Dolores D'Aigle

Assistant Principal Second Violin

At this moment …

We would find Dolores writing an arrangement of Delius' On Hearing the First Cuckoo of Spring for organ; her first instrument was piano. "Being able to play piano is very useful for accompanying students," she explains. "Since I learned to use my feet, I'm also now able to fill a need for church organists. It's a nice contrast to the violin."

On the CD player …

Dolores lives in a condo downtown. "I play environmental tapes with bird calls and ocean sounds so I can pretend I'm out in nature. In the car, I like foreign language tapes."

In the kitchen …

"I generally like simple, natural foods," says Dolores, who doesn't like to spend a lot of time cooking. "Many of my friends have farms, and they spoil me with fresh food from their gardens."

On the music stand …

After 27 years in the orchestra, Dolores has played much of the symphonic repertoire before. "It's more a matter of reacquainting myself with the music, making whatever changes the conductor wants and trying to play it better." She also has music to learn for her chamber group, the Lyric String Quartet. "A lot of practice time is geared toward keeping my playing in shape," she explains. "I have a notebook of exercises and études I've compiled over the years that cover a range of technical skills for the violin; they keep my hands and arms strong and supple."

And on the nightstand …

Dolores is reading two books by the Harvard Negotiation Project and Alinsky's Rules for Radicals. "They're interesting to read together, as they are opposite approaches to the same issues." As the Oregon Symphony Players' Delegate to the ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians), Dolores will be one of the musicians participating in upcoming contract negotiations. She has taken courses in negotiation and mediation and served on several negotiation teams. "We want to reach agreements in a cooperative and positive manner."

Before you left …

Dolores would show you her instrument collection. She also collects commemorative pins from her travels and from Volkssport, a European organization that organizes 10K walks.