

AND WE ARE VERY PROUD OF YOU.

AND I APPRECIATE -- I COULD LISTEN TO YOU ALL DAY.

I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE I'M NOW SO LEARNED ABOUT CONDUCTING AND ORCHESTRAS.

AND I DO THINK YOU SHOULD GIVE SOME LECTURES.

PEOPLE WOULD REALLY FIND THAT INTERESTING, BUT MAYBE THEY CAN JUST WATCH THE SHOW.

MACELARU: EXACTLY, WHAT I'M DOING RIGHT NOW.

KELLAR: BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.

I KNOW YOU'RE VERY, VERY BUSY AND WE APPRECIATE IT VERY MUCH.

AND WE KNOW CINCINNATI WILL BE EXTREMELY HAPPY WHEN THEY KNOW AND CAN SEE YOU AS THE MUSIC DIRECTOR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MACELARU: THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE IT.

ANNOUNCER: JOIN US NEXT WEEK FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF SHOWCASE WITH BARBARA KELLAR RIGHT HERE ON CET.

CAPTIONS: MAVERICK CAPTIONING CIN OH MAVERICKCAPTIONING.COM