arts dispatch

Hi! I wonder if I can use a picture on Philadelphi...

2012-05-19T06:01:26.557-07:00

Hi! I wonder if I can use a picture on Philadelphia Orchestra from your blog for my school work?

The title is One Second Sculpture

2012-01-22T09:15:38.539-08:00

The title is One Second Sculpture

Dennis was my mentor and boss at the Sacramento Th...

2011-09-19T14:38:54.156-07:00

Dennis was my mentor and boss at the Sacramento Theatre Company. I saw many of his shows at the Portland Rep and OSF Portland. We lost a great gift to the world of theatre when we lost Dennis Bigelow.

I haven't seen the movie, but the Death With D...

2011-07-18T20:50:19.363-07:00

I haven't seen the movie, but the Death With Dignity Act has been a part of my life since its inception. I remember talking with my parents about the law and about death--theirs and mine--when I was a teenager. Of everything that law may or may not do, I think its value (and, as you say, the movie's too) lies in getting us to talk about something that our society likes to keep hidden.

You make me want to see the movie!

Thanks Jane. I haven't checked Drew McManus&#...

2011-06-25T10:47:47.027-07:00

Thanks Jane. I haven't checked Drew McManus's numbers for accuracy - which would be a good first step - but I do know that my compensation as reported on the 990 includes the 80% contribution the Symphony Association pays towards the cost of my and my husband's health and dental insurance. The musicians' base compensation is exactly that: the lowest amount paid to a musician, without including 100% of the cost of their health and dental insurance (fully paid by the Association and including any dependents), their paid parking, a 4% pension contribution, instrument allowance and possibly even the 2.5 weeks of "premium pay" they receive at the end of each season. And many musicians make far more than the "base" salary, through overscale and seniority pay.

Even so, my compensation costs the Association about three times as much as that of the average musician. I'm well compensated for what I do, but I should point out that I'm paid for 52 weeks of the year, whereas our musicians' contract is for 38 weeks. The Oregon Symphony is my only source of income, whereas many musicians also teach during our season and work at summer festivals and camps and/or collect unemployment insurance during the 14 weeks between the end of one season and the start of the next. So it's apples and oranges here...

Oops. Not all the musician board members in 2008-0...

2011-06-23T15:54:03.560-07:00

Oops. Not all the musician board members in 2008-09 were principals. One was an assistant principal.

Jane, thanks for visiting! It's hard to figur...

2011-06-23T15:50:50.600-07:00

Jane, thanks for visiting!

It's hard to figure out exactly what the musician salaries are in total. Many of them make far more than the base salary, of course. The five musicians who were on the board of directors in 2008-2009 (all of them principal musicians) made anywhere from $69,000 to $117,000 (the concertmaster) with other compensation ranging from $8,100 to almost $17,000 (in round numbers). So, yes, the overall compensation of musicians is a far more useful number than the base pay, but the 990s don't isolate that, at least not so I can tell!

I didn't realize that contract negotiations were ongoing... silly me. And without full compensation information across the board from all the symphonies it's impossible to figure out a "standard" for a given symphony of a given budget. Though I bet the negotiators come fully armed with that info...

A couple of things I think are/could be interesti...

2011-06-23T14:47:25.487-07:00

A couple of things I think are/could be interesting: (1) that this is being posted in the midst of OSO' contract negotiations; and (2) I'd be curious to see the total musicians' expenditure. That would have much more relevance to the overall budget, and presumably the leadership shalaries, than the base salary. As always, thanks for sharing!

Terrific Barry, and I'll send the url on to De...

2011-06-13T22:22:56.654-07:00

Terrific Barry, and I'll send the url on to Deborah, who was at the Dance Critics Assn meetings in Seattle this past weekend from which I've just returned. One small point, if you're talking about the choreographer I'm thinking you're talking about, it's Karole Armitage, who is American, performed here in the Contemporary Dance Season years ago and also choreographed a work on Oregon Ballet Theatre. In any case, amen brother, and it's certainly what I as a critic strive to do.

Lisa and Niel -- thank you so much!

2011-06-12T13:41:35.383-07:00

Lisa and Niel -- thank you so much!

Barry: That is the most intelligent criticism of c...

2011-06-12T02:26:34.207-07:00

Barry:
That is the most intelligent criticism of criticism and its truest and highest function I have ever read. How incredibly succinct and insightful. That's a piece every artist should read and all critics as well. Certainly editors and publishers! What is going on at VV sounds like a paper trying to be relevant by handcuffing its writers instead of promoting the finding of good stories about which to write. sad..."Bye bye Miss American Pie..."

This is such a beautiful consideration of criticis...

2011-06-11T21:44:25.122-07:00

This is such a beautiful consideration of criticism, Barry. What it can do and should. Thank you.

Maybe your ideas are spot on. I'm meeting with...

2011-06-10T12:49:57.882-07:00

Maybe your ideas are spot on. I'm meeting with a bunch of music critics next week. I'll try to find out if they are seeing the same picture and future solution as you.

