Posted on June 29, 2011 at 11:37 am by Tony Woodcock
in Uncategorized |

AcousticaElectronica AcousticaElectronica. Quite a mouthful to say, but then again – quite an idea. The concept of the show was simple. Blend the virtuosity found in the classical concert hall with the energy of the late-night dance club.   The show seeks to reconcile two worlds that are seemingly distant- classical and electronic. We didn’t want cliché, though. We felt that it was not enough to take an existing piece then add a beat and effects. We wanted to totally restructure the DNA of the music. Sound sacrilegious? Maybe, but a hell of a lot more fun. Check out our remix of a Faure chanson. The pieces seemed to fall into place. Recent graduate from the Master’s program in classical percussion,

Rich Chwastiak (AKA The Wig) (more...)

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Posted on June 26, 2011 at 11:07 am by Ramon Ricker
in Being a Professional, Musicans as Brands, professional |

What Is a Brand and Is Yours a Good One—What Is Your Brand? The last blog gave a few definitions to work with. Now think about your brand. And it isn’t just about your playing, but we can start with that. What do people think of when they think of you? Make a list and write it down. Here’s an example of a hypothetical musician. Good player, great sound, terrific technique, OK sight-reader, inexperienced in orchestra and show work, a little unreliable, no car (you have to give him a ride), can be argumentative. Does this list describe a person you would hire to play a show? Maybe not. His brand has too many negatives, or liabilities. But in reality some of the listed negatives could be based on isolated incidences. The person who views this player as unreliable and argumentative could be basing that on hearsay or on just one observed occurrence. Musicians who wear several different hats (read: Legos) may be able to extend their brands to adapt to various situations. For example, a person who is a fine composer could also be a great instrumentalist and make violin bows as well. It’s possible that some may be familiar with this person only as a composer and have no idea of these other talents. I hope that it is clear here that the type of good brand building I am talking about is based on good deeds and good playing, both of which occur in an organic sort of way. I’m not talking about a brand that is artificially created by an agency for a movie star, pop-music artist or boy band. I’m talking about the reputation that everyday musicians build over time, as they go about their daily work. As previously stated, a strong brand is identified with a message or image that is meaningful to the consumer, stands apart from other brands and that the consumer feels good about using. Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger and Bono are all strong well-known brands. These are the brands of music mega-stars. But, there are also strong brands that are known only by the musicians in a particular subset of the music world. Think of orchestral trombonists, flutists, concertmasters, jazz saxophonists or bassists. Within each small music business subset there are those who stand out above the rest. The musicians in that field know their names. This is true of every community of local musicians, for example in your town or school. Your brand is built over time and is determined not only by how well you play, but also on how you handle yourself. Recitals, performances and publications all contribute (read: Legos), but even non-musical things play a part in your brand, as well. For example, the people with whom you associate, your appearance, as well as your personality all add to or detract from your brand. It takes a considerable amount of time to build a good brand, but it can be tarnished very quickly with sub-par performance or actions. It only takes one example of sloppy technique to create doubt in the minds of others regarding your expertise. There is probably truth in the old saying, “You are only as good as your last gig.” No comments

Posted on June 21, 2011 at 4:47 pm by Ann Drinan
in General |

The Plenary Session on Wednesday morning, June 8, was titled Red Alert and began with a most interesting address by Jesse Rosen, President and CEO of the League.

Below are highlights from Jesse’s speech; his speech will be published separately as an article. You can watch a video of the entire plenary session by clicking here.

Jesse: The  League is committed to making sure that orchestras continue to thrive – we want them in our world, safe and healthy. On March 20, the YouTube symphony,  representing  33 countries, played to an audience of 33 million people, shattering the previous record of 11 million for a U2 concert. So symphonies are not dead.

