DOS Orchestra #18 - 1 November 94

News from the world of professional orchestras.
Copyright 1994, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians

Topics

Boston Symphony: Ozawa Conducts Cantata at Church

Boston Symphony music director Seiji Ozawa conducted a performance of the Bach cantata "Lobe den Herren, den maechtigen Koenig der Ehren" (BWV 137) as part of the regular liturgy at Emmanuel Church in Boston on October 16. The church was packed for the event, part of a regular and long-standing program of cantata performances, although there were no special efforts made to publicize it.

Ozawa has been frequently criticized for his lack of involvement in the musical life of the community, although he had signed a letter in support of Emmanuel Music's programs two years ago, when it was threatened by an internal church dispute. He had offered then to conduct at the church.

After the service was over, Ozawa joined the usual procession down the aisle, and stayed afterwards for coffee. He said 'this was a very good experience; these are excellent musicians.'

Boston Symphony: City Contributes to Cultural District

The city of Boston has contributed $400,000 to an effort to turn the Huntington Avenue area into a cultural district. The area contains a number of cultural and educational institutions, including Symphony Hall, home of the BSO. The money will allow the Boston Fernway Program to conduct feasibility studies and make plans for the area's renovation. Fernway Program executive director James Lydon said "there are all these great institutions that exist as islands up and down Huntington Avenue... and they could be better served if they maintained some cooperative arrangements."

Department of Defense: Make Music, not War

Martin Marietta Corporation, a major defense contractor, confirmed on October 18 that the Department of Defense had paid for at least four private concerts in Denver for Martin Marietta employees. The concerts included an appearance by Smokey Robinson, for which the government was billed $263,000, a concert by Barbara Mandrell, a performance by the Osmonds, and a concert of the now-defunct Denver Symphony Orchestra.

Representative Pat Schroeder, D-Colorado, said in a letter to Defense Secretary William Perry, "this isn't the first time employee morale expenses like this have been charged to the federal government. But Congress and the executive branch always seem to just react, rather than prevent this kind of spending that makes taxpayers even more cynical about government." She urged that "questionable practices like contract employees' morale expense reimbursement be stopped."

Denver concert promoter Barry Fey, who helped start the Colorado Symphony after the Denver Symphony went under, claimed that Martin Marietta had paid nearly three times more to Stephanie Mills, who was the opening act at the Smoky Robinson concert, than she usually gets for a concert. He said "I used to wonder how they could pay those exorbitant prices. Now I know."

Detroit Symphony: Funding Attacked in Election Campaign

State funding for the Detroit Symphony has become an issue in a Michigan election campaign. Denny Hays, a Democratic candidate for state senate from Bay City, has run TV spots attacking the incumbent, Republican State Senator Joel Gougeon, for supporting "millions of dollars" for the Detroit Symphony, the zoo, the Institute of Arts, the historical museum, and Belle Isle," which Hayes claims is "almost in Canada." The ad showed Hayes on a "world tour" of Detroit.

Gougeon actually voted "no" on the final version of the bill that provided funding to the Detroit Symphony, although he did support an earlier version of the bipartisan bill.

Florida Philharmonic: Executive Director Quits

William Vickery, executive director of the Florida Philharmonic, resigned on October 18. Vickery cited "personal circumstances." In a statement released by the orchestra, he said "the enormous stress and strain of rebuilding the unique infrastructure of this orchestra have taken a toll that I simply cannot continue to ignore. I have decided to spend time with my young family and then explore other opportunities in the orchestra business and classical music industry."

Vickery came to the Florida Philharmonic in August 1993. Prior to coming to Florida, he had served as President and CEO of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for several years, departing there in the midst of an extremely difficult labor negotiation. Vickery's departure from the Florida Philharmonic comes on the heels of his involvement in another difficult labor negotiation, during which the musicians of the orchestra complained bitterly about Vickery's choice of a former Philharmonic musician, AFM Symphonic Services Division staffperson, and officer of the Regional Orchestra Players' Association, to assist him in negotiations, and raised serious questions about her personal and financial integrity.

Florida Philharmonic music director James Judd said "I'm thankful for all that Bill has done for the growth of the Philharmonic." Board president Martin Coyne said "I knew Bill felt stressed since the negotiations with the musicians this past summer, but we weren't expecting this." In a prepared statement, he said "during Bill Vickery's tenure, the Florida Philharmonic has benefited tremendously from the wealth of experience and knowledge that he brought to the institution. The board accepts his resignation with regret, but wholeheartedly supports him as he embarks on a new phase of his life."

