DOS Orchestra #38 - 26 April, 95
News from the world of professional orchestras.
Copyright 1995, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians
Topics
Boston Symphony: New Funding for Evening At Pops
Fidelity Investments and the Gillette Company have become co-sponsors of
_Evening at Pops_, Boston Symphony officials announced on April 18. _Evening
at Pops_ is one of Public Broadcasting Service's longest-running national
shows, having run for 25 consecutive seasons.
"As a global consumer products company, Gillette is proud to sponsor
the Boston Pops on public television and to bring the music of the Pops
to audiences around the world," said Robert J. Murray, executive vice
president, North Atlantic Group, The Gillette Company.
"Fidelity Investments is delighted to co-sponsor _Evening at Pops_
and help support the outstanding tradition of bringing the Boston Pops and
renowned performers to million of Americans," said Roger T. Servison,
managing director of Fidelity Investments. "We are especially pleased
to be part of Keith Lockhart's inaugural season (as Pops conductor) and
welcome him to Boston."
"We are delighted that, through Channel 2, all of Boston can join in
a celebratory welcome to Keith Lockhart," said Henry Becton, president
of WGBH, Boston. "All of us at WGBH are thrilled that Gillette and
Fidelity will co-sponsor _Evening at Pops_, enabling PBS to continue bringing
the music of the Boston Pops, Keith Lockhart, and John Williams to homes
across America."
"This tremendous show of support from three of Boston's leading institutions
for a great Boston tradition is immensely gratifying," said Kenneth
Haas, managing director of the Boston Symphony. "As the Boston Pops
begins a new era with the appointment of Keith Lockhart as Conductor, we
are delighted to be able to continue bringing _Evening at Pops_ to the legions
of fans whose loyal viewership has made the program a success for 25 years."
The announcement comes after months of effort to replace long-time sponsor
Digital Equipment Corporation, who announced last year that it would cease
funding the program. This season, funding had been so reduced that _Evening
at Pops_ could only produce two new programs. The new funding will permit
the production of three new programs next season. The Gillette Company grant
will also make possible the first international broadcasts of the program.
The BSO and WGBH, co-producers of the series, have also been seeking state
funding. According to orchestra and state officials, $2 million intended
for the Pops by the administration of Governor William Weld was attached
last year to a $12 million allocation to the Massachusetts Cultural Council
(MCC). The MCC rejected the allocation on the grounds that its charter prohibits
earmarking funds, but requested that the state include the $2 million in
its budget. It then disbursed the $2 million to other organizations in August.
The BSO's subsequent request for emergency funds was also turned down by
the MCC.
According to the Boston ~Globe~, there remains significant support for funding
for _Evening at Pops_ by Weld's administration and in the state Senate,
and, should a supplemental budget bill be sent to the Senate by the state
House of Representatives, the Senate is likely to try to amend it to include
Pops funding. Mary Lee King, chief policy advisor to Weld, told the ~Globe~
that "if a supplemental with support for the symphony gets to the governor's
disk, it's likely he'll sign."
Cincinnati Symphony: New Acting Concertmaster
The Cincinnati Symphony has named Alexander Kerr as acting concertmaster
for the 1995-96 season, orchestra officials announced on April 19.
Kerr, 24, has been concertmaster of the Charleston (SC) Symphony since 1993.
He was one of two finalists for the CSO concertmaster position, along with
this season's acting concertmaster, Elliot Chapo.
CSO spokesperson Nancy Nolan denied that the appointment of Kerr to a one-year
position after holding auditions for a permanent position was particularly
unusual, and noted that the CSO's principal cellist, Eric Kim, had first
been appointed to a one-year position before winning the permanent position
in a further set of auditions. Kim replaced Desmond Hoebig, who left the
orchestra to join the Orford Quartet in Toronto.
Kerr has already performed with the orchestra as part of the audition process.
His first appearance as acting concertmaster will be during the CSO's summer
series at Riverbend in July.
The concertmastership has been vacant since the departure last summer of
long-time CSO concertmaster Phillip Ruder, who left for a teaching position
at the University of Nevada at Reno.
