When I was studying conducting at USC between 1989-92 it was during the early tenure of Salonen at the L.A. Phil.  During that time I lived in the little area known as Angelino Heights, essentially a subdivision of Echo Park just to the NorthWest of downtown L.A.  One of the more interesting aspects of living there was that if we had our windows open and the wind was blowing from the north we could occasionally hear Nancy Bea Hefley playing the Dodger Baldwin Organ between innings at Dodger Stadium.  One other bonus about living there – I could walk to the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion (DCP), at that time the home of the Phil.

I never walked down to the DCP at night.  My sojourns were always during the day to the rehearsals.  At that time there was a standing policy that conducting students had access to rehearsals.  Believe me, I took advantage of it.  Matter of fact, I was at one of the most famous LAPhil rehearsals of all times – the one after the first night of the L.A. riots in April 1992.  By the time I got back to the apartment my girlfriend had left about 8 messages on the phone wondering where the hell I was since they were shutting down the city.  Those rehearsals were invaluable and they were inspirational for me.  I wouldn’t be doing what I do now without that experience.

Yet, there are people in this business who try everything they possibly can to discourage young people interested in classical music.  I know of time after time in this business where, given the opportunity to encourage a young person’s interest, rehearsals will be closed under some ridiculous professional pretense.  Honestly, people, is your professional ego so fragile that having a few people sit quietly at the back of the hall for a dress rehearsal will so deleteriously effect your performance?  Even Nigel Tufnel had more professionalism, and he didn’t even get his large bread.

What should be absolutely standard in this business is the program that the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra has in place.  The DSSO has a partnership with one of the local schools – Lowell Elementary – and kids from this school are welcome at every dress rehearsal.  There’s a lottery amongst kids who play instruments.  Whoever wins for that week gets to sit in with that section.  If the kid plays clarinet then they sit with the clarinetists.  They don’t play, but they get to experience what it’s like in a professional orchestra.  As far as I can determine the DSSO has a liberal policy for dress rehearsal attendance and according to members of the orchestra there are people in attendance at every dress, whether they are students or whatever.

This should be standard everywhere. Matter of fact, programs like this should be expanded to include other schools, local colleges, whatever.  Given access to this opportunity then students, seniors, and others will gladly attend.  This is a strong gesture to the community that an orchestra is willing to give something of themselves to people who might not be able to attend evening performances, or reach out to young ones interested in classical music.  Seniors will spread the news about the orchestra’s generosity.  Students will remember said generosity, and they will become the audience of the future.

I honestly wonder about those people who have any objection to these community outreach moments.  The abject shortsightedness confounds me.  If someone would kindly explain to me the immense damage that this does to an orchestra I would greatly appreciate it.  For myself, I have never, ever, objected when any orchestra anywhere has asked if I mind that people attend a dress rehearsal.  I will do whatever I can to encourage young people interested in classical music and if that means, god forbid, they actually hear me make a mistake in a dress rehearsal then so be it.  My ego can handle it.  How about yours?

I’ll never forget the Orchestra that told me that their primary goal was artistic quality, right after exclaiming that they sell every seat yet couldn’t make ends meet!  That orchestra folded a couple of years back, so how’s that quality working out for you?

I find it troubling that there is such an obsession with who the “best” is as if there is only one category that defines it.  Alex Ross in this article goes into detail about the parade of orchestras over a month that appeared at Carnegie Hall in what was unofficially titled “The Orchestral Olympics”.  It is a very balanced piece, this quote struck me:

The impulse to pit one orchestra against another is as regrettable as it is irresistible. In 1928, Wilhelm Furtwängler, the most relentlessly deep-thinking of conductors, bemoaned what he considered the American habit of “seeing things from the point of view of sport,” but even by then the “Who’s on top?” tendency had become universal.

Carnegie was barely three-quarters full—perhaps because “Kullervo” is little known, perhaps because New Yorkers were orchestra’d out.

