GRSMA: Where did you grow up, and what are your first memories of classical music?

JOEL SCHUT: I was born and grew up in Grand Rapids. My first memories of classical music were hearing the Grand Rapids Symphony on elementary school field trips. I was that balcony kid in rapt attention. I couldn't stop talking and thinking about it. I began piano in second grade, the only one of my siblings to stick it out the full year. In 5th grade I began violin and immediately fell in love with the sound, community, and experience of live orchestral music. I was a member of the inaugural Classical Orchestra and then joined the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony.

GRSMA: Tell us about your musical career and the path that brought you to your current role as conductor of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony.

JS: I feel deeply grateful for a musical upbringing nourished in the Grand Rapids community. While no one in my family was a professional or amateur musician, my parents were supportive, or at least, I was able to convince them that music was my life's calling. I feel like I won the lottery studying violin first with Barb Hammond (former manager of GRYS) and then Diane McElfish Helle (GRS violinist). They both inspired me greatly and constantly raised the bar to be a better player, musician, and person. I hear their inspired voices sitting on my shoulders each day. Having fallen in love with both performance and teaching in high school, I earned a Bachelor's Degree in Violin Performance and Music Education from the University of Michigan. Upon graduation, I was awarded the Albert A. Stanley medal, the school's highest honor. During this degree, I served as a mentor with the Detroit Civic Orchestra and had the unique opportunity to step in as Music Director of the Livingston Symphony, a wonderful community orchestra just north of Ann Arbor. After graduating, I taught orchestra at Saline High School and continued performing as a violinist with the Flint Symphony and other regional orchestras. That year, a former GRYS alum, Michelle Ubels, contacted me saying friends in the Wayne State University School of Medicine wanted to play classical music again. Together we formed the Detroit Medical Orchestra, and I conducted their first season. Knowing I had an evolving passion for conducting, I moved to Colorado to complete a masters degree in Orchestral Conducting at CU-Boulder. After graduating, I returned to Michigan, teaching orchestra at North Farmington High School and then Okemos High School. During this time I performed regularly as a violinist with the Lansing Symphony and completed a DMA in Orchestral Conducting at Michigan State University. With a growing interest in collegiate teaching and teacher training, I served as Interim Director of Orchestras at the Crane School of Music SUNY Potsdam and then back to Colorado as Assistant Director of Orchestras at CU-Boulder. During this time I worked with the Denver Young Artist Orchestra and played regularly as a violinist with the Boulder Philharmonic. One global pandemic and three kids later, my wife and I were thrilled to accept the position of Director of Orchestras at Grand Valley State University and move to Grand Rapids. The chance to raise our kids near our families (people genetically obligated to say "yes" to help) and be a part of the West Michigan music community was a dream come true. Working as a substitute violinist with the extraordinary Grand Rapids Symphony, serving as conductor for the St. Cecilia Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and now serving as Music Director and Conductor of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony are things I had dreamed of, but never imagined they would present themselves as opportunities. Grand Rapids really feels like home, and I am deeply grateful for the chance to contribute and lead as a conductor, violinist, and teacher in such meaningful ways.

GRSMA: It must be surreal to conduct the youth symphony that you were a member of when you were in high school. How is that going so far?

JS: Yes, surreal, thrilled, and honored. I absolutely love it. I feel a deep sense of duty to foster a great experience for current students. The GRYS students are amazing. Really. Come watch them rehearse and hear them perform. They have energy, creativity, drive, and passion. They are hardworking, eager, collaborative, empathetic, and hilarious. They love this music and the chance to create it together. So much of my love for orchestral music was born from my GRYS experiences. I aspire to pay it forward with great programming, inspired rehearsals, and excellent opportunities in our community. Our fall concert featured a challenging program of Verdi's "Nabucco" Overture and Tchaikovsky's complete Symphony No. 5. They performed really well, and I am excited for our upcoming season performances in February and May! https://www.grsymphony.org/concerts-and-tickets/event/5557812

GRSMA: You moved back to Grand Rapids a few years ago. Is everything the same as you remembered, or have there been changes that you have noticed?

JS: Not at all. Grand Rapids is a different city than the one I remember growing up in. It has grown and become more vibrant, creative, arts focused, and "big city" than what I remember in my youth. The art scene, the food scene, the welcome to new ideas, and diversification of commerce...it feels bigger and alive. Plus, the natural beauty and four seasons are hard to beat. My wife and I have both lived in larger US cities (Seattle, Denver, etc.) and love the big city amenities with manageable traffic, logistics, and access. We echo Ben Rector's words from a recent GRS concert, "Grand Rapids punches way above its weight class!" 

GRSMA: As the conductor of the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony, what are your thoughts on inspiring the next generation of classical musicians?

JS: As John Varineau once said, the real mission of the GRYS is to "get kids geeked out on classical music." I love that and I love doing that. I'm a card-carrying classical music geek myself and take great pride in geeking out others. I believe strongly that our student musicians need two things: 1) that you deeply care for them, and 2) that you will challenge them. GRYS is a special place where we undertake professional level repertoire challenges in a community that celebrates hard work, teamwork, risk taking, and companionship. We cheer each other on towards greatness knowing that its members will become excellent in whatever they pursue: music, business, medicine, law, etc. I hope to inspire the next generation to not only geek out on classical music but love the process of creating it and sharing it with their community.