{"id":3110,"date":"2009-09-14T01:10:44","date_gmt":"2009-09-14T08:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/?p=3110"},"modified":"2009-09-14T01:10:44","modified_gmt":"2009-09-14T08:10:44","slug":"a-behind-the-scenes-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/09\/14\/a-behind-the-scenes-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"a behind-the-scenes hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bob McClung is one of those people who has been vital to the smooth day to day operation of the Oregon Symphony, but unless you were taking care to notice the tuxedo clad man who gave flowers to the soloists on stage after their performances (often stealing a peck on the cheek from the women), you probably wouldn’t know you’d seen him many times.\u00a0 Bob just retired as the OSO’s stage manager after nine years of setting the bar at the highest level.<\/p>\n

The stage manager is such an important person in the running of a symphony orchestra.\u00a0 He makes sure that all 70 odd musicians get the correct chair for every rehearsal and concert, including run-outs.\u00a0 He ensures that the orchestra can fit on stage (sometimes barely) with guest artist groups of every size and description (and decibel level).\u00a0 He makes sure that the heat or A\/C is either on or off, depending on how it’s affecting some of the more temperature sensitive instruments and individuals.\u00a0 And the responsibilities go on and on – there likely isn’t a man in the symphony who hasn’t worn one of Bob’s black jackets or gaffer’s tape bow ties because of some wardrobe malfunction.<\/p>\n

Basically, Bob’s been our go-to guy for the last nine years.\u00a0 If something was wrong, he’d do his damnedest to make sure that it was made right.\u00a0 He worked long hours, and never seemed to complain.\u00a0 There was always a warm smile and greeting at the beginning of the season – seeing Bob at the stage entrance felt like coming home again.\u00a0 Bob, thanks so much – I’ll miss you a great deal.\u00a0 Don’t be a stranger.\u00a0 You’re always welcome wherever and whenever you want.<\/p>\n

\"Bob
\nBob McClung and his wife Jan backstage at the waterfront concert.<\/a><\/p>\n

So here are some words of thanks and admiration from some of Bob’s biggest fans at the Oregon Symphony.\u00a0 Enjoy.<\/p>\n

Mary Crist<\/strong>, OSO Vice President and General Manager: Bob was the best stage manager I have ever encountered – intuitive, savvy, smart, gracious and deeply experienced.\u00a0 Those fish he plans to catch in his retirement stand no chance.<\/p>\n

Charles Calmer<\/strong>, OSO Artistic Administrator: I completely agree with Mary and I too have worked with several stage managers.\u00a0 I would also add that Bob was sensational at anticipating potential problems and then “solving” them before they could occur.\u00a0 We are all replaceable, except for Bob.<\/p>\n

Anne Stevenson<\/strong>, OSO Operations Manager: Bob had an ability to plan staging and set changes that made our concerts run smoothly and he could problem solve with a quickness that was uncanny.\u00a0 Bob always made sure musicians, staff, and guest artists and conductors were comfortable. He did all this with kindness and graciousness and I will miss him terribly.<\/p>\n

Bridget Kelly<\/strong>, OSO Director of Musician Resources: I have known Bob since he \u201cevolved\u201d into our stage manager. As a musician I admired his ability to deal with emotions (mine sometimes) and to soothe frustrated players. Did he ever get angry? Maybe, but you would never see it, he appeared unruffled and in control; he was there to make our lives run smoothly. Now from my perspective as a member of the staff, I have been given the gift of getting to know him better, to enjoy his quirky sense of humor and good natured fun; his aplomb at working with everyone back stage and on stage is remarkable. I truly believe he could run the show single handedly, and on some occasions, probably did. He is a gentleman in the true sense of the word; a gentle man with a huge heart.<\/p>\n

