Falling back into the "first trap"
Here we go again
If you’re missing the drama of the NCAA Football Coaching Carousel, may I suggest taking a look at orchestras appointing their new music directors? Tis the season.
Daniel Harding heads to the LA Philharmonic
Elim Chan heads to the San Francisco Symphony
Leonard Slatkin returns to the Nashville Symphony
Pablo Bortolameolli officially steps in with Phoenix
Alexander Shelley began with the Pacific Symphony
Anna Handler is added as Conductor in Residence in LA
Yiran Zhao and Jaku Przycybien are added as assistants in Boston
Klaus Mäkelä heads to the Chicago Symphony
Andris Nelsons is not renewed in Boston
Xian Zhang just started in Seattle
Esa Pekka Salonen dramatically left San Francisco
and of course Gustavo Dudamel finished the transition to the New York Philharmonic
It is a little bit fun to watch the shuffle. Should you be so inclined as to discuss these appointments, however, I want to help you avoid falling into what I like to call the First Trap.
The “first woman!”
The “first person of color!”
Easy rhetoric. Obvious headline. But here’s the thing.
Musicians are so much more than our proximity to white men.
I wrote about this phenomenon for WUOL in 2022, upon Jonathon Heyward’s appointment in Baltimore and Melisse Brunet’s in Lexington. In both cases, the “first” was the lede. But 1/4 of the way into the 21st century, I don’t know that a “first” is anything to be proud of. It merely begs a particular question:
What took you so long?
It’s a tiresome conversation when you think about it. Lazy at best, but also frequently patronizing. How disappointed must Marin Alsop, JoAnn Falletta, Paul Freeman, Julius P. Williams, and so many more be to see the “novelty” in these introductions so many years later? Improved representation is not in and of itself an achievement. It is a course correction.
I think what’s especially irking me as well this go-around is the Big Five factor, recently identified by critic Anne Midgette on social media, calling the designation “silly.” She’s right. It’s an old and limiting idea, identifying the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra as the five elite ensembles in the USA. The League of American Orchestras has more broad tiers for ensembles, but they are related to budget rather than any sort of artistic achievement.
Contemporary musical life does not really obey that map any more. Midgette’s comment section immediately filled with other examples of elite orchestras not on the old list: Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Nashville, Minnesota, Buffalo, Pacific, and more. And groups like the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, and Apollo’s Fire defy categorization, but also will naturally boast a smaller budget - they have fewer players.
Last week I re-shared a comparison of classical music to Birkin bags and Moonswatches. It was an essay that attempted to reframe classical music as a luxury good/experience, albeit one that should be accessible to the entire public. But I also pointed out that with orchestras, just like with fashion brands, we should not value a name with a reputation of excellence over actual excellence. It’s far too easy to get excited about the actions of one of the Big Five orchestras just because of who they are. It is far more challenging to do the research around the country, and figure out who is making the most interesting sounds.
If you have the biggest, baddest budget, hall, and reputation, you had better be putting on incredible shows and making innovative and important recordings. That’s your baseline. If you’re on a smaller budget, then you have a much larger limitation to work within. So in institutions outside of the Big Five, when something dazzles, it shines far more brightly. It’s a game of top dog and under dog.
Consider what the narrative could have been:
The Los Angeles Philharmonic hired a conductor who, during the COVID pandemic, took a sabbatical from orchestral work to be a commercial pilot.
The San Francisco Symphony hired one who enjoys boxing recreationally.
The Nashville Symphony made a short term appointment of a conductor who has acted as intermediary before, and who is a massive baseball fan.
The Chicago Symphony’s new conductor is considering writing a cookbook.
The New York Philharmonic’s previous conductor left because the grind of too many orchestras was keeping him away from his family.
And both San Francisco and Chicago’s appointees are millennials.
Isn’t that much more interesting than learning it’s another elder or wunderkind musician who started training in preschool and attended the most elite institutions? These are artists’ stories that can reach out to an audience and help them connect. They are relatable, and in their own way also elite. I want to know what those artists have to say.
Knowing the current state of arts philanthropy, the Big Five will need to find a new way to be relatable if they want to stay on top, even only as measured by budget. In the meantime, I hope those of us who write about the business continue to keep our eyes and ears open.
There’s always more going on than whatever the elite voices are saying.
-Colleen
PS - I was sad to see one of the most bold chamber orchestras in the USA have to cancel next season as a result of budgetary woes. If you haven’t enjoyed the Chicago Sinfonietta’s album Project W, you should check it out.
The ensemble was founded in 1987 by conductor Paul Freeman, host of the public radio program The Global Maestro.