From a Hungarian's mouth

Ivan Fischer--we can learn a lot from him...

It seems almost ironic that Norman Lebrecht's latest interview would be with Hungarian conductor Ivan Fischer--especially in light of my posting about the impact that country's musicians and conductors have had on our own cultural development.

There are many interesting insights here, both on the state of things in his own country, as well as what Fischer sees as the "dinosaur" of the American orchestra and its system of governance, operations, etc.  The podcast can be found here.

The end of summer

In the spring of 1995 several area musicians approached me with the concept of starting a community band in the Tri State area.  Organizations such as the Dubuque Wind Ensemble (an outgrowth of the Tri-College band) and the Dubuque Community Band had long since lay dormant and our city remained the largest Iowa municipality without a community wind organization.  On May 9, the band was "born," with a total compliment of 15 players, nine of whom were clarinet players!  Within a month, our numbers had grown to about 35, and we presented our first concert on June 15 at the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.  Music on that program included compositions by Gustav Holst, Richard Wagner, marches (including a snappy little Hungarian number), and two show tune medleys.  Two weeks hence, we moved to Dubuque's beautiful Eagle Point Park Bandshell and have been presenting our summer concert seasons there ever since.

Over the years, as the band has grown, we have taken the show on the road, offering concerts at Sinsinawa Mound, Cascade, Bettendorf, and a performance (with Maquoketa's Timber City Band) at the 2001 Iowa Municipal Band Festival in Boone.  That same year the ensemble performed as part of the community's Independence Day celebration with a concert at the Hawthorne Street Boat Landing and aired on Radio Dubuque.  Still, we have not strayed far from our roots:  offering the best and most varied programs to the community by musicians of the community.  The Tri-State Wind Symphony has been and will always remain Dubuque's Municipal Band!

For many years we counted on the largesse of Loras College for the use of rehearsal facilities, equipment and an extensive library of fine wind music.  But in the winter of 2008, following my departure from the Loras faculty, we were nearly forced to "fold up the tents."  But, thanks in no small part to the hard work of our Board of Directors and support of the community, the show went on.  Westminster Presbyterian Church offered us a rehearsal space in their large (and air-conditioned!) fellowship hall, as well as a rain site in the church's sanctuary.  That would prove more than beneficial as that summer brought about rains and major flooding throughout the state of Iowa.  We were only able to present two concerts out of doors that summer!  Our deepest thanks is also offered to both the University of Dubuque and Dubuque Senior High School for loan of equipment and other needs.  Since that time, through the efforts of our grant writer extraordinaire, Jean Cheever, and many others, the ensemble has now obtained most of our needed percussion equipment and increases to our music library, all of which are stored at Westminster during the off-season.

We are now approaching the conclusion of our eighteenth season of music-making.  As is our tradition, the final concert consists of the player's (and audience) favorites, culled from the repertoire offered from the current season.  I am always amazed that the cumulative program demonstrates a truly varied (and usually outstanding) mix of the best music from the season.  It also warms my heart that the concert includes at least one selection from every one of our summer programs.  This year's final concert includes:

John Philip Sousa:  Fairest of the Fair, with little doubt, the master's prettiest march.

Gustav Holst:  Suite in F (No. 2), a significant work of the band repertoire and the top vote-getter in this year's balloting.

Warren Barker:  The Magic of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a wonderful medley that includes music from Jesus Christ, Superstar; Evita, Cats, and Phantom of the Opera.

Frank Ticheli's lovely setting of Amazing Grace.

Jay Bocook's finely crafted medley from Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story (I live for the ending!)

Leroy Anderson's adorable Blue Tango.

John Higgins' Broadway Spectacular, including older hits from Hello Dolly, Chorus Line, and several others.

Rushmore, Alfred Reed's moving setting of America, the Beautiful.

Yet another Sousa march--was there any doubt?  Stars and Stripes Forever.

Charles Wiley:  Old Scottish Melody, our traditional season closer and an absolutely gorgeous setting of Auld Lang Syne. 

We bid the summer adieu on Thursday, July 26 at 7:30 p.m.

A really good gig (if you can get it.)