1)  The Score Studying Myth -  “I’d rather that conductors spend their time studying scores” was a frequent response. The problem here is that one is confusing “knowing the score” with “being a good musician.” God help me for admitting this, but if it takes you more than 15′ to study a Mozart Symphony or the like (assuming that there’s one you haven’t conducted), then you shouldn’t be a conductor. The simple fact is that the notes aren’t important anyway.  Understanding the structure of the piece, how a composer functions, what the relationships are between theme, harmony, accompaniment – in essence, what makes Mozart Mozart – that’s important.  And you should have figured out your stylistic approach to Mozart by the time you’ve had more than 3 professional gigs under your belt.

Even many complicated scores shouldn’t take you more than a few hours, and if you’ve hit the middle period of your conducting career there are whole swathes of the repertoire that you should be able to work up in under an hour, including many of the standard works of Bartok, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, etc. (Opera is an obvious exception to this rule due to the sheer size of the beast involved).  If you’ve done it more than once then it should be readily accessible on your internal hard drive.  Any conductor that claims they’re up studying scores regularly @ 4:30 in the morning has sleep disorders.

2) The Technique Myth – “I’d rather that conductors spend time working on their technique” popped up once or twice.  I admit that this one had me particularly stumped.  It’s rather hard to work on your technique away from your “instrument,” which in this case would be the orchestra, and how would you understand experiments in  technique without experiencing those things from the other side?  I learned a lot about conducting by playing in an orchestra, watching conductors, and observing what not to do.

But the raw truth here is that when it comes to conductors techniques – what you see is what you get.  There is nothing complicated about conducting technique.  Indeed, it is actually very simplistic, and certainly comes nowhere near what is required to play any instrument.  What is complicated is the application of said technique.  A professional conductor who claims they must go “work on their technique” is most probably a fraud.  (Please – no comments about whether that last sentence is redundant – that’s too easy.)  If a conductor’s technique seems lacking there are only two reasons: either A) they have no technique; or B) they haven’t had enough experience from the other side to apply the technique they have in a constructive manner. Why do you think we videotape conducting students in the first place?  So they can see what a mess they’re making from the musician’s perspective!  Goodness, if you want to know about playing Offensive Tackle in the NFL then ask an Offensive Tackle.  Then go ask a Defensive Tackle, since it’s his job to make the O.T. look like an idiot.  It’s important to experience something from multiple perspectives.

3) The Further Experience Unnecessary Myth  – “If a conductor played in an orchestra sometime in the late Pleistocene Period then that’s good enough for me” was essentially written by a few folk.  This is like that myth that once you’ve ridden a bicycle it’ll just automatically come back to you.  This one was particularly amusing for me because I’m Music Director of an orchestra that doesn’t work as an ensemble from mid-June to the end of August.  I would wager good money that not one of those people thing that the level of ensemble playing in August is anywhere near where it is in June.  It takes times for any group of people to re-adjust to playing together.  If professional musicians of that caliber require time to get back in the groove how would one expect a conductor who hasn’t been in a playing situation in years to remember the pitfalls and traps that the average orchestral musician faces?

Case in point – I did a play/conduct 2 weeks ago of K. 466 of Mozart, the great D minor concerto.  I usually put the piano butt end into the orchestra so that I’m facing them and I have my back to the audience (lid off, of course).  Just a few days later we did a concert where I again performed one of the movements from K. 466, but this time I had to play/conduct in the traditional soloist position.  The physical distance between where I had been and where I ended up for the 2nd concert couldn’t have been more than 2 – 3 feet.  The aural distance, however, was very surprising.  In a hall I know very well, with an orchestra I’ve been MD of for 5 years, in a piece I’ve played dozens of times, I found myself wondering about the acoustics across the stage, the placement of the overhead sound dome, the use of curtains, etc.  Suddenly what I was hearing was very, very different than it had been before.  I was able to have that experience because I take the time out to be in shape on my instrument, and will I try to put that experience to good use.  If I hadn’t gotten off of my high horse, AKA the podium, I wouldn’t have had that experience at all.

