Monthly Archive for July, 2008

Work Together or Lose Orchestra

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 29, 2008
in Musician's Life
. 3 Comments

Andrew Buelow, the author of the comment which I have posted below, is the Executive Director of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. His bio is HERE.

Reading Steve S.’s comments on the post “Today’s Dispatch Article” and Cameron Kopf’s reply, I am struck by the tragic polarization evidenced in the situation in Columbus. I have been through a very similar happening in the past at an orchestra where I worked, and the rhetoric is eerily similar on both sides.

Steve’s rhetoric typifies the “Musicians are whiners” point of view; Kopf’s response is a classic “blame the Board and management” response. Within these rather extreme stances, both make very valid points. Neither acknowledges the root cause of Columbus’s situation, and the true tragedy of orchestras in American society: that professional musicians, as highly trained as the most skilled doctors and attorneys, are marginalized and under-valued (even more so than teachers) to the point, in many cases, of bare subsistence.

In many European countries, Hirokami, Beadle and the musicians would be city employees with substantial government subsidy. In the U.S., orchestras are almost entirely privately funded and even though structured as nonprofit organizations, they must operate as businesses in a free market economy based on growth, expansion and inflation. But an orchestra by its very nature has little hope of keeping pace with the economy. It takes as many musicians to perform a Brahms symphony in 2008 as it did in 1890, and if an orchestra in 2008 truly charged for its tickets what the concert is costing to produce, few could afford to attend. So a great portion of its budget — generally upwards of 60 % — must be funded by contributions. Expenses rise faster than revenue. The Development Director’s job gets more challenging every season as corporate or foundation giving either diminishes or remains static. Meanwhile, musicians naturally need and want pay increases, at minimum to keep pace with rising cost of living. Everything else that goes into putting on a concert — from hall rental to the office postage meter machine — gets more expensive every year as well.

Is the situation hopeless? Not at all, it’s damn hard. As evidenced by the struggles of orchestras all over the country, coming up with a model for sustainability for an orchestra in any given community is a tremendous challenge, and requires the clearest of thinking, the most intense passion, and the strongest willingness for diverse stakeholders with diverse agendas to come together cooperatively.

I have seen the results of polarization first hand, and I can promise everyone in Columbus one thing: it will not take you where you want to go. The only hope you have is in the adage “seek first to understand, then to be understood.” It may be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but let go of your righteous anger, take a deep breath, and come together — musician, Board, management, community — and try to come up with the hard solutions that will lead the Columbus Symphony out of this impasse. It will be hard enough if you all work together. If you don’t, you haven’t a snowball’s chance in hell.

Success story in Indianapolis

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 28, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Our Supporters, columbus symphony orchestra and symphony management
. 0 Comments

A graduate of the Eastman School of Music, BRUCE HEMBD has lived in Phoenix, Arizona (USA) since 1991. He performs regularly with the Arizona Opera, Southwest Brass, Quintessence Chamber Ensemble, Palo Verde Brass, Desert Chamber Musicians, Symphony of the West Valley, and the Tucson and Phoenix Symphonies, in addition to many other ensembles throughout Arizona.

Before moving to Phoenix, Bruce held principal positions with the Mexico City Philharmonic, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and was also third hornist in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic. He has also freelanced in Europe (Austria and Germany), and in the Rochester (NY), Cleveland (OH), Houston (TX), and Chicago (IL) areas in numerous chamber ensembles, orchestras, musical shows and solo recitals.

Having grown up in Indy, I am a little familiar with their history. At one time the Indpls. Symphony performed in the dingy Clowes Hall on the campus of Butler University. Their salary was fairly average or even below average for the time back in the 1970’s.

When Raymond Leppard came to Indy in the late 80’s, he made it a mission to raise the bar significantly. The orchestra secured its own hall in downtown Indy (a beautifully renovated movie palace) and its management took an aggressive approach towards fund-raising and an endowment. Some housecleaning happened at all levels and the salaries and quality went up significantly.

The key element here I believe was strong leadership and a strong cooperative vision between symphony management and civic leaders.

