It would be a sadly familiar scenario if 2 major orchestras are looking to their new maestros to seemingly solve all of their problems or even save their orchestras….please our egos are already big enough! We as Music Directors may be the leaders but we lead a team, and to suggest that a conductor can be the fix for major organizational problems would be akin to suggesting that an executive director can fix any major artistic problems……
Current Events
Kill The NEA
I try to keep politics out of this blog but I think it is time to declare a revolutionary idea: kill the NEA.
Hobbits Found In Mid-America
So, what can The Hobbit teach us about unintended consequences? A surprising amount it turns out. Where’s Gandalf when you need him?
The Whole World Is Watching…
Chicago Transit Authority. Anyone remember that album? One of the greatest debut albums of all time, right up to the track Somebody (August 29, 1968). Then it veers from a great album into tremendous social commentary with the chant “The Whole World Is Watching.” That was over 40 years ago, and perhaps we should remember that it’s even more relevant today than it was then.
Here we go chasing our tails from Detroit to Duluth…..
There is always a hyperventilating that takes place when the so called “model” is challenged and why is it that Orchestras live in the extreme? When there are problems everything an orchestra does has to change, and when there are not, let’s spend spend spend, and ignore any impending problems. I cannot over emphasize enough that spending whenever we do it is never the answer, we would be all well served re-reading the Knight Foundation Magic of Music report (linked below). What is the answer?….
The Importance of Being Ernest…
Somewhere my friend, Ernest Fleischmann, is chuckling.
Cliburn Redux!
Appearing on PBS this month is the documentary from the 13th Piano competition A Surprise in Texas. I was the assistant conductor for the finals and took my Zoom H2 mike and recorded some fascinating behind the scenes audio with some of the major players including an in depth interview with conductor James Conlon and some priceless audience reaction. Click below for all of the related posts (go from bottom to top). This is the stuff that did not appear on the web or in the documentary, only here!!! CLIBURN SOUNDOFF!
A Tale of Two Cities…
Two interesting situations are developing that on the surface may not seem connected but are actually deeply related. For better or for worse.