 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: GBK
Date: 2011-05-09 21:12
Steve Williamson, co-principal at the Met, has been chosen as principal clarinetist of the CSO.
...GBK
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Author: GBK
Date: 2011-05-09 21:34
curiousclarinetist wrote:
> I'm confused? I've heard Todd Levy is on trial? Is this
> information false?
Don't believe everything you read (or write) on Facebook ![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
...GBK
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Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2011-05-09 21:50
Indeed, my guess is that the CSO audition committee and conductor are smarter than false information and self-advertising that is prone to be put up on the rumor mill of this web site.
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Author: Tobin
Date: 2011-05-09 22:58
Does this mean it's time to start laying bets as to who is right?
James
Gnothi Seauton
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Author: clarinettist1104
Date: 2011-05-09 23:05
Red Chair wrote:
> GBK: 1
> Curiousclarinetist: 0
rather than Curiousclarinetist, it should be James Zimmerman, who has been running a reliable clarinet jobs page. Curiousclarinetist is merely relaying the same information that i read on the facebook page also.
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Author: mb190d
Date: 2011-05-09 23:36
Now the Met needs another principal. Maybe Jon Manasse will get the job he covered for a few years after ricardo left.
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Author: dgclarinet
Date: 2011-05-09 23:42
Assuming that this is the real story:
So they choose Williamson (a great choice in my mind no matter how chosen) in a private afternoon audition...after so many great clarinetists went through two different audition processes? And people like Carbonare auditioned by playing concerts? Again, I don't even know what to think. What will the union say about this...isn't this what the union is for? Or does the union have any say over anything besides collecting dues?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2011-05-10 01:30
"I was just assuming the information to be correct. It very often is."
Not very good journalism. In your rush to be the first to post, you forgot an important rule -- verify your facts. You've lost some credibility.
"Her shoulder, I am female"
We only have your word for that and, frankly, your word hasn't proven to be very reliable. If you'll lie about your name, you could just as easily lie about your gender (and your mouthpiece collection, your experience, and just about anything else). You have zero credibility.
jnk
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Author: GBK
Date: 2011-05-10 02:09
dgclarinet wrote:
> Assuming that this is the real story:
> So they choose Williamson (a great choice in my mind no matter
> how chosen) in a private afternoon audition...after so many great
> clarinetists went through two different audition processes?
> And people like Carbonare auditioned by playing concerts?
> Again, I don't even know what to think. What will the union say
> about this...isn't this what the union is for? Or does the union
> have any say over anything besides collecting dues?
Steve was heard by the full audition committee along with the music director, the same as with every other finalist of every other CSO audition.
There were no “private” auditions of any kind, at any time for the principal clarinet position – or any other position for that matter.
Hopefully, you all realize, it was not about finding the “best” player – it was all about finding the best player for the CSO.
...GBK
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2011-05-10 02:23
The Met orchestra seems to be the great proving ground for clarinetists. First it was Ricardo Morales to Philly and now Steve Williamson to Chicago. Can Anthony McGill be far behind? He's certainly got the chops.
Ken Shaw
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Author: kdk ★2017
Date: 2011-05-10 04:34
GBK wrote:
>
> Hopefully, you all realize, it was not about finding the
> “best” player – it was all about finding the best player
> for the CSO.
>
> ...GBK
Well, second best, anyway. ;-)
Seems perhaps more than coincidental that this announcement followed so closely on the heals of Ricardo Morales's being confirmed officially as Drucker's successor, as though they still held out hope that Morales might reconsider and accept Chicago's appointment after all.
Karl
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Author: donald
Date: 2011-05-10 10:07
Steve Williamson is a fabulous musician, i really look forward to hearing his work with CSO.
dn
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Author: William
Date: 2011-05-10 14:44
A sad case of the "grass being greener on the other side of the fence". No doubt that Steve will play wonderfully in the CSO, but no better than [imho] John Bruce-Yeh has been doing as interm principal since Larry Combs retired. Like my old college band director, Ray Dvorak, always used to muse....."an expert is someone who is from fifty miles out of town" and being from the NYC Metropolitan Opera probably carried a bit of "wow factor" to the audition committe ears. Well, good luck Steve and try not to sqweek on your first big solo.....LOL.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-05-10 14:53
Good for Steve, he's a great player. As far as McGill making a move, playing one of the two principal positions in the Met is no slouch job, especially since he seems to get time off to go around the country, and world, to do his thing. But who knows, maybe in a few years he'll go to Philly if Ricardo decides to stay in NY. Nice to have those choices isn't it?
