The Sinking of the Minnesota

Great orchestras are like great ships of the line.  They cruise regally above the waves, guns/brass blaring, a mighty vision of sight and sound to all who bear witness.  But it’s below decks where trouble starts, and no amount of noise on deck can stop a leaking hull.

The USS Minnesota (keel laid – 27 October, 1903), one of the last of the pre-Dreadnought class battleships, and from all accounts a stately ship.  The Minnesota Orchestra (first concert – 5 November, 1903), a veritable ensemble with a more than 100 year history and a strong legacy.  Strangely enough, the orchestra has the unwanted opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the battleship.

The ship Minnesota, despite a distinguished career, never fully recovered from hitting a mine late in WWI.  After barely reaching port, and a 5 month layover for repairs, she came back to active service in the Cruiser and Transport Service (a rather ignominious downgrading), and a mere 4 years later was sold as scrap.

The orchestra Minnesota, despite a few bumps in the road, has a shining legacy much like its sister ship had.  Ormandy, Dorati, Mitropoulos, Skrowaczewski, Marriner, de Waart – a pretty fabulous list of Music Directors, and no lack of positive press with the current Vänskä.  Five years ago if you had suggested to me that anyone at the M.O. had anything to worry about I would have dismissed you out of hand.  Even two years ago I thought the odds would be low.  This is Minnesota, after all.  We don’t mind some drama in our politics, but in everyday life we prefer remaining passive-aggressive.

Yet the Minnesota seems headed straight for a very large mine which could sink the musical ship.  There is a confluence of events pointing to the 2012-13 season.  First, they’re in contract negotiations.  Second, they’re being kicked out of the hall.  Third, the deficit is looming.  Suddenly, and I mean very suddenly, the Minnesota is in desperate waters.

For those able to read tea leaves we reached a tipping point last week when Sarah Kwak, Associate CM of the Minnesota, announced she was signing on as Concert Master of Oregon.  Nothing against my colleagues in Portland but those of us who live here had our heads snap around at that news.  Sarah has made an excellent career and a wonderful life in the Twin Cities since well before I got here two decades ago, and even the bump from Associate CM to CM can’t explain it all.

That Sarah is going to Oregon speaks volumes.  First of all, Portland is one of a very, very, very few metropolitan areas that can even come close to competing with the Twin Cities when it comes to a standard of living.  Second, under the iron hand and steely gaze of Elaine Calder the Oregon Symphony has cut costs and streamlined their business model, all without indiscriminantly slashing salaries and alienating their various constituencies.  Third?  Well, the future for the Oregon battle-orchestra seems bright.

Yet back home I hear that at least two members of the Minnesota have already taken other jobs, some musicians who have been with the orchestra for decades have been taking auditions, and more than a few staff with years of experience are strongly leaning towards retirement.  Meanwhile, I’ve heard of several musicians taking whatever work they can in preparation for a “work stoppage” in the fall, and I know of at least one who is contemplating leaving the music business altogether. What gives?

Quite simply – the plan for the future.  The shock from the plan that was unveiled a few months ago has had time to sink in and the verdict is in – no one likes it.  Many musicians appear convinced that during this round of contract negotiations the M.O. is intent on “getting costs under control.”  This is code for slashing salaries some 25-30%, perversely at the very time that the hall will be shut down for a year for a $50 million renovation.  Of course, the orchestra’s goal is to raise $110 million,  although how that is supposed to be used is very unclear.  Currently the line is that the extra money is for “the Orchestra’s financial sustainability,” a combination of words that puts fear in the hearts of musicians everywhere.  That’s the financial news.

The artistic news is much more depressing.  The “plan” seems to be to convert the Minnesota into a glorified Pops orchestra.  Touring Pops shows would take precedence and the number of Classical concerts would be dramatically curtailed.  This speaks directly to the legacy of the Minnesota, the tradition that has been passed down from the times of Ormandy and Mitropoulos right down to the current membership.  When I first got to the Minnesota there were still a couple veterans in the orchestra who had worked with Mitropoulos.  I will never forget those stories I heard.  To think that the Minnesota Orchestra could essentially end up becoming a backup band deeply saddens me, and I can’t even imagine how it’s making those directly impacted feel.  More than anything I’m disheartened that Mad Stan Skrowaczewski is still around to see this orchestra, to which he gave his heart, come to this crossroad.

