Thanks to the hard work and dedication of one symphony musician, Julia Rose, Associate Principal/Third Horn, we now have a terrific website where supporters of The Musicians of the Columbus Symphony can find their way to us directly.
The site is brand, spanking new. Features will be added soon, so keep checking back. While you’re at it, “favorite” it, so you can come back often.
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)
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?
Katherine grew up loving the arts and studied ballet through college. She lives in New Albany. She wrote this Letter to the Dispatch Editor in response to the Musician’s plan to save the Symphony:
Bravo to the musicians of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for taking initiative in helping to solve the financial crisis that they have been under for the past few years!
It is starting to become apparent to me how egregiously irresponsible the Board (or those in control on the board) has been with the symphony’s money.
In the report that was issued by the musicians and Dan LaMacchia, I was absolutely astounded that the non-musician expenses had exceeded the budget through 2004-2007 by 6.5 million! It’s no wonder that the symphony has been posting deficits the past few years.
When you add to that a non-existent fundraising campaign (with the exception of the Board’s preferred at-the-last-minute “bridge” fundraising) and advertising that I have to actively search for in the local media, it becomes clear that this Board is not living up to its responsibilities to support and fund this orchestra.
Also, these financial facts about the symphony are fairly easy to discover and makes it laughable that Robert “Buzz” Trafford could say that the “stockbroker” (he’s lowered himself to insulting a respectable certified public accountant who donated his time and expertise) doesn’t have his facts right.
I think it’s time for the community to come together and push for a new management and Board. We cannot afford to lose this orchestra and all the gifts it has given the community. Let’s solve the immediate deficit, get an endowment started, and put this orchestra on a path to financial stability.
Katherine Mero
Drew McManus at Adaptistration has given us the most comprehensive and constructive game plan to date. This block of suggestions is from his detailed overview of our current state, Columbus’ Smoking Gun. I post it here for all to see, including Dispatch reporters, Board members, Management and Patrons. Let’s get the show on the road, literally! There’s music to be made.
1. The musicians’ current offer to reduce operating expenses for the 2008/09 season by at least $500,000 is adequate ground for both sides to reach a minimum one-year agreement by the end of June.
2. Retract the decision to cancel the summer season.
3. Begin selling 2008/09 subscriptions immediately.
4. Acquire several new executive board members who embrace the concept that responsible governance is only obtainable when board leaders accept a minimum degree of personal and professional risk; i.e., “no one ever cut their way to success” (Granted, easier said than done but not impossible).
5. Craft a new strategic plan that includes detailed artistic goals and the financial requirements necessary to reach those goals that satisfies both board and musician bargaining concerns.
6. Design and launch an endowment campaign by the end of the 2008/09 season.
7. Inspire confidence through competence: no one wants to get involved with an organization sinking in debt nor do they want to get involved with an organization that alienates and denigrates employees or forces them into a position to lash out at those responsible for governing the institution.
Betsy, principal bassoonist with the CSO, wrote this letter to the Dispatch after Saturday’s momentous concert. So far it remains unpublished, which means it’s a good letter, since the Dispatch avoids reasonable truth like the plague.
As a musician of the Columbus Symphony, I am grateful for the opportunity given to me by the city of Columbus to perform professionally as a bassoonist. It was my dream since age 8.
Last Saturday’s performance under our Music Director Junichi Hirokami was a highlight of my life. Before the concert, we musicians mingled with audience members, thanking them for their support. Without them, there would be no orchestra.
During the concert, Maestro Hirokami lit the orchestra on fire, and the audience knew it. As the orchestra members played as one unit, I felt proud of my colleagues for being such masters of their instruments and of the art of ensemble. Never before have I heard such lengthy and enthusiastic applause!
We now stand on the precipice between an orchestra which has been thriving since the 80’s and silence. We musicians are ready and willing to take necessary paycuts, especially if outside assistance is brought in to plan administrative improvements. The currently proposed cuts are too drastic- most of us would leave and we’d be left with not the Columbus Symphony, but the Family Dollar Philharmonic. It would not be professional, but part-time, much like the housewives’ orchestra which existed here many decades ago.
Columbus deserves better than that!
Most of you may know the distressing news by now; the CSO board and management has canceled the lucrative summer Picnic with the Pops series, citing lack of funds.
It should be known that the Summer Pops pays for itself in revenue. So why cancel it? Whatever the twisted intent, it has little to do with “saving the Symphony”.
The move may be an attempt to corner the musicians into signing an insulting contract which sends the Columbus Symphony back to the dark ages.
My guess is that the public already senses the perfidious deception behind Buzz Trafford’s public pontificating that the board’s hands are tied and the musicians just refuse to cooperate. This drastic and defeatist move will further weaken public respect for the current Symphony Board of Trustees.