Time and time again we read of  concessions, cuts, deficits, and don’t get me wrong, they are real and have to be addressed, but it seems few if any are using it as an opportunity to fundamentally change their organization into one that deeply connects to their community.  It also seems the hope is that by slashing and burning, an orchestra can then just wait till everything is good again!  Two problems with that approach: 1. Limbs don’t just grow back 2. Nothing gets fixed for the next time a downturn occurs, meaning it will be shampoo rinse repeat!

It’s not that an organization shouldn’t be honest about their situation, but when it is reported why not also report on the plan to solve the crisis by including an exit strategy as part of the announcement so that people can get behind the organization’s plan.  What I would love to see is an announcement accentuating the positive (I feel a song coming on) whilst showing some creativity i.e Our lack of funding is preventing us from doing full Orchestra educational concerts, but we refuse to give up on our children, instead we will send small ensembles into schools for more one on one interaction to foster a deeper connection to music and to the child, we are naming the program Muisic 1-2 -1. Boom!  A cheaper program, more interaction and more importantly NO WAITING, JUST ACTION!

The red flag that went up for me with the CSO’s plan was when I read this quote from the article by Jeffrey Sheban reporting on the situation (text in parenthesis added by me):

Meanwhile, talks have been under way for several weeks to let CAPA (Columbus Association for Performing Arts) handle finance, marketing, development and concert production for the orchestra. Administrators and board members from both organizations would like to reach an agreement quickly, (President and CEO Roland) Valliere said.

“At this important time, we are exploring ways for CAPA to leverage its resources and offer assistance to the symphony,” Bill Conner, CAPA’s president, said in a statement. “We all want to help (the orchestra) achieve a stable and sustainable future.”

In Columbus, CAPA owns and operates the Ohio, Palace and Southern theaters, and manages the Riffe Center and Lincoln theaters. Conner was unavailable for further comment yesterday.

On the surface it’s a bold move, not preferred I’m sure, and the obvious questions will be about autonomy, day to day decisions, fund raising, production values, is the staff qualified? By all accounts CAPA seems to be a very well regarded organization.  Here’s the problem though:  Is this temporary, or permanent and what is the plan to get the operations back? If CAPA absorbs the CSO administration, will they not feel as though they have ownership rights?  I guess it depends on the relationship terms, i.e is this an administration for hire situation, a true equal partnership, or is this a transference with a new board presumably CAPA’s making all the decisions?  I think the announcement was made way too early, better to wait until this is all worked out because if it is rushed into and if the CAPA essentially become the major stake holders, then there is a risk of serious disenfranchisement with current supporters/donors, board members and stakeholders.

The current CSO board has much skin in the game and artistic missions, protocols and philosophies  established can potentially be eliminated easily by a new board that doesn’t have the same emotional, financial and historical connection to the organization.  Duties can be transferred but love and commitment are built over time, and will they give it the time?  The same is true for the management as 18 presumably dedicated and qualified staff members are in danger of losing their jobs which is devastating.  Can the CAPA staff just hit the ground running on this and are they adding staff to cope with the workload (how about adding some of those who are going to be let go?)  CAPA runs many events across multiple disciplines so it is likely their board reflects a wide diversity of interests where as a Symphony board has a majority who have that single focus in mind when they join.  Worst case scenario:  If things continue to go south who will stop the board if they want to offload it or downsize it even further if the CSO is eating into resources previously allocated elsewhere?

I’m only speculating and don’t presume to know the CAPA board’s intentions or even if they will play a role,  but I imagine that someone who is planning to send a donation is also wondering who will get it.  My hope is that there is an end game plan to retrieve the organization so as to begin the process of reestablishing and re-visioning themselves as a vital independent entity to serve the city and region, and that it is articulated clearly and loudly!

Drew’s Feb 11 Adaptistration post on Philly is all about relevance and direct contact and how it is sorely lacking with their approach.  I would only add that in fact two statements in their copy are at best confusing, and at worst just incorrect!

To stay relevant, you must embrace new ideas and new things.