Drew McManus, author of the Adaptistration blog, makes life easy for many of us as he goes through the IRS 990 reports filed by American orchestras and sorts out the compensation received by music directors, executives, concertmasters, etc.  Although I've included a few of these in past postings, here's the top ten:

1. Philadelphia Orchestra: $1,827,801
2. San Francisco Symphony: $1,801,627
3. Boston Symphony: $1,321,779
4. Dallas Symphony: $1,113,134
5. New York Philharmonic: $1,082,277
6. Cleveland Orchestra: $1,075,204
7. Minnesota Orchestra: $1,035,622
8. Saint Louis Symphony: $954,392
9. Seattle Symphony: $699,048
10. Baltimore Symphony: $685,812

That seems like a huge jump between no.s 8 and 9, but I still think I could live on 700K, even in Seattle!


A more complete report, plus a lot more information on orchestra administration and the state of our art can be found at www.adaptistration.com.


* * * * * * * * * *


Meanwhile, the Boston Symphony is still sans conductor as no replacement has yet been named for James Levine, who announced his retirement in March 2011. The orchestra just presented its first Tanglewood medal, a "new tradition" presented to Seiji Ozawa for “his myriad contributions to the B.S.O.’s performance, touring and recording activities.” (Please, someone, give me a break! Greater than the legion of great conductors that have called Boston "home.")  James R. Oestreich writes in the same NY Times article mentions Andris Nelsons as one of the BSO's potential suitors although he has yet to lead the band in a subscription performance.

The question remains: how long can the BSO continue on without a Music Director to lead the orchestra forward.  Levine got off to a good start, burnishing the BSO sound from the too-long years (25 to be exact) of a conductor who basically went through the motions.

All of that being said, I'm still available.

The Practice Myth

I can recall all-too-often the number of student musicians who would plant themselves in a practice room for four, five, or even six hours per day.  Many of these same students--fashioning themselves as the next Joshua Bell or Yo-Yo Ma--often complained of large ensemble requirements as they would rather spend their precious time practicing their concertos or rehearsing with chamber groups.

My answer to the latter group:  sorry kids, you're not going to be the next Bell, Ma, Stoltzman, or whatever great player of your chosen instrument.  The reason?  Simply put, you'd have to be a student at one of three schools: Eastman, Julliard, Curtis, to have a prayer.  AND, you ought to be glad to have as good an ensemble as you have to learn the repertoire with, AND you need to be thankful for the presence of a better-than-average regional orchestra that you might be lucky enough to perform with.  There are an extremely limited number of seats available in all the orchestras in the country--big, small or otherwise--and this is probably as good as it gets.

As for those endless hours of practice? Most of you are wasting several hours/day. In a January 25, 2012 article in Time, author Annie Murphy Paul notes that one must practice "deliberately". "The difference between ineffective and effective practice means the difference between mediocrity and mastery. If you’re not practicing deliberately — whether it’s a foreign language, a musical instrument or any other new skill — you might as well not practice at all."

She cites cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson's 1993 paper that seems to finally be making the rounds. Paul goes on to summarize Ericsson's work, "Long hours of practice are not enough. And noodling around on the piano or idly taking some swings with a golf club is definitely not enough. “Deliberate practice,” Ericsson declares sternly, “requires effort and is not inherently enjoyable.” Having given us fair warning, he reveals the secret of deliberate practice: relentlessly focusing on our weaknesses and inventing new ways to root them out. Results are carefully monitored, ideally with the help of a coach or teacher, and become grist for the next round of ruthless self-evaluation."  More of Ms. Paul's article can be found here.

I have noticed just the opposite to be true of some of my students, colleagues and even my daughter. It is as if all have the mindset that, if they just play a passage (or a piece) enough times, it will magically become music. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth. We need to teach students how to practice, how to examine their own performance and correct errors in search of the end goal. It is only then that their practice might--just might--get them to Carnegie Hall.

Can there be more bad news? And then some...

After reading of the continuing financial debacles in the orchestras of Philadelphia and Detroit, I've done a little more combing through the 990 forms submitted to the IRS.  (These can be found at guidestar.com, a very handy tool to check out how one's local non-profits are doing.)

The venerable Boston Symphony:

Deficit:  $10.3 million on revenue of $73.7 million (down from over 100M in previous year.)

            CEO: Mark Volpe: 545K + 57.6K in what I assume are benefits

            Concertmaster: Malcolm Lowe: 428.8K + 40.8 K

            Conductor: James Levine: 1.32 million:  this is what was paid to his management firm.  Confirmation of any reimbursement for numerous conducting cancellations is not stated.