I had lunch today with a few reporters from the Dispatch who listened intently to my point of view. I emphasized that the musicians are VERY interested in negotiating, but not in being told what they MUST accept without question or DIE.
Among other things, these reporters have been informed that the musicians initiated “good faith” bargaining steps by offering to take some pay cuts, but were rebuffed; they have been told that we called for a mutually chosen mediator, an unbiased third party professional to monitor the negotiations, to which the answer came back from management, “NO!”.
We’ll see if the Dispatch squeaks any balanced truth in tomorrow’s paper.
I told them that if they Symphony dies, it won’t be the musicians fault. These gentlemen were baffled by our unanimous rejection of management’s insulting demands. Our solidarity truly perplexed them.
I believe the musicians’ consciences are clear. We are rational people. We’ve been reasonable. We’ve been patient. We’ve been polite and considerate. Understanding the seriousness of the situation, we have communicated our intent to compromise and our desire for professional mediation.
But we are not dealing with reasonable people, or being given fair and balanced coverage. So, what do we do now?
I will not presume to speak further for my colleagues. But I think many of them would agree with the following thoughts:
For years now, the Columbus Symphony has existed as two very different organizations.
One has been the actual orchestra itself, which has developed into a world class musical organization with an outstanding conductor and players. The Symphony Chorus has risen with the orchestra. Through education and outreach, thousands of lives have been enriched. Concert reviews have been rave, and audiences love them.
The other less visible part of the Columbus Symphony has been its Board of Directors and executive management. Unlike the orchestra, the board and management have been a dismal failure, unable to reach their own stated goals and mismanaging the administration and budget, resulting in losses.
Each time this has happened, rather than doing some soul searching about its own shortcomings and ongoing inability to maintain this pristine jewel in the crown of Columbus’ fine culture, the board and management have instead sought to dump their failures onto the backs of the musicians themselves. In the last contract go-around, management had a 15% loss, and the orchestra accepted 15% pay cuts with promises that management would do better this time. That hasn’t happened. Yet, the Columbus Museum raised an $80 million endowment and Nationwide Arena was built without tax funding. Columbus can accomplish great things with the right leadership.
This year seems to be no different, only management has gone public trying to brand the musicians as offenders that “don’t understand the reality of the situation.” Instead of self-selecting and leaving so that others may succeed where they have failed, they have entrenched themselves in a senseless campaign to crush the orchestra. The only reality here is that Buzz Trafford and the board and management don’t know how to run an orchestra, and instead are trying to point the blame somewhere else.
When a baseball team is losing, who gets fired - the players or the manager?
A relatively new grassroots website has done a great deal for the Columbus Symphony. Symphony Strong has helped the musicians feel the support of all of Columbus. We need all the help we can get since, tragically, little or no support has come from our local newspaper, the Dispatch. (One has to wonder what they are thinking.)
However, Symphony Strong and others like it, which formed to garner support, have struggled to break through deeper issues preventing a real blossoming of solutions. The bigger picture looks like this. The face of Columbus is not one or a few people, but a culture of all of us, our self-perception and how others outside the city see us.
Let’s say that I, David Thomas, see myself as a dashing, statuesque model, while others (unwilling to pop my bubble) see me as a craggy, half century old man. Who is right? I need to look closely at myself and find a positive overlap between those two views. I may not be a young model, but I can certainly enhance my image by spending some money on a good suit and a fine haircut and a fresh attitude. Then I can really like myself without self-deception.
Recent developments have quelled the CSO’s immediate financial crisis, with a generous gift to us tide over for the next few months. Yet the problem has not changed. In yesterday’s Dispatch article Gift lets Symphony finish, but after that… the leadership continues to insist on a one sided solution:
Management says support for the symphony — both from patrons and corporate donors — isn’t what it used to be and that the symphony needs to shrink. In January, managers announced a plan to reduce the budget to about $9.5 million, down from $12.5 million this year.
After musicians objected to that (first) plan, the board proposed a new contract keeping all musicians at a reduced salary and schedule, and requiring musicians to pay more of their health benefits. Musicians unanimously rejected that plan last week, leading to the impasse.
Judging from all the supportive letters of the past several months, many believe that high quality culture and music are important facets for a vibrant downtown and that Columbus currently achieves that status. Since January, none have accepted the proposed cuts as viable solution. Jan Ryan said in her Jan 28th letter to the Dispatch:
Anyone who attended Saturday evening’s CSO performance would agree that is was magnificent and we are not music critics but simply people who recognize the greatness of this orchestra!
Jerrie Cribb wrote in a Feb 5th letter:
You apparently do not realize how long it takes to build a superb instrument like this and what will happen if you cut it down. The best musicians will leave as will the fine conductor and we will be left with a mediocre chamber group
Betty Meil wrote on Feb. 7th:
Having moved to Columbus a few years ago from Cleveland, Ohio (which has a magnificent orchestra), I was very pleased to hear the excellent quality of the Columbus Orchestra — a first-rate orchestra.
