Archive for the 'columbus symphony orchestra' Category

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Valerie Gibbs letter to WACSO

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on July 7, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Our Supporters and columbus symphony orchestra
. 2 Comments

I met Valerie and John Gibbs at my home recital in May. They have shown a great deal of passion and determination to help the musicians of the Columbus Symphony continue to make music. And they have sought to keep an even keel in public perception of the ongoing saga of the Symphony, its history and outcome. To that end, Valerie and others composed this wonderful letter to the members of the Women’s Association of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (WACSO).

Dear fellow WACSO member, July 4. 2008

We all know that we are at a critical moment in the life of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra that we love so much.

We have very few constructive options that could lead to the continuing life of the symphony—and very little time.

While we are not, nor can we be, part of the negotiations, we can do three things—get accurate information about the past and present situation; write to civic leaders like Mayor Coleman, Governor Strickland, President Gee of The Ohio State University; and publicize, attend and support upcoming musicians’ concerts—and urge our friends to do these three things.

The time to act on behalf of keeping our symphony alive is now. We have our four Youth orchestras and all the students and schools they represent hanging in the balance as well.

We may not all be aware that as of the beginning of June the musicians pay has been ended; moreover, their insurance, including their health benefits, have been cut off as of July first. One way we can support them right now is to go to a website that features upcoming concerts. By our attendance, and donations, we can give them our direct support. Their new website is The Musicians of the Columbus Symphony.

If our symphony orchestra is silenced, look at what our capital city is about to lose:

    -The cultural, educational and musical life-blood of our city that brings an unparalled joy into our lives, and into the lives of future generations.

    -An attraction to keep and to draw high-quality businesses in and to our area.

    -Some of the finest orchestra musicians anywhere—some of whom have already left their local students as well as this ensemble behind in search of more secure employment—who have spent years together building up our symphony to its emerging world class status.

    -The reason to stay involved in Columbus for Junichi Hirokami, an outstanding young conductor, musician and advocate for the highest and best of music.

We have faced crises like these before. In 1969 we women were behind the successful effort to save the Ohio Theatre when it was on the very brink of destruction, when the chandeliers and other Ohio Theatre cultural treasures had all been sold. During that crisis we helped raise the money to renovate the Ohio Theatre so our symphony could have a home.

For almost 60 years we have stood whole-heartedly behind the orchestra musicians of Columbus, supporting our Symphony’s mission “to develop and foster the art of orchestral music at the highest possible artistic level,” attending concerts, purchasing series’ tickets, and throwing our full weight into fundraising and other vital community work for the Symphony.

As we celebrate the courage and sacrificial efforts of those few but faithful 56 signers of our Declaration of Independence this July 4, those who paved the way for our lives here today, let us commit ourselves anew to what we believe in, for generations to come: Live Symphonic Music for Columbus.

Sincerely,

Valerie Gibbs, (Lyric), Encore/Caprice Lifetime member

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To My Readers

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 30, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics and columbus symphony orchestra
. 1 Comment

I will post again soon. I have been very busy getting three rooms in my house ready to rent out in order to make ends meet and keep my beautiful home and garden. I have had to pack up much of my life into boxes and cram my practice space into one small room. Doable, but chaotic.

I am also having to apply for Federal assistance to help pay the high price ($550/month) to continue the insurance plan which has now been dropped by the Symphony, even though several staff member’s salaries and benefits continue to be paid.

I am still sad beyond belief that those in the community who are members of organizations formed to support the Symphony have been convinced by the pseudo-logic of Buzz Trafford’s lawyerly manipulations to believe that there are no other options than what has already been done.

The truth is, the board did not have to withhold ticket sales for the Fall season in order to continue negotiations with the musicians. This simple fact betrays their innocence in handling the situation. They claim they cannot sell ticket because they don’t have a contract with the musicians. In fact, they have a contract, which they have broken. And their efforts to negotiate a fair contract for the current musicians has been anything but fair; it’s been unilateral and immobile. While the musician’s offered a sizeable cut to BEGIN negotiations, the board, led by Buzz Trafford, refused to budge from their original plan. This is not negotiation.

One supporter, who is one of the most circumspect and polite individuals I’ve ever met, spoke up at a recent meeting and stated that, after reviewing the events of the past few months, and as uncomfortable as it was for him to say; the Board intended to destroy the orchestra all along.