Worst case scenario is that the Minnesota hits the mine, the contract impasse continues, there is a major “Detroit-like” strike, relations between the musicians and the board somehow manage to reach new lows, and the M.O. never regains the artistic stature it once had and finds itself on the scrap heap of social relevance. But there is still time to head this scenario off!

Wiser heads could prevail.  The extra money raised in this renovation campaign could be earmarked for artistic sustainability.   A strong campaign of internal discipline and rethinking could pave the way for a stronger business model, as it has done in Oregon.  A recommitment to the Minnesota’s outstanding artistic legacy, hand in hand with a long-term plan for financial stability (10 years at the very least!!!) could make a huge difference in the working idealogy of the Minnesota.  All these are possible.  They would require this “plan” to be abandoned at the very least, a more enlightened Board/administration state of mind to prevail, and it would also necessitate serious out-of-the-box thinking on behalf of the musicians union.

I must admit, though, that after 20 years in this business I am highly skeptical that so great a confluence of come-to-Jesus enlightenment could happen.  The odds of any one of those three happening anywhere has been covered in previous posts, but to have all three happen simultaneously at the same orchestra?  I’m putting my $5 on the Lotto.

But hey, it could happen, and the musical Minnesota could avoid the fate of the battleship which shared the name.  Or the Minnesota Orchestra could follow in the legacy of another ship that is celebrating an anniversary soon – the RMS Titanic.

 

30 thoughts on “The Sinking of the Minnesota”

  1. Dear Bill, How sad. Every word you say speaks truth. That great orchestra, come to this.

    Thank you for speaking boldly and accurately. It hurts to read, and it must have pained you to write. If only a brave voice from inside the Minnesota Orchestra’s board of directors dared to join you in a public outcry. Even more importantly, if only a brave voice from the inside dared to challenge the direction that this ship has taken.

    Sandra

    PS I’m thrilled that Sarah has found a nourishing and supportive professional environment for her great musical and leadership talents. And Vali, too.

  2. Bill, it would be good to have a conversation about this. The dance community has gone through several shock waves in recent years. We may have benefited from it in a long term sense. Things ARE different. I am not a fan of the Maestro in any way. I wonder if a different music director would be a place to start. I DON’T want an Cincinnati situation where it becomes a Pop orchestra either. I utterly detest such a situation. The Shostakovitch showed what this orchestra is capable of doing! Jim

  3. Im Westen nichts neues.

    I wouldn’t take what happens in the future so hard. Just buy a good stereo surround sound system and enjoy your CD collection.

    I quit the classical music business too, and have never been happier.

  4. Dear Bill,

    The witnessing recently of all these great old treasured orchestras is heartbreaking.

    For the life of me, I cannot understand how citizens, corporations, and state and local governments can just sit and watch these cultural and art venues die without someone or all stepping up to the plate, grabbing the reins, and doing whatever is necessary to sustain them. Who would ever have thought our country would get to such sad and shameful condition to allow and to see this happen. Heartbreaking.

    ~operabruin

  5. Where can one view a copy of this “plan”? Scant information is on the Minnesota Orchestra website.

    • Andrew,

      Copies of the “plan” are in very short supply. The M.O. won’t release it officially but it was presented to the musicians/staff in early December of last year.

  6. Bill, I read your posting with dismay. Re: memories of Mitropoulos in Minneapolis — I have long regarded his Minneapolis music directorship as a highwater mark in American symphonic annals, and have written about it quite a lot (e.g., in my Classical Music in America). Not many people (at least outside of Minnesota) seem aware of the magnitude of what he achieved, or the amazing Minneapolis recordings (Schumann Sym 2, Mahler 1) he left. I would love to know more about what those musicians had to say about him.

