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Symphony on the brink?
Musicians shocked by proposed job cuts
Friday, January 18, 2008
BY MICHAEL GROSSBERG
Leaders of the financially troubled Columbus Symphony are proposing dramatic cuts in the number of full-time musicians and the number of weeks the musicians perform. The restructuring plan is designed to get the symphony on firm financial footing and ensure its survival.
“This is to try to save the orchestra and enable us to grow it into something special,” said Robert “Buzz” Trafford, chairman of the symphony board.
Trafford presented the proposal yesterday to six musicians. The group walked out about 45 minutes into the meeting when they learned how many musicians would be let go under the plan.
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Columbus Symphony Orchestra on the brink?
By: Walker
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I think everyone is missing the most obvious point about going to the symphony: THE MUSIC.
Not one person in this entire thread mentioned a thing about specific programming. What exactly does catering to younger audiences entail? An extended season of Picnic with the Pops? I hope not. The pops is all fine and dandy and brings in needed cash, but it has limited appeal to the unfortunate few of us that appreciate music with more depth and substance.
Also, I’m not too sure I care for the idea of shortening the season either. All that does is limit the number of works to be performed each year, so what do we wind up with? The same works that bring people in the doors like the Tchaik Sym 5, or the Beethoven Eroica (which are fine), but if I want to hear anything out of the ordinary, (like Bartok, Mahler, Bruckner, Debussy, R. Strauss) I have to go to Cleveland.
As far as recordings being the reason to not attend a concert, that’s like saying watching football on TV is better than actually going to the game. You obviously don’t go to many concerts. Plus, a recording is one dimensional in my opinion, it never changes. Live performances? No comparison my friend. (Gulp, I used a sports analogy – yikes)
As far as recordings being the reason to not attend a concert, that’s like saying watching football on TV is better than actually going to the game. You obviously don’t go to many concerts. Plus, a recording is one dimensional in my opinion, it never changes. Live performances? No comparison my friend. (Gulp, I used a sports analogy – yikes)
You miss the point. Education in classical music is severely lacking and what there is tends to be be very much in the line of canonical. In other words, there is a right way to play something and, therefore, there is a best performance which does it. If that is the case, then it is not reasonable to expect somone to want to hear a sub-par performance when they can hear a recorded perfect one.
Classical music itself for this. The industry promotes great recordings by great conductors with superstar performers. It has long established and lauded a hierarchy. When near-perfect recording technology (and non-degrading playbacks) was achieved, the audience naturally selected the top of the hierarchy which they now had access to and ditched the rest. That is what they had been taught to do.
Appreciating a classical concert takes education and experience. Appreciating a flawed, but interesting performance takes more. Appreciating what appears to be a flaw as it doesn’t match a canonical recording, but is really a matter of choice by the conductor takes even more.
Do the program notes ever have a piece by the conductor as to why he chose the piece, the tempo, the emphasis? Or something by the concertmaster about what it means for her to rally the orchestra around the piece or a particularly problematic section? No. There is no attempt to reach the audience and educate the audience. Arrogance of an elitist arts establishment.
As I said, the industry itself has really screwed its own pooch by a whole series of choices, philosophies, trends and arrogance.
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Define “perfect” recorded performace, please. They exist? I haven’t found one. We’re not talking about the Beatles here.
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We’re talking about something that has hundreds of years of history and tradition. Why should it have to change? I don’t want the concertmaster or conductor talking incessantly before the concert; that’s not why I paid money to attend. I want to hear the music. That’s what the prelecture talks and the progam notes are for. And if that’s not enough, read some books! I really don’t think people really care to invest that much time into learning something new which could fulfill them, which is the biggest crime of all.
The only way they’ve screwed themselves is catering to arrogant people that don’t appreciate the arts and think of their attendance and support as increased status because they feel they’re more sophisticated as a result.
Define “perfect” recorded performace, please. They exist? I haven’t found one. We’re not talking about the Beatles here.
