One thing about being busy – sometimes someone has the same idea as you but gets it out there faster. Poor old Elisha Grey is known as the also ran of the telephone because he was a couple hours late to the patent office. It happened to me this weekend. I had this great “Chicken Little” comment that was going to be my lead-in to my thoughts on the recent Oregon Symphony article, but then someone beat me to it. None-the-less, I’m betting that the blog from the Oregonian is a lot closer to the truth. But even that blogger doesn’t dwell on the symphony’s secret weapon.
OK, a five year deficit of over $5 million. Very scary. A $7 million dollar credit line? Extremely scary. But there’s a secret weapon that the Oregon Symphony has and it can be described in two words: Elaine Calder.
When I first went to the Edmonton Symphony Elaine was the Exec. If it wasn’t for her I doubt that the ESO would exist today, certainly not in it’s present form. Some of the words I’ve heard used in describing Elaine:
tough; tenacious; smart; etc., etc., etc. One word I NEVER heard anyone use when describing Elaine: incompetent.
Elaine is one of those rare executives who simply cannot, will not let an institution die. She has the ability to quickly grasp a situation and chart a way out of it. Her recipes are not easy, and there are those who resist with all their might. But I would not bet against her and I have no doubt that a couple years down the road the Oregon Symphony will be in the black and thriving. She will make it happen by hook or by crook, and it will probably be her iron will that will prove the difference. In this way she’s got a lot in common with Margaret Thatcher, though I admit I like Elaine’s politics a whole lot better.
So, those of you who doubt the direction of the Oregon Symphony I offer this advice: shut up, sit down, and listen to the lady at the top. She’s worth listening to.