DOS Orchestra #20 15 November 94

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

Topics

Colorado Symphony: Culture Tax Reauthorized by Voters

Denver voters approved the extension of the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District to the year 2006. The district levies a sales tax of $0.001, which goes to support museums, the Denver Zoo, and various arts groups, including the Colorado Symphony.

DOS Orchestra Now on the Web

DOS Orchestra is now available on the World Wide Web, due to the good offices of Dale Gold, principal bassist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. The URL for the DOS Orchestra Web page, which is currently under construction, is:

http://www.actrix.gen.nz/users/dgold/do/

Milwaukee Symphony Reports Loss for Season

The Milwaukee Symphony reported a loss of $95,617, compared to total expenses of $10,873,764, for the 1993-94 season. The loss, for a year during which the musicians agreed to cuts in their season of 7 weeks and a corresponding decrease in their compensation of 14.7%, was characterized by MSO Treasurer James Cook as "a very acceptable result." He went on to state that "nobody likes to report a loss [but] there are some definite signs that our financial picture is improving." Total expenses were $1,139,583 less than the previous season, mostly as a result of the decrease in musicians' compensation, although the orchestra's 1992 tour of Japan inflated expenses and revenue for the 1992-93 season by approximately $300,000. General and administrative expenses, which includes staff compensation, decreased by $92,495, or 4.5%. Concert series revenue was decreased from the previous season by $221,578, or 6.5%, reflecting both disappointing ticket sales and the loss of revenue from the summer weeks that were cut.

The loss for the year, which increases the MSO's deficit to $2,374,000, compares unfavorably with results posted by some other orchestras recently, including the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, whose musicians took a very similar cut in weeks and compensation, but which was able to record a surplus of $362,704 for the 1993-94 season.

MSO board president Edwin P. Wiley commented that "these financial results clearly demonstrate that painful sacrifices and hard work are, by themselves, not enough. In order to achieve the financial stability it needs, this orchestra calls upon the community to step forward with its own renewed commitment."

The meeting also featured presentations by Executive Director Joan H. Squires, who is leaving in two weeks to become president and CEO of the much smaller Phoenix Symphony, and a number of reports by board committee chairpersons, as well as a short performance by two members of the orchestra, flutists Linda Toote and Judy Ormond, assisted by pianist Stephanie Jacobs.

National Endowment: Reading the Election Returns

The Republican landslide victory in the recent U.S. midterm elections has left observers of the American arts scene wondering about the future of the National Endowment for the Arts, which has been a popular target for conservatives. However, support for the NEA's existence has never been an issue that divided the U.S. Congress on party lines. The NEA's most recent reauthorization received bipartisan support, as did a cut in its budget to punish it for supporting several controversial arts projects. The "Contract with America," brainchild of Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), who is set to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives, did not call for the abolition of the NEA, and in fact was only mentioned as a candidate for budget cuts in an appendix.

NEA chair Jane Alexander has traveled extensively in recent months, highlighting the role of the NEA as supporter of local arts groups. A recent trip took her to the district of Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), who may become chair of the House subcommittee that oversees NEA reauthorization, to visit the Akron Symphony, during which trip. she stayed overnight at his farm.

ORCHESTRALIST: Internet mailing list about orchestras

from Andrew Levin:

Announcing ORCHESTRALIST, a mailing list for orchestral conductors and those in the orchestra business.

ORCHESTRALIST serves as a forum to discuss such matters as orchestral repertoire, performance questions, conducting technique, auditions, job opportunities (both professional and academic), marketing, publicity, organization, and other subjects. NOTE: this list is not a forum for discussion of recordings, anecdotes about conductors, and other "popular," though tangential, subjects (there are other forums devoted to these topics). It is specifically designed for the orchestra professional.

Those encouraged to participate are conductors of college and college/ community orchestra, exceptional high school and youth orchestras, and professional ensembles -- essentially those groups that play works from the standard orchestral repertoire (as opposed to arrangements of such). Marketing directors, publicists, board members, and others are also encouraged to participate.