Tim Connor, a member of the Philharmonic and chair of the orchestra committee, said "having just concluded negotiations for a four-year contract in September gives the musicians a certain amount of stability until they find a new director."

A search committee from the board is being formed by Coyne to find a replacement for Vickery.

Fort Wayne Philharmonic Appoints Assistant Conductor

David Borsvold has been appointed assistant conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, effective December 1994. Philharmonic general manager Christopher Guerin said "David is a fine young American conductor and a really accomplished musician." He praised the pairing of Borsvold and music director Edvard Tchivzhel, saying "it will bring greater sensitivity to what might appeal to a younger audience. One of our great challenges is to continue to bring a younger audience to the Philharmonic."

Borsvold, 34, is a tubist. He has conducted community and chamber orchestras in the Cleveland area, and has served on the faculties of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Kent State University. As assistant conductor, he will conduct educational, pops, and community concerts for the Philharmonic.

Jacksonville Symphony: New Labor Agreement

After an all-night negotiating session that lasted until 7:00 AM on October 20, the musicians of the Jacksonville Symphony ratified a new four-year labor agreement, four hours before the start of the season's opening concert with Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. The musicians, who had been working without a labor agreement for four weeks, had threatened to strike to concert.

Jacksonville Symphony president David Pierson described the agreement as "a relief." He said "each side gave some. We'll have to stretch a little farther than our long-range plans call for, but it's a prudent stretch. I don't think we've stretched so far as to mortgage the future of the organization."

Carl Cannon, president of the orchestra's board and publisher of the Florida Times-Union, talking about the strike threat, said "when you deal with a union, they have particular pressure points they can use, and they chose this one. David Pierson had actually kind of expected them to use this time to go for a close, which is fine with us. We wanted it to be closed and settled, too."

The agreement provides for total salary increases of 17.5% over four seasons. Management will, for the first time, begin making pension payments to the American Federation of Musicians Employers' Pension Fund. The agreement also provides for increased per diem, a management contribution to the cost of dependent health coverage (premiums for the musicians are already fully paid by management), the addition of a harp to the orchestra's full-time complement, an increase in the number of sick days available, and partial health insurance coverage for some part-time orchestra members.

Musicians held an all-night vigil outside the orchestra's offices during the final negotiation. According to ROPA delegate Matthew Good, "management was astonished by the solidarity of the musicians and their steadfastness throughout this process."

Long Beach Symphony to be Broadcast

Concerts by the Long Beach Symphony will be broadcast throughout the Los Angeles area by classical station KUSC beginning October 28. The Saturday performances of the orchestra's classics concert series will be aired, with commentary from station morning host Tom Crann, the following Friday.

KUSC is heard by an estimated 400,000 listeners in the Los Angeles basin.

Minnesota Orchestra: Strike Ends

Musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra ratified a new four-year labor agreement on October 20 by a vote of 60-22, ending a strike that began on October 7. The ratification means that the musicians will return to work on October 25 for rehearsals for concerts on October 28 and 29 with soloist Jessye Norman and music director Edo de Waart.

The agreement, which was reached in a nine-hour bargaining session mediated by Hal Gold of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, provides for a one-year salary freeze, with raises of 3% in the second and third year of the agreement and 5% in the fourth year. Much of the increases come in the form of Electronic Media Guarantees, which are guaranteed portions of weekly salary allocated for payments for recordings and broadcasts, and which are paid regardless of whether the recordings or broadcasts are actually made. The current weekly EMG figure of $25 increases to $70 by the end of the agreement. The Minnesota Orchestra does not currently have a recording contract, and its music director-designate, Eiji Oue, has never made a commercial recording, although the orchestra does have a long-standing agreement with Minnesota Public Radio for national distribution of its subscription concerts.

The agreement also provides for an increase in pension from the current $27,000 annual figure to $30,000.

Minnesota Orchestra Association board president Nicky B. Carpenter said "we're happy that we were able to settle this contract, and that it is within the parameters of our long-range plan. We appreciate our musicians' willingness to share in alleviating our short-term financial challenges by accepting a wage freeze in the first year of this new contract. Thanks to this agreement, we are confident that we can fulfill our commitment to the community to balance our budget by 1996."