  7. Bill,
    For years I’ve been an admirer of yours from afar and I’m quite happy to have come upon your blog. When it comes to the situation facing the MSO, I approach it wearing two hats. As a former audience member, I am somewhat, but not overly, concerned about the survival prospects of the Symphony. I have friends and aquaintances who are orch. players (not the MSO), and the fear in the trenches about the future of the classical music biz is palpable. As a listener, I’m just bored with the standard repetoire.

    As a composer, I’m just not interested in writing for the large romantic symphony orchestra. I look at it as a cultural “dinosaur” waiting to turn into petroleum. The sort of music I write is just unworkable for that many musicians. I prefer to write for the “small mammals” skittering around the legs of the dying behomoths.

  8. Bill, thanks for your kind comments about Oregon. (Although I choked a bit on “steely hand, iron gaze” – or was it “iron hand, steely gaze”? Whatever.) Oregon is surviving on more than a disciplined approach to the finances: it’s the commitment of every member of our institutional community, a passionate trust in the music-making and a joy in the small successes as well as the big ones. I don’t know that we have a business model that’s useful for anyone else, though. We’re a 38-week orchestra at the present time and I suspect it’s easier to get from 43 weeks down to 38 weeks, as we did, than to go from 52 weeks even to 51…..

  9. First off, best wishes for Sarah Kwak in her new role with the Oregon Symphony!

    Regarding the rest of the blog entry though, it’s disappointing to read this gossip-style delivery as if one were listening in on backstage whispers and whining (“…I hear that…”, “…I’ve heard of…”, “… seems to be …”, “…at least one who is contemplating leaving the music business altogether…”).

    Bill, as indicated by the other responses (and your bio), you’re clearly held in high regard within your community -and- regional orchestral circles. If you have some specifics on the “plan” that’s so hard to come by then please do share. Otherwise, it sounds like you’re somehow surprised that the Minnesota Orchestra and the classical music BUSINESS are changing since you arrived in the Twin Cities over two decades ago.

    Consider over the past 20 years how many major American orchestras are stll making recordings for a highly acclaimed record label (with global distribution)…how many? Sure, that’s hardly the end-all indicator of overall success, but it appears somethings being done right in Minneapolis that the ol’ Big Five can’t pull off any more.

    • Hello David,

      Obviously you haven’t read any of my other posts since I think it is fairly obvious from my writings that not only do I believe the business has changed, but the business certainly has not changed enough. I think I have shared enough specifics about the plan in this and previous blogs. I wish that the M.O. would release it in its entirety so that those of us who already have advanced knowledge could comment specifically. Do know, however, that the M.O. is in contract negotiations, and I doubt this plan will be released while that is going on.

      As to your “gossip” charge – guilty. I refuse to name those whom I know because I do not want their lives made any more difficult than they have been. However, the movement of individuals in this business is common knowledge. Anyone connected with the M.O. could tell you who these people are.

      As to recordings – who cares? So, they made a few recordings? There’s still deeply in debt, the hall isn’t full, they’ve lost connection with their community, musicians are fleeing and/or preparing for a strike, and there appears to be little committment to the artistic legacy of the orchestra. I would list all of those things as vastly more important than recordings. But hey, that’s why I think the business has changed.

  10. Bill, I have enjoyed your performances over the years here in the Twin Cities in chamber concerts or orchestras.. Your commentary here is a bit jarring. The opening half seems much in the style of Norman Lebrecht, where a frightful narrative is construed from a very slim set of isolated facts.

    I also was very sorry to hear of Sarah Kwak’s decision to go to Portland, but I am not leaping to conclusions. Maybe she and Vali like the west coast; maybe she really wants to be a CM and was disappointed not to get the job at the M.O. In the business world people leave big companies for top jobs at smaller firms all the time. As for others checking job openings, the numbers you cite do not suggest an Exodus. There is always some turnover in organizations of this size. No one ever looks forward to contract negotiations unless times are flush, which they are not right now.

    The second part of your essay is sensible–all stakeholders will have to work together and creatively–including the musicians. I am sure they hope some rich people will bail them out, but they can’t assume that will happen. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra nearly collapsed a few years ago but came back with a new artistic and marketing plan that has worked quite well, so it can be done. The 2013-2014 season should be very strong in the remodeled Orchestra Hall.

