For Sherman Symphony Orchestra timpani player Mai Tadokoro Hessel, music helped her transcend language barriers when she moved from Japan to the United States.
Her love of music started early.
“My mother was a music teacher in a Japanese elementary school and junior high school,” she said. “She always brought me along to classical music concerts and kept me constantly surrounded by music. I started to take piano lessons at age of 6, and flute lessons at 10.”
Being a percussionist wasn’t in her plans until she started junior high at age 12.
“My band director put me to percussion because I aced the rhythm test,” she said. “It was not my intention, but I ended up loving percussion because of the wide variety or instruments and sounds, filling in so many different roles in ensembles. I continued playing percussion in the Ichijo High School band in Nara, Japan, where I had an opportunity to perform in Canberra, Australia. It was my life-changing experience, so I decided to study abroad after graduating from high school. I continued to play music in college bands after coming to the USA, even though my focus wasn’t music first. Music served as a communication tool when my English wasn’t very good. Eventually, I decided to major in Music performance, and I am still playing in band and orchestra settings.”
She eventually earned a number of degrees including an Associate of Arts from Cottey College, a bachelor’s degree in music percussion performance from the University of Missouri at Kansas City, a master’s degree in music percussion performance, from the University of Texas and a PHD of Musical Arts from the University of Kansas.
“I moved to DFW in 2015 with my husband, Eric Hessel, who is Principal Horn with the SSO. I am currently a freelance musician as well as adjunct professor of percussion at Texas Wesleyan University.
She said her husband, Eric started to play in the SSO’s horn section, and she asked Director Dan Dominick if she could also be a part of the orchestra.
“I was playing section percussion first, and I took over the timpani position once it opened up in 2018,” she said.
Mai said she has really enjoyed the experience.
“I love the diverse programs that Dan puts together. He is great at selecting music of all sorts from standards to unknown gems, and he delivers them very well to the audience. I also love the connections we get to make with Sherman’s enthusiastic audience, including the thousands of 5th graders who come to the Children’s concerts each November.”
In addition to her work with the SSO, Mai Hessel also plays with Lone Star Wind Orchestra and Richardson Symphony Orchestra.
“I also often play with the McKinney Philharmonic, Dallas Asian American Youth Orchestra, Voices of Fort Worth, and various other ensembles that call me up. My husband and I perform as a duo called Spiral Staircase. One of our performances was featured as part of SSO’s virtual releases during the pandemic.”
She credits music with helping her connect with people all over the world.
“It served as a communication tool for me because it is indeed a universal language. It especially gave me a voice when I was unsure of myself. Performing music gave me confidence and boosted self-esteem. Even if I hadn’t become a professional musician, learning to practice rigorously was also helpful to develop problem solving skills, analytical thinking skills, and perseverance. But more than anything else, music is fun and being able to share it with others is such a beautiful thing,” she said.
And even with all of her degrees and experience, practice still is an important part of her routine.
“I used to practice as much as my time allowed when I was a student, around 4-8 hours a day. This sort of effort was essential to studying music up through a doctoral level. Lately I still try to devote time each day to practicing, studying, and listening to recordings, but it is much more difficult finding that much time on top of freelancing, teaching, and raising children. I try to be more efficient when I have a chance to practice, by focusing and organizing,” she said.
When she is not playing music, Mai Hessel likes to take pictures of her children and edit photos.
“I also like to eat my husband’s cooking and try new things all over the Metroplex,” she said.
A nonprofit, the SSO was founded in 1966 under Cecil Isaac. The SSO presents live concerts and serves as a primary resource for music education. In 1992, Dominick has been the music director since 1992 and the SSO has been performing in the 1,300-seat Kidd-Key Auditorium, which is located in the Sherman Cultural District, since 2002.
For more information about Sherman Symphony Orchestra or to purchase tickets to the show, visit https://shermansymphony.com/april-29-2023-spring-concert/.
