Q&A with Retiring Violinist Jean Marker De Vere

The Minnesota Orchestra bids a fond farewell in January 2026 to its current longest-tenured violinist as Jean Marker De Vere retires after almost 48 years in the second violin section. Raised in a Detroit suburb, Jean joined the Orchestra in 1978, fresh from earning a bachelor of music degree and performer’s certificate at Indiana University studying with Josef Gingold, and has played under six of the Orchestra’s 11 music directors—from Skrowaczewski to Søndergård. She has chosen to cap her career with the January 8 and 9 concerts featuring, appropriately, a violin soloist: James Ehnes in Sibelius’ Violin Concerto—music Jean has “always found beautiful.”

Please join us in congratulating Jean on an extraordinary musical career and wishing her a happy retirement—and read on for her favorite Orchestra memories, retirement plans and more!

Looking back on your career, what were some of your favorite concerts at Orchestra Hall?

Klaus Tennstedt conducting Mahler symphonies as principal guest conductor between 1979 and 1981. With his deep understanding of Mahler and positive energy on the podium, these performances were powerful experiences.

Charles Dutoit conducting Ravel and Debussy as principal guest conductor in the early 1980s. It seemed as though the music was part of him, and he could convey this to the musicians with great ease and agility.

Doc Severinsen as principal pops conductor for 14 seasons with his earnest flair on the podium. I particularly liked his Christmas shows, which included great arrangements of the classic Christmas fare.

Osmo Vänskä conducting Sibelius, particularly the Fifth Symphony with its rich brass writing. Osmo brings out every detail of what Sibelius wants to convey.

The concert on March 13, 2020, played to an empty Hall right before the pandemic shutdown. The concert, which included Shostakovich Symphony No. 7, was one of the most moving and emotional performances of my career.

Sommerfest concerts with Leonard Slatkin took me way out of my comfort zone. The number of concerts, sometimes three different programs in one week, allowed for very limited rehearsal time. The chamber music portion of the festival partnered Orchestra musicians with guest soloists giving me the opportunity to perform with the Finnish violinist Pekka Kuusisto.

And how about favorite performances on tour? 

My favorite touring venues were the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall, Concertgebouw Hall in Amsterdam, Carnegie Hall in New York City and the Sydney Opera House. A few tour concerts stand out:

Shostakovich Violin Concerto with the fiery and energetic Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg was programmed with Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet excerpts at Carnegie Hall. This concert garnered rave reviews from The New York Times critic including “…the sense of on-the-edge involvement and the sheer joy in letting the music rip were what hooked one in the Prokofiev.”

Mahler Symphony No. 5, with its incredibly lush string writing, is one of the most beautiful of all the symphonies I have performed. This symphony appeared on two international tours: once in Japan with Eiji Oue in 1998 and with Osmo Vänskä in 2006 as part of the European Festivals tour. The performance at the BBC Proms was unique in its audience enthusiasm, with patrons lining up hours before the concert to get standing room tickets. 

The renowned Joshua Bell performed both the Barber and Bruch concertos on the 2009 European tour to Luxembourg, Vienna, London and Berlin.

Our historic tour of Cuba included symbolic performances of both the U.S. and Cuban national anthems.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was performed to a packed and inspired crowd in Cape Town, South Africa.

Were there any concerts this season that you wanted to play before you retired?

Bartók Concerto for Orchestra has always been a favorite of mine. I love the way Bartók spotlights various instruments and sections of the orchestra throughout its five movements.

Leonidas Kavakos performing Mozart and conducting Shostakovich was a concert I didn’t want to miss. It is always a treat to hear Kavakos perform, but to work with him in the role of conductor was equally inspiring.

Dessa has been a favorite pop artist of mine for many years. She is exceptionally talented and draws the audience in like few others.

I chose the program with James Ehnes playing the Sibelius Violin Concerto to be my final concert because he is a virtuoso violinist and the Sibelius concerto is one I have always found beautiful as well as idiomatic to the violin.

What sorts of activities, hobbies or travel do you hope to do in your retirement?

My husband and I plan to take a Mediterranean cruise next summer. I am considering taking classes on Suzuki teaching to improve my skills in teaching young violinists. I also want to study viola more diligently and learn to play the exquisite Bach solo suites. I will definitely continue my four-mile walks, biking when weather permits, explore some aerobic classes and even learn to play pickleball. And continue traveling in our 25-year-old motorhome in between repairs!

What are some of the ways the Orchestra has changed since you joined in 1978?

The size of the Orchestra is smaller. When I joined in 1978 there were 97 full-time musicians. Currently there are 80 full-time players, with 11 additional players holding one-year contracts.

There were 20 women in the Orchestra in 1978, and today there are 34 women.

The Orchestra has stepped way back on touring. The last international tour was in 2018 to South Africa. Prior to 2018 the Orchestra toured regularly, both nationally and internationally. In fact, in 1998 we toured to Europe in February and to Japan in September.

For many years we regularly played concerts in Rochester and St. Paul. We almost never play in either of those cities now.  

The dress code is much less formal. Men rarely wear tuxedos. When I joined the Orchestra, I was required to have a black dress made with a fabric provided by the Orchestra using a specific pattern. Men wore tails for subscription concerts. Now women wear pants or dresses of various styles. Men are never required to wear tails and tuxedos are rarely part of the dress code.

Is there anything you want to say about our dedicated audiences and your fellow Orchestra violinists?

Our audiences are consistently engaged with what we do, whether it be pops or classical. I have been really fortunate through my years in Minnesota to work with violinists who show respect for one another and strive to collaborate as a group. 

Any other fun stories you’d like to share?

Back in the day, the Orchestra played The Nutcracker and the Messiah concurrently. Half of the Orchestra was in the A group and the other half was in the B group. During one of the intervals between Nutcracker shows, I was walking along the street with principal trombonist Steve Zellmer when someone stopped to say, “You are all dressed up. Do you play in an orchestra?” I replied, “Oh yes” to which Steve added “We play in Orchestra B!”

On the Japanese tour we were all required to pack our bags and leave them outside our hotel room the night before departing, reserving a small bag of overnight items to carry with us the next day. One night I accidentally packed my shoes in my luggage. Fortunately the Japanese hotels always provided slippers, so I wore slippers the whole next day, on and off the bullet trains, etc.

After the concert in Berlin on our 2000 European tour, the whole orchestra was invited to a reception hosted by the American Ambassador to Germany.  By coincidence, the disputed U.S. presidential election was the night before.

We were the first American orchestra to play in Cuba after relations between the two countries improved under President Obama in late 2014, beating out the Chicago Symphony who hoped to get there first.

The first week of the current season (my 48th) I shared a stand with Icelandic violinist Herdís Guðmundsdóttir who was beginning her first season with the Orchestra. Herdís told me it was her first time ever playing The Star-Spangled Banner!