Oberlin Portrait: Roger Chase

"I never fit the typical mold of a musician," says Roger Chase, associate professor of viola. "Skeptical of ivory towers, I never went to any special music schools, so I led a life very different from most musicians, I believe."

Chase's skepticism seems to have diminished over the years. A member of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music faculty since fall 2001, he particularly appreciates Oberlin's unique college and conservatory setting.

"This is a place that emphasizes an awareness and appreciation of all the arts," he says. "When I was in school, I had one set of friends that had nothing to do with music at all. I could speak to them about poetry, for instance, and bring that into my playing."

Chase says that he was always interested in – and involved with – teaching, but it was not until the age of 23, when he helped run a small music school in Holland, that he knew he wanted to make a lifelong commitment to it.

"I've learned that the most valuable lesson I can teach my students is to teach themselves," says Chase.

Before coming to Oberlin, Chase taught at the Guildhall School of Music in London and the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. He also served as the principal violist of the London Sinfonietta for 10 years.

What brings a renowned teacher and performer from London to Oberlin?

"I had always known of Oberlin, but when a former student told me that there was a teaching position open here, a friend who knows me very well said 'Roger, that position is exactly right for you.'

And he was right."

A Conservatory Portrait Conversation with Roger Chaser:

What inspired you to be a musician?

My father started me on music, and in the beginning I probably kept playing to please him. Then, after a while, you forget how it is that you learned the language; it just becomes a part of your life and you realize that you can't live without it.

What keeps you inspired on discouraging days?
Pure experience. When I'm having a bad day, I keep in mind that all things pass and that the wheels of creativity are constantly turning and renewing.

What is the most memorable performance you have seen and why?

Only one? How about two? The first is Yehudi Menuhin performing the Brahms D minor Violin Sonata in Switzerland. It was in 1973, and there he was in front of all these stiff Swiss gentlemen. The agony expressed in his playing had every single one of them suffering and reaching in their pockets for a handkerchief. It was sublime.

The second is hearing the Amadeus Quartet perform the Schubert C Major Cello Quintet in London with William Pleeth. They were achieving this extraordinary feat of performing in a hall not designed for any music whatsoever. As the piece went on, it got larger and totally filled the space. It transported a packed hall on a Sunday afternoon. It was incredible. The musicians were all responding to the music as something more powerful than all of us. It was the sort of experience that makes you think that music is more important than anything else in the world.

If you could perform with any musician, living or dead, who would it be? What would you perform?

Pablo Casals. I would definitely NOT play the Beethoven "Eyeglass" Duet with him! I would play anything else with him, but what comes to mind is the trio section in the Scherzo movement of Schubert's Cello Quintet.

If you could master another instrument, what would it be?

The flugelhorn.

If you could not be a musician, what other profession would you choose? What profession would you definitely NOT choose?

A physical therapist. I actually applied to a school for osteopathy twice! I would never want to be an investment analyst.

What do you listen to for inspiration? In your free time?

I have just returned from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and so I'd have to say any pre-70's rock and roll. Also, I love Cleo Laine, Freddy Hubbard, Peter Schidlof, among others. The last time I had free time, I found myself listening to the Dvorak Requiem. But I listen to everything and anything.

What do you like to read?

If it's going to be a novel, then Thomas Mann, Goethe, or the American author John Carey. If not, then definitely poetry.

What are three words that best describe you?

Contradictory, obsessive, and hyper-sensitive.