The equally venerable Cleveland Orchestra:

            Deficit: $5.2 million on revenue of 40 million

            CEO: Gary Hansen:  401K + 59K

            Concertmaster: William Preucil 408K + 25.5K

            Conductor: Franz Welcher-Most: 1.07 million

On top of this the Delaware Symphony has suspended its operations for the 2012-13 season, thus sidelining OperaDelaware and the First State Bank Ballet Theater.  The major problem in Wilmington appears to be a board that depended heavily on withdrawals from the orchestra's endowment to balance the books.  The result?  The organization has $16,000 in assets with an impending $850,000 deficit for the (now cancelled) upcoming season.  Methinks heads will roll...

And to complete the Trifecta, news has it from the Twin Cities that the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will cease to be the only full-time ensemble of its kind in the U.S.

Still, Greg Sandow continues to hold out hope....

Why are orchestras in trouble? (the financial side of things...)

I have previously written of the plight of many of our nation's orchestras, including both smaller, regional ensembles as well as the "too big to fail" (see the continuing plight of the Philadelphia Orchestra).  Given the proliferation of the availability of financial information, it is now possible to examine all of these ensembles with closer scrutiny.

Orchestra Hall, Detroit--6M refurbish

The myriad problems of the Detroit Symphony remain a prime example of nearly everything gone wrong.  Orchestra management decides, in the early 2000's to build a major addition to historic Orchestra Hall, to which the DSO had relocated in 1989 (deserting the horrendous--and now demolished--Ford Auditorium).  The cost of the project? $60 million. Amount raised? $60 million. What's the problem? Management decides to invest the endowed funds instead of paying the bill. Economy tanks and the musicians are left holding the bill, subsequently agreeing to salary freezes amidst negotiations of a new master agreement.

"The Max"--60M boondoggle

Management proposes a 27% salary decrease; musicians counter with 24. Management counters that offer with 33%!!!!!! Over six month long strike ensues; many of the orchestra's most prominent musicians leave the DSO for greener pastures (as if that could be difficult).  The end result (the strike ended in April 2011)  left the orchestra's personnel depleted (74 full-time players, down from 96 and seven below the contractual mandated 81), salaries slashed (the orchestra's pay scale currently ranks somewhere between 17th and 20th place among the orchestras in the U.S.) and a continuing mountain of debt.  A report from the musicians of the DSO can be found here.

The most recent financial report filed to the IRS notes a $15 million deficit, despite the sacrifices of the musicians--the people that patrons pay to hear.  On top of this, DSO CEO Anne Parsons, who has presided over this folly, received nearly $300,000 in compensation and benefits.  An additional endowment provides Ms. Parsons with free housing and "social club dues" to the tune of another $76,000! On the flip side, the base salary of Music Director Leonard Slatkin is a mere $165,000.  In these days of skyrocketing conductor salaries, he is a bargain on the level of Sam's Club.

Note that amidst all of this dire news, the Detroit metro area ranks ninth nationally in the number of millionaires. Methinks there are a lot of potential patrons to help dig the DSO out of this mess, but it is going to take action on a grand scale and undoubtedly with new management--a completely clean slate--in place.

How many other orchestras have suffered from a gross mismanagement of the budget? Well, we could start with Philadelphia...

Not only in Dubuque...

"A standing ovation is a form of applause where members of a seated audience stand up while applauding after extraordinary performances of particularly high acclaim." (Wikipedia)

"Some might say that the standing ovation has come to be devalued..."   (Ibid)

Since moving to Dubuque nearly 20 years ago, I have noticed the pandemic increase of  the standing ovation.  It has gotten to the point  that my own daughter is almost embarrassed to attend any kind of public performance with me, as  I do not immediately leap to my feet to honor what I may--or may not have--seen or heard on the stage.  Here it has definitely gotten to the point that the  "s.o." is  an expected  part of the evening's festivities, as audiences regularly stand for elementary band concerts, middle school musicals (with which  I have a basic educational problem) and countless other events.  As long as there is  not a major   collapse on stage, the s.o. appears.

Of course this suffices to dilute acknowledgement of the truly exceptional and is now a phenomena not limited to Dubuque--or the Midwest for that matter.  Read here for a  discussion of the matter in NY.

As a performer, do I appreciate applause?  Of  course.  As for the s.o.?  I'll take it  when it is   truly earned.