In my first job as an assistant conductor, I was lucky to have an experienced and supportive concertmaster (known as “leader” in British orchestras). His name was Tom Rowlette, a real pro who “knew the business.” Tom quietly kept me on the right track when my inexperience showed, either musically or in my dealings with the orchestra members, most of whom were old enough to be my parents. He was a passionate musician who hated cool, detached playing. I remember a rehearsal of a Tchaikovsky symphony when he suddenly yelled at a tentative player, “Excuse me, you're not having tea with the vicar, you're playing Tchaikovsky!”

A concertmaster is a vital channel between conductor and orchestra. A good one makes a conductor's job easier, because he's constantly on the lookout for indications and nuances, responding in a way that influences everybody. It's not a matter of playing louder than the other players but of playing clearly, with body language the orchestra can read. He needs to work closely with the other first stands of strings, with plenty of eye contact, as with a string quartet. In exposed or tricky passages, the orchestra depends on the concertmaster to be audible and solid. He often has to play the first note of an entry or pattern with extra clarity, even the tiniest accent, to give the others confidence to play without hesitation.