I like the phrase "not shrinking to greatness...

2011-06-09T19:57:18.615-07:00

I like the phrase "not shrinking to greatness." Of course that's not what I'm suggesting. I think orchestras need to expand -- into their communities, musically, into real and virtual spaces they've never been.

Some people think American orchestras face serious structural problems: Revenues are mostly down during the past decade. Attendance is mostly down. The demographics of the audience aren't promising. The culture seems to be marginalizing them. I happen to agree with those people. But the ideas for addressing those problems are all over the map. Some focus on programming, some on marketing, some on outreach, some on increasing government support, etc. And of course I have my ideas -- which involve various sorts of "community organizing," both inside the orchestra and outside it.

You apparently disagree that orchestras have structural problems that need to be addressed. You are going to oppose efforts to address a problem you don't think exists, naturally enough! I get it.

To me, Nashville looks like a special case, in many ways. You'd be hard-pressed to find another orchestra that matches its growth. I think local cultural reasons are behind it, rather than any particular buttons the symphony is pushing, but it's not like I've studied Nashville like I have the Detroit and Philadelphia situations (or even Louisville and Honolulu). You must see something in Nashville that is repeatable everywhere, but I don't.

I think that if an orchestra is doing poorly, then...

2011-06-09T18:53:50.443-07:00

I think that if an orchestra is doing poorly, then this might be a way to get community support. It is certainly an interesting idea. Maybe the Vancouver Symphony should consider it. They are having a crisis right now, and the musicians are stepping up with free concerts this weekend.

I'm just wondering if you've looked at the Nashville Symphony. They have a new hall, they have increased their budget dramatically over the past 10 years, and they are hiring away the OSO's concertmaster. They are note shrinking to greatness.

This thought experiment is NOT a formal proposal (...

2011-06-09T12:33:33.406-07:00

This thought experiment is NOT a formal proposal (so no, thanks, I won't be doing any research) -- it's an approach toward dealing with the problems that symphonies around the country are having. Lots of them ARE having problems, right? And many of them are experimenting along these lines? If the Oregon Symphony is doing just fine, then it would have no reason to change its current course. And even if it wasn't doing fine, I understand how unlikely radical changes would be.

Kalmar is the orchestra's most expensive perso...

2011-06-09T11:17:13.916-07:00

Kalmar is the orchestra's most expensive person. If you are worried about trying to save costs at the orchestra, then you can save a lot of money by hiring someone who is less expensive. Why pay a high salary to someone who has to conduct fewer concerts? Kalmar is an orchestra conductor, not a guy who picks out music for small ensembles that he won't be conducting. At least that's the way I see it. However, you should ask him. And you should talk to Calder again. She most recently said that the orchestra is going to be in the black again this year. Right now, it looks like the orchestra has decided to go with concerts oriented around big name talent that concert goers want to hear. Sometimes this means a concert with Tony Bennett or a special with Rene Fleming. This kind of thing seems to be working well. But I don't have the numbers. You are going to have to do a lot of research to find out how many small ensemble concerts you would have to do in order to make up for the loss of ticket sales that the orchestra can draw in the Schnitz. You are also going to have to ask the orchestra's donor base to keep it going with fewer concerts in mind. The orchestra's donor base mostly would like to hear an entire orchestra play, not small ensembles.

James, I'm not explaining this very well. The ...

2011-06-09T07:15:10.173-07:00

James, I'm not explaining this very well. The ensembles would play as part of their regular service time -- remember they are playing fewer concert, so they have time. Also, the orchestra doesn't have to be the presenter at all these smaller shows. It can be the "talent." This really isn't a proposal for the Oregon Symphony -- it's really just a thought experiment for symphonies in general -- but I quoted Elaine Calder in my original column for The Oregonian and I heard that there's some national talk going about reducing the number of concerts.

Not sure why you're focused on Kalmar's salary and what the symphony would or wouldn't do regarding a music director's payment in this scenario. If the symphony values him, they would pay to keep him, right?

If you disagree with this line of thinking, how do you propose to alter the financial direction of symphony orchestras?

I don't think that the orchestra is going to p...

2011-06-08T23:07:14.115-07:00

I don't think that the orchestra is going to pay Kalmar to pick a bunch of pieces for ensembles he isn't going to conduct. But I think that it would be a good thing to have some symphony musicians do a few concerts in smaller ensembles in the community. Perhaps there is some grant money for this sort of thing. Otherwise, I think that it would be unwise for the orchestra to truncate its regular programming in favor of such an experiment. But that is just my opinion. You might try to engage Elaine Calder and see what she would say to such a proposal. She could give you some real numbers in terms of hall rental and musician salaries.

I'd guess that with multiple musical units dep...

2011-06-08T15:18:36.012-07:00

I'd guess that with multiple musical units deployed in various ways, a symphony would need the guiding hand of a music director at least as much as now, even though he or she wouldn't conduct a quartet, of course. I'm not for eliminating the position. Pay for music directors is a complicated subject. For the purposes of this thought experiment, I'm assuming pay for everyone would remain the same. The outcome we're seeking is that the symphony would be able to pay its artists more than they pay them now.

