I can’t claim to be the Buffalonian my blogging colleague Bill can claim to be, but I did spend 4 amazing seasons as the associate conductor of the Buffalo Philharmonic, and how gratifying it was to read today that they have signed a 5 year deal! Yes an agreement, and there is growth planned, there is communication, there is a positive outlook and for those who might sneer at the idea of something good about Buffalo, it’s a great city and my guess is you probably haven’t been there!…
Arts Funding
Build a Bridge, NOT a Lighthouse!
It occurs to me that the state of the economy seems to shift only incrementally either way, yet orchestras continue to hope that innovation and drastic action will let the good times roll. We may be stuck with the current economic conditions for years to come, and unless we have a multi billion dollar angel of mercy, we have to deal and invest with REALITY and not throw money away on hope….
The New Age of Anxiety…
Milton Babbitt was right. He was just right for all the wrong reasons.
A Little Help Here!…Part 2
We’ve all heard of no pain…no gain! We all espouse and/or have been told that we need to exercise fiscal responsibility, but what about fiscal accountability? Why is it that in a good year orchestras tout their fiscal responsibility, when in fact sometimes it’s only a good year because some of next year’s advance ticket money is spent to make it a good year…isn’t that fiscally irresponsible, cheating or maybe even fraudulent?…..
A little help here!!!!!!
The full force of the reality of Orchestra bankruptcy arrived in a simple letter informing me that I was being let go as Principal Pops Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony. Then I realized nearly 100 people received this letter and the organization I had worked with for nearly a decade was about to cease to exist. The cost of a city losing an orchestra is immeasurable and losing the brilliant musicians who were excellent every day and are now out of work, is simply unacceptable. I have a simple request…..
Converting the Converted part 1….
I am enjoying a back and forth with Geraldine regarding the role of the new Music Director from my November 11 New Conductor Smell post. I did not enjoy reading however of what is breaking with the Syracuse Symphony with whom I am working this week. I have many friends in the group, they are phenomenal and I so enjoy being here, it never feels like work. I guess I’m an insider but rather than dwell on the specifics of the situation, I want to riff on where I think in general we could make some inroads….this Sunday we perform in a Cathedral….
Would the “River Run Through It” without an Orchestra?
What is really frustrating about the angst in our industry is the lack of creativity in the arguments we make for why an Orchestra is important. I put a heavy focus on why an Orchestra is important to its own community which is a firm belief that I have, but it seems that there might be a global crisis in confidence with the answer bandied about the most often being the dreaded “shrinkage” (what would we do without Seinfeld) that needs to occur. So for those commenting negatively about the Detroit Symphony, let me ask you this: What would Star Wars be like if the soundtrack only had a Synthesizer playing?…..
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?….