Go read the classical CD reviews. The recording industry and the classical music profession has long marketed an idea of perfectability. Classical music as a pinnacle and a pinnacle has a single point, right. Since you seem to gloss over what I write – I am not saying I agree with this position. It is just a commonly held one and a reason that classical music performance has a dwindling audience in most markets.
We’re talking about something that has hundreds of years of history and tradition. Why should it have to change? I don’t want the concertmaster or conductor talking incessantly before the concert; that’s not why I paid money to attend. I want to hear the music. That’s what the prelecture talks and the progam notes are for. And if that’s not enough, read some books! I really don’t think people really care to invest that much time into learning something new which could fulfill them, which is the biggest crime of all.
The only way they’ve screwed themselves is catering to arrogant people that don’t appreciate the arts and think of their attendance and support as increased status because they feel they’re more sophisticated as a result.
Do you even read? I specifically said that such information should be in the program notes. It is not.
Your position is one of the reasons classical music is being out-competed in the marketplace. There is an arrogance that the music itself is so remarkable and so significant that it is the fault of the audience for not appreciating it. And such contempt in your last paragraph for anyone who doesn’t view it the same way. That same contempt is communicated pretty loud and clear to the audience who isn’t buying tickets.
Why change? Only something dead doesn’t change for hundreds of years. Classical music is well on its way. In case you haven’t noticed, the genesis of this thread is about how the Columbus Symphony is withering away. Your position is just not sustainable in the marketplace. The business can hold itself above and expect its audience to do likewise – and you are presenting that case – but it is a path to irrelevancy and then trivia.
On last comment on the marketplace – the competition is not wholly popular music and ‘easy’ music which the classical community likes to keep its superiority complex by telling itself. There is simply more music across the board. There is only a finite amount of time even when dollars are not a constraint. Spanning the seasons, I can name so many more ‘serious’ music events I have opted for instead of the CSO. Phillip Glass. Tallis Scholars. Early Music. Ethnic music at the Wex/Mershon. Meredith Monk. Anonymous 4.
I don’t mean to pick on you, but your attitude and the-audience-must-change philosophy is exactly (IMO, if it must be said) has made a big contribution to pushing the CSO and classical music in general into irrelevance. Are you seriously maintaining that all is well or that it is reasonable to expect the audience to change? If so, how do you propose to change them?
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The only way they’ve screwed themselves is catering to arrogant people that don’t appreciate the arts and think of their attendance and support as increased status because they feel they’re more sophisticated as a result.
Organizations need to adapt, or they will not thrive. Or, in this case, they will not exist. It happens in business and the products we consume each day. Sometimes, change can be good. The OSU Marching Band swore it would never play “newfangled rock” in the 1960′s. 40 years later, “Hang On Sloopy,” is the second most known tradition the band has, and that is a military band built on 125 years of tradition.
I think the new format needs to be simple and that classical shouldn’t change from what they do now.
12 classical (try fewer guest artists, they honestly don’t draw many extra patrons unless it’s a piano night)
5 indoor pops (holiday pops, 4 other nights with pops themes)
4 educational (1 primary, 1 middle, 2 high school)
2 special events (john williams, midori, greatest rivalry in sports)
1 gala (keep this simple, too)
6 picnic with the pops (patriotic, two notable artists, OSUMB (x2), smaller artist)
3 popcorn pops (down 1 show)
Basically, trim the fat and stick to the basics: classical, pops, education. I would take out concerts for kids (those lose money like crazy), a young professionals initiative (until you have the people/funds to support it), and any of the little series that were launched this year (cabaret, top 40, enlighten). Chase tried to sponsor a new initiative that involved special event programming that needed media: Video Games Live, Barbie (which bombed), and Phantom. Sponsor the education series (which needs the help) and look good because you are supporting music education.
Once all of that is established, play to the venue. The symphony doesn’t always need to use the Ohio. Smaller shows with a smaller orchestra can be played in smaller venues. Just saying.
[url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/04/AR2007040401721.html[/url]
Relevant, in a way, and incredibly fascinating.
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Great article. Fascinating read…too bad I have to go back to reading cases.