But the vision to continue that high quality of music making on a scale representative of a city this size has not been tapped. Our (the city’s) self-perception and that of others is skewed by misconception. Much as we dislike it, we may be viewed as a cow town. Do we need to look in the mirror? The evidence is there, as shown in the April 4 Dispatch article entitled Grim reality: Perception is that city lacks in arts.
Supporter Donald Good, gave an ominous warning in his March 26 letter to the Dispatch:
I think it’s fair to say that if this orchestra, as it is now constituted and as it must remain in terms of permanent personnel (i.e. not a pick-up band), goes under, the rippling effect for the arts in the city, and the city’s reputation as a forward-looking entity, also will be widely affected.
One letter expressed frustration, such as Ann Elliot’s Jan. 24th letter, which ends:
Come on, Columbus! We must stop this madness and encourage the board to find other avenues to achieve fiscal security. As a start, we as a community must support our orchestra by consistently filling the house.
Other articles have furthered this honest self-exmination, such as Andrew Oldenquist’s Like NetJets, CSO is worth keeping in the city. Or, another analogy, almost a cliché now; if the Buckeyes needed money, we’d all fess up, even if we didn’t like football. In the orchestra’s case, it’s not about the music, but the City’s pride.
Bruce Ridge, Chair of ICSOM (International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians) put it eloquently in his letter (unpublished) to the Dispatch:
The question for Columbus should not be “can we continue to afford to support our orchestra”, but rather “how can we afford not to?” Too often lost in the discussion of orchestras in America is the simple fact that the arts are good business. The non-profit culture industry provides over 5.7 million jobs and accounts for over $166 billion in economic activity every year, including over $330 million in Greater Columbus alone!
In order to support the appropriate level of quality arts, Columbus leadership needs to face that it entails not only a lot of work, but also cooperation and coordination of forces. They also need to believe it’s all worth it. Here’s where the leadership needs to open their hearts. The people of the City trust those in power to do the right thing. We are ALL part of the Columbus identity, but only a few have the power to make our city’s dreams come true.
The public obviously supports a proud cultural downtown, but a gridlock of certain attitudes, in defiance of knowledge and opinion to the contrary, has prevented a creative solution to the apparent impasse in the Symphony negotiations. Healing needs to happen before we can see ourselves in a balanced and healthy way.
I see visionaries in Columbus who don’t have the clout. I see hard workers wishing to volunteer with no one to guide them in how to help, and I see money that needs some vision. What I don’t see in Columbus is all sides putting their heads together to make it happen.
Erich Graff of the Utah Symphony wrote to the Dispatch Feb. 5th:
In Utah Symphony negotiations some years ago, the musicians’ posture was that Salt Lake City deserved an orchestra that was a “Cadillac.” Our Board Chair responded publicly that “maybe the community deserves a Cadillac but can only afford a Chevrolet.” What happened? Neither the community nor the musicians agreed and instead they rallied—it is now more than a decade later… and the musicians’ base salary is 50% higher and the Board is far more committed to the growth of the organization.
This is where Symphony Strong could come in. It has tried to remain neutral, a commendable position, and one which is potentially constructive. However, I hope the site’s creators will begin to take some risks by seeking more commentary from all sides. Perhaps several in depth (and “informal”) interviews with board members, musicians and the community are in order. I volunteer. A tally of ideas and solutions could be published there for the perusal of all. We could even vote on which solutions would be most desirable.
I believe there is some movement behind the scenes to shift leadership toward a more constructive path in the negotiations. But those parties with good intentions may fear a backlash from others in power. The musicians have made it clear they more than ready to negotiate in good faith, a phrase too often used without appreciating its gravity. But they are wary, with good reason.
A healthy arts organization takes a lot of work. It used to be done by its board and management. The new trend, however, is to involve the musicians much more in the tasks of running the organization. I propose that and more; include the community even more in the discussion. They have made it clear they wish it so.
Let’s get a new attitude in Columbus so we can look at ourselves and know we are the best!
I carve a tiny piece of wood off the base of the reed. The shaving isn’t much larger than one or two hairs of daily growth on a man’s face. Almost nothing. I put the reed back on the mouthpiece and fasten it with the ligature. I form an embouchure and play the scale I repeat hundreds of times a day to check reeds. The raspiness has gone from the reed’s vibrations. The difference is huge. Now it has a bell-like ring as it pings through the instrument. Ahh!
After 2 hours of working on reeds, I am tired. Add five hours of rehearsals today and that’s a full day. But I haven’t finished. I still need to review specific sections of this weekend’s music. And the reed I just fixed might not make it through five minutes of playing, with the time spent on it lost after that.