Downtown Indy is a cool place to be on most evenings - not only are there symphony concerts, but also sporting events, restaurants and shopping. In comparing Columbus to Indy, we can only hope that a similar civic vision may be in store for Columbus.

Columbus Symphony like Indianapolis

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 28, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 2 Comments

(Note Tony Beadle’s comparison of the Columbus Symphony to the Indianapolis Symphony as a model to achieve. Indianapolis has a robust budget and very fair musician salaries. I believe Tony and Columbus musicians are now on the same page. Thank you Tony. Let’s hope any future negotiations continue with this kind of thinking.)

Contract clash puts fate of Ohio symphony in doubt
7/26/2008, 1:12 p.m. ET
By JULIE CARR SMYTH
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Sentiment these days surrounding the 57-year-old Columbus Symphony Orchestra is not so much Beethoven’s “Pastoral” as the “1812 Overture.”

The orchestra’s board of trustees suspended operations on June 1 and canceled the popular summer pops series and at least 10 fall classical concert performances, citing a projected $3 million budget shortfall. Managers and musicians have clashed over the next union contract and what direction to take the organization in the future.

If there is a future.

“It’s sort of like we’ve been at the brink,” said executive director Tony Beadle. “And now we have to go together hand in hand and illuminate what an orchestra does and what it means to a community at large.”

Fellow musicians have weighed in with their view.

“One of the great American cultural accomplishments of the 20th century was to bring access to top-quality performing arts to cities across the country,” the musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony and world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra wrote in a letter of support for Columbus players. “The loss of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra would represent a setback for the 21st century.”

A recent study by the Columbus Cultural Leadership Consortium found that arts and culture in greater Columbus is a powerful economic engine, generating $22 for every dollar spent in central Ohio compared with the $7 national average.

The analysis estimated that $330 million is spent each year in the region by nonprofit arts and cultural organizations and their audiences, with the Columbus Symphony being in the top tier of the city’s cultural food chain.

“Many people look to the arts as an indicator of the quality of life in this community. This does not help that mission,” Beadle said.

“But, over and above that, is that the Columbus Symphony as a musical ensemble is fantastic. It’s just one of those lucky circumstances that all the right components were put together on stage to produce fantastic music.”

Musicians credit better salaries with attracting the quality players that have built the orchestra’s critical acclaim over the years. The lowest paid Columbus Symphony musician makes $55,200 a year, compared with $75,400 for the Indianapolis Symphony, $91,900 for the Cincinnati Symphony, $101,452 for the Pittsburgh Symphony and $110,760 for Cleveland, according to data from the American Federation of Musicians.

“I think it’s taken decades to build the Columbus Symphony into the high-quality organization it is,” said Douglas Fisher, president of the Central Ohio Federation of Musicians, which represents 53 symphony musicians. “Forcing us to accept the Draconian cuts proposed by the board basically would destroy everything we’ve built.”

Board president Robert Trafford has said reaching a new agreement with the musicians’ union is the only way to rescue the symphony.

The board’s initial proposal sought to reduce the symphony’s annual expense budget from $12 million to $9.5 million, or 12.5 percent, and the number of full-time orchestra musicians from 53 to 31. Paid weeks per year would fall from 46 to 34, cutting the playing season by a quarter.

“The orchestra has had a history of a structural deficit, which means, all other things being equal and without outside gifts, you’re outspending what you’re taking in,” said Beadle, who spent seven years managing the Boston Pops.

Beadle said Columbus musicians need to look to peer orchestras — such as Indianapolis — when determining whether their salaries are fair, not to the likes of the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the “Big Five” orchestras in America.

“I maintain everybody here would like to pay them as much as we possibly can, because we honor the profession and honor what they do, but start benchmarking yourself to your collegial orchestras,” he said.

Fisher said the orchestra’s structural deficit cannot be blamed on how much musicians are paid. After musicians agreed to an 11 percent pay cut in 2005, the Columbus Symphony’s budget for artistic expenses has remained on or under budget every year, according to a financial analysis commissioned by the union. Last year, ticket sales were up 24 percent.