Motives are moot at this point. The fact is, our livelihoods and our valuable contribution to Columbus as music makers, teachers, neighbors, friends, is ending. And that end has come to pass solely on the backs of the decision makers on our current Board of Trustees. They are responsible for the destruction of the orchestra, not the failing economy, not the “lack of support” from corporate donors, not any reasons they give. It’s simply their original intention to destroy the Orchestra, masked behind a “financial crisis”. This is not to say there is not a financial crisis. Any musician would agree that there is. But the desired outcome to resolve that crisis is vastly different from the Board’s view than the musicians, or any other of the numerous, educated supporters of the Orchestra.

We need new leadership, plain and simple. Those on the board who are willing to take a fresh look at the situation and actually support the orchestra should remain. The others, who have either been involved in the plan to destroy the orchestra, or who have in complicit in their silence, should step aside.

I also want to mention to any of you reading my posts that you should be aware of any unusually long page loads, especially if the note at the bottom of the screen says “downloading from sum4count.net”, which is a Trojan malware script that piggy backed onto my blog. I have taken all the necessary steps to prevent any further infiltration, but just in case you saw that phrase, you also need to take steps to clean your computer of this virus. I apologize if this has caused any problems for anyone. I can assure you, it won’t happen again. (Luckily I have a Mac and it was relatively unscathed, but my laptop PC has been destroyed and must be completely rebuilt)

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Who is the problem?

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 21, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics, Off the Record, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 3 Comments

WHO IS THE PROBLEM?

Columbus is the fastest growing region in Ohio. It is also one of the richest.

Arts business produces over $330 million in economic activity in the Columbus area. That’s 11,000 jobs.

The musicians of the Columbus Symphony play at a world class level. Other orchestras at this level are paid much higher salaries.

Yet, Robert “Buzz” Trafford, president of the Columbus Symphony Board, and a lawyer with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur, thinks the musicians are overpaid and are causing the problem. He has hardly ever attended the Symphony. He also uses Google to figure out how to run a symphony orchestra. He’s not interested in the professional and experienced opinions of anyone, unless they agree with his.

Tony Beadle, Executive Director of the Columbus Symphony, and supposedly a leader of the arts, called the orchestra a “dinosaur”. He mocked a passionate grassroots support base which was formed to help with the current crisis. Since he came here, the Symphony has taken a nose dive. He is incapable of doing his job effectively.

Tony Beadle and management overspent their own budget by $6.5 million in the past 4 years. That’s over $1.6 million community dollars wasted each year. None of this went to pay the musicians.

The musician’s expenses in the budget went down by $0.9 million in the past 4 years. Yet, the musicians are willing to immediately take a 7% salary cut to save the orchestra.

Buzz Trafford said he would think about accepting a thrid party mediator 3 weeks ago. He still hasn’t accepted it. What’s he afraid of? He also insists that the musicians pay for half the mediator’s fee, something which is unheard of in any musician negotiation. Management pays the fee, because management stands to benefit from the advice of the mediator. The musicians continued to do their jobs of playing music at world class levels. Management needs professional advice to solve the problems they caused and they should pay for it.

Who do you think is the problem?

When a baseball team is losing, who gets fired, the players or the manager?

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Letter from Jennifer Parker-Harley

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 14, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 0 Comments

I am writing in response to the article about the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and the picture of me and my colleague, Mindy Ewing, that was printed on the front page of the Sunday (June 1) Metro section. It is important that members of the community know the backstory of the picture - not only was I moved to tears after what might have been the final concert of the Columbus Symphony, but because of the orchestra’s current situation, my family and I will be leaving town.

I came to Columbus in 2000 after winning an audition at which 99 other flutists from across the country were present. At that time, the CSO was considered a ‘destination’ orchestra - an excellent group of musicians with very little turnover in personnel (resulting in their musical cohesiveness), fair compensation, and based in a very livable city. It is as part of this orchestra that I learned the ropes -I played all the major repertoire, I played in Carnegie Hall, I played under world-class conductors, I was the soloist in the Mozart Flute Concerto in G with the orchestra in January, 2008. These were all formative, growing experiences for me and through them all I was supported by the warmth and cameraderie that characterize this group.