Would Kalmar leave if his job changed this much? I have no way of knowing -- maybe he'd enjoy the creative task of re-organizing as much as the creative task of conducting? That sounds far-fetched as I type it, but I don't know.

And yes, right, a woodwind ensemble playing in Hillsboro is a great promotional vehicle for a concert at the Schnitz. Someone could even talk about the upcoming concert and tickets could be available in the lobby. They could rent a MAX car for the trip! Of course, the idea is to have as many people as possible listen to great music, played by excellent musicians, in whatever venue or configuration makes sense.

Actually, "my" ideas have been tried in various places already. The striking Detroit Symphony musicians played in the suburbs, for example, and that practice is carrying over to next season. Oregon Symphony musicians already work in various other modes and styles on their own time (Arnica, Third Angle, Fear No Music). The opera has limited its "inventory" of shows quite successfully, I think. You could probably come up with more examples than I can!

If the orchestra went with your idea and reduced t...

2011-06-08T14:49:40.614-07:00

If the orchestra went with your idea and reduced the number of orchestra concerts, it would then be best to reduce Kalmar's pay accordingly. This is because you don't need a conductor for small ensemble work. If you reduced Kalmar's pay then, most likey you would lose Kalmar. Right now, this would not be a good idea.

You should be aware that even larger ensembles like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra have been hammered by critics like Ann Midgettee of the Washington Post who says that they need a conductor to give the ensemble more focus.

However, it looks like your idea is that smaller ensembles could go out and play in different venues - perhaps play something by a specific composer and then build up enthusiasm for concert that would feature the music of that composer for a larger ensemble. Is that correct?

Jim, Welcome! Of course I agree with your first p...

2011-06-08T08:27:00.350-07:00

Jim, Welcome! Of course I agree with your first point. And I think there was little chance the orchestra would have played poorly -- I'm betting they rehearsed that program more than almost any other (and I just throw in "almost" as a cheat word, really).

Maybe that jump was only clear in MY head! My argument runs something like this: It takes time to create and test inspired program concepts and rehearse them thoroughly. It also takes time to do the audience education work necessary to help us appreciate the concept and the individual pieces of music. That goes together with the "marketing" of the concert, and this is the link with the financial part of things. Because symphonies play so much, they don't have a chance to build demand for any particular concert. No concert is special. If you are a single ticket buyer, what distinguishes one program from another? You need time to make that case to them.

I wouldn't substitute pops concerts for classical concerts -- unless the orchestra has a real thirst and mission to do them. I would do more young audiences work, certainly. I might break the orchestra into "pieces" -- wind ensembles, new music groups, string quartets, percussion units, etc. -- whatever the musicians were interested in doing and produce concerts for them. These could occur almost anywhere -- at the Newmark, sure, but also various places around the state, wherever you could find an audience. And I'd be counting on fewer, better marketed concerts to attract bigger audiences that eventually would require expanding the "run" of each program a day or two. But really, "I" wouldn't do any of it. I think the artists at the symphony should work out what they want to create together, setting the quality bar higher and higher.

I could go on, but... maybe that sketches the idea better?

Hi Barry, The programming that Kalmar developed fo...

2011-06-07T22:38:48.123-07:00

Hi Barry, The programming that Kalmar developed for the Oregon Symphony concert at Carnegie was terrific, but if the orchestra had played it poorly, it wouldn't have made such an incredible impression.

But I don't see how you can make a jump from the Carnegie Hall concert to fewer concerts for the orchestra. And if you have fewer classical music concerts, then you'll have to have more pops concerts or something to get the money to afford the musicians.

Thank you for this stunning article, Barry. I lov...

2011-06-02T04:29:09.922-07:00

Thank you for this stunning article, Barry.
I loved Dennis and PRT.
All I'll also say is that I am a Portlander who now lives in Michigan.
Great blog!

I am not criticizing Winslet here, though. Like...

2011-05-26T15:48:29.721-07:00
I am not criticizing Winslet here, though. Like Crawford, she has that "given" and she can't escape it. She can't please Veda no matter what she does, no matter what she sacrifices or what she gives her. And that's her life's work, except maybe for her own small weakness for well-sculpted playboys. And that limits her range of possibilities, the spectrum she can play. No side-of-her-mouth slang for Mildred, no emotional growth, no new personality vistas. She may become a leading restaurateur, but she's stuck behind the rock, pushing it uphill, and when she reaches the top, it rolls back down right over her; Sisyphus is a hard role to play.

That is the point of Mildred's character. All of her hard work in becoming a successful businesswoman was due to her desire to please Veda and have an excuse - at least in the latter's eyes - for being a lowly waitress in the first place. Because of this major weakness, she will never grow.

Sisyphus IS NOT a difficult role for any good actor or actress. It's a difficult role for modern audiences to accept. And in the post-feminist world, it's a difficult role for audiences to accept when it comes in the form of a female character.