Klarinet Archive - Posting 000874.txt from 1998/04

From: Floyd Williams <f.williams@-----.au>
Subj: Re: National Symphony 2nd Clarinet Job
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 06:04:55 -0400

Jonathan,
the National Symphony has been even more exclusionary in the past. In
1970(when Harold Wright went to Boston) only about 12 people were
invited to audition for the principal clarinet position. This was when
Loren Kitt got the job.

Jonathan Cohler wrote:
>
> I just had a very disconcerting conversation with an arrogant personnel
> manager at the National Symphony by the name of David Bragunier.
>
> One of my top students had sent in her resume and application to audition
> for the 2nd clarinet job there. She was sent an impersonal form letter
> telling her that based on a glance at her resume, she wasn't good enough to
> come and audition!!!!
>
> I called Mr. Bragunier to inform him that she had won prizes at least two
> major international clarinet competitions (including the ICA Competition!).
> I also asked why they were limiting the number of auditionees arbitrarily.
> He exclaimed that they had 200 applicants, and I said "so what!"
>
> If people can't audition for jobs, and are going to be excluded arbitrarily
> based on what a paper resume says, then the system will be inherantly
> unfair and biased. Furthermore, it encourages (and essentially guarantees)
> that the vast majority of applicants will lie on their resumes in order to
> ensure themselves an audition spot.
>
> I am well aware that this is precisely what happens in the world of
> conductors where the number of audition slots is necessarily very limited.
> But I have never heard of a major orchestra limiting the audition pool so
> dramatically.
>
> If there are other major orchestras doing this, it is just another
> unfortunate sign of the decline of classical music.
>
> There is absolutely no reason that a major orchestra cannot afford to
> listen to 200 applicants for a position in the orchestra (especially a
> wind, brass or percussion position). If each auditionee gets 7 minutes,
> that would be 1400 minutes or roughly 24 hours of audition time for round
> one. Considering that the people who get these jobs often stay in the
> orchestra for 5, 10 or more years, the orchestra should be obliged to spend
> at least 24 hours looking for the best possible candidate.
>
> To do any less is a disservice to the world of classical music and National
> Symphony should be ashamed of themselves.
>
> I left a message with Mr. Bragunier to have Loren Kitt call me back about
> this subject, although Mr. Bragunier didn't seem to be in a very helpful
> mood.
>
> If Loren is on this list, or somebody knows him, I would love to hear from you.
>
> I also wonder how others feel about this exclusionary practice of the
> National Symphony Orchestra.
>
> I also wonder how Stanley Drucker would have felt if he was told he
> couldn't audition for the New York Philharmonic when he was 19, because his
> resume didn't show enough experience. Or how about John Bruce Yeh when he
> was 19 and auditioning for the Chicago Symphony. Or....
>
> -------------------------
> Jonathan Cohler
> cohler@-----.net

--
Floyd Williams
Queensland Conservatorium-Griffith University