Faces in the Orchestra: Martha Uhey

Martha Uhey (flute and piccolo) joined the orchestra in 1971, the same year that Clif Swanson became conductor. She had just graduated from UCLA with a degree in Music Composition. Her parents had moved to Los Osos from Los Angeles to open a piano store (Martha’s father was a piano tuner). He set up an appointment for Martha to meet Clif. At the time, Clif was starting the Mozart Festival, and he mentioned that there was a Symphony, but he wasn’t involved with it yet. Shortly thereafter, Clif called to tell Martha that he’d been asked to conduct the Symphony, and he invited her to be principal flutist. “And that was that!” as Martha says.

Life Before the PAC:
Muddy Pools and Close Calls

Martha faced some challenging situations in the days before the Performing Arts Center opened:
“Cuesta Auditorium in the rain: this was always treacherous, especially for the women of the orchestra! Once one made it across the muddy parking lot, this did not mean that one was “home free” so to speak, because there was the dreaded jump to the hall yet to complete! You see, there was a short stairway down into the backstage area, and at the bottom of the stairway was a landing that turned into a muddy pool during the rainy season. BUT . . . that was not all – there was no door handle on the outside of the very heavy double doors leading into the backstage, but rather a rope that one would hope happened to be caught between the doors. All one had to do was balance their instrument, music, gig bag, and (in the case of a female musician) gather up her skirt while in high heels, grab the rope which was 3 feet away across the muddy pool, and hope for the best. I am proud to say that I never fell into the pool, but I can honestly admit that I was thirty-five years younger then. I’m glad I’m no longer put to that test!”

Martha has had a couple of other close calls over the years.

One time, Helmuth Rilling was guest conducting, and due to a misunderstanding about the program order, as Martha remembers:

“Alice McGonigal and I thought we weren’t playing until the second half of this concert, so we were in the balcony of the church down in Pismo. There were many late patrons, so we decided to help the ushers seat people. The lights came down, the audience hushed, and Mike walked on stage and introduced Helmuth. And then he said, ‘And by the way, if there are two flute players in the audience, we could use them onstage.’ At that point, Alice and I started waving to the orchestra and assembled choirs on stage. I still remember the look on Gary Lamprecht’s face (he was singing that night). All of a sudden Alice and I got it – we were the flute players who were supposed to be onstage! You’ve never seen two grown women in floor-length tight skirts and high heels run so fast! We got to the back of the church panting, collapsing on the floor at Mike and Helmuth’s feet, apologizing profusely as we jammed our flutes together in the back hallway of the church, and then walking ‘calmly’ on stage to the clapping and laughing of the audience. What a way to start an all-Bach sacred choral music program!”

Martha also made it in under the gun for the Carnegie Hall concert, but fortunately she did so in time:

“I was warming my piccolo up backstage and had really waited too long to get onstage, so I was in a hurry! I remember coming through the backstage area as fast as I could without running and seeing Mike just off stage – and then I saw it: I stopped short and looked up . . . and up . . . and up – there were people all the way up to the top of the Hall – ‘We have an audience!’ I marveled. I was so excited just to be playing in Carnegie – that we had a huge, appreciative audience made the whole evening layer upon layer of magic. There was so much flash photography going on at the beginning of the concert that the ushers gave up trying to stop it (it’s usually strictly forbidden). It seems that our spunky Symphony from California playing the wonderful music of Craig Russell was a breath of fresh air.”

What to Wear for POPS: “A Hat or Something?”

Martha and the other flutists are well known for the inventive headgear they sport for the “Stars and Stripes Forever” piccolo soli at POPS concerts. Martha was relieved when the POPS concert found its home in Avila Beach:

“No more private ranches (as beautiful as those could be, my teeth were chattering at the last one when I was attempting to play). NO MORE Budweiser Stage at the Fair Grounds - that just didn't seem the right place for a symphony orchestra, and the stage was too small.”

Here’s how the colorful hats came to be a tradition:

“For a few years at the Fair Grounds the piccolos would stand up at the appropriate place in ‘Stars and Stripes,’ and Tony the Tuba [Tony Clements] would start playing our solo. We'd shake our fingers indignantly at him and sit down. That was the sum total of our shtick. One year Bonnie [Richan] called me and asked if we couldn't do something different - a hat or something? And that was the beginning of the POPS thematic piccolo garb. I was going to stop doing it after a few years, but people have told me that they look forward to seeing what we're going to do next. What started out as Uncle Sam hats has burgeoned into the Statue of Liberty, red-white-and-blue Carmen Mirandas, Hollywood starlets, 1-2-3's (with 5 foot headdresses), and hula girls. Two of us in the flute section have our storage sheds full of costumes. To me, the high point of this wonderful concert is the baton auction [the highest bidder gets to conduct ‘Stars and Stripes Forever’]. The story of why the baton has been purchased is always a moving one, and to be a part of it is very meaningful!”

A Poignant Memory

“When Dave Stade died, his empty chair was onstage for the concert and when Mike walked onstage, he put a bouquet of flowers on Dave’s chair. Dave was in the orchestra when I started – the orchestra meant everything to him and he was such an important part of it for years. Mike’s gesture was so poignant.”

Martha’s Thoughts on the Symphony: Past, Present, and Future

“I am still continually amazed at our orchestra. I remember the days when we couldn’t even play through a movement of a piece and when we had to wait until the weekend of the concert for the ‘ringers’ from out of town to fill the woodwind, brass, and string sections. There were pieces that Clif wouldn’t even attempt because we just weren’t able to play them. Now we can sight-read them with ease.

This orchestra is successful because of four incredible parts: talented dedicated musicians, a talented dedicated conductor, a talented dedicated staff, and a talented dedicated board. If any one of those parts were missing, our orchestra wouldn’t be the very special organization that it is. This has been true for years, and this is why we are where we are today.

With the talented leadership and community following that we have, there is no reason that this symphony shouldn’t thrive into the future. Our education programs are an important focus of our organization as are our No Ties Allowed dress rehearsals. When I am on stage I always feel that the audience cares so much about us – the feeling is mutual! That is something that I treasure – our relationship with our audience.”