Niel DePonte<\/strong>, OSO Principal percussionist: Bob did so much for us in the percussion section, fixed equipment, moved equipment, found us parts to repair things, helped us to not squeak on our risers by reinforcing them (OVER AND OVER), somehow managed to always find us enough space on stage in which to operate, provided plexi-shields to others to keep us from frying peoples’ ears, and on and on and on. Then there were the myriad things he did as a volunteer, helped with Martha Herby’s memorial tributes, shared equipment and access to get equipment to the ballet, and the ballet and opera percussionists, helped us finish our crossword puzzles as percussionists, hornists and others groped for words backstage between pieces, helped us keep our cool and perspective when the logistics were going to hell in a hand basket, or members of staff or orchestra were a bit “over the top” about…well, whatever! Bob was always Mr. Cool, Mr. I Can Fix That, Mr. I Am There For You. I know Tim will be a great successor to Bob, but he’ll be the first to tell you that he has big shoes to fill. Which is why the percussionists always give presents at Xmas to Bob and the crew. We couldn’t survive without them and their generous spirits and intentions to make our lives easier. I always felt they respected what we do and how hard it is sometimes to do it. And we respected Bob more than we could ever say.<\/p>\n

Martha Warrington<\/strong>, OSO violist and Personnel Manager: When my son Charles was in high school, he was required to do a 40-hour job shadowing internship. He could not bear the thought of going into an office and watching people push paper around. I talked with Bob, who graciously agreed to take Charles under wing for a week. It was a busy week that included classical concerts, including a runout to Salem, and a Baroque Special, with many soloists and set changes. Bob welcomed Charles and gave him real work to do, treating him with respect and courtesy. The long day of the Salem runout ended around 3:00 AM, with Bob delivering Charles back home so I wouldn\u2019t have to get up in the middle of the night to pick him up once the crew was finished loading everything back into the Schnitz. The week was a good one for my son, and I have always been grateful to Bob for that time.<\/p>\n

Bob Naglee<\/strong>, OSO bassoonist: I can say is that if anything was missing on stage ( like a bassoon stand or two) Bob dealt with it immediately and in the most professional manner. In my 49 years with the orchestra I have never seen the job done so well and it saddens me that we are losing him.<\/p>\n

Nancy Ives<\/strong>, OSO Principal cellist: Bob McClung is the consummate stage manager, but my love and admiration for him goes beyond his considerable professional competency. What a heart! He has been the kindness and generosity that hold the whole operation together, and with grace and unfailing prowess, he has demonstrated how to simultaneously serve and lead. He is: mind reader, diplomat, champion weight lifter, McGyver-caliber problem solver…and how many times have we turned to each other and called him a saint? The phrase “above and beyond the call of duty” long ago ceased being adequate to describe Bob’s way of working.<\/p>\n

Jason Schooler<\/strong>, OSO double bassist: Bob McClung is by far the best Stage Manager I have ever worked with. He is the definition of the expression: “nothing is too hard, and the impossible just takes a little longer.” But not only is he a “miracle worker” at his job, he also is one of the kindest and nicest persons I know. Without a doubt, my years with the OSO have been a pleasure and a joy, in no small way, due to the fact that Bob has been there making things run smoothly and making me smile with his wit and gracious attitude. And he has always gone above and beyond the call of duty. More than once he has bailed me out by having an extra bow tie or an extra tux jacket or an extra shirt for a concert. It is clear that Bob gave more than 100% and I am blessed to have had the privilege to work with such a professional and outstanding man. Thank you Bob. I love you.<\/p>\n

Carol Williams<\/strong>, frequent OSO french horn substitute and extra: My thoughts are just that he helped me through two pregnancies and we teased him about being a lactation aid.\u00a0 In addition to being so nice to me as a pregnant person he also had to run around finding me places to pump milk and always provided comfortable chairs, plug-ins (sometimes with 20-foot extensions to get to the plug), a table, and privacy!\u00a0 He was always cheerful doing it too even though it caused him extra work. What a great person and he will be so missed around the symphony.<\/p>\n

Peggy Swafford<\/strong>, retired OSO violist (and poet laureate of the OSO):<\/p>\n

When I came to the back door of the Snitz and struggled to get through it
\nWho was there to help – Bob<\/p>\n

When I needed help with my chair or stand on stage
\nWho was there instantly to help \u2013 Bob<\/p>\n

