The year 1900 was a big one for Hawai’i. It marked the year that Hawai’i became a United States territory. It’s also the founding year of the Honolulu Symphony, making it the oldest American orchestra west of the Rocky Mountains. In the past century the Symphony has seen two World Wars, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, The Great Depression, and modernization. It is a landmark in our cultural community and a piece of living history. From the annual Beethoven festival and choral performances to smooth jazz and latin rhythms, the Symphony strives to provide Hawai’i with an array of music for all shapes and sizes.

Today the Symphony is facing yet another—but not so new—challenge: low ticket sales and a lack in funding. The unfortunate reality is that in our modern day “Great Depression,” our so-called recession, too often do the Arts get put on the back burner waiting for a more relaxed and fruitful time to reemerge. The sad result has left many talented musicians looking for new jobs. In May of this year it was reported that due to funding issues, the Symphony owed musicians 15 weeks in back pay. While still working to raise the funds needed to stay afloat, the Symphony lost four veteran musicians.

Contrast is a friend to the Arts and a lover of music and culture. To reconnect with one of Hawai’i’s classic cultural staples, Christa Whittmier sat down with an old friend and Principal Percussionist of the Symphony, Eric Shin, to talk about his position, how he ended up here, and what’s next for the musical collective.


Christa: First of all, I haven’t seen you in like forever. Where have you been man?
Eric Shin: Where to start... I played a few concerts in Austria, and made my way through Germany, Croatia, Prague, Slovenia, and almost all of Italy! Cruising back to the US, I hit LA and I just finished some concerts in Charleston, SC. I’m a little jetlagged and in need of a big ass bowl of poke.

You’re not originally from Hawai’i. How did you wind up here?
I was in the middle of getting my masters degree at the Juilliard School in New York when a vacancy posted for the Honolulu Symphony. I took the audition that summer, won the gig, and happily moved here!

Talent! How was it when you first got here?
I remember thinking how great it is to finally live in a place that embraces Asian American values (and spam)! Having won the job at a young age, it was quite daunting being faced with so many responsibilities. I definitely learned my share of lessons through my first 2 seasons.

How is that different now?
Well I’ve learned how to manage a section, and I feel like age is settling me down a bit. Don’t get me wrong, I still love to party, just not every night like the old days.

God, we used to stay out till dawn every night. Did you ever miss a concert or show up to rehearsal smelling like booze?
Nope. I make sure to get home in enough time to give 100% to the next rehearsal or concert.

You got your tenure recently- what does that mean?
Much like school teachers, orchestra musicians are awarded tenure after a trial period (usually two years). Tenure essentially protects a musician’s job for life, so long as we are capable of doing our jobs to the best of our ability.

You are actually sponsored too, right? How does that work?
I am a performing artist and clinician for Zildjian cymbals. As an endorsed musician, I use Zildjian’s cymbals exclusively. Zildjian has a great roster of orchestral musicians, and I feel fortunate to use and endorse their products.



Tell me then, how the hell do you percussionists sit so still for so long ? I saw you in the Beethoven 9 and you sat out almost an entire movement and I didn’t even see you blink! Do you go into some kind of trance?
Sometimes I will be thinking about the music... where it’s going... what’s being expressed.... sometimes I’ll just be trying to remember all the stuff I have to get down that week. It’s a lot like waiting for your favorite moment in a movie. As a percussionist, we don’t get to play as much as say a violinist, but our moments are really special and can make or break a performance. Imagine how much power a huge tympany roll adds in a symphony or how horrifying it can be to hear a huge cymbal crash come in at the wrong place!

Those moments are crucial. So what’s going on with your symphony paycheck?
The latest news is that, since the fundraising campaign began, we’ve been paid for 3 weeks of back pay. We’re still owed another 15 weeks of back pay, or over $15,000 per musician. While all of the orchestra musicians are doing their best to hang on, we’ve lost several musicians already. The best thing people can do to help is buy a subscription and/or make a donation to the HSO (honolulusymphony.com). Besides the classical and pop’s concerts we perform, the HSO reaches tens of thousands of school students across the state each year and provides music for opera, ballet, and chamber music.

What are you guys doing this next season that you’re excited about?
There is a lot of stuff to be excited about! On opening night we are featuring Béla Fleck on banjo, Edgar Meyer on bass, and Zakir Hussain on tabla. We’re ending with Ravel/Mussourgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.” We are also collaborating with the stars of “Lost” as they join the orchestra to narrate Poulenc’s “The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant.” Let’s not forget Bartok’s “Concerto for Orchestra” (Star Wars fans will recognize all the bits that John Williams ripped off!). The season will end with a bang with Mahler’s first symphony. Plenty of good stuff to check out...

I love “Pictures at an Exhibition!” Can you explain in non-classical music lovers’ terms what it is about classical music that inspires you?
Music has a way of reaching out to everybody, regardless of what their background or beliefs are. You can hear someone play a solo and tell if they are depressed or if they got laid last night. I especially love it when non-classical lovers come to a concert and have great experiences…that’s it. It’s a way to share emotions with others, others that you may have never met before but are all connected in that moment in music. What a great feeling.

So your job is entertaining people. What do you do when you’re not doing that? Where are some of your favorite hideouts?
Mainly surfing the south shore and anything related to food! Some favorite dive bar spots include Café Anasia and Crazy Karaoke. Favorite places to grind (eat) are at Bangkok Chef, Mix, Tenkaippin, and the huli huli chicken at Ward Warehouse every Saturday. Aloha!