Firstly, it is not up to an audience to be relevant to an orchestra, it is up to us to be relevant to them! An orchestra is neither a new idea or a new thing, and if the word “current” was used instead of relevant it would then make more sense but it would still come across as “we are current because we are new”….which we are not (they are 110 years old!).  So it is very confusing.    Relevancy is when we become part of their lives, not the other way round.  Then this:

…you have every reason to try something not only new, but extraordinary. So set aside an evening for anything but the same-old-same-old.

Question:  How is it extraordinary?  It is not explained.  Well it must be since we are not giving a first time ticket buyer a discount in this promotion! Same -old, same-old?  So up until now their evenings have sucked because they haven’t yet attended, which comes across as a little arrogant.

Mentioned also are the talented and gifted musicians.  Nothing wrong with that except that would it not be better to approach it as: we want to give that “gift” back to you the audience?  It is always come see us, we are amazing, we can make your life complete etc….Like I have said previously, before you can become special, first you have to become relevant.  It is like asking someone out on a date and saying, you should really come out on date with me, you can pay because I’m so worth it and I will rock your world.  Come to think of it, the Eharmony profile could read:

Self centered and awesome Orchestra is looking for unconditional love and one sided commitment (not our side) before first date.  If not interested then you must be happy with your mundane life but can you send cash anyway?

There was a blog post recently published by Tom Jacobs that reported on three studies regarding creativity at the work place.  It is fascinating and helps to validate the shift that needs to take place to be able to connect to a community and to the people in it.  It questions if the same approach will work for the arts, I believe it will most definitely!  Here are some quotes, I urge you to read the article and the studies linked in it (bold my emphasis):

Creativity is usually thought of as internally motivated — a response to a deeply felt personal urge to challenge convention, push boundaries and explore. But newly published research suggests that, at least in the business world, the link between inspiration and ingenuity is strengthened by focusing on the needs of others.

I have thought this for a long time, and that what we do as artists are skills, not jobs.  The job of a musicians is not to play/sing/conduct etc.. but to touch people’s lives with those skills.  The article questions the application of this idea to the arts and I would hope that similar studies could be done with artists of all types.  I believe that we love applause not because we feel we deserve it, we love it because of the fact we are being appreciated, a human response.  The audience are all human and they like appreciation also.  We too often use our skill to separate ourselves from our audience, instead using it to connect with them.  Here is the money part of this article for me (again bold my emphasis):

Managers typically seek to stimulate creativity by creating conditions that are conductive to intrinsic motivation, such as designing challenging and complex tasks, providing autonomy, and developing supportive feedback and evaluation systems,” they write. But to “facilitate the production of ideas that are creative in context,” they suggest managers “will find it advantageous to create conditions that support prosocial motivation and perspective-taking.”

Two ways to do so, according to Grant, are to “provide opportunities for employees to meet and interact with the people who benefit from their work, such as clients, customers, and other end users,” and to ”provide vivid information and stories from others that communicate the importance of the problem to be solved.”

This is where both musicians and management can unify!  Bottom line in marketing is to find out what people want, rather than telling them what we think they need.  It is never a good approach to try and attract people to you by claiming their lives have been empty without you, it has to be about the desire to make their lives even better and approaching it by inviting, asking and suggesting, not by assuming, commanding and demanding, especially when asking them out on a first date!!!!

THE MUSICIANS OF THE SPRINGFIELD SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA!!!!!!!!  Yes adding direct donations with leads to secure donations, the members of the Orchestra contributed just shy of $31,000!  When we include donated services for our upcoming gala that amount rises to nearly $36,000!

How proud I am to lead a group that believes in itself and their place in our community to not only perform, but to also donate and secure donations.  For the opening concert of this our 75th season we provided cake to the entire audience and sold sponsorships at $75 per cake.  Nearly every section of the Orchestra bought a cake and individual members bought cakes too.  Musicians are directly involved in providing leads for chair sponsors, and we have also visited sponsors with musicians who have secured the meetings.

When building an organization ours is proof positive that having musicians living in the community and the region is vital, as they too are members of that community who want to see it thrive with a vibrant arts scene not just for them but for their children and families also.  Having skin in the game truly makes a difference, and the SSO truly inspires me!