“We agreed to $1.3 million in cuts in exchange for the promise of a new director, a new executive director and other changes,” he said. “They didn’t do the things they promised. It’s really a problem of governance, and that will continue until the right people are given the keys to the organization.”

Last year, the symphony joined with other area arts organizations — including Columbus’ ballet, opera, art museums and adult and children’s theater companies — in a joint fundraising effort aimed largely at making the best use of big donors’ dollars in a shared funding arrangement.

But the effort may have come too late for the symphony. Without a contract by Aug. 31, the 2008-2009 season will be canceled and, Fisher fears, reviving the orchestra could be impossible.

In hopes of retaining community interest and keeping musicians from relocating for other jobs, symphony musicians have put together self-funded summer concerts under the name Musicians of the Columbus Symphony.

Beadle is optimistic a compromise will be struck.

“We need to find it within ourselves to find the commonality of wanting to have a symphony orchestra, provide a lively community for musicians and serve the city of Columbus,” he said.

Personal note from my student

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 28, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Our Supporters and Teaching
. 0 Comments

This sweet note is from the parent of one of my students, age 14 going on 15.

We were thinking of you when we were hiking at Zion Canyon National Park in southern Utah. Robin LOVED it there–there are lots of ferny plants clinging to the rock cliffs on a trail that goes along (and into) the river–its absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. She took lots of close up photos of flowers and ferns. At one point she commented, “I wonder if Mr. Thomas has ever been here. I can just picture him playing his clarinet in this canyon.” I thought that was pretty cool and that you would like to know that she’s thinking about clarinet music on a hike in the woods!

Thank you to ALL VOLUNTEERS!

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 27, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Our Supporters and columbus symphony orchestra
. 3 Comments

Symphony Columbus, which has taken over for Symphony Strong, has been the backbone of support for the musicians of the Symphony. They have tirelessly worked to coordinate volunteers, spread the word, sell those unique T-shirts so our message will be brightly displayed by users and pique the curiosity of those who don’t know what’s happening, greet supporters as they come to concerts, gather information on possible future supporters, and many, many other tedious but vital tasks.

It takes countless hours to gather and organize volunteers who wish to help but need a specific task to be useful. Mary Greenlee, David Greenlee, Pam Conley and a host of others (including Donna Gerhold, Jonquil Tanner and Jayne Gocken) have offered a huge amount of their time, expecting no more than a thank you.

I’m sure I can speak for all the musicians in saying :

THANK YOU,
FROM THE BOTTOM
OF OUR HEARTS!!!!!.

We couldn’t have done this without you. And with your help, there is now hope that we can have a great Symphony in Columbus, as we know everyone wants.

Fan Mail

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 27, 2008
in Our Supporters
. 1 Comment

LAST NIGHT’S CONCERT WAS ABSOLUTELY AWESOME, IN THE REAL SENSE OF THE WORD…A PERFECT BLENDING OF CONDUCTOR AND MUSICIANS. THANK YOU!!!!!!!
Fran Compton

Alive with Music

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 27, 2008
in Musician's Life, Orchestral Playing, Performances and The Music
. 0 Comments

OK, so I go for the corny, million dollar phrases, but the title Alive with Music captures so much of what we strive for as musicians. Over the past half century, recordings have both stimulated and undermined the popularity of live classical music. On the one hand, recorded music allows ready access and exposure to music by those who might not have had the opportunity to hear much. I could ask myself, “Would I have become a clarinetist if I hadn’t fatefully heard that recording of Robert Marcellus playing the Mozart Clarinet Concerto?”

However, recordings also create a false standard for live music performances. Current technology allows for recordings to be edited down to the level of single notes, so it is possible for all flaws to be removed from almost any recording before it is released. Granted, the music is still performed by live orchestras, but the drama of the moment, with close calls, near misses, and belly flops, has been removed to be replaced by the security of artificial perfection by correction. (I wrote an article about this subject saeveral years ago, called Music Recordings Byte Reality.)

What I am trying to say is this. Though the music may be the same, the difference between a live performance and a recording is as apples are to oranges.

