Please…call me Beloved Maestro. I think both words are something earned not something claimed. It’s an amazing arrogance to suggest to your audience that they feel this way, I mean what if they don’t or don’t quite….
There is the whole success is a journey not a destination thing going on here, or actually not going on here. Tagging on to Drew’s post You say tomato, to suggest that your orchestra is the best or a conductor is beloved is speaking on behalf of your audience. We just cannot do that because then they will become passive observers of your “glorious mission”, rather than participants in the growth of their lives and their community. They need to be given the opportunity to speak for themselves.
Becoming beloved is a feeling amongst the audience and the community not a fact from a marketing department. Now if you are publishing a letter from an audience member and it says that, then no problem, even suggesting a work by a composer is the most beloved is OK, because you didn’t write it so opinion is fine and can it actually start a discussion. I can’t imagine a politician getting very far if their campaign is based on a claim that they are more beloved then their opponent!
I am reminded of an interview of well known composer on NPR claiming that the difference between someone who writes Classical Music and someone who writes and performs Pop Songs, is that the first is an artist and the second is an entertainer! That is not his call to make, and what is the underlying thing he is saying about the differences between the two audiences? Many including me like both genres, so does that mean I’m middle to lower class and not an aristocrat? I guess the Classical audience eats beef medallions wrapped in bacon and the Pop audience eats Baconators from Wendy’s! Talk about promoting a class structure.
I liked Drew’s suggestions. To the negative comment he received regarding deciding by committee, not every committee is a deciding committee, they can also be advisory committees. We have them here and to seek many different ideas and opinions to base a decision upon is at the very least a good way to make an informed decision. I cannot count the amount of times I have seen and heard musicians cringe at a season brochure, or poster. Remember 70 – 90 musicians are out in the community leading their lives talking about their orchestra and hearing about their orchestra, and word of mouth does more good (or bad) than any other kind of marketing, so it’s important that they all feel good about the way they are presented to their community. They need to be given an opportunity to give their opinion because it might just include the opinion of those in the audience who do love the orchestra or want to!
Looking at yourself in a mirror isn’t exactly a study of life.
Lauren Bacall
Ron, I wish every orchestra marketing dept. would read your comments and take them to heart. I used to write ad copy for a major orchestra, and I tired of writing every conductor or guest artist as being superb or a virtuoso or ‘in a class by himself’ (this could be taken in another way, of course! smile) I’m asked, though, about the appropriateness of addressing a conductor as “Maestro.” I wrote about this at my blog a while ago(http://ccyager.wordpress.com)…I usually tell people that Maestro is like Senator or President, more a job title and perfectly fine to use unless the conductor tells you otherwise. “Beloved”? As a writer, that word strikes me as a bit old-fashioned as well as way over the top. However, from a marketing standpoint, it’s probably equal to superb or virtuoso, in sales vernacular nowadays. We had a saying when I was writing orchestra ad copy — you can’t write “it’ll tug at your heart strings” or any variation because no one wants to hurt their heart. Calling a performer “beloved,” any performer, is presumptuous and elitist. After all, if Joe doesn’t “love” the conductor, does that mean he’s not wanted in the concert hall? Of course not. We need to encourage people to attend concerts, not make them feel unwelcome.
I really enjoy this blog….