As far as the union goes, in answer to dgclarinet, they don't really care as long as it's a fair audition and the audition committee approves the appointment and procedure per their contract agreement. In many orchestra's, once there has been an opened audition and no one gets the job they are then allowed to hear individuals without going through the entire opened audition process again. So that means they could invite as many players as they wish to have in "private" auditions. But remember, each orchestra has their own rules spelled out in their master contract as to how the procedure can be done. That's been happening in Chicago and New York for several years now. Here in Baltimore, the conductor must have at least two members of the committee vote yes to hire a player and the committee must have the conductors vote to hire someone. Each orchestra is different and their contracts are approved by their local unions. ESP http://eddiesclarinet.com
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-05-10 15:38
It's not a slouch job, but it doesn't pay as well as a full time Principal player does in a major orchestra.
The Co-Principal position does cut down on the salary. CSO is full time one player doing the job. The Met has two Principals.
CSO might not be double, but I'll be it's around 70% more.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: cigleris
Date: 2011-05-10 17:03
Are you sure David? I would imagine that an opera job pays more. It certainly does here in London. Royal Opera House and English National Opera are well paid in comparison to some orchestral positions.
Peter Cigleris
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2011-05-10 17:25
Opera yes, split position no.
If a Major Principal Position pays say $250k, do you think that the group has $500k to pay 2 Principals??
No, it's more like $180 for each at best.
That's still $360k for a $250k position, so could be less......
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: Ed
Date: 2011-05-10 18:57
I always thought that the Met had 2 principal players, which is different. Maybe someone with knowledge of this job can offer input.
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/about/whoweare/detail.aspx?id=3
Post Edited (2011-05-10 19:19)
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Author: clarinettist1104
Date: 2011-05-10 19:11
They do lots of playing! with many operas, and many performances of each opera! We've seen Mr. McGill on here before, maybe he can straighten things out!
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Author: ddavani
Date: 2011-05-10 23:36
Yeah, since the Met Opera performs so many productions per year, I think 20 or so (I see about 8 every year) and they play almost every day of the week, they need two principals so that they can be fresh for all of their performances, it would be a ton of work for just one person.
-Dave Davani
http://allclarinet.blogspot.com/
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Author: Mcgillab
Date: 2011-05-10 23:37
Hi everyone,
You called??? My wonderful colleague Steve and I don't split our salaries. Without disclosing too much, especially with orchestras going through lots of problems financially, I will say that people go to other orchestras from the Met mainly to play less hours!!! Or to change lifestyles, or repertoire, live in a cheaper city. Not to get substantially richer. I think most of us would have gone into finance if that was the motivation, well maybe not anymore I will just say that David's numbers are off by a very large percentage. Probably because salaries change, people come and go and most of the orchestras we are talking about, including the MET, pay their principal players very well. BTW as far as I know the MET is a major orchestra, in one of the most famous cultural institutions in the world So, yes, Steve has a wonderful choice.
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Author: Dileep Gangolli
Date: 2011-05-11 01:00
Well I for one would have liked to have had the Hometown Kid win.
But I guess he will have to suffer playing Parto Parto with Rene Fleming and reserve the third TUE of every fourth JAN for presidential inaugurations.
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Author: Ed Palanker
Date: 2011-05-11 16:04
Don't forget, many of the big orchestras have either co-principals or assistant principals and although they may not always split the repertoire they do get to play principal on many pieces and concerts. Depends on the section and conductor of course, but they do play first often. I think in most orchestras the principals get between 25 and 50 percent above scale depending on their ability to demand what they feel they deserve. I'm sure there are some that get more than that and some may even get less. In most orchestra that I know of the other wind players also make something above scale too depending on the instrument and position they play. Anthony McGill has it right, sometimes a player leaves the met because of the work load and wants to play on the stage instead of in the pit. ESP
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