Tonight, the musicians of the Columbus Symphony had a triumphant performance in Vets Memorial Auditorium. The crowd of at least 2000 swarmed in late, with many people caught in the snarled traffic jam involving the Jazz and Rib Fest., which shared parking lots with our event. Even our conductor’s arrival at the hall was delayed by the traffic. One supporter friend emailed me after the performance telling me they were turned away for parking and missed the concert.

The conductor for tonight’s concert was Alessandro Siciliani, who was Music Director of the Columbus Symphony for 12 years. He certainly has an avid following, and the electricity of a live performance is most definitely enhanced by the audience in attendance. Tonight, the repeated standing ovations signaled their adoration for him, and for us through him. Maestro Alessandro had no trouble living up to his reputation in his performance, both with the orchestra and his adoring fans.

His tempos were characteristically exciting and very, very flexible; something akin to riding fast on a rubber roller coaster, most assuredly an exhilarating ride. Yet, despite the musician’s occasional discomfort, something exudes from a performance with “Big Al” which could never happen again, ever. Each moment is unique, and something to be cherished as it passes forever into oblivion. And the audiences of Columbus tune into that energy, as if it’s something they have needed to feel for a long time, to be reminded of the preciousness (and excitement) of the moment.

The musicians of the Symphony were proud to have members of the Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati orchestra in our midst tonight, creating a new level of attention and freshness to our playing. Those orchestras in turn are showing their respect for us as a world class musical group by their willingness to play music with us. Again, the unique spirit of this performance will never be recreated.

As an encore, Alessandro wanted to play the entire last movement of the Dvorak 8th symphony we had just played. We tried to start a murmuring revolt, repeating a rehearsal number near the end, which would allow us all to play just the last page. After all, we were tired! But Al persisted, and we played the whole last movement again. And, much as I hate to admit it, I ENJOYED doing it a second time. It gave me a chance to squeeze a little more emotion out of every note. The orchestra sounded fantastic both times, but even more free and spirited the second. That’s something a recording can’t do.

One inside story needs to be shared. During Rossini’s Overture to the Italian Girl in Algiers, someone’s metronome (a clicking device to assist with rhythm practice) somehow clicked on in their case, during the middle of the performance. We were all very busy with lots of notes, and no one had time to search nearby bags and cases to locate the rogue metronome. The thing is, the beat of the clicking device was much, much slower than the piece we were playing. There was something comical about this lazy, summer-night-rhythm ticking away blandly in contrast with the flurry of hurried activity going on the woodwinds (where the metronome was centered). The little thing just happily clicked it’s laid back tempo until the end of the piece. I offer commendations to those woodwind players who had to play difficult, rhythmic solos to play while this lazy beat persisted in the background.

Ah, there’s nothing quite like a live performance of music, or I should say a performance “alive with music”.

Thinking outside the incendiary “box”

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 25, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 4 Comments

I’ve decided that the path we are on is not going to get us anywhere. I removed the post about Tony Beadle. I may have my presumptions as to who it may or may not be, but that is not the point, at least not when it comes to looking where we are going. It’s like saying to the man responsible for maintaining a leak-proof boat, as you are about to go over Niagara Falls in a canoe, “You failed at your job of preventing leaks!!” Too late for that now.

I’ve also decided that all this bickering does no good. The situation is what it is now. Everyone should leave the past behind as well as they can and really look at ways to make this work in the present and future. The musicians cannot take all the financial responsibility, but it is not the Board’s fault entirely for the situation the symphony is in. Or, even if I think it is, the time has come to seek constructive solutions. I tried to explain this idea to an eleven year old son of a friend; If someone says to you, “you suck!” you feel it is your right to respond, “YOU suck!” and they in turn feel the same. It goes on and on until someone takes the high road.

