'What really stood out to me even before I got here officially,' said Duplissie, 'is how much everyone loves the Reno Chamber Orchestra. From everyone I've run into, they either have a history with the organization as a patron or a musician or a family member, or they see it now and have come to it the first time … That impact on the community is what really stood out to me.'
'I'm from a small town in northern New England,' he continued, 'and I started in my school band in fourth grade, went on to the local school to get a degree in music education.' He went on to get a master's degree in music performance.
'Part of my teaching assistantship there was the production and operations manager for the conservatory orchestra. I loved having the ownership over the final product. It's really great to be – I'm a trombone player – to sit in the back row and make a lot of loud and powerful impact on the music. But being able to do the legwork and have the satisfaction of putting together the final product is just as meaningful to me.'
After moving to Salt Lake City to pursue a doctorate degree, 'I began working full-time as the artistic operations director for one of the military bands out there. And that was really what set it off.'
His first two months as Reno Chamber Orchestra executive director saw him getting up-to-speed on the orchestra's history, 'going through past contracts and past programs and past receipts, so that everything I do going forward is based on what's already worked.'
In the past, an orchestra could survive simply doing its annual subscription concerts. But nowadays, orchestras have to take a more diverse role in the community. Part of that is due to the ready availability of music via streaming. 'When we have the Philadelphia Orchestra or the San Francisco Symphony on incredible recordings for free or low cost at a touch of a hat,' Duplissie continued, 'there has to be a reason to go to live music. And that reason is the experience and the intimacy and the family and the connection that you get seeing the musicians from 20 to 100 feet away, speaking to them at intermission. Just seeing what that atmosphere is, feeling the physical music in a real space and experiencing it with other people, is unparalleled.'
The Reno Chamber Orchestra's 2026-27 season begins on October 4. renochamberorchestra.org for more.
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Support for Arts on the Airwaves comes from the Nevada Arts Council, a state agency that provides public funding and support to artists and organizations, that benefit Nevadans in cities and rural communities statewide. More at NVArtsCouncil.org.
