Michael Krajewski, the first-ever Principal Pops Conductor at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, leads concerts with Cirque de la Symphonie and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy this season. He recently sat down for a short interview.
When did you first fall in love with music?
When I was six years old, my parents asked me if I’d be interested in taking piano lessons. We had an old upright piano in the basement, and I thought, “Sure, why not?” By the time I was in high school, it was clear to me that music was where I belonged.
What’s the state of music education in our schools?
When I grew up, a music teacher came to the classroom and asked “Who wants to learn to play an instrument?” If you showed interest, they passed out instruments and taught you how to play. Now, whenever education cuts are made, the first thing they look at is the arts and music, which are more vital subjects than people realize. Orchestras must
take a more proactive role, and a great example is what our Orchestra has accomplished with its “When I Play Music” campaign supporting music education for children.
How do you see your role in instilling a love of music in young audiences?
My specialty is pops concerts here and at our SUPERPops! series at Atlanta Symphony Hall. We perform these primarily so that we can reach a wider segment of the community, because there are those who think that classical music is just not for them. Others are interested if they find out the Orchestra is playing music from the movies, Broadway or Top 40. We’re happy to oblige, because we are a world-class orchestra. Our goal is to try to reach as many people as we can, so we offer a diverse of range of programs to accomplish that.
What appeals to you about collaborating with disparate artists such as The Chieftains and Patti LuPone instead of doing a strictly classical repertoire?
I love it because, although my training is classical, I’ve always had eclectic tastes and been interested in hearing an orchestra stretch beyond its traditional limits. When I conduct SUPERPops! concerts, I get immersed in all these different genres. It’s very interesting to be making music with the best classical musicians, the best Irish musicians, the best jazz musicians, the stars of Broadway … I get to dabble, and the variety is really fun and interesting for me.
What’s it like working with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy in the season finale?
I’ve worked with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy a number of times, and what I love about the experience is that it really is a cross-generational thing. The older generation that grew up with big band swing loves it because it takes them back to their youthful days of dating and dancing. The guys in Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are younger, and there are young people know who are hip listening to that kind of music. It’s a great way to appeal to a bunch of different generations, with everyone saying, “I love this music!”
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Bret Love covers the arts, entertainment, restaurants and has his own website at GreenGlobalTravel.com.
