Wellness profile with oboist, Paul Lueders!

Q: How would you describe your lifestyle (student/traveling performer/9-5 job/etc.)?
A: I am a full time orchestral musician. I play Principal Oboe in the San Antonio Symphony.

Q: What keeps you motivated?
A: Two things. The short term goal is to maintain the quality of my product as a musician. My long term drive for improvement is to win a job in a major orchestra.

Q: What inspires you to do what you do?
A: I am inspired by great colleagues and other musicians. I try to come hear the Boston Symphony Orchestra play as much as possible. The quality of music making is outstanding.

Q: Do you exercise regularly? If yes, what do you do and how often?
A: I exercise 5-6 days a week: a mixture of weight lifting and cardio. Usually I try to keep my workouts under an hour but never more than 90 minutes.

Q: How to you manage your anxiety or daily stress?
A: When my plate gets full and I become overwhelmed it's very tempting to cut out the things in my life that keep me healthy (cooking fresh meals, exercising, sleeping 8-9 hours). I've found over time that by instead prioritizing these activities I am more efficient in my work, less likely to get sick, and happier overall.

Q: How do you deal with rejection? Can you share an example?
A: Each rejection is an opportunity for improvement. I've taken four auditions this year and didn't advance out of the preliminary round in any of them. That said, I don't think I've seen a quicker improvement in my skills in auditioning at any other point in my life. After each audition I make sure to follow up with my teachers and get as many comments as I can from the audition panel. Rejection is difficult, but with thick skin and enough drive it can be a major catalyst for improvement. Thus, a "failed" audition is never a waste of time.

Q: What helps you focus?
A: A deadline. A big performance. An audition. A lesson. Whatever I can do to have a concrete date to prepare for. I'd like to think I can self-motivate but nothing lights a fire like a looming deadline.

Q: How do your splurge yourself?
A: Don't listen to people who say you should never take days off of practicing. On rare occasions I'll go on a trip and leave my oboe at home. It's nice to remember who I am outside of being a musician, and it's also nice to feel a desire to get back to it after a few days.