A Fond Farewell to Five Symphony Pros

By Martin Johansson & Leilani Polk

This season, five musicians representing a breadth of musical knowledge and skill spanning six decades, who were all present for Benaroya Hall’s grand opening, are bidding adieu to the orchestra, retiring after putting many decades and much effort into helping shape its sound.  

The Symphony is honored to celebrate their musical contributions as they head into their respective retirements. 

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Bruce and Mariel Bailey have more than 100 years in the orchestra between them. Bruce joined the Symphony’s cello section in 1963 and Mariel has been a member of the first violins since the 1978/1979 season. A Symphony love story, the couple met in the orchestra. 

Mariel said she hadn’t been here long before Bruce asked her out. “I had already noticed that he drove a blue Jaguar XKE. I accepted, we started playing chamber music and the rest is history.” 

They’ve been married for 43 years. “We surely hold the record for most years in the orchestra by a married couple,” Bruce mused. 

“It was wonderful to perform in the orchestra together and see him across the stage,” shared Mariel. “In all the years, we only sat next to each other once, when the cellos moved next to the first violins for a special Beethoven arrangement.” 

For Mariel, her love of music came from “listening to the radio in Newport, Oregon, when I was a small child in the early 1950s. The only radio station was classical — fortunately — the weather cold and rainy, so I sat and listened for hours soaking it all in.” 

Bruce, a lifelong musician, didn’t originally pursue a career in music, but says “music pursued me. My degrees are in mathematics, and I worked at Boeing for over 38 years. Starting early in 1963, I was subbing with the Symphony on a regular basis. I was offered a contract for the 1963/1964 season and never looked back.” 

The couple shared numerous favorite memories of their time in the Symphony. Among them for Mariel, “playing Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird with Gerard Schwarz, the first piece performed by the orchestra in Benaroya Hall. The sound was amazing, the place inspiring. We are indeed fortunate here in Seattle to enjoy such a fine concert space.” 

She also reminisced about the 1980 tour of Europe, “especially performing in the Musikverein in Vienna with Rainer Miedél [conductor of the Symphony from 1976–1983],” and recalled fun Pops concerts with Marvin Hamlisch. “He had the most entertaining stories, all different for every performance, and hilarious. A fun 1950s show [in 2009, couple pictured backstage] and a one-hour Music Man [in 2010] brought the house down.” 

Neither Mariel nor Bruce have plans to continue playing, and due to health concerns, they don’t have any travel plans, either. “I am enjoying life at home; homemaking, gardening, dog care, keeping up with current events, solitaire games and reading,” said Mariel.  

“We have American Eskimo dogs. Who needs more?” added Bruce.  

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Susan Gulkis Assadi, the orchestra’s PONCHO Principal Viola, who spent more than three decades in the orchestra, said, “I feel proud to have had the honor of sitting in the middle of the Seattle Symphony for 31 seasons, surrounded by my talented colleagues playing my favorite symphonies.” 

She remembers the opening of Benaroya Hall fondly as well. “I was so excited to play in the new concert hall with its remarkable acoustics and warm atmosphere. I distinctly remember walking on stage opening night with Yo-Yo Ma, ready to play Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote –– what a thrill! And hearing the incredible Watjen Concert Organ for the first time, I almost fell off my chair!” (It was so new the volume hadn’t been adjusted yet.)  

Susan is proud of her many years of service on the symphony education committee, “which has contributed to the advancement of music education, community engagement, promoting access and inclusivity, shaping the development of educational programming, and providing countless opportunities to aspiring young musicians.” For Susan, the role the orchestra plays in the community is very meaningful. “Its presence adds depth and richness to the community’s identity and provides a platform for the expression of shared emotions, creativity and human connection.”  

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In her 38 years in the first violin section, Cecilia Poellein-Buss enjoyed playing with many great guest artists and fine conductors ranging from the late Kurt Masur (who led a Mozart and Bruckner program in 2010) to the late Hans Vonk to Leonard Slatkin. “The variety of programs our orchestra performs, connecting to audiences with different tastes, has been very important to me,” she said, adding, “there are several audience members that I can remember seeing back when the orchestra played in the opera house that are still attending concerts today.” 

“I am very grateful and proud to have been a part of this organization and I look forward to seeing where the orchestra will go — and how it will grow — in the future!” 

As far as her future goes, she will continue to tutor students from her home teaching studio. “I’ve also been coaching high school and middle school orchestras on the eastside for over 10 years. I’m hoping to do more.” She’s excited to learn new violin repertoire (“new to me, and mostly for my teaching”) and will continue to play for her church congregation. “I plan to do more playing for church services and possibly play recitals. I enjoy studying violin pedagogy and look forward to having more time to attend violin teaching workshops.”  

Outside of violin, she’ll be doing a lot more traveling with her husband, Gerry, which includes more trips to Florida “to spend time with my 90-year-old mother.” She plans to clock more miles on her bicycle, too. “I bike regularly with a wonderful group of women. We are planning on doing at least one Backroads trip together.” Overall, she said, “I am excited for what new adventures and opportunities retirement will bring to me.” 

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Trombone David Lawrence Ritt started his tenure with the Symphony in the 1981/1982 season. David picked up trombone, which he saw as “a better version of my slide whistle,” in the fourth grade. When the time came, “I decided to pursue music professionally because it was the most natural thing for me to do.” 

Throughout his time on stage, David has cherished the connection the orchestra has with audiences; their absence during the pandemic was keenly felt. “Streaming concerts from the stage, with no live audience, felt and sounded completely different — the strange feeling of finishing a piece, then bowing to an empty and silent hall. It really brought home to me what an audience does for the orchestra and the performance.” 

His favorite memories include “promoting” himself from Principal Trombone (after playing the position for 23 years) to second trombone “to enjoy a different role in the low brass section as the middle voice”; playing the bass trumpet for the Seattle Opera in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle, “especially under the baton of Hermann Michael. And my favorite solo was in the opera Billy Budd, by Benjamin Britten”; his four-year commute to and from the Olympic Peninsula “with a trombone strapped to the back of a motorcycle. I was only late once, when the Hood Canal drawbridge went up. I walked into the concert hall just in time to rehearse the ‘March to the Scaffold’ from Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.” 

And of course, he’ll never forget the first notes he played on an empty Benaroya Hall stage, before it opened to the public. “I realized I could play as softly as possible and still be heard. The trombone is one of the loudest instruments (next to the gong), but I especially like playing soft dynamics, and Benaroya Hall makes them come alive.” 

He says he’s hit the ground running on relaxing, but he won’t be hanging up his trombone anytime soon. “Whatever I do, I’m sure it will incorporate music in some form or another.” He used to play salsa in Rochester [New York] while he was going to school at Eastman, he also plays a little jazz (“I’m not Charlie Parker or anything but I’ve always liked improvising”), and he’ll continue performing at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Renton, where he’s been every Sunday for a couple years now playing trombone, sackbut (the Renaissance version of trombone) and singing “badly.” He’s also open to freelance opportunities and excited about the unknown after nearly four decades of playing dictated by the orchestra’s rep. “It feels footloose and fancy free.”  

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Congratulations and best wishes to all the retirees! We appreciate their decades of hard work and dedication to their craft, and for all the music and memories they helped to create for Seattle audiences and beyond for so many years. 

And a big thank-you to our patrons for supporting every musician in the Seattle Symphony. In Susan’s words, “your many contributions have made a profound impact on our orchestra, enabling us to create transformative musical experiences and bring the joy of orchestral music to countless lives.” 

Show your appreciation to these extraordinary musicians by making a gift in their honor today. Your support keeps the music playing!