William Vacchiano

[brishook1]

Hello Everyone,

My doctoral dissertation is a biography of William Vacchiano. I will be interviewing him, along with 25 of his former colleagues/students this summer. If you have any questions about him or his career, please post a reply or email me directly and I will be more than happy to ask him and get back with you.

I look forward to hearing from you,
Brian
brishook1@yahoo.com

[Pat]

Ask him if, upon hearing John Ware play after Ware had been rejected by the Curtis Institute for the 2nd time, he really said "If there is a better trumpet player in Philadelphia, tell them to send him down to New York and I'll kiss his #*!# in Macy's window!"

I think that quote is a great "pick-me-up" for any one who didn't win an audition.

[brishook1]

Interesting story.......the only problem is that it took place so long ago, he may not remember his exact words. Even asking him about his first impression of Ware would be a stretch. I want to be careful to only ask questions that are pertinent to my project. I understand your intentions, so I would be more apt to ask a questions like, "What type of routines did you use to prepare students for auditions?" and "When a student did not win an audition, how did you encourage him to take another one?"

Your story would be interesting for me to verify with Ware himself and ask him, "What was your audition like and first impression of playing for Vacchiano?" He would have a better chance of remembering more vividly.

Thanks for the question,
Brian

[Bartok]

I'll kiss his #*!# in Macy's window!" - W. Vacchiano


Ahhh yes....I haven't heard that in a while. I remember when he asked me to sight read something EXTREMELY difficult and told me that if I nailed it, he'd kiss my #*!# in Macy's window.

What a great man, teacher, and player!

[Irving]

Vacchiano used to make me sight read and transpose at the same time at every lesson. Oftentimes, the transpositions were really difficult, such as transposing something with 4 flats down a major third. You would walk in to your lesson with your books, and Vacchiano would just say, "Give me your books". There was never any time for pleasentries or BS. It was all business, and you had to be ready, since Vacchiano wouldn't stand for any notes played out of the key signature! He's just open up one of your books, and you'd have to sight read and transpose whatever he gave you. Boy, would he get riled when you would play an A natural when 4 flats were in the key signature. If you crashed and burned on an etude, he's say, "You shouldn't have even brought this book in. " After studying with Vacchiano, I can guarantee that your transposing and sight reading skills will improve.