{"id":7835,"date":"2012-09-08T14:14:14","date_gmt":"2012-09-08T21:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/?p=7835"},"modified":"2013-02-07T21:12:03","modified_gmt":"2013-02-08T05:12:03","slug":"are-we-expendable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/09\/08\/are-we-expendable\/","title":{"rendered":"are we expendable?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I just read this article<\/a> published today about the contract negotiations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Here’s one section – in particular, the last paragraph – that incensed me:<\/p>\n

If the Minnesota Orchestra’s proposed cuts are approved, would that mean a
\nsignificant turnover among its 85 musicians? The orchestra’s principal
\ntrombonist, R. Douglas Wright, is a member of the negotiating committee who
\nthinks so.<\/p>\n

“A change of five musicians could make a big difference in the sound,
\ndepending upon which musicians,” Wright said. “If their proposal passes as
\nis, we’re going to lose a lot more than five.”<\/p>\n

Board chair Campbell accepts there could be some turnover.<\/p>\n

“The number of highly trained musicians that this country is producing every
\nyear is really quite remarkable,” he said Wednesday. “If you just take the
\ntop echelon of music schools in the U.S., they produce almost 3,000
\nperforming artists a year. So couple what’s happening in the marketplace
\nwith a large supply — not to dismiss the fact that we don’t want to lose
\nany of our wonderful musicians — but there may be some changes.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hate making sports analogies, but this is like saying that thousands of college athletes are turning out for football, and they are all so highly qualified that they can step in and replace starting players for the NFL. What this board member fails to mention is that many, many college athletes (and music majors) might do well at the college level, but will fail to win national auditions for the biggest orchestras. Music schools don’t turn out uniformly excellent and qualified musicians – even the most prestigious among those schools, the conservatories, produce musicians who, for one reason or another, never gain employment in their chosen field.<\/p>\n

The point made by the trombonist is right on the money – of the thousands of music school graduates, and even of the hundreds that are the cream of the crop, there may be only a few that will fit in with the sound concept and ethos of a particular ensemble. Principal players, especially, are very difficult to find a match for. In wind sections, just the change of one member of any section can create the need for playing adjustments that might take years to make from the rest of the section members, and the entire wind section as a whole. And that is just with the best possible candidate being offered the job.<\/p>\n

I see a very disturbing trend coming from the management side: the business model of the for-profit corporation is starting to be ever more aggressively pushed on the non-profit sector. Some of these ideas can have merit, such as in marketing and sales. But the symphony orchestra cannot be downsized or outsource and remain what it was meant to be. It’s like tearing down the Louvre and putting up photos of the artworks up on line. Yes, we can still see the Mona Lisa, but that is no substitute for the real thing in its intended setting.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I just read this article published today about the contract negotiations in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Here’s one section – in particular, the last paragraph – that incensed me: If the Minnesota Orchestra’s proposed cuts are approved, would that mean a significant turnover among its 85 musicians? The orchestra’s principal trombonist, R. Douglas Wright, is […]<\/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":[1783,186,2],"tags":[407,177,3130],"class_list":["post-7835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-administration-the-orchestra-world-music","category-labor-issues","category-the-orchestra-world","tag-minnesota-orchestra","tag-negotiations","tag-st-paul-chamber-orchestra"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa8kC-22n","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2952,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/08\/06\/more-cuts-at-us-orchestras\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":0},"title":"more cuts at US orchestras","author":"Charles Noble","date":"August 6, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Minnesota Orchestra and Houston Symphony have just concluded negotiations with their musicians that have resulted in substantial cuts in wages, either via pay cuts, unpaid furloughs, or both. In Minnesota [from the Minneapolis Star-Tribune]: Musicians at the Minnesota Orchestra have agreed to concessions in the face of financial pressures\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13981,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2016\/01\/20\/forth-worth-symphony-musicians-give-strike-authorization\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":1},"title":"Forth Worth Symphony musicians give strike authorization","author":"Charles Noble","date":"January 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Is this the next big labor dispute after Minnesota and Hartford? It certainly is shaping up to be. The rhetoric from the orchestra's management definitely seems to be from the same play book as those other orchestras. A strike authorization vote doesn't necessarily mean a strike is unavoidable, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"fw-sym-mus","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/fw-sym-mus-e1453341207473.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/fw-sym-mus-e1453341207473.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/fw-sym-mus-e1453341207473.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/fw-sym-mus-e1453341207473.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2623,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2009\/06\/01\/philly-orch-players-take-cuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":2},"title":"philly orch players take cuts","author":"Charles Noble","date":"June 1, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Philadelphia Orchestra under Charles Dutoit (Chris Lee photo). The Philadelphia Orchestra's musicians have agreed to delay a slated 4.8 percent pay raise in their current contract as well as accept the temporary elimination of their Electronic Media Guarantee (EMG) and other work rules and benefits concessions. Following the trend of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"philpic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/06\/phillyseason460px-400x266.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7893,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/09\/30\/minnesota-musicians-counter-offers-rejected\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":3},"title":"minnesota musicians’ counter offers rejected","author":"Charles Noble","date":"September 30, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Press release from the Minnesota Orchestra musicians: BREAKING NEWS: Management Rejects Two Musician Counter Offers Minneapolis \u2013 The management of the Minnesota Orchestra rejected two counter offers by the Musicians today. Musicians have been making counter offers to avoid being locked out at midnight tonight. Management seems determined to lock\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "labor issues"","block_context":{"text":"labor issues","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/music\/labor-issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1197,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2008\/10\/01\/orchestral-blogs\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":4},"title":"orchestral blogs","author":"Charles Noble","date":"October 1, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I write one of the few blogs independently-penned by an orchestra member, and I'm not sure why it's such a lonely job description.\u00c2\u00a0 However, a rapidly expanding area of classical music blogs are blogs that are written as part of a symphony orchestra's public relations and\/or artistic arms.\u00c2\u00a0 Here's a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bloggers"","block_context":{"text":"bloggers","link":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/category\/bloggers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/09\/ssoblog-400x105.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7891,"url":"https:\/\/www.nobleviola.com\/wordpress\/2012\/09\/29\/minnesota-musicians-reject-last-contract-offer\/","url_meta":{"origin":7835,"position":5},"title":"minnesota musicians reject ‘last’ contract offer","author":"Charles Noble","date":"September 29, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"From the Minnesota Star Tribune: \u00a0 The Minnesota Orchestra is on the brink of its first work stoppage since 1994. Union musicians voted unanimously on Saturday evening to reject what management had described as its final contract offer. 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