I love the context point. A lot of people wouldn’t know something special if hit them in the face, mostly because they don’t know it’s supposed to be special and that they should be paying attention to it. But, put it in a museum or a concert hall, and they know there’s something about it…
Isn’t it odd, too, that the board of directors thinks these musicians make too much money? Members of the board make a hell of a lot more than these guys, and the musicians are very skilled (which is more than can be said for some of these board members). The board seems to be placing a lot of the blame on the musicians.
More news:
Symphony has eye on public bailout
Can this symphony be saved?
Are we on the same page here? To what program notes are you referring? There are notes about the performed works in the concerts I attend.
Whether we like it or not, people view classical music sort of the way I view your posts. They’re too long, and I don’t have the time delve into every last detail as you drone on and on. It’s sadly ironic, but that’s where we’ve come as a society generally speaking; 30 second sound bites, and it’s only getting worse. No wonder classical music is dead, even those that appreciate it (you appreciate it, don’t you?) are pessimistic about it’s future.
I suppose I was blessed with an ear and patience for music and not the written word. Who knows, maybe it’s a curse.
Are we on the same page here? To what program notes are you referring? There are notes about the performed works in the concerts I attend.
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My recollection was that the program guide was a generic one for the season and contained very little concert-specific material. There is a captive audience for reading it. It could be used for more than sponsor advertising. Just a small thing that has annoyed me since childhood.
I think classical music has to pretty much die in order to be reborn into something living and relevant. There is just too many layers of crap piled over it and the whole culture of it.
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Actually, the Bravo has concert specific notes for each piece performed that evening (approximately 1.5 pages for each concert). It is released four times in an indoor season. A lot of work goes into each book, including interviews, articles, and notes. The ads you see cover the expenses of a quality Bravo magazine (full color and glossy) and little else.
Picnic With the Pops is probably what you are thinking of: a generic book for the entire summer that contains the repertoire for the evening (sans notes), lots of ads, donor names, and a few articles.
My memory is confusing CSO w/ other orchestras then. A friend of mine was just telling me about the opposite problem. The program for a Pittsburgh Symphony had detailed technical notes about a fugue (Mozart, forget which piece). She has an MfA in Classical Music and understood it, but said it was absolutely silly to do this when it could have been explained in a much more friendly fashion.
Did anyone go see the Vaughn Williams piece this weekend? There was not way I could not go out-of-town this weekend or I would have gone just for that. Zuck’s review was very positive, but sometime I am not sure I was at the same concert as her.
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I’m really intrigued by the Catch-22 a few folks have pointed out regarding changing to attract & retain (TM) younger audiences, while at the same time avoiding alienating and losing their older traditional audiences.
The whole idea of “change or die” is a funny one — are you really supporting something if you’re demanding it changes in order to keep your attention? Is it truer to the art form if it changes to keep afloat, or if it dies because there’s no longer a market for it?
Perhaps large scale classical performances are simply becoming even more of a niche market, thanks to the “Crash TV” 30-second attention span that Internet and TV have brought? The regional touring orchestra idea of Andrew’s seems more likely to me then fewer performances in smaller venues — both could work, but when you look at the practical aspects of fewer performances in smaller venues, basically you’re requiring those musicians to have other jobs in order to keep housed, clothed & fed when NOT performing — which means you’re (most likely) going to be negatively impacting the artist’s performance/skill by taking away practice time & splitting their attention? A touring orchestra would introduce traveling expenses, but the added scarcity could possibly command higher ticket prices to accommodate?
One other note on programs — I’ve thought the same thing about Broadway Series programs. You have the Playbill, which is free, but is maybe 15% specific content to the show, the majority of that being short bios for the cast, and nothing on the piece itself other than the “poster” info, and the order of scenes/songs. The rest is a couple generic broadway-related articles and LOTS and LOTS of ads, mostly about prescription medication.
Alternately, you have the “souvenir program”, which is pretty much all fancy high-color pictures of the performance — again, with barely any actual CONTENT outside of the pics… for something like $10.