As I see it, there are 3 main components to a successful symphony…the musicians, the Board, and the administration. (Addendum- I failed to mention one of the most important parts of a successful symphony- THE PUBLIC! No orchestra can consider itself a viable part of its city’s culture without passionate and persistent outreach to the community.) If these are not all working together in harmony and with trust in each other, no good can come of it, and there most definitely won’t be any success. New tactics and EARNEST, SINCERE negotiating needs to be happening. I feel like in the past few months, the major players in all this have been waging an elementary school playground battle, except that a lot of livelihoods are at stake. Maybe I’m crazy…or maybe I’m just asking too much from the people negotiating.

Mozart’s Café Chamber festival a Success

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 23, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Clarinet, Our Supporters, Performances and The Music
. 0 Comments

I just arrived home after a stimulating and busy day. I have to thank Mozart’s Café and Bakery for hosting a delightful evening (5-9 PM) of music and food. Everyone had a great time. Luckily the hot weather let up a bit so people could spill out onto the patio and listen to the music from afar. But no one minded. They mingled in and out if they wanted to hear one piece close up.

All the musicians involved, David Niwa, Ariane Sletner, Ken Matsuda, Luis Biava, David Thomas, Betsy Sturdevant, Robert “Woody” Jones, and Mariko Kaneda seemed to have fun playing a great variety of chamber music, from duos to trios to solos with piano.

I enjoyed playing an early Divertimento, K 229, of Mozart, written originally for two clarinets and basset horn, but arranged for two clarinet and bassoon, with my colleagues, Betsy and Woody. There was a blend between the three of us which, on occasion, went beyond three instruments and became one instrument, like an organ. I have to admit, sheepishly, that we didn’t rehearse. But we have played those same pieces together in the past, thought it was 15 years ago. I guess we have good memories.

I also felt at ease playing the Paul Jeanjean Carnival of Venice variations with the steady and focused accompaniment of Mariko Kaneda.

The food and pastries donated by Anand Saha, owner of Mozart’s, were spectacular and complimented the European music beautifully.

I do not think I am presumptuous in saying that all those involved would love to do something like this again.

I know Columbus loves us.

Somehow the news that the CSO management has canceled more of next season’s scheduled concerts seems like a mouse roaring in a cave. It appears to me like a vindictive and desperate move. Perhaps Columbus would agree. And only God and those in power in Columbus, I mean those REALLY in power, know why they seem to be trying to kill music in our City. Yet, perhaps God knows a bit better, and perhaps he is watching very closely.

Carnival of Venice

Published
by
dtclarinet
on July 23, 2008
in Musician's Life, Performances and The Music
. 0 Comments

This evening at Mozart’s Café I will be performing a set of variations on the popular folk theme, Carnival of Venice, arranged by Paul Jeanjean, an early 20 century French clarinetist known for his difficult but beautiful études for clarinet and also for flute. Several other members of the Symphony will join me in a wonderful variety of great chamber music.

I am happy to say, the event is officially sold out. It is one of many fundraisers organized by grassroots supporters and the musicians themselves to support the beleaguered members of the Columbus Symphony, who were unfairly locked out of work June 1st, work legally contracted to them by CSO management, lead by Tony Beadle and Buzz Trafford. It continues to strike me as odd that the very people who should be leading the struggle to save the symphony are, to all public and private appearances, doing the opposite, destroying the soul of a great orchestra in Columbus.

The Venice song is probably familiar to most people, and has been made particularly famous more by the variations written on it than any original sources. I searched for some history of the melody and found only references to the numerous variations for any number of instruments, from flute to tuba. Wikipedia wasn’t much help, except to note that the song is associated with the words, “My hat, it has three corners”, not very Italian sounding. If anyone has further knowledge of the history of this tune, let me know. (someone forwarded more Wiki info on the piece-More than 150 years ago, French cornetist and teacher Jean Baptiste Arban created the method book, which became the standard manual for brass players all over the world. His playing of and compositions for the cornet helped to establish it as a serious classical instrument. He wrote this set of variations in the early 1860s, undoubtedly inspired by Niccolo Paganini’s 20 variations for violin on the same air, which has been attributed both to Paganini and to German opera composer Reinhard Keiser.)

Here is a fine recording of the Jeanjean variations I will play, performed by Duncan Prescott.

Carnival of Venice - Duncan Prescott (Clarinet)

Enjoy!