When the sweet sounds of a symphony spill into the Westerville air, it means Peter Stafford Wilson is busy at work.

Wilson, the musical director of the Westerville Symphony, lives, eats and breathes music – constantly studying, interpreting and conducting. He’s been with the ensemble for 20 years. He has held the same position with the Springfield Orchestra for seven years, and has been involved with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for 20 years. These positions have taken him all over the world – from Rome to Shanghai – and he has also guest conducted ensembles in cities throughout the United States, including Indianapolis, Dallas, Detroit, Louisville, Seattle and Phoenix.

Wilson, a Westerville resident, took time out of his busy performance schedule to talk with Westerville Magazine about the conducting profession, splitting his time between different symphonies and “taking the summer off” to work.

Westerville Magazine: What is your musical background?
Peter Stafford Wilson: I started playing piano around age 4 or 5. Then I picked up the clarinet in fourth grade, and then the oboe. The challenge for us in the music industry is we have to start so young. I was fortunate to have parents that encouraged me to play music and support me along this path.

WM: When did you decide to pursue a conductor role?
PSW: When I was young I went to a concert in Tanglewood (Mass.), which is the summer home of the Boston Symphony. That is the moment I started really focusing. Seeing the conductor – (the late) Erich Leinsdorf – changed everything for me.

Then I went to high school and had a lot of questions, as anyone does at that age, and I was split between music and law. When I was 16 or 17, I took the summer off and learned how to sail. It took me away from both, but by the time summer was over, I missed music terribly. There was no question that was the path I was going to take.

WM: What was the next step?
PSW: I wanted to do whatever it took to get to where I wanted to be. My senior year in high school I started a youth orchestra with some of my cronies in Greensboro (North Carolina, Wilson’s hometown). I realized my skills and knowledge weren’t refined – so I found someone who took it on and I became assistant conductor. This gave me the chance to stand back and learn what it’s all about.

I went to the (University of Cincinnati) College-Conservatory of Music. And I now believe it is the best thing that happened to me. I needed to hear a great symphony every week and they had it there. At the time, the conductor was Thomas Schippers, who was really up and coming, and I approached him and asked if I could sit in on some performances. He invited me to his doctoral seminar to watch, which was unheard of as a freshman.

Having that exposure is really important to what I do. I learned volumes just by watching. Mr. Schippers got me an appointment to study in Europe, and that trip changed everything. I got to walk the streets where all of this (music) was invented. It is such a part of the culture there. He was really instrumental in the beginning of my path. Schippers died a year after I graduated and I often think about how different my career would be with him still around.

WM: What did you do after graduation?
PSW: I came back to Greensboro and took a job with the youth orchestra that I had helped start. It was a wonderful learning experience for me. I eventually started applying elsewhere and was hired in Canton. I was there for 10 years. Then, in 1990, I was hired as the assistant conductor of the Columbus Symphony. I’ve been (in Central Ohio) ever since.

WM: What made you want to live in Westerville?
PSW: I looked all over town and I was just so impressed with this community. It’s an academic community. It has a wonderful downtown and library. It had its own orchestra and that spoke volumes to me as an arts community. I lived here for 10 years before I met my wife (Barbara Karam Wilson) and we thought about moving and looked at other places, but we just couldn’t leave.

WM: When did you start working with the Westerville Symphony?
PSW: (Albert) George Schram was the conductor before me and his schedule kept taking him to other opportunities further away from Westerville. So they did a local search for someone and, after a year of auditions, I found out I got the job. This is the only job you apply to and don’t find out whether or not you got it until about 18 months later!

WM: What are your duties as musical director?
PSW: It’s not a 9-to-5 job. I plan and conduct a majority of concerts and events; do the administrative tasks; raise funds and make donor visits; and study and listen to new music constantly. My work is primarily in the study – reading scores, studying scores, analyzing performances, learning about the conductors. It’s a fluid thing. My outlook changes every time the orchestra plays.

WM: What do your duties entail in Columbus and Springfield, and how do you find the time?
PSW: For Columbus, I’ll do the educational concerts and help with the youth orchestra. I’ll also cover for series and assist in administering and planning. I am also the musical director of the Springfield Orchestra. Conductors have a very hard time saying ‘no’ because it’s a very competitive job, and if we say ‘no,’ the phone might not ring next time.

WM: Do you still play any instruments?
PSW: To excel in an instrument, you have to practice constantly and I don’t have the time to do that now. I held onto my oboe for about 15 years and finally sold it about five years ago. That was hard. I miss making the sound and the physical contact with the instrument. But that’s part of the mystery of being a conductor – it’s an art form based on sound without making one.

WM: What is your favorite part about being a conductor?
PSW: I never expected to be a teacher and with my youth orchestra experience, that’s exactly what has happened. I am starting to see my kids from the youth orchestras come around and it’s fun.

I am also constantly learning and I love it. I can look at a piece I thought I knew and see stuff I’ve never seen before. There is continued growth and continued use of all faculties in this business.

WM: How do you spend your “off season”?
PSW: The summer is when I focus on the music. That’s when I have time to think. I read biographies on the musicians we feature, learn as much insight as I can about what they might have been thinking when they wrote their music. My role is to be the composers’ advocate.

WM: Do you have any hobbies away from the orchestra pit?
PSW: Conducting doesn’t leave a lot of time, but I like to play golf, I like to cook and am self-taught. I am a wine enthusiast, and my wife and I like to travel.

WM: Do you have favorite performances?
PSW: There was a spark the night I worked with the Seattle Symphony, and Cleveland – wow. Dallas was fun, too, because it has a wonderful reputation. But Columbus rivals all of these. When the Columbus Symphony is on, it’s world-class.

With Westerville, there are many moments that stick out. It’s a unique ensemble because it consists of professionals, college students and townsfolk who just want to play. Everyone rehearses together the entire schedule, which separates us from other ensembles that usually bring in professionals later to save money. It builds a strong fabric, both artistically and socially.

My career has been filled with great moments. I love what I do because even in mediocre performances I can find something extraordinary. That is the power of music.

WM: What are your career goals moving forward?
PSW: I’d like to do more collaborative work with ballets or operas. I’d like to continue growing the quality of the symphony and maintain our unique blend and personality. I’m proud we’re one of the ingredients of Westerville, and I’d like to stay in Westerville as long as they’ll have me. I’d like to conduct until I’m no longer physically able to do so.

Alicia Kelso is a contributing editor for Westerville Magazine.

BONUS:
For a schedule of Westerville Symphony performances, visit www.westervillesymphony.org.