Klarinet Archive - Posting 000500.txt from 2005/08
From: "dnleeson" <dnleeson@-----.net>
Subj: RE: [kl] Low Eb in Brahms Symphony
Date: Tue, 30 Aug 2005 16:24:26 -0400
I think Adam's advice is both absolutely sound and very difficult
to follow. You want to shut up, stay out of their way, and hope
that things work out in your favor. Almost any action you take
that would demonstrate the fact that they are screwed up will
hurt you.
What Symphony Orchestras do not have are serious managers of
events relating to logistics. The fact that the conductor was
going to be out of town during your audition and that he would
automatically veto the committee's suggestion relating to you
should have been seen six months ago by the "manager of
logistics." But they don't have such a person and they don't
function intelligently. Orchestral management creates problems by
their casual attitude towards a businesslike environment, and
then presume that they can solve them on the fly.
You see this attitude in almost all activities of an orchestra
and the one you auditioned for is neither better nor worse than
any of the others. None of them have the slightest interest in
creating an environment where the players are treated politely.
Instead, they are viewed as a bunch of babies and disgruntled
artists.
So keep you mouth shut; don't make your presence known; don't
show any displeasure at the events that have occurred; tell
everybody you understand completely; and then go home and kick
the door in, but only if there is no one around who can see you
and report that behavior back to the orchestra committee.
You just show that everything is fine, these people are wise
beyond their years, and you are happy no matter what the outcome.
You also run the risk that the conductor won't like you at all
because he did not pick you. Someone else did.
Just shut up and smile. AND NEVER GET INVOLVED IN ORCHESTRAL
POLITICS.
Dan Leeson
DNLeeson@-----.net
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Michlin [mailto:amichlin@-----.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 30, 2005 1:00 PM
To: klarinet@-----.org
Subject: RE: [kl] Low Eb in Brahms Symphony
Tom,
Yeah, in a professional organization things would be much worse
and much
more complicated... and I'm not just talking professional
orchestras. Then
again, maybe I spent too much time playing with players from the
San Jose
Symphony (no politics there, right Dan? =).
I would discourage you from sitting in or generally trying to
demonstrate
your playing for the conductor. There are two possibilities:
1. Everyone is above board and telling you exactly like it is.
or
2. You are a pawn in the ubiquitous power struggle between the
players and
the conductor.
I guess I should add:
2a. They're just completely disorganized (this is the most
dangerous
situation of all).
If the former, things will work out fine regardless. If the
later, this
conductor may just decide to dislike your playing under any
circumstances
(merely to put the players in their place, not having anything to
do with
you). You'll just get caught in the middle of the power struggle.
Better to
let them (players and conductor) figure out what they want and
approach
you. You don't want to appear pushy and worst of all you don't
want it to
appear to the conductor like the players are pushing you on the
conductor
(even if you are there completely on your own initiative).
Ahhh... politics. Right after death and taxes, I think.
-Adam
At 02:27 PM 8/30/2005 -0500, Tom.Henson@-----.com wrote:
[...]
>I doubt that this type of thing would happen in a professional
>organization, but then again people change their minds and you
just have
>to go with the flow.
[...]
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