Why do I do this? I smile as I ask myself. “Because I love it†might be one answer. But that’s not quite it. It’s more like an itch I have to scratch. From age 12 on I had the “ring†of the clarinet’s tone in my head, an ideal to strive for. Such a goal is elusive; it shifts and hides moments after being within your grasp.
Reeds are part of the problem, but so is being human. I am not a machine. I have to eat and sleep. I get tired. I have good days and bad. Yet the goal is always there; to outdo myself. Like an athlete wishing to win the Olympics, I strive for perfection with an all too human body and life. I may not always achieve it. But the striving tenures me to strong and tenacious character.
Of course, playing the instrument alone is only part of this puzzle. I am a clarinetist because I love music. Why do I love classical music so much?
As I ponder this question, my ear wanders to a CD I have playing of Bach’s Goldberg Variations performed by Andras Schiff. It’s a new recording for me. I have at least four recordings of this piece by different performers. Each player creates something fresh with their interpretation. So while the music is very familiar to me, it sounds new in this pianist’s hands.
Bach’s variations are accessible, dancelike and intimate, humorous and poignant. One in particular, the 26th, breaks my heart each time I hear it. I hang on every note. Schiff’s version is surprisingly feminine and coquettish, but with amazing facility and control. The tone of the particular piano he plays is also exquisite.
This brilliant music, and the performance, seems to come from somewhere beyond human capabilities. Yet it reflects human emotions in a crystalline way. It says something to me which I cannot articulate. It tells me who I am and who I could be. It reminds me of my humanity and my frailty, my nobility and my baseness. It reaches across ages, like sculpture or painting, and shows me how history and art has formed me and the civilization I live in.
Classical music offers a place of sanity in a harsh world. It clears the haze of daily life and allows us a glimpse of the thoughts and feelings of great people and a connection to our higher selves. And of their vulnerabilities. Who wouldn’t want to be inside Einstein’s head, or Picasso’s or Martin Luther King’s, as they thought and felt their great deeds? Well, I do. My life’s commitment is to be the instrument which recreates the vision of great composers for others.
Unlike painting or literature, classical music is experienced directly in time. Though I enjoy recordings of great pianists and orchestras, I relish hearing one as it happens. A live performance reflects a unique snapshot in time, much like sports are reality in action. Just like the excitement of a supportive crowd in sports, the audience affects performers with their attention and enjoyment. In a live performance, the history of today day can cue a great performer to fresh new depths of expression and heights of emotion for those listeners.
Orchestral performances are an intersection of many parts. First you have the music itself and the history of its style, something like recreating Van Gogh’s Starry Night. Then you have the particular orchestra and conductor, the “repainters”, if you will. Each member of the orchestra brings their own ideals and experience to the table, which then has to amalgamate into one voice. Then there are the acoustics of the hall, and the audience’s interest. It comes together each time to form a unique experience. When it all gels and the energy builds towards perfection, a particular performance can become an epiphany for all concerned.
Back to my own life and career. I may fix numerous good reeds at home, but few withstand the test of playing in my hall. The acoustics are deplorable, sadly, for the orchestra and especially the audience. This is not a concert hall, but a movie theater. It is not meant for the sublte voice of great music. I need a dense, resonant tone to carry my musical intentions to the odd corners of the cavernous room and the ears of listeners. Dozens of hours of work are usually spent to find the right reed for the hall, one which responds in the weather of that day and the demands of that night’s music.
Recently, I have been experimenting with other aspects of tone production, especially mouthpieces. When I first got this job 18 years ago, I had a great combination of reed type and mouthpiece which fit perfectly with the hall. I thought it was all the practicing I had done before winning the audition. I was naive. When that mouthpiece warped, ruining it, I searched for a decade and never found one with such beauty of tone. In the process I became a better musician. But it wasn’t without its cost in tens of thousands of dollars and countless hours and stress. Somehow I wonder if it’s worth it. I warn students of the gravity of choosing a music career.
All this thought and activity is before I play a note in a concert. In a live performance, a musician is naked. Even beyond practicing clarinet, I have worked a great deal behind the scenes to make it seem “effortless†on stage. I have studied various techniques for focus and presence in order to overcome fatigue and stress from so many hours of repetitive practicing. In truth, much of my daily life since age 12 has been working toward the present performance. The goal may be ideal, but a human plays for it. Personally, I play better when I know I am being heard and appreciated. A great conductor helps bring my focus together, and a great audience.
When the concert finally begins, the first note is a commitment to the rest of the piece and to my colleagues. Egos may clash on and off stage, but conflict usually disappears as the conductor raises his baton and we come together to go beyond ourselves. All my work may or may not pay off this time. Even the best athletes fall.
Is it worth it? All this for the love of great ideas!? I guess that tiny shaving of reed is worth a great deal to me.