Colorado Symphony: Artistic Director Retires
The Colorado Symphony has announced that artistic director David Abosch
has resigned effective June 1. This is the third announced departure of
a senior staff member since December; executive director Bill Elfenbein
resigned in December and marking director Sandy Lasky resigned earlier this
month.
Abosch had been artistic director of the CSO since its inception eight years
ago. He had served as principal oboe of the Denver Symphony, the predecessor
to the Colorado Symphony, for 42 years.
Absoch's departure comes two months after CSO principal conductor Marin
Alsop was named music director, becoming the first conductor with that title
in the CSO's history. At the time, she told the ~Rocky Mountain News~ that
she viewed the move as a "big vote of confidence," which would
"clarify any outside confusion about what's going on within the orchestra."
Irene Abosch, assistant concertmaster of the CSO and David Abosch's wife,
had previously announced that she was taking a leave of absence for the
1995-96 season. Violist Lee Yeingst, who was instrumental in the formation
of the CSO from the wreckage of the Denver Symphony, has also announced
his intention to take a one-year leave, as has violinist Erin Furbee, who
has accepted a one-year position with the Milwaukee Symphony.
Conejo Symphony: Protests over Merger
The musicians and music director of the Conejo Symphony showed their displeasure,
during concerts performed the weekend of April 21, with the decision to
disband the orchestra and merge with the Ventura County Symphony. During
the orchestra's performance of Dvorak's "New World" symphony,
some of the musicians wore white arm bands in protest, while audience members
found a letter from retiring music director Elmer Ramsey on their windshields
after the concert criticizing the merger of the two orchestras into the
New West Symphony and the firing of the members of both orchestras that
was done to effect the merger.
The musicians of the two existing orchestras will not automatically be hired
for the new orchestra, which is expected to employ approximately half the
160 musicians currently employed by both orchestras, although orchestra
officials said that the currently employed musicians will get "first
crack" at auditioning for the new orchestra.
Dallas Symphony: Old Cars Raise New Money
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra League sponsored a Concours d' Elegance on
April 23 and 23 as a benefit for the DSO. The event, which was underwritten
by MBNA America and the Dallas Morning News, featured an competitive exhibition
of approximately 100 antique automobiles, as well as an auction.
Last year, the Concours d' Elegance raised almost $90,000 for the orchestra's
community outreach and education programs.
National Endowment: Books for Bucks
from PRNewswire, April 21:
As part of its national program to donate funds and generate additional
public support for the National Endowment for the Arts, Borders Books & Music
will host an evening silent auction at its new Pittsburgh store, Friday,
April 21 at 6 p.m. The store is located at 1170 Northway Mall.
Community arts patrons, civic leaders, and the media have been invited to
attend the silent auction, which kicks off a series of weekend grand opening
events at the new Pittsburgh store. Borders solicited donated items from
publishers and music labels to be auctioned at the event, including hard-to-find
books and recordings, as well as special signed editions. All proceeds will
go to benefit the NEA's general fund.
In addition to hosting the auction, Borders will make a special donation
to the Arts Endowment to mark the opening of the Pittsburgh store. The donation
will he accepted on behalf of the NEA by Bill Strickland. Presidentially
appointed member of the National Council on the Arts which advises the Arts
Endowment, Strickland also is founder and director of the Manchester Craftsmen's
Guild in Pittsburgh.
The Borders donation is part of the retailer's national program, announced
earlier this year, to donate funds to the NEA with the opening of each new
Borders store throughout 1995. Borders expects to open over 30 new stores
this year and will make donations and host silent auction events at each
of them.
According to Joanne Loebig, the store's community relations coordinator,
Borders is backing the NEA because the organization invests in important
arts programs and supports individual artists in communities across the
nation. "The Arts Endowment has awarded grants to many writers and
musicians whose work is featured in Borders stores," Loebig said. In
the Pittsburgh area, the NEA has supported programs like the Pittsburgh
Symphony Society, Pittsburgh Filmakers, Inc., Pittsburgh Ballet theatre,
Inc., and more than 30 other organizations and individual artists.