As a member of the community at large, I put down roots. I arrived here as a newlywed and went on to own a home and give birth to two children at St. Anne’s hospital. I began teaching at Otterbein College in 2003 and in my tenure there taught students that have gone on to teaching jobs in area public schools. I voted. I paid taxes. I built a life here.

This year, as the problems of the orchestra began to escalate, it became necessary to look elsewhere for employment. I am one of the six members of the orchestra who will be leaving Columbus, as I was recently appointed Assistant Professor of Flute at the University of South Carolina. My tears, as photographed after what may have been the CSO’s last concert, were for more than the caption indicated. Even though I was born and raised in SC, Columbus has become my home. I am saddened beyond words to leave such a great orchestra and so many fine colleagues.

Like me, members of the orchestra have come here from across the country and the world to make this city their home. Many of my colleagues have spent their entire careers here, contributing to the orchestra, but also to the community through teaching, raising children, voting, paying taxes, buying homes. If the board does not do what is necessary for musicians to survive, the city will continue to lose these highly educated, contributing citizens.

Most, if not all of us, began music lessons as very young children. We have devoted many years, much time and countless dollars to the pursuit of beauty and expression through music. Here, in this city, we have provided a world class model of orchestral playing that has had a ripple effect on the cultural life of the entire region. I urge the citizens of Columbus and the board to consider what the community will lose, as, like me, other musicians are forced to move away in order to pursue their life’s work.

Dr. Jennifer Parker-Harley
Second Flute, Columbus Symphony Orchestra/Assistant Professor of Music, University of South Carolina

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Columbus Symphony Board, Guilty of Orchestracide

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 12, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 0 Comments

Here a paragraph from Abu Bratche’s post titled, What’s the opposite of accountability?, about the CSO board.

The single biggest weakness in the American non-profit sector is the complete absence of consequences for the people who really run non-profits. The board of the Columbus Symphony – no one else – is responsible for killing the enterprise which was entrusted to them. But they don’t lose their jobs, or have to find new careers, or get shunned at parties, or told by the local media that they’re selfish and unreasonable. They don’t even get thrown off the board. They just continue to be board members, except of course that now they don’t have to raise any money. And, unless their bylaws are written differently than those of most non-profits, they can continue to choke the life out of the institution long after it’s dead before anyone from outside can do anything about it.

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Wading through Columbus’ Arts Quagmire

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 7, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Columbus Cultural Politics and columbus symphony orchestra
. 1 Comment

Ron Spigelman of Sticks and Drones, a music culture blog written by two conductors, makes an admirable foray into the swamp of Columbus cultural politics with his analysis of the Dispatch’s article announcing the creation of a second arts panel.

The situation can be summed up with the following analogy, which also applies to board’s decision to, among other things, cancel the Summer season, withhold ticket sales for next year, and terminate its contract with the musicians.

A reasonably healthy patient is bleeding to death from wounds inflicted by her doctors to “improve” her health. The doctors responsible for her care have decided to withhold blood, water and nourishment, so as not to waste any, in case she dies. They also decide to call in a second panel of doctors to advise them on how they might save the patient. When asked if the decision to withhold life support might affect the patient’s health, the lead doctor replies, “Terminating life support will not have any affect on the patient’s health”.

It’s like something out of Monty Python! Except the patient is real and the doctor culpable.

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Eerie Silence in Columbus

Published
by
David H. Thomas
on June 5, 2008
in Behind the Scenes, Clarinet, Columbus Cultural Politics, Technique, columbus symphony orchestra, symphony board and symphony management
. 1 Comment

I feel like I’m in a bad dream, and that I’ll wake up tomorrow to make music for Columbus, as I and my colleagues have done for decades.

Minnesota Orchestra HallA friend just returned from an audition trip to Minneapolis, MN. She described the area around the Orchestra Hall as intensely marketed toward the symphony: a huge poster of their Music Director, Osmo Vänskä, Symphony Restaurants, Symphony Apartments. The whole area boasts of and features the symphony.

Here in Columbus, the silence is eerie from those who should know better: our Symphony Board, our Columbus City Council, our Mayor Coleman, our Greater Columbus Arts Council, our Governor Strickland, the Columbus Partnership, the Dispatch “Ohio’s Greatest Newspaper”, and those whose job it is to do what has been done in Minneapolis, make their orchestra everyone’s orchestra.

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