But how can we not only succeed, but also thrive? There’s been an increase in deficits, bankruptcies and closings. The average orchestra deficit in 2005 was $193,000. In 2009 it had gone up to $697,000. In 2008, 50% of orchestras reported deficits; the very next year that number had increased to 70%. Many signs suggest that for orchestras, this crisis simply accelerated existing, long-term negative trends. Detroit, Philadelphia, Syracuse, Honolulu, New Mexico, and Louisville, are all examples of organizations with a past history of fragility. The recession has merely brought home and exacerbated the long-term structural problems that many orchestras have been facing for some time.

(more…)

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Posted on June 21, 2011 at 3:12 pm by Robert Levine
in General |

Heard on a small Indiana public radio station:

Next, we’ll hear the overture to “Die, Meistersinger!” by Richard Wagner.

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Posted on June 16, 2011 at 11:15 am by Ramon Ricker
in Musicans as Brands, professional |

The next several “lessons” will center around the professional musician as a business—a store—where clients can get musical expertise. If you buy into the idea that musicians are small businesses, you can take it a step further. Companies spend a good deal of time and money thinking about, developing and protecting their brands, and there are business professionals who think about this on a daily basis. What follows will be six, or so, blogs discussing musicians and brands. What Is a Brand and Is Yours a Good One—Some Definitions What is the first thing you think of when the company Coca-Cola is mentioned—how about Apple or Mercedes? These are all strong brands that have distinct images associated with them. As a musician you also have a brand. You, Inc. means something to those who want to hire you. Let’s think about that in business terms for a minute. Put on your business hat again. Here come some definitions. “A brand is a trademark or distinctive name identifying a product or a manufacturer.”1  And brand equity is a set of assets and liabilities linked to a brand (name and/or symbol) that add to or subtract from the value provided by a product or service to a firm and/or to that firm’s customers. 2  Whew! Even I have to read that last sentence twice! As musicians we don’t often think in these terms, but whether intentional or not musicians develop their brands too. Some would call it your reputation or image. Picture a musician like Yo-Yo Ma. What do you think of when you hear his name? It could be—he’s at the top of his field, artistic musician, wholesome, diversity, multi-cultural, wide-range of music, personable, good guy, etc. How about Wynton Marsalis? It could be—cultural roots, has respect for the history of jazz music and its preservation, great classical as well as jazz musician, Lincoln Center Jazz, Juilliard, etc. (read: diverse Legos). If Miles Davis is thought of in the same manner it could be—innovative, legendary, cool, hip, bad boy, eccentric, etc. In business a strong brand is identified with a message or image that is meaningful to the consumer. It stands apart from other brands and the consumer feels good about using it. Marsalis, Ma and Davis are all strong brands. It could be argued that there are other musicians who are equally talented and artistic, but the brand of these three musicians sets them apart from the pack. Some might perceive Davis’s brand as having some negative descriptors, but remember what is perceived as negative to some can be positive to others (or reason to go to a concert to see and hear what this person is about). When people consider going to a Marsalis or Ma concert or purchasing one of their recordings, they base much of their decision on past experiences with these artists. For example, they saw Wynton on television. They liked what they saw and heard, and therefore decided to check him out in a live concert. This potential concert-goer was linking back to past experience in an effort to predict future outcomes. “I like his recordings. I’ll like him at a concert. We’ll have a good time. Let’s buy a ticket.” We will talk about your brand in the next blog post. FN: 1 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000 2. David A. Aaker and Erich Joachimsthaler, Brand Leadership (New York: The Free Press, 2000), p. 17. No comments

Posted on June 15, 2011 at 3:00 pm by Yvonne Caruthers
in General |

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m sorry, but I don’t think we can choose a player for our orchestra from these candidates.” Has anyone you know heard words similar to those recently? I wouldn’t be surprised if you said “yes” because it’s been happening across the country with increasing frequency for several years now. A couple weeks ago I listened to the finals of an audition and was stunned to learn later that in spite of the great playing I heard, no one “won” the audition. The finalists were clearly well prepared, had plenty of experience, seemed cool, calm, and collected…but no one was “good enough” to win. (more…)