I’d be nice to get some text about the performance itself – this particular cast, or tour, or even stuff specific to the history of that particular show.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
BY BARBARA ZUCK
Columbus Symphony lovers can be doggedly determined. Ignoring frigid weather, a near-capacity crowd at the Ohio Theatre last night came to hear, and perhaps buoy the spirits of, the orchestra at the end of a week of bad news.
After enduring several years of sizable budget deficits, symphony leaders have proposed to shrink the orchestra’s budget primarily by drastically cutting the number of full-time players and reducing the remaining musicians’ weeks of employment, thereby also cutting salaries.
Anyone unaware of these recent developments, though, would have had to look and listen hard for any evidence. The players and their music director, Junichi Hirokami, offered a persuasive argument on the orchestra’s behalf with an exciting, often emotionally charged performance that had the large audience on its feet cheering at the end of both halves of the concert.
READ MORE
Alternately, you have the “souvenir program”, which is pretty much all fancy high-color pictures of the performance — again, with barely any actual CONTENT outside of the pics… for something like $10.
I’d be nice to get some text about the performance itself – this particular cast, or tour, or even stuff specific to the history of that particular show.
Would be nice…but aren’t we talking about a budget problem here?
Advertisements in live performance bills exist at every level from Broadway, to the opera house I was at in Russia, to community theatre. The advertisements are for corporate sponsors, who contribute a large fraction of the symphony’s budget. Why don’t we just be content that they don’t have jumbo-trons scrolling ads while the orchestra plays??
I have long worried about the classical music conundrum. There’s:
-programming choices (old favorites? Standard Mozart and Tchaik? 20th century pieces? movie scores?)
-payroll/budget (I used to play in Severance Hall and I saw how much the last chair 2nd violinist made in the Cleveland Orchestra. Barely 5 digits) -audience (who is there, what do they expect, and why)
When it comes down to it, the symphony is an old still-living organism. I do not agree with drastic changes to conduct. Particularly in the name of “coming down to the audience’s level”. The behavior in the Ohio Theater mirrors that of nearly every orchestra hall performing western music. It’s not snobbish – it’s the way you play the game. Football fans are expected to cheer at the right places, and understand the game. No one gets mad if you don’t (well, some assholes might) – but if you really want to enjoy a game, you should probably educate yourself. The same goes for concerts.
Concert etiquette is something that is expected out of respect for the composers, the working musicians, the prestige of the conductor, and FINALLY the audience. The last thing I want to see is a conductor babbling in front of the podium and musicians breaking their concentration to mingle with audience members during intermission. Intermission is a resting time for musicians. Time to fix a broken string on a viola, or warm up the chops if a brass player sat on stage and played a whopping 12 notes in the first half. Intermission is also time for the audience to take care of their business, buy a drink, or wake up after that boooooring piece (heh).
I understand that there are many forms of marketable music out there. Unfortunately, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra is probably MOST well-known for Picnic with the Pops (blasphemy…sigh). I am sure a lot of citizens in Columbus don’t even realize there is a full-time working orchestra and that they play more than just stupid (personal opinion shines through) John Williams and William Tell every summer. Our city may not have the large demand required for an amazing symphony to stay afloat, but certainly other cities in similar financial positions are able to keep 2nd and 3rd tier groups working. These cities clearly recognize the place of classical music in a thriving city. Personally, I need something better than the OSU symphony orchestra and Marshall Haddock to fulfill my orchestral desires (FYI – As a former member I am allowed to knock it).
…okay – I am done ranting for now…
The whole idea of “change or die” is a funny one — are you really supporting something if you’re demanding it changes in order to keep your attention? Is it truer to the art form if it changes to keep afloat, or if it dies because there’s no longer a market for it?
I support classical music because I do like it. That doesn’t mean I think that it is the best it can be.
I want classical music to be a living art form like it was until the middle of this century. As it had to compete with other music, with recording technology and other social changes, it became horribly ossified* in reaction. This hardening occurred more in the surroundings and culture than the music itself. For example, the venues like here in Columbus which just scream ‘dead white male’ and I feel serve to put barriers to the music and the experience that shouldn’t be there.
