SYMPHONY NOTES
BY LAURA ROSS
Looking back
We began our season with John Williams on the podium and end with four performances of his masterpiece Star Wars. As with Harry Potter—we’ve now performed the third and fourth in the series of eight movies—we will perform all nine Star Wars movies in the future. A momentous partnership with the Jewish Federation of Nashville and Middle Tennessee helped us bring the Violins of Hope to Nashville for two-and-a-half months, with a free display in the downtown library. Tieins with other exhibitions included two Civil Rights exhibits at the Frist, more than 50 performances with partners such as the Nashville Ballet, and with guest artists such as Pinchas Zuckerman and Josh Bell. The orchestra performed with the violins on two series concerts: Leshnoff Symphony No. 4, which was recorded with the Violins of Hope for Naxos, and Verdi’s Requiem, a work with historic ties to the Holocaust. In addition, our bass section had the opportunity to perform on a bass once owned by Leo Rosner, a Holocaust survivor and member of Schindler’s List. The historic instrument was loaned to the orchestra by Nashville jazz bassist, Patrick Crossley. As this project wrapped up, the orchestra was gifted with violin No. 17 from the Weinstein’s Violins of Hope collection by the Nashville Jewish Federation. It will be on display and will remain permanently in the Schermerhorn Symphony Center to commemorate our partnership. We’ve said farewell to friends and colleagues while simultaneously welcoming new members. We lost our former Pops
The orchestra was gifted with violin No. 17 from the Weinstein’s Violins of Hope collection by the Nashville Jewish Federation 26 THE NASHVILLE MUSICIAN
AS
the orchestra heads into its final weeks of the season, there is much to reflect upon.
conductor and devoted friend Ronn Huff, who was the best friend musicians ever had. A few weeks ago section second violinist Kenny Barnd announced his retirement this July after 19 years with the Nashville Symphony. Our amazing principal oboist James Button departed at the end of last season for a position in the San Francisco Symphony; he recently received tenure in that orchestra. We said hello in January and now say farewell to assistant/second/e-flat clarinetist Eric Abramowitz as he takes on a new position with the Toronto Symphony. We also welcomed Matt Abramo to our bass section in January, and both our one-year appointees—Gloria Yun and Leslie Fagan—won positions in the flute section, though not for the positions they initially filled. The orchestra committee worked hard and offered wonderful support to the negotiating committee this season. Violist Michelle Collins and cellist Keith Nicholas rotate off the committee and next season principal timpanist Josh Hickman and principal trombonist Paul Jenkins will join Mindy Whitley, Lynn Peithman, Ali Gooding (currently on maternity leave), ICSOM delegate Brad Mansell and the union steward—me—on the committee.
Successful negotiations
We recently completed negotiations for a new four-year agreement that were cordial and collaborative. This negotiating team was incredibly experienced and thoughtful; every single person had previously served as orchestra committee chair and each member — Brad Mansell, Kevin Jablonski, James Zimmermann, Judith Ablon and I — was proactive and completely involved in the process. We did things differently this time, holding potluck dinners and lunches that allowed the committee to hear individual ideas
and points of view, which in turn helped us develop surveys and assemble our proposals. As union steward, I also keep a continuous list of orchestra committee issues, along with additional thoughts and comments from musicians that come my way between contracts, so these are also informative in this process. We couldn’t have done this without the support of Dave Pomeroy, who was invaluable to the process, and the guidance and leadership we received from our attorney Kevin Case, who was truly impressive. With a complete turnover in our operations staff these past few years it was also important to keep the lines of communication open. Chief Operating Officer Steve Brosvik and Operations Manager Sonja Winkler met with the committee last September to review potential conflicts in regard to contract language. Because of this, many “housekeeping” issues were dealt with quickly and easily and the process ran smoothly. And while the board and management still remain cautious when it comes to the budget, the board leadership ultimately agreed to a four-year agreement that will bring our salaries to $70,050 in the final season. Our musicians, along with a marketing team led by Dan Grossman, have worked very hard these past seasons to increase the earned income percentage—somewhere in the mid-60s—to a level that is unheard of in our industry. Everyone has worked very hard for this success, but there is more work to do to increase contributions. Our musicians are urged to continue participating in patron events to continue breaking down that “fourth” wall between those of us on stage and our supporters. Thanks to their generosity we are able to do what we love to do and have trained our whole lives for, which is to be a member of one of the greatest professional symphony TNM orchestras in the country.