This, by definition, will exclude discussion of band and purely choral repertoire. This is by design, though certainly not due to any prejudice. The orchestral literature, like that for chorus and band, is very specialized. For those involved in choral music there already exists a well-run list called CHORALIST. You can subscribe to it at listproc@lists.colorado.edu. Public school directors of all ensembles have an excellent forum in PNMN, an online service run by Pepper Music (call 800-345-6296 for more information). As far as I can determine, no Internet mailing list exists currently to serve the special needs of band directors. Perhaps someone may be interested in starting one.

How to Subscribe

You can receive postings from ORCHESTRALIST in two ways: as they are posted throughout the day, or once a day in digest form.
  1. To subscribe to ORCHESTRALIST, send an email message to: listproc@hubcap.clemson.edu with only the message 
    subscribe ORCHESTRALIST <your real name>
    listed in the body of the message. Anything in the "subject:" line or any additional text (such as signatures) will cause the subscription request to be rejected. If you have noted the required message content, you can Subscribe Now

  3. To subscribe to the digest version, send email to: listproc@hubcap.clemson.edu with the message: 
    subscribe ORCHESTRALIST <your real name>
set ORCHESTRALIST mail digest
    in the body of the message. (You will be able to subscribe to the digest here when we have Forms working).
This list is managed by Dr. Andrew Levin, Assistant Professor of Music at Clemson University in South Carolina and conductor of the Clemson University Chamber Orchestra, a college/community orchestra.

Royal Opera: Armani Meets Mozart

Famed Italian designer Giorgio Armani will design costumes for a new production of Mozart's "Cosi fan Tutte" for the Royal Opera in London and Rome's Teatro dell'Opera. Royal Opera director Nicholas Payne said the production, which will be directed by Jonathan Miller, "cried out for coolly elegant Italian costumes."

The Covent Garden Royal Opera House and the Teatro dell'Opera announced a three-year agreement on Sept. 29 to share productions. This is the first of a projected total of four joint productions.

San Francisco Opera To Make Recording Debut

Sony Classics will record three of the San Francisco Opera's performances of Massenet's "Herodiade" for projected release in late 1996. The recording, featuring Placido Domingo, Renee Fleming, Dolora Azjick, Juan Pons, and conductor Valery Gergiev, will be the first in the company's 72-year history.

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra: McFerrin Debuts as Creative Chair

Noted jazz singer Bobby McFerrin made his formal debut as the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's Creative Chair on November 9, conducting the orchestra in a concert at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The concert featured the Overture to Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin," a concerto for two 'celli by Vivaldi, with McFerrin singing one of the solo parts, and Haydn's Symphony #102, as well as an extended solo performance by McFerrin.

Local critic Michael Fleming wrote, in his review for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "there is no use pretending that he is more than a novice conductor. The spirit is there [but] he was over his head in Ravel's "Tombeau de Couperin" and swamped in Haydn's Symphony #102... McFerrin's affection for the music and his understanding of at least its basic moods was evident, But these alone could not keep the players in balance or in time." New York Times critic James Oestreich was more positive, however, saying "the orchestra responded enthusiastically to Mr. McFerrin's leadership... with performances of a refinement and subtlety that came as a surprise after some ragtag playing in rehearsal that morning under another conductor. Several attacks seemed tentative in the Haydn; hardly surprising, since Mr. McFerrin was allotted only one rehearsal. But whether because of inspiration or insecurity emanating from the podium, no phrase was taken for granted. The music pulsated even at slow tempos, breathed even at quick ones." Interestingly, neither critic mentioned the other soloist in the Vivaldi; according to orchestra sources, it was the SPCO's veteran principal cellist Peter Howard.

The position of Creative Chair was created by the SPCO in the late 1980's as part of its conducting triumvirate, which also included the positions of Director of Music and Principal Conductor. Prior to McFerrin's appointment earlier this year, the position had been occupied by composers John Adams and John Harbison.

McFerrin, who has moved to Minneapolis with his family, is helping the SPCO develop an educational program for elementary schools in the Twin Cities and will lead the SPCO on an upcoming state tour.
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