12/23/03 blog anticipating that the executive director opening at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra would be filled by an executive from an ASOL member orchestra, I read a quote from the DSO board chairman in an article from the 12/24/03 issue of the Detroit Free Press. The article’s author, Mark Stryker, reports:
“[DSO board chairman] Jim Nicholson said he was moving swiftly to replace Kang [the former DSO executive director]. A search committee will form quickly, and Nicholson said a new leader would be hired by March 30. Since learning Kang would resign a week ago, Nicholson has developed a list of five potential candidates by talking with industry insiders.
Experience is a key requirement, he said. Likely candidates would be top lieutenants at major orchestras or the top person at a slightly smaller symphony.”
Wow, that pretty much says it all. I’m willing to bet that the “industry insiders” Nicholson mentioned were the executive leaders at the ASOL. The DSO is in a unique position among American orchestras. It has all of the necessary components to assemble a new management team and institute a new model as to how an American Orchestra manages itself and produces art. But instead, I’m afraid that the signals from Mr. Nicholson indicate that history will merely repeat itself.
The weekend saw some extraordinary events as the musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) and Philadelphia Orchestra Association (POA) went on strike. Since…