    The programming issue is tough and is made more difficult by the greater freedom people have to pick and choose among concert choices. I also think that orchestra marketing for unfamiliar works is a real weakness. The Oregon Symphony is admirable, but as Ms. Calder points out, it is not a major orchestra. Looking at their 2012-2013 season calendar, they have almost as many pop programs as subscription “serious” programs, and I am sure they do what their market demands. I doubt that you would like that ratio in Minneapolis.

    One of the earlier reader comments suggested that Osmo is the problem here,with which I categorically disagree. The M.O.’s playing for the past several years has been world class, and he is the biggest reason for that. It is thrilling to hear them play when he conducts. What we could use, though, is a strong principal guest conductor or two, as we had years ago with Klaus Tennstedt, Valery Gergiev, and Charles Dutoit. The additional variety of another strong musical personality gives the orchestra another benefit to promote and helps segment the audience if the guest conductor has a different set of interpretive strengths.

    • I tried to put Oregon’s situation in context because I’m well aware that we work with a different model than the 52 week orchestras, but I am amused/bemused by the fact that we are “not a major orchestra”. I’m a Canadian and two of Canada’s major orchestras on any number of dimensions are Tafelmusik and Les violons du Roi. Does size of orchestra, length of season, immensity of budget etc. really matter all that much? Impact, (inter)nationally or locally; relevance to our community, however we define it; and quality of performance surely mean more than the numbers? No, Oregon isn’t a “major” orchestra, but the last time I looked our organizations are not in a competitive league. Sometimes I think the jockeying for position at all levels is one of the things that hurts us most and blinds us to what is really important.

      • Well, I’m at the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, and WE think Oregon is a major orchestra especially after your recent performance here! I totally agree with you that the whole “my orchestra’s bigger than your orchestra” obsession is just silly. I’ve heard major orchestras just phone in performances. I’ve heard amateur and student orchestras play their hearts out. What matters is the artistic integrity of the group and its commitment to having a positive impact on its community. The rest is details.

  11. I am sorry to hear of the possible alternate futures for the Minnesota Orchestra. But the deeper issues are about the state of classical music in the US. I just returned from Vienna, the motherland of western classical music. There the houses are packed with a broad range of patrons, from young to old, from Asian to European. As we become less Eurocentric I suspect these cultural bonds as expressed, in part, through the arts will continue to weaken. Layer on top of that a weak economy, the recipes for the future are not that bright for many of our best orchestras. I attend the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra nearly every week and I see very few people without gray hair and white skin. Finally I hope that the MO (or any of the majors) don’t simply transmute themselves into purveyors of movie soundtrack music and Gershwin songs. But Pops do seem to fill seats and bring in the revenue. Not sure I have any new insights, unfortunately. You can read my reviews at http://www.atlantamusiccritic.com. thanks

  12. Elaine–

    By “major” I was speaking in terms of budget, season length, musician salaries, and especially pecking orders. These things tend to take on a life of their own in contract negotiations. Budgets and salaries matter, but so do vision and smarts. About the same time that the M.O. hired Osmo the Boston Symphony hired James Levine for at least 3x the money.

    The M.O. and other big orchestras of this caliber also have to maintain themselves, and they don’t aspire to be brilliant but much smaller organizations, such as the ones your mention or the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

    I kind of wish you could give a lecture on the points you made to all the stakeholders at the M.O. Community relevance and outreach–and assessing same–should be in the managerial skill set for people who run U.S. orchestras.

  13. sorry to have to make this an anonymous posting but I’m connected with the Minnesota Orchestra and we are under threats of discipline up to and including dismissal if we speak out publicly about these issues.

    To extended Bill’s Titanic analogy, this post is only the tip of the iceberg. The musicians and staff don’t really know what the ‘new model’ is, only that we will be doing less- less weeks, less salary, fewer musicians. The most discouraging thing is there has been no interest on the part of the management in collaborative problem solving, and no interest in involving the musicians in terms of any future artistic vision.

