A Good Perspective

I’m glad to see that principle expressed in such a concise, articulate manner. Everyone’s actions have a ripple effect throughout his or her respective organization. When a member of the executive management only shows up to 5% of the orchestra’s performances, the musicians notice (not to mention the staff that does regularly attend concerts). So without really intending to do so, this executive manager has branded themselves as someone that doesn’t really care for the art or the musicians that create it. In turn, this fuels a dangerous sentiment of animosity between players and administration that serves no good purpose. Even the smallest decision or gesture of favoritism on part of an administrator toward an individual musician can have a negative consequence among the other musicians. Eventually the outcome is hard feelings between players, resulting in a degradation of artistic achievement. This small gesture of favoritism toward a preferred colleague ends up costing the entire orchestra time, funds, and artistic excellence.

Karen goes on to suggest that candidates for administrative positions should posses something special beyond their technical expertise. She expresses these ideas in the following questions:

• “Why do you want to work for the symphony?”
  
  
  
  
  
• “What passion do you bring to this position that makes you different from the next person?”
  
  
  
  
  
• “Do you have a deep commitment to this art form and its importance to this community and the world?”
  
  
  
  
  
• “Will you go to concerts and visibly support our mission?”
  

I have to admit that I was very disappointed by one aspect of the article. Toward the end, Karen suggests a ” program of volunteer exchanges among departments and employees, musicians, and board members throughout the organization.” She believes that this will help eliminate unnecessary differences between individuals, minimize inefficiency, and build a real sense of team spirit. What I’m disappointed with, is that this only a suggestion and not already standard practice throughout orchestras. I have a steadfast belief that managers should have direct experience with every facet of their given department. The higher the manager, the more direct experience they need. I like to see the executive director pulling a stint in the box office, the orchestra manager learning how to send out a hundred press releases, and everyone in an office pitching in to solve a problem of immediate need, even if it’s just stuffing a bunch of envelopes simply because is needs to get done right then and there.

All in all, this article is a great read, regardless if you’re an administrator, musician, or “knowledgeable nonprofessional classical music activist”. It’s a noteworthy look into what an orchestra is and how it functions (or should function).