I’m sorry if I come off as a pessimist. That’s actually not true. I consider myself more of a realist when looking at today’s world of classical music. But I am living at Ground Zero in the orchestra debacle and it is hard to look past the ditch currently being dug in Minnesota. However, something caugh my eye recently, and I’d like to compare the situation here with the situation there – in the Queen City, my home.
First in Minnesota – my wife attended an SPCO concerto on Friday. The SPCO is smartly in a play/talk situation, perhaps because they looked across the river and realized they don’t want to look like THAT! Several members of the M.O. were also playing with the SPCO, and the musicians received a standing ovation when they walked out on stage. This area clearly loves their two orchestras and those who partake are obviously worried about the future.
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Orchestra admin/board are taking a beating. An editorial in the Star Tribune called for an independent assessment of the books, a key demand of the musicians. The blogosphere’s reaction has been an across the board indictment of the management. But the real kick in the teeth came when it was announced that Mad Stan Skrowacevski would conduct the musicians in concert on what would have been the official opening night. Mad Stan is revered in these parts as Music Director Emeritus and the man behind the building of Orchestra Hall. A more public “what the hell are you thinking?” cannot possibly be imagined, and I would have given good money to see the look on the faces of The Corporation when the news that Mad Stan had gone rogue filtered in. Joining Mad Stan in protest (though more veiled) are past MDs Edo de Waart and Neville Marriner. They may not come out and say it directly but…. I think everyone is smart enough to read between the lines.
Meanwhile, the orchestra in the Queen City thrives. I am talking about my hometown band, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. At this point I should issue a disclaimer – I am an unabashed Buffalo Booster. I was born and raise in the Queen City, I still root for my Bills (they suck) and my Sabres (ibid, when they’re not locked out), nothing makes me happier than a big old bucket of suicide wings, and to the day I die I will proudly state that the best people I know are from Buffalo, N.Y. Period.
I grew up attending Buffalo Philharmonic concerts during the MTT era. Because of how and what Buffalo is this afforded me the chance to meet the likes of Rudolf Serkin, Alicia de Larrocha, James Galway, Isaac Stern, André Watts, etc. It was quite an education and quite a good band. The Rust Belt years are well documented so there’s no need to rehash it here, but what is remarkable is what is happening lately. In short, the BPO is thriving.
Fiscally stable, artistically thriving, and poised for the future. A respectable 36% of the budget in earned income, rising ticket sales, and an increase in subscriptions bodes very well for the BPO. The question is: why is the BPO thriving when the MO is reeling?
Simply put, the BPO has been forced to survive. There has never been any talk of “best orchestra in the US” to inflate the institutional egos. There has been no chance of “keeping the salaries compatible with the rest of the top ten” as a bullet point. The tours of Europe have not been built into the schedule. The last time Kleinhans Music Hall was updated was right around the time the Buffalo Bills won their last Super Bowl. In short, the BPO operated for the better part of 25 years like they had a loaded gun pointed at their collective heads. Which they did. Therefore the focus was on their community.
The critical areas that stand out in the BPO report – ticket sales, contributions, subscriptions, and endowment. They point to a concerted effort to engage the community to fund this artistic resource. Most importantly, they lived within their means. JoAnn and her crew have responded by providing Buffalo with the best music possible. Kudos to them.
The BPO is not the only orchestra like this. Cincinnati, Milwaukee, and Oregon all come to mind. This is the lesson for the M.O. and similar bands – it doesn’t matter what is on the horizon if you are standing in a swamp.
Regarding the BPO, I, as a former Syracuse Symphony player, recall vividly all the years that the BPO teetered on the brink of financial failure and was usually bailed out by Erie County. This, while we in Syracuse were doing OK. Now there’s no orchestra in Syracuse.
I think your points are well taken. The management/board tactics in Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Atlanta, et al., more smack of anti-unionism, a large portion of mismanagement, and tea party politics than it does of fiscal responsibility. After all, contracts were not imposed upon these managements and boards. There was what they used to call “negotiations,” and the board agreed to all these contracts and the stipulations found therein.
Here in Syracuse, we had board members who announced their only goal as reducing the budget (musicians’ salaries). In the end, they won.
“In short, the BPO operated for the better part of 25 years like they had a loaded gun pointed at their collective heads.”
Most orchestras — most organizations — have financial bulimia. Binge, purge, binge, purge …
Check out the Kansas City Symphony, now in their second year at the new Kauffman Performing Arts Center. I think they’re living within their means, in part because their salaries aren’t so hot. Sharing the two-venue complex with the KC Ballet and KC Lyric Opera may help, also.
HUZZAH! Buffalo does not try to be who we are not. We are true blue collar roots and are not ashamed to be as such,This town knows about about the classics because no one assumed that we all had taken a music history and appreciation course. They meet the community on their level with multimedia performances from ALL music genres.- From Grateful Dead parties at the waterfront to musician lead events that reveal the back story of a piece and its composer. It is not dumbing down, it is widening your support base and thereby making your organization a valuable commodity. They still offer events for those aficionados that are up to speed on the fact that there is more that one recording of Beethoven’s Fifth and it is not Beethoven himself that is on the recording. However I LOVE going on the field trips with my children because it is watching another generation being developed as a well rounded and educated generation. If you truly love your craft, you will want to share it, not lock out those that can keep you afloat. BUFFALO loves William Eddins and appreciates when our hometown hero comes home to roost for a moment and then conduct with the essence of wing sauce on his hands. MESMERIZING.
More than a few “bigger” orchestra managements could learn a lot from the Buffalo Symphony. They have a very good MD and have been quietly successful.