    What we may be seeing is an extension of the current political climate into the realm of the arts (something I believe Bill has also written about). In Louisville, Colorado and other places there is an attempt to paint the “union” as the cause of all of an orchestra’s problems. Lost in this conversation is that for an orchestra the “union” is not the AFM, or the local, but the musicians sitting on stage producing incredible performances week after week. That, ultimately, is the union being busted here.

    It’s the musicians who are out there connecting with our audiences and our community – and it’s the musicians who are the most profoundly concerned with these actions that seem to be destroying this great orchestra.

    Thanks to Bill for shedding some light on this situation – maybe this will help our public realize what is happening before it’s too late.

  14. Hi Bill,
    If my memory serves me, I remember you from when you conducted the Baltimore Symphony more than a few times in the distant past. Having recently moved to Minneapolis and having been a fan of the MO for a long time, I find it hard to believe that all of the dire predictions concerning the MO will actually come to pass.

    It’s certainly true that times are changing… The Baltimore Symphony has taken some very hard hits, and many other fine orchestras like the Atlanta Symphony are now facing drastic cuts. If the “solution” to difficult times is always to cut jobs, salaries and weeks, then what does the presence of a world class orchestra in Minneapolis actually stand for? One answer is that it helps make Minneapolis a very special place. It’s not like the MO musicians are a bunch of convenience store employees who can be immediately replaced with another face. Yes everyone can be replaced, but you cannot devalue the magic of 100 musicians having played together for many years. That is special, and is part of what makes a great orchestra great. It’s part of a legacy that needs to be nurtured and preserved, not minimized and cut up. Are economic times so bad that salaries, musicians and weeks must be on the chopping block in order to “preserve” the MO? I doubt it very much.

    The MO has so much going for it. Good to great audience support, and a real community appreciation of the most excellent performances that the MO musicians do every week. Will the tradition of excellent music here hold strong enough to forstall the drastic cuts that are predicted? Guess that time will tell. I for one won’t let the MO management and board manage a reduction of the orchestra in any area without a fight and a public taking to task.

  15. This is sad news indeed. We know some of the members and heard them play a very polished concert at Carnegie Hall last year. The sounded so very refined and sophisticated. This year they played again and got very glowing reviews from the NY Times critic. They are a great orchestra and treasures such as these august ensembles should not be allowed to be lost. My guess is, once lost, never regained.

  16. Also anonymous, Bill, you might want to check into what is happening across the river at the SPCO as well. There is talk of severe cuts in spite of recent cuts over the past decade, more than MN Orch has ever taken. Both orchestras seem to be raising money for their halls, but little for the product, that is, the musicians.

  17. The Minnesota Orchestra has long been one of the few American orchestras to have a truly distinct sound, and to maintain a level of concentration onstage unmatched by some of the more major orchestras. It has historically suffered from some poor artistic choices by management, but the successes have outweighed them in the long run. I was not given the opportunity to hear major artists with the orchestra, but overall, a procession of mostly young, little-known singers and instrumentalists, who received a great opportunity, but I did not receive the education I could have. And this was in the 1970s when the stages were still full of great, authoritative artists. The few who came and came regularly, such as Tennstedt, had a great impact. I think the management has historically been overly authoritarian, and this comes as not a great surprise. Given that corporate funders have great influence, it is not surprising to see orchestras react. Given the current situation in Philadelphia, this is clearly an “industry”-wide approach by managements, who assuredly discuss all issues with each other. Given that we lack authoritative music directors, in most cases, who lack real commitment to their positions, it’s no wonder that management holds all the power it can. It is one thing for musicians to rebel, but another for audiences to speak out and loudly, if they would do so.

  18. Seattle too, if rumors are to be believed. Numerous sources reveal the organization to be hemorrhaging money and, sadly, that, despite the new conductor, the orchestra’s notorious litigiousness and rancor is worse than ever. Sad. Seattle is a beautiful city and deserved better than this.