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Posted on June 15, 2011 at 12:02 pm by Tony Woodcock
in Uncategorized |

This blog has spent a great deal of time and space and generated considerable commentary and debate on the subject of the future of Orchestras in this country. The current situation is well-documented – orchestras going out of business completely (Honolulu, New Mexico, Syracuse), filing for Chapter 11 (Philadelphia, Louisville) or experiencing internecine warfare through strikes (Detroit, Cleveland). It was heartening therefore to see the League of American Orchestras revise the agenda of its Annual Conference, which ended in Minneapolis last week, to discuss “the issues.” The League’s role has never been to lead the charge, since it represents, serves, and reflects its members. However, the ground swell of concern and discussion had reached such a critical mass that the League’s President Jesse Rosen felt it imperative to add a “Red Alert” 90-minute plenary session. This was, in itself, a brave and courageous move because the field has been in denial for a long time. Previously, discussion of this sort was relegated to whispered conversation outside the formal program. But, then, Rosen went for the jugular: “It is time to face our brutal truths,” he asserted. And he pretty much laid it out as it really is: •    Declining revenues and rising costs •    Donor fatigue •    Performance excellence is not enough and orchestras “must find new ways to relate to and serve their communities.” •    Stagnant product delivery systems. This is what the Knight Foundation described as the “vehicle of delivery” requiring much more creativity and diversity. •    Lack of overall diversity meaning that an orchestral organization really does not reflect the contemporary world in which it tries to survive

Jesse Rosen

He goes on to talk about some possible solutions. You can hear his complete address on YouTube. Personally I would like to have seen a major mention about the changing role of musicians and how they need to be brought into the discussion and have full ownership of this new way forward. It is implicit in the above but I feel it needs to be explicit and central. But I have to say “Bravo, Jesse.” Thank you for having the mettle to put it out there. Just this simple act will breathe oxygen into a system starved of debate, because it “provides permission and encouragement for people to openly engage.” I find the word “permission” in this context to be startling, but there you have it. Maybe this isn’t the Arab Spring, or the Berlin Wall of 1989, but, my word, it is a start. There are 12 long months before the next League conference and so much work and reinvention that needs to happen in that period of time. Let us hope that in June 2012 we will hear about some new models, based on rejuvenation and the widest reaches of musicians’ creativity that will start to empower the whole field. No comments

Posted on June 14, 2011 at 2:55 pm by James Undercofler
in main |

I recently returned from a trip in the Netherlands, where I had been invited to experience and comment on programs and research being conducted in a Dutch Lectorate (research group) within the Prince Claus Conservatoire in the Hanze University in Groningen. The leader of the lectorate, Rineke Smilde, is a long-time friend and colleague. (more...) No comments

Posted on June 13, 2011 at 8:31 pm by Ann Drinan
in General |

I attended the 2011 League of American Orchestras Conference in Minneapolis last week (June 7 – 9) and have much to tell about what I experienced. I’ll be turning my notes into blog posts over the next few weeks, letting you experience a bit of what Conference is all about. One of the most frustrating parts is when they break into “Toolboxes” and have 15+ sessions happening simultaneously. I’m always interested in way more than the two I can attend. (more…)

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Posted on June 10, 2011 at 2:04 pm by Robert Levine
in General |

It is only one measure of the unique position that Fred Zenone held in our field that both the League of American Orchestras and ICSOM are honoring his memory at their respective conferences this summer. I was asked to make the presentation of the Gold Baton, the League’s highest recognition, to Pat Zenone, Fred’s widow, on Thursday, June 9 at the League’s conference in Minneapolis. This is what I told the conference attendees:

Sir Isaac Newton once wrote to a colleague “if I have seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.” It is a phrase that inevitably comes to mind when contemplating giants like Fred Zenone, because all those who work to make life better for orchestra musicians build on his achievements. (more…)

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