I received an email on Friday from the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra (formerly known as GBYSO) announcing a partnership with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Saturday, September 22, was opening night at the BSO, and their Chairman, Ted Kelly, formally announced the partnership during the gala season opening night dinner. And BYSO cellists joined BSO cellists,[…]
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My first association with the League of American Orchestras was back in 1977, when I attended a conducting workshop (as a violist in the orchestra) run by the League (then known as the American Symphony Orchestra League or ASOL) in Orkney Springs, Virginia. Richard Lert was the principal conducting teacher; at 94 he was an amazing link between 20th century conducting styles and those of the Romantics such as Arthur Nikisch. Indeed, Maestro Lert was Brahms’ godchild. Lawrence Leighton Smith assisted Maestro Lert during the workshop.
The workshop was held at a “hotel” that had been a hospital during the Civil War, and we all joked that there were no right angles to be found. I returned the next summer as well, and got to know Cathy French, later to become President and CEO of the League, and Charlie Thompson, a horn player and son of Helen Thompson, who was the League’s first Executive Director. He told me that his mother had intentionally named the organization ‘American Symphony Orchestra League – ASOL’ instead of ‘Symphony Orchestra League of America – SOLA’ “to keep them honest!”
In the intervening years, I have frequently attended League conferences when the conference was in a city where I had a friend to stay with. (Registration at League conferences is free for musicians who play in member orchestras.) When I became involved in ROPA (Regional Orchestra Players’ Conference) in the late 1980s, I was quite surprised to learn of the enmity in which the League was/is held by so many symphonic musicians. Rather than a service organization for orchestras of all sizes, ASOL was seen as a management organization, training managers in anti-union tactics. It was a common belief back then that managers went to the annual ASOL conference to get their “marching orders” as they headed for the negotiating table.
During Cathy French’s tenure as President, musicians were invited to serve on the League Board in 1983; Fred Zenone, former ICSOM chair, was the first musician Board member of the League. The relationship between musicians and the League really began to change in the 1990s, when musicians were invited to attend Conference at no charge. Chuck Olton became the League’s President in 1997; coming from an academic background, Chuck was determined to end, or at least lessen, the animosity between musicians and the League. I met him at a ROPA conference when I was ROPA VP; he attended the ICSOM conference that same year. Later, Henry Fogel invited ICSOM and ROPA to have a more formal liaison with the League, but his invitation was declined.
Since my early involvement, the League has changed its name in an effort to rid itself of its unfortunate acronym, has created a musician track at Conference, and has six musician board members (current symphonic members: Gloria DiPasquale – Philadelphia Orchestra; Robert Levine – Milwaukee Symphony; Robert Wagner – New Jersey Symphony; and Tina Ward – St. Louis Symphony, plus Jennifer Higdon, composer, and David Alan Miller, conductor).
But I am saddened and puzzled when I still hear colleagues blaming “ASOL” for a difficult negotiation. It is certainly true that the League’s Conference provides an opportunity for managers of similar-sized orchestras to meet in private – indeed a large part of Conference is the constituent meetings: Executive Directors, Development Directors, Marketing Directors, Operations Directors, Artistic Directors, Board Members, Volunteers, Musicians, etc. The League enables these conversations to happen, but they certainly do not dictate what is said during these meetings.
I interviewed the senior staff at the League just before the June Conference, and asked each to describe how his/her office benefits symphonic musicians. I thought I was pretty conversant with what goes on at the League, but I was impressed by the breadth of their activities on behalf of professional musicians.
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The first plenary session opened with a performance by the Oklahoma youth Orchestra, conducted by Dr. John E. Clinton, playing excerpts from Carmen by Georges Bizet and Sarsen by Hilary Tann. Jesse Rosen, League President and CEO, welcomed the delegates to the opening plenary session at Myerson Symphony Center. He commented that “youth symphonies are[…]
Read MoreComments from the Wednesday Afternoon Musicians Session at the League of American Orchestras’ Conference, June 6, 2012 The Dallas hall (Myerson Symphony Center) was built in 1989 – “all the money Ross Perot didn’t spend on his presidential campaign was spent on the hall.” Most people in the session were symphonic musicians; one composer said[…]
Read MoreThe League of American Orchestras held their annual conference in Dallas last week. The conference presented three plenary sessions, several Toolbox and Perspective meetings with multiple sessions from which to choose, and constituent meetings (e.g., Marketing Directors, General Managers, Board, Volunteers, Musicians, etc.). The League also offered Orchestra Leadership Academy Seminars (for extra tuition) on[…]
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Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, interviewed his colleague Evangeline (Van) Benedetti, who retired from the orchestra in 2011 after 44 years in the cello section. She was the second woman to receive a tenured position in the orchestra.
This article first appeared in the March 2012 issue of Allegro, the magazine of the New York City musicians’ union (AFM Local 802). It is reprinted with permission. For more information, see http://www.Local802afm.org]www.Local802afm.org.
Read MoreRecently Carter Brey, principal cellist of the New York Philharmonic, interviewed his colleague Evangeline Benedetti, who retired from the orchestra’s cello section in 2011 after 44 years. I found the interview extremely interesting, as Ms. Benedetti was only the second woman to receive tenure in the NY Philharmonic, and had to wait to receive notification[…]
Read MoreA few weeks ago I got a call from concert pianist Jeffrey Biegel, who wanted to tell me about a new consortium commissioning project he’s working on. At the end of a rehearsal with the Minnesota Orchestra, a young composer approached him about a piece he’d like to write for piano, chorus and orchestra. Jeffrey[…]
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Portland is the largest city in Maine, and the Portland Symphony is the largest cultural institution in Maine. With a metropolitan population of about 230,000, the greater Portland area is home to almost one-quarter of Maine’s total population. However, the orchestra draws its audience from well beyond the Portland area, including south-central Maine and New[…]
Read MoreGeorge H. Cohen, formerly AFM counsel, is now the Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), which was founded in 1947. He gave this presentation to a large roomful of managers, with about 10 musicians present. It was a pleasure to hear his biting wit take on a serious issue. George came out[…]
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