Our last guest of the season is the principal timpanist of the Minnesota Orchestra, Erich Rieppel. He joins BTS to talk about his recent appointment, dealing with the cold weather (he’s used to -40 degrees), and how lucky he feels to be playing with his hometown orchestra. He walks us through a timpani audition, and the difference between the American and German setup, the different types of timpani heads, and the different types of actual timpani. Erich had trials with three major orchestras before winning Minnesota (his fourth trial). What did he do differently in Minnesota? Hear Erich’s fascinating story on how he ended up winning this coveted spot with the Minnesota Orchestra.