Finally, a concertmaster
PSO hires violinist David McCarroll after 7-year search
After seven years of a rotating cast of guest musicians, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra has settled on a new concertmaster. David McCarroll, a Californiaborn, Berlin-based violinist who has spent the last seven years as a member of the famed Vienna Piano Trio, will join the orchestra as right-hand-man to music director Manfred Honeck in August.
“I love this orchestra’s approach and playing tradition” McCarroll said in an interview from Berlin. “They have a deep history of excellence but they’re not resting on their laurels. I’m very excited to be a part of that tradition.”
In an orchestra, the concertmaster is the principal violinist of the first violin section. He or she is typically one of the highest paid members of the orchestra, as duties include regular solos in orchestral works and helping to lead the section and orchestra.
The PSO’s previous concertmaster, Noah Bendix-Balgley, left in 2015 to become concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, one of the highest regarded orchestras in the world.
“When Noah left seven years ago, we had already created a special sound in the first violins, a special style,” said Honeck. “We had many wonderful players audition for the job, so many excellent players, but we wanted to connect once more with that sound.”
Dozens of violinists, including concertmasters at other U.S. orchestras, have applied for the job. While it’s not unheard of to keep the position open so long, it is unusual. An application involves both an audition and trial concerts with the orchestra to see if the players make a good fit.
McCarroll’s appointment, a unanimous decision by Honeck and the audition committee of current musicians, is somewhat surprising as McCarroll has never held a concertmaster position with another orchestra, though he has performed as soloist and guest concertmaster with numerous orchestras.
He said his experience as a chamber music player, that is, someone who plays in smaller groups, will translate directly to his new role with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.
“In the trio repertoire you have to be all things all the time — a leader or a supporting player — and switch between these roles all the time,” he said. “There’s a lot that translates to the orchestral repertoire, playing and breathing and being together in a larger group.”
A graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, McCarroll came to the orchestra’s attention through clarinetist Michael Rusinek, who has long known him through summer festival gigs. McCarroll performed with the orchestra in 2016 but wasn’t looking for a new job at the time.
Then in 2022, he performed once more as guest concertmaster during a subscription weekend that was to have featured all five Beethoven piano concertos before COVID19 cases and restrictions caused a programming change. McCarroll auditioned in March. The rest is history.
“This is a joyful moment for me and the orchestra, probably one of the most joyful moments I’ve had,” Honeck said. “We were waiting until we found the right quality, and we found it with David.”
McCarroll will move to Pittsburgh with his family. He’ll join the orchestra for its European tour in August, and his first local concert is the orchestra’s annual gala in September.