| Author |
Subject |
Bob
Registered User
(2/6/01 9:08:12 pm)
Reply |
comments from the pros?
NY TIMES:
> Musicians Are
Gaining Bigger Voice in Orchestras
>
> February 6,
2001
> MUSIC
> By DOREEN CARVAJAL
>
> When
the New York Philharmonic anointed Lorin Maazel as its new music
director with widespread approval from its players, the oldest
American orchestra was following a quiet but steadily growing
national trend to bring musical democracy to the stage.
>
> Driven partly by financial strains and declining audiences,
many orchestras in large and midsize cities are experimenting with
power-sharing arrangements that defy the traditional musical
hierarchy that placed players under the rule of highly paid
conductors and powerful, wealthy board members.
>
> In
Pittsburgh musicians are pioneering the Japanese concept of hoshin,
a planning technique that literally means shiny metal or needle.
Under this management system, musicians, staff and board members
participate in retreats and teams to focus with needle-like
precision on strategies to increase ticket sales and attract a
missing generation of classical music concertgoers from 30 to
45.
>
> Last month, when Andrew Massey announced his
resignation as music director of the Toledo Symphony, the 80-member
orchestra's president and chief executive, Robert Bell, spoke
publicly in The Toledo Blade about redefining the music director's
job description to create an organization where "everyone is fully
involved in the creative process, rather than relying on the formula
of the top music director."
>
> Mr. Maazel spoke warmly
yesterday about the role of the Philharmonic musicians in his
selection. "Their voice must also be heard," he said of the players
at a celebratory lunch and news conference at Avery Fisher Hall, his
first official appearance since his appointment on Jan. 29.
>
> "In the field of action, they're doing battle and keeping
up standards," he added. "I have the greatest respect for the
doers."
> But he also said that "there are lines" and that
the executive director, the Philharmonic board and music director
had a big say in the running of the orchestra.
>
>
Asked about his chemistry with the musicians, Mr. Maazel, 70, said
he couldn't really explain it but that "it felt good, it just felt
solid."
>
> The shift of power in the orchestra has
acquired a label that borrows from the jargon of grass-roots
organizing: musician empowerment.
>
> Robert Levine,
the chairman of the International Conference of Symphony and Opera
Musicians, said it had taken more than 20 years for musicians to
gain in influence. And they are still making inroads, he
said.
>
> "It's becoming increasingly common for
musicians to have a role in the selection of music directors and
even assistant directors," said Mr. Levine, whose organization
promotes the interests of players and maintains a national database
of conductor evaluations.
> "It's also becoming increasingly
common that musicians have a role in the selection of executive
directors. I'm not going to tell you that it's always that
way."
>
> Management experts say the advantages of such
power-sharing are that it can lead to greater commitment from
musicians and more open discussions that can avert some bad
decisions and even reduce corruption. Ultimately a more collegial
atmosphere might start to push performers beyond the concert stage
into areas like fund-raising, marketing, audience development and
customer satisfaction.
>
> The disadvantage, said
Steven C. Currall, an associate professor of management at Rice
University, is that decision-making may slow down. Dissent and
conflict may become more public, he added.
>
> The
resistance to power-sharing in nonprofit institutions, he said,
usually comes from board members "who are afraid of inviting other
people in who aren't one of them and fully on board with the
management philosophy." He added, "They don't want dissent and they
don't want people with a different view, and that's bad for
decision-making."
>
> American musicians have a far
weaker role than their counterparts abroad. In Germany, the
129-member Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is fabled for its
self-rule. The players are considered principal stakeholders with
far-reaching powers that include, for example, voting to choose
their new music director, Sir Simon Rattle, and to approve their new
general manager, Franz Xaver Ohnesorg, who will be leaving his job
as executive director of Carnegie Hall.
>
> Such a
vote, which requires a two- thirds majority for selection of a music
director, would be considered unbridled power in the United
States.
>
> When the Philadelphia Orchestra management
announced the selection of Christoph Eschenbach as its new music
director last month, some musicians grumbled that the search
committee - which did include players - failed to gauge the views of
the orchestra's rank and file. Mr. Eschenbach's managers, ICM
Artists, did not respond to questions about the selection.
>
> More than two years ago the Philadelphia musicians stopped
filling out forms evaluating visiting conductors, which might have
offered clues to their opinions. Some musicians complained that they
never had a chance to take Mr. Eschenbach's measure because he had
not performed with the orchestra in more than four years.
