Hartford Symphony's Value Is Greater Than Its Music

Maybe in the Chorale; Not so in the HSO.

I've written a great deal about the Hartford Symphony, so much so that some might accuse me of ulterior motives. I have no skin in the game. I don't know anyone in the Hartford Symphony or the city of Hartford (unless you're talking about a loose connection with my auto insurance policy, issued by--drum roll please--the Hartford. I've never even been to Connecticut; some day I'll remedy that. I hope to be able to hear the Hartford Symphony.

But I thought I'd step away for a moment and allow someone "on the ground" offer his thoughts on the impasse (I think of it more as a crisis). This from Robert Thorson, a Professor at UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, in the Hartford Courant, January 6:

Prof. Robert Thorson

The Hartford Symphony Orchestra must not be silenced. Something must be done to clear the impasse between management and labor, or in this case between the symphony's board of directors and its unionized musicians.

My life would continue normally if the orchestra were muffled. But it would be diminished. Not because I attend many concerts. But because I would wake up each morning knowing that my state's capital city supports minor league Yard Goats, but not major league music....

Happily, the HSO impasse is less about music than money. This has always been the case with public orchestras. Indeed, the HSO was founded in 1934, not by a professional musician, but by a prominent local businessman, Francis Goodwin II, who understood the symbolic value of bringing a "real" orchestra to a rising city. And it was founded not by philanthropic largesse, but by a federally funded jobs creation program to help struggling musicians get through the Great Depression. The history lesson is clear. Public financial support is essential, then and now.

The board of directors wants to cut musician salaries by 30 percent. (Actually it is more than that.) In turn, the musicians claim that the root cause of financial trouble lies with the board's vision. Surely the truth lies in both camps. The musicians can hardly go on strike. And the board can hardly shift to another product line. We, as listeners, need them, as much as they need us.

Let the music continue.

Kuan, Is she this happy now?

Although Music Director Carolyn Kuan has offered to reduce her own salary, one has to wonder if that is enough. As the HSO made its final offer, Mara Lee reported on Friday that HSO Board Chairman Jeffrey Verney did not return a call for comment. Apparently, neither did "Artistic Director Steven Collins (who) declined to be interviewed about how the final offer differed from last week's comprehensive proposal."

One word about Kuan's benefits. They include a rental apartment, a rental car, and travel costs. From Ms. Lee's article: Kuan's salary in 2013, according to tax forms charities file, was just over $154,000, although she also received $24,240 in nontaxable benefits, including the cost of renting her apartment, automobile rental and travel costs. Kuan, who became the symphony's 10th music director in 2011, signed a six-year contract last year that begins in June. These are all things associated with the current "absentee landlord" type of conductor. Take several jobs but live wherever you like. Don't make a commitment to the community in which you serve and, in kind, serves you and your musicians.

Management continues to lament the difficulty in maintaining its donor base. Honestly, that shouldn't be difficult in a city with an much insurance money as Hartford. But, of course, who in their right mind would want to offer financial support to an organization that has proven itself an administrative nightmare and a financial black hole?

My thoughts? The musicians will cave because they have no choice. This obviously isn't a full-time job for an of them; those are reserved to the Music Director (who must have work elsewhere) and administrative personnel. We're not going to see "the day the music died" in Hartford, but it will certainly be performed by musicians who see the value of that work gravely diminished.