What happened to the days when Stravinsky caused a riot from the music alone? I think it is a copout to blame everything other than the musical establishment and the music for where classical music is. Every where I look, I see artificial barriers to having the music matter. How many years has it taken for jeans (and I dress nicely as I am comfortable in a jacket) to be acceptable when going to a concert? How many years will it take for the seating to be as amenable as my cineplex?
Attitudes also hardened from one of education and explanation to the very arrogant ‘you should know before you go’ attitude. Football mentioned elsewhere makes an interesting counter since the appreciation of it and the knowledge of how to behave is a very social one and engaged at the moment. The whole atmosphere of a concert is anti-social and isolationist. I am not at all saying we should encourage talking during, but music appreciation in the classical setting (no toe tapping, no humming, no outward emotion) is pretty unnatural in human history and is an artifact of a particular time and place. Classical music used to be considered a road to improvement. Now the attitude is that you should already be improved.
I don’t have answers as to how to work out these contradictions. I do find it interesting that there is a tendency to shout down what I say (not referring to this board specifically as I have had this discussion numerous times) when I am a supporter and a fan. Think about it – if a fan and ally has these feelings and reservations, how much more amplified is it among the people who aren’t fans, aren’t going to concerts and don’t care? And if they are so put-off as to not even ever go, you are not going to hear the feedback. Face it – classical music performance is a non-factor for a large segment of potential audience. It either has to be figured out how to change this in a growth way (not dumbing-down as this attempts to compete on the same playing field as far better armed competitors) or how to establish something that survives on a niche audience. If it is the latter – and I have no problem with that – then stop bitching about it.
As an aside, number me as one of those who loathes Pops performances. I remember as a kid hearing and going to Fiedler’s Boston Pops. Maybe it is the geezer in me, but I remember the musical content being more the orchestra bringing the music up and not the orchestra going down to the level of the music. Maybe not. Maybe it was the first chime of the death knell.
* There was is also the radical artiste vein like Glass or Adams who write for, perform for and exist for a small group of neophilic elites (number me among them). Modern classic alienated a lot of people. Not so much in Columbus whose repetoire has always been pretty conservative, but this was a pretty big tension in the 80s and early 90s.
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Did anyone go see the Vaughn Williams piece this weekend? There was not way I could not go out-of-town this weekend or I would have gone just for that. Zuck’s review was very positive, but sometime I am not sure I was at the same concert as her.
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I went on Sunday and really enjoyed that piece, although my symphony-going experience is limited, so I’m not sure that I’ve quite sussed out how to discern a good performance from a merely adequate one. The Dispatch reviewer usually tears stuff to bits that I found perfectly good…
Did anyone go see the Vaughn Williams piece this weekend? There was not way I could not go out-of-town this weekend or I would have gone just for that. Zuck’s review was very positive, but sometime I am not sure I was at the same concert as her.
I went on Sunday and really enjoyed that piece, although my symphony-going experience is limited, so I’m not sure that I’ve quite sussed out how to discern a good performance from a merely adequate one. The Dispatch reviewer usually tears stuff to bits that I found perfectly good…
I have the same reaction to her. I am not saying she is wrong or incompetent, but I think she gets in moods and is unable to seperate that from the music. She lets one minor thing become her dominant perception.
She is unable to balance the extremes of evaluating the CSO at an objective world-class level versus treating them daintly and being a local apologist. Too often she over-compensates for her desire to be the latter by going overboard on the former.
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PS – I am keeping this thread going partly out of a strong interest in the subject, but more just to keep the CSO in CU’s collective mind.
Walker, how about a CU CSO night? Maybe a cocktail with the boffins of the CSO followed by the concert? Let’s get some real pull instead of just virtual stroking.
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Walker, how about a CU CSO night? Maybe a cocktail with the boffins of the CSO followed by the concert? Let’s get some real pull instead of just virtual stroking.
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Thanks for keeping it going. I’m a little drained on the subject (just had dinner with some of my symphony friends last night). It’s a big mess.
A night out with CU at the symphony could be good. Someone contact me if you want to make that happen. I know the person who can put that together on the symphony end.