JAVS Spring 2006

teacher, always looking to be chal lenged. He expresses admiration for the artistry of his colleagues at the Met, Principal Violist Michael Ouzounian and Associate Principal Violist Craig Mumm. He is look ing fo rward ro ;m ending Marlboro Music this summer as a Young Artist, where established titans of chamber music perform alongside young stars with their careers ahead of them. T he openness with which Milan approaches life wi ll serve him well there and in his career. As he puts it, "1 have learned thar it is best to let li fe take me wherever it does." Lemhi Veskirnets i.s a violist in the Cleveland Orchestra and a rnernber ofthe board ofthe American Viola Society.

perfo rmances a week, Milan sits Princi pal more than his Assistant Principal counrerparrs in sympho ny orchestras. About this leader ship oppo rtunity, he says, "in all honesty, l think sitting Principal is easier in some ways than sitting second chai r, which is what l usu ally do. 1 feel that there is more freedom that way to do as one pl eases and initiate more, and that is a good rhing. There's a nice rush to being even more in the center of things. However, sitting second chair has a lor of beauty ro it, roo. " He did not achieve his audition successes without hard work. Milan never stopped studying or looki ng for mentors. Even after winning a joh in the Concettgebouw, he sought out Nobuko lmai as a

City. Having had a taste of opera whil e playing as a substitute in the Houston Grand Opera as a stu dent at Ri ce University, he had an idea of what he was getting inro when he audi tioned for the Merropolitan Opera Orchestra. Of li fe in rhe opera pit, he says, "we are largely out of sighr of the audience and can be more casua l than a symphony orchestra in some ways. However, I would say one has ro be even more adaptable than in a symphony orchestra. We occ."lsionally have different singers in the same production without having ever rehea rsed with them, rhar sort of thing. You have to lis ten with your ski n in order to make ir happen ." At the Met, because irs members are required ro play on ly four our of irs seven

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