  19. Hi Bill. Very interesting blog. But I feel as if I need to stand up for my fellow conductors (and creators) of “alternative concert programming,” otherwise known as “Pops,” which you suggested relegates orchestras like Minnesota Orchestra to mere “back up” status. I was very fortunate to conduct two concerts on the Minnesota Orchestra’s Pops Season this year, and this is what I can tell you: Both were 100% sold out. So much so that ticket buyers had to be turned away after the obstructed seats and standing room got sold. I would estimate that approximately 60% of the single ticket buyers (non-subscribers) had never been to a live symphony orchestra concert before, in their lives. And most importantly, these concerts do not relegate orchestras to “back-up orchestra” status. The Minnesota Orchestra played their asses off, they were brilliant, they (the orchestra itself) got two standing ovations from the sold-out audience, and the music was as challenging as anything in the classical repertoire. And btw, the statistics were almost identical when we played with your own orchestra in Edmonton a year ago — even though it was about 25 degrees below zero outside. :-) I am a huge admirer of you, your performances, and your writing. And nobody wants to see an ensemble like the Minnesota Orchestra become a “pops orchestra.” But your reference to “pops concerts” lacked respect for what those of us in the “alternative” field do for orchestras. We introduce a lot of symphonic “newbies” and new audiences to the magical world of symphony orchestras and classical music. A sizable percentage of those pops patrons do come back for Mahler or Brahms or Stravinsky. And in the meantime, frequently, it is our “pops” sell-outs that, financially, make up the difference for far more glorified classical repertoire concerts (as incredible as they are) that only play to 1/3rd or 1/2 houses. (I am not speaking specifically about Minnesota — I am speaking about orchestras in general.) So we certainly do our part to keep orchestras solvent, and audiences happy.

  20. I was out of town when George Daugherty was in Mpls for the cartoon music program. Hated to miss it, and I hope you come back! It had to have been very challenging to play while staying in sync, but this is a great orchestra.

    Some mix of pops programs is the price of admission. What would ballet companies do without Nutcracker? Most of them would not be in business.

    I would like to hear more ideas about new ways orchestras can increase community engagement, however ways it can be measured. There are a lot of moving parts–promoting concerts, promoting the orchestra and individual personalities, outreach activities, pricing strategy, events, concert mix, partnerships, use of other media, and various other things in addition to great performances.

  21. Bill – so impressd and even more impressed by the sound talent that you’ve captured to respond. I want to reply to so many things from your post and those of the respondent audience here. But instead of adding to these great opinions, I wonder if you might consider creating a new post solely on mining opinions (both strategic AND tactically) about what the Minnesota Orchestra could do? Maybe even using your trifecta above as a base? I’ve got some ideas and wonder if a mutual idea fest would perhaps render some impressive suggestions that might even be considered/placed in front of MO board members. (?)

    Regardless, I just discovered your blog and thank you for developing and supporting it.

  22. I have heard many on the political right say that there should be no federal support for the arts (socialism) because that should be the responsibility of the wealthy, job-creating, philanthropic class. Well, where are they? Burnt out, we are told; donor fatigue. It appears that the wealthy class is abdicating its responsibility, despite the fact that their wealth-making institutions were bailed out by we tax-payers, and their golden parachutes kept intact. We are told that taxes cannot be raised on the wealthiest, because that too is a form of socialism (redistribution). Here we are groveling for donations when it is really their stated responsibility. Ludicrous logic. I was on the NEA panel in 1992 to help hand out grants to US orchestras. The top orchestras were getting 350,000$ a year then. If that level of help were continuing today the NEA would be allocating over 500,000$ today. The top orchestras receive a fraction of those 1992 dollars today. The arts in America are doomed if this mind set is not reversed.

    • I don’t think it is just the political right that no longer supports the arts. With the economy the way it is, most politicians could care less about art of any form. This sentiment is echoed by the public in general. Those that can afford to donate may choose to no longer participate in part due to the fact that the performers and performances they are hearing are no longer compelling. The average household in this country makes far less than $350,000 per year. Do you really expect an average American to donate money to an art form that they likely cannot relate to and often cannot afford to watch or listen to? Engaging your current donors and enticing new ones with innovative and compelling programs is likely the only way. Perhaps looking internally for solutions rather than blaming politicians and audience members is the answer. I doubt you were doing any of the groveling in any case.

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