CLEVELAND, Ohio - Few words, enormous impact. This, simply put, is the essence of retiring Cleveland Orchestra violinist Yoko Moore.
Never mind her prominent position onstage or critical musical duties. Rarely in her 34 years as assistant concertmaster has Moore spoken publicly.
But while commentary by Moore herself is scarce, kind words about her as she steps down this week are abundant to overflowing. When it comes to praise, in fact, there's just Moore, Moore, Moore.
Start with concertmaster William Preucil, the artist whose stand Moore shared, whose role as the orchestra's internal head it was her job to support.
"I am so fortunate to have had [Moore] by my side for 21 years," he said. "She has been the perfect stand partner . . . keenly aware and keeping everything organized. . . . She is a wonderful violinist and musician, and I will miss her."
Preucil is likewise a topic about which Moore spoke at relative length. In a meeting in the board room at Severance Hall, the violinist said backing up Preucil and his predecessor, Daniel Majeske, were the twin great joys of her career.
"I got to sit next to two great concertmasters," Moore said, pointing to such duties as turning pages and being prepared to take first chair at any moment. "It was more than playing well. I had to make him comfortable. I try always as a professional not just to make great music but to try my best."
Making people - lots of people - comfortable was plainly one of Moore's gifts. In addition to serving as assistant concertmaster since 1982, the violinist also was a tireless friend of the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
A mentor for the group since its inception, Moore ushered untold hundreds of young players forward in life and music, simply by being herself.
"She went that extra mile, making sure they were doing things the way the Cleveland Orchestra would do them," said COYO manager Lauren Generette, noting that Moore plans to stay on as "emeritus" coach. "She's so committed to the idea of passing on tradition."
Tradition isn't all Moore strove to pass on. In addition to Cleveland-style professionalism, Moore said she was driven by a desire to provide COYO members the same transformative guidance she herself received from a youth orchestra in Japan.
Had she not bravely moved to Tokyo by herself at age 12 and joined a youth orchestra, Moore likely would not have gone on to graduate from the Toho Music School or land an early seat in the New Japan Philharmonic.
"I wanted to share how youth orchestra experience can change your life," said Moore, a resident of Cleveland Heights. "I was always coaching, and I was so proud. I had the same experience."
One especially grateful recipient of Moore's tutelage was Cleveland Orchestra violist Eliesha Nelson.
Now an accomplished professional with a Grammy Award nomination under her belt, the Alaska native began her career in Cleveland as a member of COYO, where she recalled coming to treasure Moore as a kind of musical anchor.
"I remember thinking how strong and steady she was," Nelson said. "She was like a rock. She was a foundation that was really easy to latch onto."
Moore continued playing that role long after Nelson joined the Cleveland Orchestra in 2000. Even then, from across the stage, Nelson said her former mentor remained a key presence, a source of personal inspiration as one of the first female assistant concertmasters in the nation and a model mother and human being.
"There was always a sort of camaraderie and understanding of that," Nelson said. "She has a great set of morals that she tries to live by, and that's always something to look up to: a woman who stands up for her convictions."
Credit former music director Lorin Maazel for bringing Moore aboard. To this day, over 34 years after the fact, Moore said she can still feel the anxiety she felt during and after her audition, when the conductor made her - then concertmaster of Oklahoma's Tulsa Philharmonic - sit through a whole concert before giving her the good news.
"How could I relax?" she recalled. "I was so nervous."
More interesting news awaited once she got the job. Moments after hiring her, Moore said Maazel told her she had to scrap the "very poor" violin she was playing. She complied immediately, going out as soon as possible and buying the 300-year-old Italian instrument she went on to play the rest of her career.
Looking back on that career, Moore declined to boast or even to mention specific highlights.
She might have mentioned any one of the many times she appeared in a solo capacity, the innumerable great artists with whom she worked and shook hands, or her longtime interest in chamber music. Instead, she cited performances with music director Franz Welser-Most in Vienna and said of the rest, "there are too many concerts."
Moore also kept to generalities when speaking about her reasons for retiring. Far from unhappy with the orchestra or herself as a performer, Moore said she's stepping down only because "I can't do too much anymore. Physically, it's enough for me."
About her future, by contrast, what she plans to do in retirement, Moore is perfectly clear. Look for her, she said, at Severance Hall, attending concerts of every stripe. She'll also spend time with her granddaughter (co-star of the Cleveland Play House's recent staging of "The Good Peaches"), continue her quest to read every famous book, and pursue her love of writing.
Most important, perhaps, she'll keep playing. Where some musicians lay down their instruments when they retire, Moore said she'll remain an active performer and coach, with COYO and other ensembles in Japan.
"Some people stop the violin," Moore said. "Not me."