>
> "When this announcement was proclaimed after a half-hour
meeting with us, there wasn't applause; there was criticism,"
recalled a musician with the Philadelphia Orchestra. "One member of
the search committee got up and said, `You'll see, you'll like
him.'"
>
> "The orchestra was taken aback by the
attitude because there was no meeting to verify what we thought,"
the musician said. "There was no chemistry with Eschenbach. He
hasn't conducted us in four or five years and 20 to 30 persons had
never played with him."
>
>
|
zambocello
Registered User
(2/7/01 1:36:00 am)
Reply |
Empowered musicians
I have more experience with this
stuff than I wish I did, having been involved in the Houston
Symphony's process of "corporate alignment, stakeholder empowerment"
and all other kinds of fancy ways to avoid saying that THE
MANAGEMENT OF THE BAND DOESN'T REALLY KNOW WHAT IT'S DOING AND THE
BOARD HASN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT IT WANTS OUT OF THE
ORCHESTRA.
Actually, things are getting better, or at least
have the potential to get better in Houston. Houston was an example,
and not a unique example, unfortunately, wherein involving musicians
in more than making music is necessary because orchestras trustees
and managers don't operate at the competency level that the
musicians do. In Houston there was at one time also an insidious
aspect: things were going badly, management knew things were going
badly, management knew they didn't know how to make things better,
so management wanted to involve musicians so musicians would share
in the blame if and when things finally cratered.
Isn't it
odd that it's considered almost revolutionary that an orchestra's
input would be given serious consideration in the selection of a new
Music Director? Who would know better than the orchestra?!
Oh no, I'm getting "started." Asta la bye bye.
|
David
Sanders 
Registered User
(2/7/01 3:11:20 am)
Reply |
Re:
Empowered musicians
Well, be careful who you vote for.
The CSO did have a "vote" in our selection of our current music
director. We were told to vote for whomever we wanted for the job
(you could vote for as many as you wanted). Although we were never
given the results (funny, isn't it?), the common knowledge is that
both Barenboim and Abbado (Claudio, not Roberto) were the two
favorites, with Barenboim having a slight edge.
We also have
it in our contract that we have a say in the choice of Executive
Director (who now calls himself President) and assistant conductor.
Knowing that the orchestra wouldn't want to continue with the
current assistant conductor, the management changed his title to
"resident conductor", gave him more responsibility and more
concerts, and thus avoided having to consult with the orchestra. We
no longer have an assistant conductor.
Generally when the
management wants musician's imput, it's because they want to be able
to pick people to give them input who agree with them.
|
sarah
schenkman
Registered User
(2/7/01 5:46:44 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Empowered musicians
That's a really interesting article.
Just wish we had the opportunity here to even consider someone
new.
|
MsCheryl
.gif)
Registered
User
(2/8/01 9:58:07 pm)
Reply |
Thank
you, thank you, thank you!
Bob,
A more timely post I
could not have asked for - I will post this on our board this week.
As you all probably know (sorry that I harp on this) we are in the
midst of negotiations, and it seems that one of the major issues is
that of "control" of the orchestra. The musicians are tired of being
the "toy" of the conductor and the board.
Edited by: MsCheryl
at: 2/8/01 9:58:07 pm
|
zambocello
Registered User
(2/8/01 11:47:04 pm)
Reply |
to
MsCheryl
MsCheryl,
I forget, which
orchestra is yours? Good luck with negotiations.
You might
find some additional "ammunition" about empowerment in the article
by Henry Fogel (Executive Director of the Chicago Symphony) in the
April 2000 issue of "Harmony" magazine. He wrote an article
reflecting his opinions about responsibilities and authority among
the "3 legs" (musicians, management, board) of the symphony
organization. "Harmony" is published by the Symphony Orcehstra
Institute -- 1618 Orrington Av #318, Evanston, IL, 60201-5060. Or,
let me know how to send it to you. I don't plan on keeping the
magazine permanently. Since this is such a hip topic in the
orcehstra biz you might also check out the American Symphony
Orchestra League. You might well find ASOL opinions or documents
that support your arguments with your management. (That would sure
be fun, because ASOL is essentially a management-oriented
organization.)
Good
luck,
Zambo
zambocello@yahoo.com
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