Conducting an ensemble makes me think of getting expansion sets for your favorite board games.
When I get an expansion for a favorite game – say, Wingspan or Carcassone – the main game doesn’t change. New ideas, new approaches are overlaid onto the game as I previously played it.
The same is true for each new piece with an ensemble. When I introduce a new piece in January, the group doesn’t start in the same place they started sight reading at our first rehearsal in August. Instead, we are overlaying the new music onto existing interpretation patterns, balance and blend strategies, ensemble intonation, etc. The new music is an expansion for the ensemble.
And just as in board games, with each expansion the ensemble gains depth, complexity, and interest.