Ron Rollins, attorney for the orchestra's musicians, said "the strike accomplished some of our objectives... [but] we have a lot of work left to do, trying to communicate to the board what never got communicated [in negotiations].

The Minnesota Orchestra is currently towards the end of a very successful campaign to increase its endowment from $50 million to $100 million.

This negotiation had some very interesting aspects to it. One troubling management tactic was to announced the cancellation of concerts a full week in advance. This led to a situation where the musicians had to agree to a new agreement almost a full week before management would permit them actually to return to work.

Another interesting aspect was the musicians' call for binding arbitration. In a press release dated October 13, the musicians said that "with the notification last night by the Association that the concerts next week have been canceled, the musicians want the public to know that this cancellation was done after the Association rejected the musicians' offer to return to work immediately if the Association would agree to submit the outstanding issues to binding arbitration. The musicians' offer was rejected and the decision to cancel followed."

Northwest Indiana Symphony Appoints CEO

Cheryl C. Cox has been appointed president and CEO of the Northwest Indiana Symphony Society, parent organization of the Northwest Indiana Symphony. She has served as executive director of the Amarillo (Texas) Symphony Orchestra since 1989. According to the Gary Post-Tribune, several other orchestras offered Cox a position, but she said "the other orchestras just didn't feel right. When I interviewed with the NISS, I felt just like I did when I went to Amarillo in 1989 - at home and at peace and where I could just be myself."

Cox has degrees from Ashland College in Ohio and West Virginia University, and has attended training programs run by the American Symphony Orchestra League.

Opera Memphis Commissions Work from Former Bengal

Mike Reid, a songwriter and former defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals in the 1970's, is writing a one-act opera for Opera Memphis which the company hopes to present in 1996. The opera will be about an experienced football player caught in a crisis, tentatively described as 'shady characters [moving] in to collect gambling debts.' Reid said "what I'm investigating is the myth of celebrity and how destructive it can be. One of the difficult things about celebrity is it tends to immobilize people."

Opera Memphis director Michael Ching, who is reported to have an interest in country music, has suggested to Reid that he listen to contemporary operas in various styles.

Reid, 46, who received a degree in music from Pennsylvania State University in 1970, has been an active songwriter for may years. His songs have been recorded by The Judds, Ronnie Milsap, Bonnie Raitt, Tanya Tucker,and the group Alabama. He has also written a musical and a work for a modern dance company in Nashville, and is currently composing a work for piano trio and narrator for a group in Roanoke (VA)

The project is a joint commission of Opera Memphis and the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Opera Paris Hires Replacement for Chung

Hubert Soudant has been hired to replace Myung-Whun Chung as conductor of the Paris Opera's production of Berlioz's "The Damnation of Faust." The ten performances are scheduled to run from February 9 to March 5. The production had originally been offered to Alain Lombard after the company tried to fire Chung over his refusal to accept a revised contract that would have paid him less and diminished his control over artistic issues. Lombard, citing solidarity with Chung, refused the offer.

Soudant, who is Dutch, is music director of the Pays de la Loire Symphony in France, and has conductor "Faust" at the Turin Opera.

Philadelphia Orchestra Settles with Mickey

The Philadelphia Orchestra and the Walt Disney Corporation have agreed to an out-of-court settlement of the orchestra's suit against Disney for $35 million in royalties for the home-video version of "Fantasia." The settlement, which was announced on October 21, ended the trial, which had begun on October 11. David H. Pittinsky, lead attorney for the orchestra, said "after hearing the evidence, both sides decided amicably to resolved the issues. More than that, we can't say."

A figure has not yet been negotiated. Once both sides have agreed on that issue, U. S. District Judge Joseph McGlynn Jr. must approve the settlement.

The orchestra had filed suit in May of 1992. The orchestra played the original soundtrack of the movie, which was released on home video formats in 1991.

The settlement came after a motion by Disney's attorneys to dismiss the suit was denied by McGlynn on October 17.

At issue was a one-page document between Disney and the orchestra which did not contain a standard "future technologies" clause. Such a clause, which was part of Disney's contract with conductor Leopold Stokowski, would have entitled Disney to releases of the film in future forms of media without further compensation to the orchestra.
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