As director of orchestral studies at Stanford, J. Karla Lemon would often step off the podium during rehearsals to wander among the first violins and draw out a more expressive, sustained sound. "Do that Hungarian stroke," she'd say. "You know—get to the tip of the bow and play light."
Lemon, 55, died October 15 in the Oakland home she shared with opera singer Christine Brandes, her partner of 14 years. Lemon suffered a massive stroke during surgery to correct a congenital heart condition.
The music department will present a concert dedicated to Lemon's memory on May 21 and 22 in Memorial Church, with performances by the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, Stanford University Singers, Stanford Symphony Orchestra and soloists.
Lemon taught at Stanford from 1992 to 2002. Music department chair Steve Sano says her impact was all about heart—"the way in which she gave of herself, not only to the music which she cared about so deeply, but also to the lives of her students."
By the end of Lemon's first season, the student symphony was named 1993 Orchestra of the Year in the Bay Area by the San Jose Mercury News. Two years later, Lemon took the student musicians to mainland China and Hong Kong. They toured in Italy in 1999, and in 2002, played Carnegie Hall.
Often cited as a champion of female composers, Lemon preferred to say that she applauded "any composer who writes well." As one of the few female conductors in a field legendary for its maestros' egos, she also declined to think of herself as a woman conductor. "I'm just doing a job I love, and when I'm up there working, I don't think about who or what I am," Lemon once noted. "There's just no time!"