"There's a natural tie between Borders and the arts," Loebig added.
"Our support of the NEA reflects our interest in the arts and in continuing
the work of the NEA on a national and local basis."
In addition to the silent auction, Borders will host several free grand
opening events throughout the weekend at the new Pittsburgh store, including
Pittsburgh Symphony Day on April 21. Borders is the official music store
of the Pittsburgh Symphony. A percentage of the day's sales will be donated
to the Pittsburgh Symphony.
Oklahoma City Philharmonic: Service for Bombing Victims
The Oklahoma City Philharmonic participated in a nationally televised memorial
service on April 23 for the victims of the Oklahoma City federal building
bombing.
The service, held on a day designated by President Clinton as a national
day of mourning, was held at the Oklahoma Fairgrounds. Clinton shared the
podium with the Reverend Billy Graham.
Orchestra Librarians: 13th Annual Conference
from the Major Orchestra Librarians' Association:
From March 25 through 27, 1995, members and guests of the Major Orchestra
Librarians' Association (MOLA) held their annual conference in downtown
Saint Louis, Missouri. It was the 13th annual gathering of those people
who obtain the music, copy and mark the parts, and maintain the collections
of scores and parts from which orchestra musicians perform.
MOLA was founded in 1983 by the then current librarians of the Boston, Philadelphia,
and Minnesota orchestras: Victor Alpert, Clint Nieweg, and James Berdahl,
respectively. Its first meeting took place at The Academy of Music in Philadelphia;
19 orchestras were represented. MOLA now has more than 70 member orchestras,
representing a variety of North America's symphonic ensembles, as well as
three foreign affiliate members from the countries of England, the Netherlands,
and Australia.
Now in its eleventh season, ~Marcato~ is the quarterly publication of MOLA.
Recent issues have contained information on copyright matters; errata (the
discrepancies between scores and parts); instructions for shipping music
between countries; autobiographies of member librarians; histories of music
publishers; and telephone and fax numbers of both the orchestra librarians
and publishers.
One reason MOLA was created was to promote communication among orchestra
librarians. Because librarians are now working together and sharing information,
many orchestras are benefiting from their work. Errata is being collected
and distributed, so that librarians can more thoroughly prepare an orchestra's
set of materials. In some cases a publisher will correct sets before they
go out.
In addition to mistakes in scores and parts, other common issues which orchestra
librarians deal with are conductors, pops and youth concert programming,
the legibility of parts, and improving the working relationship between
orchestras and publishers.
This year's conference began on Saturday morning with a session of those
librarians who work with OLIS, the database of orchestral repertoire currently
being serviced by the American Symphony Orchestra League. Orchestra librarians
have been at the forefront of the development and improvement of this product.
In the afternoon MOLA President Paul Gunther, librarian of the Minnesota
Orchestra, introduced Bruce Coppock, Saint Louis Symphony's Executive Director,
who welcomed the attendees to the city. Sessions were then held on dealing
with stress and improving the work environment; the latest news on copyright
issues; reports from librarians of orchestras which had failed; the use
of interns in the library; what being a personal librarian for a conductor
requires; and preparing music for auditions.
Saturday evening, the Saint Louis Symphony librarians, John Tafoya and Elsbeth
Brugger, hosted an open house in their orchestra library, followed by a
concert of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin.
At the business meeting on Sunday morning the election of new officers took
place. Mary Judge (Cincinnati) will follow Paul Gunther as President. The
new Vice President will be Karen Schnackenberg (Dallas). The new secretary
is Ken Bonebrake (Los Angeles) and the new Member-at-Large is Kristi Sloniger
(Houston Grand Opera). Joann McCollum (Pittsburgh) remains treasurer. Nine
orchestras were voted in as new members at that meeting.
Following lunch, Leonard Slatkin addressed the group. The afternoon session
panel was comprised of Robert Crowe, Alan Freed, and Hon. Laurie K. Smith,
representatives from United States Arbitration and Mediation; Mark Volpe,
Executive Director of the Detroit Symphony; Bradford Buckley, member of
the Saint Louis Symphony and President of the International Conference of
Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM); and Florence Nelson, Director of Symphonic
Services, American Federation of Musicians. The topic focused on improving
ways of working with our managements. The annual banquet took place that
evening.
