Ernest Fleischmann passed and I had one treasured experience with him that I want to share, but first to Terry Teachout. Terry I say thank you for your article raising the question of eliminating regional orchestras, yes thank you! He opened an even bigger debate than in my Context/Urtext post (it is somewhat related) which is: what is the definition of the word “artistic”?…..
First to the article. Terry Teachout argues that because of the financial difficulties of the Pasadena Symphony, they no longer make artistic sense? I don’t get the connection!
Then this (bold my emphasis):
Six years ago, the Knight Foundation published “Bridging the Gap: Innovations to Save Our Orchestras,” a study that recommended radical changes to reverse a nationwide decline in concert attendance. The report’s authors argued that “some orchestras, especially those in smaller cities,” need to “re-examine how they define their constituencies and how they select, package and deliver their musical products.” Translation: Less Schubert, more “Star Wars.” Many orchestras have acted accordingly, but the situation remains dire for second- and third-tier ensembles from coast to coast.
The point is, acted accordingly is not accurate, because if it didn’t work as he claims, is he stating that it was the only action that orchestras could have taken, the only way to act? Definitely not, because he is talking about is an action to attract audiences (dating – temporary) when the focus I believe should be to connect to audiences (marriage – permanent…at least in theory!). Instead of going into a diatribe about the difference, I refer back to my most recent diatribe on this, now my most hit on post Context not Urtext!
By using the financial argument as a barometer for what makes artistic sense, then does he think the Baltimore Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra and the St Paul Chamber Orchestra should consider their futures also since they of late find themselves in financial quagmires? Plus the comment about programming (which is very generalized) is also bewildering in that, are we not supposed to listen to our audiences desires? We should only focus on “educating” them?
What we have in his argument is the most narrow of definitions of the word artistic i.e works that we consider profound, standards that are stratospheric. So if audiences don’t buy into that…then shut down? When Beethoven composed and unleashed his emotional intensity through his music, many railed that it wasn’t artistic either….good thing he couldn’t hear what they were saying!
So why does the word artistic have to be so narrowly defined, the word Artist once meant a painter whereas now it is anyone who performs also. I believe that broadening the definition of artistic to include business development, community recruitment, quality of life, education etc… is not only relevant but necessary. I reiterate from earlier posts, that 2 doctors now live in my community for the fact that there is an opportunity to attend live Symphony concerts, so doesn’t that mean that for the medical community and their patients we make artistic sense… or not unless we do a Webern retrospective?
Then what about musicians, many great musicians that find themselves through circumstances living in smaller communities, and those who develop their skills in regional orchestras. Not many go straight from conservatories to major Orchestras! In the Springfield Symphony a past Horn sub now plays with the Met orchestra, a former Flutist now plays in the Buffalo Philharmonic and I have two former members of the Memphis Symphony who are here for very different reasons but are in their prime!
To make a comparison to the world of sports, smaller cities (including ours) have minor league baseball teams, the crowd knows its not the majors, but they are excited to see potential future major league players, perhaps a great play or 2 or even a “soloist” from a major league team! I don’t see any articles from sports writers calling for the shutting down of minor league Baseball!
The problem lies in the schools that are still training musicians and arts administrators for the ideal artistic world that no longer exists. In medical school they train doctors for the potential of anything that might go wrong (if they can’t handle that they don’t get to be doctors!), whereas they train those entering the arts world only for the ideal situation which is why many groups are not able to adjust to the times, and instead just hope the times will change! The adjustments need to be made from the ground up i.e in the training so that instead of taking on water trying to manage a crisis, the actual training in crisis management along with an approach on how to make the Symphony Orchestra relevant. Point of fact is that when I go out on a fund raising call, the majority of the ask is focused on why we need to exist at all, let alone why a sponsor/donor should donate!
An article by Andrew Adler addresses the problem of paying lip service to what needs to happen highlighting the problem being a lack of follow through, which again points back to training:
Some people argue that too many orchestras, particularly those in small and mid-market cities, are content to lean on hackneyed tradition.
There is less agreement about what alternatives these orchestras should pursue. We love to invoke “21st-century relevancy” without having the slightest notion of what “relevancy” truly means. Is it to entertain? To educate?
Drew at Adaptistration wrote at length about the article and I would only add, that we need to constantly re-define and adjust according to the times. Terry may be right about artistic sense but only in the dated definition of the word artistic, it means something entirely different now!
We need to see his and Andrew’s articles as an active challenge to spur a real change and approach, and not fall into the reactive trap of “how could they write that!!!?”. One of the the biggest cultural writers threw down the gauntlet, let’s not throw it back at him, let’s pick it up and run with it……
I met Ernest Fleischmann when he was a consultant in the search for a new Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony in 1999 (I was associate conductor). I was assigned to take him to lunch with a group of board members and then to Bass Hall where we sat together and watched a rehearsal. He was also leaving later that day and so I had his luggage in my trunk to transfer to the limo after the rehearsal. I had to leave the rehearsal early as I was traveling to San Angelo TX to attend a press conference where they were introducing me as the new Music Director. Well I was 30 or 40 minutes out of town when I realized his luggage was still in the trunk of my car! I hot footed it back to Fort Worth…he was pacing outside the hall as he had realized what had happened, and when I pulled up, he gave me a huge hug and said “thanks for that, now don’t keep your new orchestra waiting!”…I made it to the press conference with maybe a minute to spare, but with a memory that will last a lifetime!