Sturdevant joined the music director search committee in 2008, after feeling left in the dark during the work stoppage. She wanted to be able to experience things firsthand, to sort out fact from fiction. By the time she was involved in contract negotiations as chair of the orchestra musicians’ committee in 2011, the bond between musicians, board, and management had grown, in part through Valliere’s implementation of regular meetings and briefings on the orchestra’s status, to a point where suspicion had been supplanted by collaboration. Instead of being handed edicts after the fact, she says, musicians’ suggestions and input were welcomed during the process. A labor agreement was reached six months ahead of schedule, with everyone believing, according to Sturdevant, that the early accord would assist the orchestra in fundraising efforts. This latest agreement with musicians has some flexibility to create additional service dates for things like new ensembles or community activities; the orchestra is using “ensemble” in the broadest sense
especially during lean economic times. The CSO-CAPA relationship is “well-conceived, well-executed,” he says. “That is the prevailing perspective of our community.” A more stable financial footing has allowed the orchestra to build up some cash reserves and lay the groundwork for an endowment campaign. It also means Valliere can shift attention to his capacity as chief creative officer and focus on a broader range of programming, venues, and community-engagement activities. The CSO’s 2012-13 programming draws on lessons learned from the current season, in which some Masterworks concerts were shifted to the Southern Theatre, a restored opera house downtown. The venue has proven attractive to new and younger audiences, who have responded to the more intimate feel and superior acoustics of the 900-seat theater (vs. the 2,800-seat Ohio Theatre) and to the reconfigured programming offered there. Its smaller stage has been utilized for traditional works that call for a smaller complement of musicians, and for pro-
to include such possibilities as in-school educational ensembles or other to-be-determined ideas as well as chamber groups. Principal Clarinet David Thomas, who has been with the CSO since 1989, says the situation among musicians is improved but that many are wary of issues like those new services, details of which are still to be worked out. On one hand, he says, musicians are justifiably resistant to the idea that work they may have been doing outside their contractual obligations might be co-opted by orchestra management. On the other hand, they realize that it’s an unprecedented time of metamorphosis in the arts world, and orchestras need to create new value and relevance to survive. Thomas imagines future orchestra job descriptions that might include teaching, chamber music, lectures, recitals, and community engagement as part of the package, with both sides needing to exhibit some flexibility and creativity in defining what those roles might be. Principal Trumpet Thomas Battenberg, a 46-year CSO veteran, has navigated with
Instead of being handed edicts after the fact, Principal Bassoon Betsy Sturdevant says, musicians’ suggestions and input were welcomed. A labor agreement was reached six months ahead of schedule.
PROGRAM NOTES Informative and entertaining, with accessible discussion of the music itself, as well as lively historical and cultural background information. Program book editing and layout Special program book articles Understandable musical analysis Text translation
24-hour turnaround on rush jobs Notes for chamber ensembles Audio examples for web sites See samples at:
www.wordprosmusic.com Elizabeth A. Kahn, Ph.D. Joseph S. Kahn, Ph.D. phone: 919 851-2410 wordpros@mindspring.com
40
Symphony Ad 12004
the orchestra from part-time to full-time to perhaps something in between. “We’re all happy to be working—period,” he says. “We wish we had a 48-week season but since we don’t, we’re making the best of it.” He adds that Music Director JeanMarie Zeitouni, who came on board with the 2010-11 season, is a dynamic presence who has good rapport with musicians and has reinvigorated the orchestra artistically. And while musicians haven’t felt many operational changes under the new administrative structure, CAPA’s support has earned the confidence of civic leaders, giving the orchestra an additional boost. Valliere directly credits the CAPA arrangement for bringing in transitional funding from city and regional sources, among others, that, along with the CAPA partnership and concessions in the musicians’ contract, allowed the CSO to end its 2010 fiscal year in the black—a somewhat miraculous feat, and one that was repeated in 2011. Kridler notes that business leaders understand the idea of consolidation, 9/4/05, 12:21 PM
Betsy Sturdevant, CSO principal bassoon and chair of the orchestra musicians’ committee, in 2011
Mary Farrington
WORD PROS, INC.
symphony
spring 2012