When I would call frantically asking if there was any room to park
\nWho answered and said \u201cCome on down – always room for you\u201d \u2013 Bob<\/p>\n

I knew if I needed anything
\nWho would instantly show up at my elbow – Bob.<\/p>\n

Sally Kuhns<\/strong>, retired OSO trumpeter: Bob McClung is a truly wonderful person who has given outstanding service and friendship to us all in the symphony. Hours and hours more than ever needed Bob has always been there cheerfully helping us neurotic musicians with stressful requests. I really do love Bob. He was so helpful to me when I was in the orchestra, always helping me and looking after what special chair I had and making sure I was not in the line of fire from loud noises. He has even make special trips outside of the hall with his truck to my house to help out. I treasure his warm way with everyone and wish him all the very very best always.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bob McClung is one of those people who has been vital to the smooth day to day operation of the Oregon Symphony, but unless you were taking care to notice the tuxedo clad man who gave flowers to the soloists on stage after their performances (often stealing a peck on the cheek from the women), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":303,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[1841,3668],"class_list":["post-3110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-bob-mcclung","tag-oregon-symphony"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-Oa","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3200,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/04\/classical-1-initial-thoughts\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":0},"title":"classical 1 initial thoughts","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 4, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Last night was a bit of a strange concert, at least speaking for myself from my vantage point on the stage.\u00a0 First of all, there was the sobering sight of empty seats in the hall - lots of them.\u00a0 It's not as though this is a strange program - Brahms\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3294,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/26\/a-new-way-to-look-at-the-oregon-symphony\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":1},"title":"a new way to look at the oregon symphony","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 26, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"After our last classical series concert, the orchestra stayed for an extra 30 minutes to get an important job done: it was orchestra photo night.\u00a0 Every few years, a new portrait of the orchestra and its music director is taken.\u00a0 In virtually every other year, the photo is a standard,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"RCO001_VanBoxteljpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/RCO001_VanBoxteljpg-400x322.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3236,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/10\/09\/kimura-parker-responds-to-review-of-symphony\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":2},"title":"kimura parker responds to review of symphony","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 9, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"In case you've missed it in your day's rounds of the internet, Jon Kimura Parker, soloist with the orchestra last week in the Brahms d minor piano concerto, responded to David Stabler's review (a markedly negative one) of the performance: We live in a fascinating time where reviewers cannot hide\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "appreciation"","block_context":{"text":"appreciation","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/appreciations\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jon Kimura Parker 2 (c) Kent Lacin sits opus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/10\/Jon-Kimura-Parker-2-c-Kent-Lacin-sits-opus-400x337.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":847,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/03\/13\/northwest-horn-orchestra\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":3},"title":"northwest horn orchestra","author":"Charles Noble","date":"March 13, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Jen Harrison, free-lance horn player extraordinaire, sent out the following - sounds like a fun time: THE NORTHWEST HORN ORCHESTRA TAKES THE STAGE March 22nd @ 8pm at The Old Church 1422 SW 11th, in downtown Portland. Tickets at the door: $8 for adults\/ $5 for students and seniors. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "chamber music"","block_context":{"text":"chamber music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/chamber-music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"fh.jpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/03\/fh.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":497,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2007\/10\/19\/perspective\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":4},"title":"perspective","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 19, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I wasn't able to attend the Oregon Symphony's annual membership meeting this afternoon due to teaching commitments, but I did read the summary by local arts journalist James Bash, and I have some thoughts of my own. First of all, it must be said that the financial situation of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "the orchestra world"","block_context":{"text":"the orchestra world","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/the-orchestra-world\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":984,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/05\/22\/all-good-things\/","url_meta":{"origin":3110,"position":5},"title":"all good things…","author":"Charles Noble","date":"May 22, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"...must come to an end, and so, today is the last day of work for us at the Oregon Symphony until the 2008-2009 season begins in late August.\u00c2\u00a0 Fittingly, tonight's concert is a thank you to all of our hard working donors and volunteers who have helped to keep the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/303"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}