Monday's half-day session was an open forum for discussion among the librarians
and representatives of music dealers and publishers. Both ASCAP and BMI
were represented, as were Boosey & Hawkes, G. Schirmer, Theodore Presser,
Belmont, MMB Music, Broude Brothers, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Educational
Music/Foreign Music, European American Music, the Fleisher Collection, G.
Henle, and E.F. Kalmus. Most helpful was the opportunity to meet face to
face the person on the other end of the telephone line. Orchestra librarians
are weekly, if not daily, in communication with rental agents from the multiple
music publishing companies.
For those who did not have to catch a plane back home, MMB Music hosted
a home-made luncheon in their offices. For many orchestra librarians it
was the first visit made to a publisher's place of business.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the Major Orchestra Librarians' Association
should contact any of the new officers listed above.
The next conference is scheduled for Columbus, Ohio, in May 1996, with future
venues being Winnipeg, Manitoba, Los Angeles, California, and Baltimore,
Maryland.
Oregon Symphony: On the Waterfront
The Oregon Symphony will return to Portland's Tom McCall Waterfront Park
for a three-concert series in late August modeled on a similar series in
the late 1980's which drew tens of thousands of listeners to the waterfront.
The series, which will be sponsored by First Interstate Bank, will serve
to launch the orchestra's 100th season.
The three concerts will include a pops concert conducted by associate conductor
Norman Leyden and a classical program conducted by music director James
DePreist, which will end with a performance of Tchaikowsky's "1812
Overture," complete with cannons and fireworks.
In an associated announcement, the Portland Rose Festival Association announced
that DePreist would be Grand Marshal of the 1995 Delta Air Lines Grand Floral
Parade on June 10.
The orchestra's Centennial season also includes a series of six Centennial
commissions by John Adams, John Harbison, Tomas Svoboda, and three up-and-coming
American composers, expanded state touring, and an Image and Visibility
Campaign made possible by grants from ~The Oregonian~ and KOIN-TV Channel
6, including the second annual Oregon Symphony telecast. The orchestra will
also host the 1995 American Symphony Orchestra League Conference in June.
Saint Louis Symphony: New Director of Artistic Administration
from the management of the Saint Louis Symphony, April 21:
Executive Director Bruce Coppock announced that the Saint Louis Symphony
Orchestra has appointed Carla Johnson as the new Director of Artistic Administration
following a nation-wide search.
A graduate of the University of Michigan and the City University of New
York/Brooklyn College, Ms. Johnson joined the SLSO staff on March 20, 1995.
Most recently she served as the artistic administrator for the Seattle Symphony.
As director of artistic administration, Ms. Johnson will oversee programming
and planning of all concerts, work with the music director for the scheduling
of guest artists, negotiate contracts for guest artists, and manage all
areas of artistic administration for the SLSO.
Prior to serving as artistic administrator in Seattle, Ms. Johnson served
as operations coordinator and then as orchestra manager for the Seattle
Symphony. She has also held positions with the Foundation for the Extension
and Development of the American Professional Theatre and the American Dance
Guild, both in New York City.
San Francisco Symphony: Conductor Named for Summer Pops
The San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Art Commission announced
on April 19 that Emil de Cou would serve as principal conductor for the
1995 summer Pops concerts.
De Cou, a conductor with the San Francisco Ballet and the American Ballet
Theater, will conduct the San Francisco Symphony in seven concerts at Davies
Hall, as well as an outdoor concert on July 23 at the Main Parade Ground
of the San Francisco Presidio.
Winnipeg Symphony: The King is Recycled
Max Tapper, who until April 11 was the managing director of the Toronto
Symphony, has signed a multi-year contract with the Winnipeg Symphony to
serve as managing director of that orchestra. Prior to assuming the Toronto
position in 1992, Tapper, who is a native of Winnipeg, was managing director
of the Winnipeg orchestra.
Copyright 1995, International Conference
of Symphony and Opera Musicians
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