by Erin R. Freeman, conductor

I’ve been thinking about Atlanta. Just today, a performance that I conducted was on the local radio – Missa Solemnis, made possible by the generous spirit of several in Atlanta who guided me through the difficult work. Tomorrow, I rehearse my chorus in Mahler Second Symphony – a piece I performed, recorded, toured, and passed out in with the Atlanta Symphony. And Wednesday, I have to finish programming my holiday concert – always inspired by the perfection of the Atlanta model.

Also, I’ve been asked by several to make a statement on the current situation in Atlanta. It’s tricky for various reasons, least of which is that I don’t know all of the details. Also, I have so much to say that cannot fit in one tiny post. Already, what is below is probably way too long.   And, most frightening to me: I’ve been taught throughout the years to stay out of such things. After all, ‘they’ say it’s none of my business and my career could be ruined.

But, I just don’t think I could live with myself if I didn’t express my total, complete, and undying love, affection, and awe for the Atlanta Symphony. So, here goes. No solutions, no judgment. Just one person’s perspective on what an institution driven by artistic excellence can do.

I was six. We dressed up, drove through tree-lined Ansley Park, found a free parking spot, and crossed the sprawling and impressive Peachtree street to the big, square building with the promise of greatness inside. We went all the way up to the top balcony and sat in the very last row. Too small to see over the heads in front of me, I precociously propped myself on the back of the chair.

The stage slowly filled with people. First the musicians of the orchestra, one by one. Then, a group of children in plaid vests, looking straight ahead at the podium as if something magical was about to happen. A men’s chorus in impressive suits took their place, followed by the wondrous sea of blue.

The single A, followed by an organized cacophony (is there such a thing?) quickly became one of my favorite sounds, as it heralded the life altering experience that was to soon to follow.

Then, the man himself entered. Unassuming in stride but mighty in presence, he stepped on the podium with work to do – an intangible task to complete.

Then, a bell. A single chime rang forth, followed by the smooth sound of the people in blue as they sang a sinewy and mysterious line. Chill bumps still raise when I think of the stage bursting forth with “Rejoice, Rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to Thee, O Israel.”

Transfixed, I barely had time to catch my breath when a man began “Comforting” me. Then, again, the sea of blue and the people in tuxes exploded into a joyful, musical, Handelian dance.

I, like many, can probably recall the exact order of each year of the Christmas with Robert Shaw, from the mysterious opening chime to the triumphant conclusion of Bach Dona Nobis Pacem. For me, that first experience with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (and friends) made me. It was the music, the mass of people, the conductor, and excellence that molded who I am, what I do, and how I strive to be.

From that point on, I knew I had to one day be up there on stage with that excellence. Somehow, at age 6, I set that goal for myself. I was going be in the Atlanta Symphony Chorus come hell or high water.

It was no easy task.

• I joined a children’s choir. There, I was coached by people who had moved to Atlanta to be a part of the great Atlanta Symphony tradition. As a member of this chorus, I too dressed in a plaid vest and sang in the hallowed “Christmas with Robert Shaw.” In those concerts, I learned the meaning of artistic excellence, discipline, and artistic inspiration.

• I took piano lessons with the pianist of the Atlanta Symphony. She had moved to Atlanta with her violinist husband to be a part of the great Atlanta Symphony tradition. Because of her and her husband, I learned what true focus and practice was; I met the likes of Emmanuel Ax; and I witnessed first hand the physical and mental sacrifice of professional musicians.

• In school, I joined the chorus, taught by someone who moved to Atlanta to be a part of the great Atlanta Symphony tradition. I had some of the best teachers in the country because I happened to be in Atlanta, the destination for all smart singers.

• I ushered for the Atlanta Symphony throughout high school – almost every week. I heard Mahler (lots of Mahler), Brahms, and Tchaikovsky. I heard Gil Shaham, Joshua Bell, Sylvia McNair, and Jessye Norman (all of whom came to Atlanta to, yes, be a part of the great Atlanta Symphony tradition). And, of course, I heard the mighty sea of blue.

• All of this inspiration and excellence was intimidating, for sure, but it pushed me. In order to join the ASOC, I knew I had to sight read flawlessly, learn the instruments of the orchestra, and sing perfectly in tune. In order to join the great Atlanta Symphony tradition, I had to have good grades, be on time, and study my music from every angle.

If you’re reading this, you probably know the end of this story. My senior year of high school, I got in. At the end of each rehearsal, I would go home and cry, feeling equally thankful that I had experienced the last two and half hours with Mr. Shaw and his sea of excellence and fearful that something would happen that would make that Monday the last.

But for today, that’s not the end of the story.

Since then the ASO musicians and staff have supported me in my musical endeavors – inviting me to sing for Mr. Shaw’s memorial service, offering library guidance, opening up rehearsals and coaching sessions, meeting for programming advice, and even fielding many small and large e-mail and phone questions. When I’m back home, I buy a ticket and sit in the audience with chill bumps as I listen to many of the same players who were in the orchestra when I was a kid – all playing alongside newer members who have traveled from around the world to be a part of the mighty ASO. I still get so excited that at times I’m tempted to prop myself up on the back of the chair to get a better look at the intensity, the focus, the size, the grandness and gentleness of it all.

Still, however, my ASO love story is not over.

For as much as the great Atlanta Symphony tradition has attracted musicians to town to teach, inspire, and mold the likes of precocious 6 year olds, the same Atlanta Symphony tradition has also made its way across the country in small but meaningful ways. I know many who were trained in the school of ASO excellence who are far more accomplished than I and have done more justice to the great musical legend of the south, but I can only speak for myself and share that the ASO has through me taught tens of thousands of students to hear orchestral music; encouraged hundreds (probably more) of adult amateurs to pick up their instruments again; grown the ranks of a chorus originally founded over 40 years ago to sing with Mr. Shaw to a full-season chorus about to perform the likes of Mahler, Bernstein, and Orff; helped several students get into college – students who without music might not have graduated from high school; commissioned works by living composers; and demanded from thousands of students a level of excellence of which I hope Mr. Shaw and his sea of blue would be proud. I don’t say this to brag, because this is all part and parcel of being a conductor and a teacher. Rather, I credit the ASO University for inspiring me and pushing me to gain the skills, determination, and presence of mind needed to accomplish such tasks. And, I credit the ASO tradition for bringing teachers and conductors to Atlanta who reinforced such discipline of purpose.

I do not know the answer to the current issues. I’ve served on non-profit boards, been an orchestra staff member, a librarian, a volunteer singer and a paid singer, conducted, taught, budgeted, and lectured, so I know that the answer is beyond complicated. But I have also gotten chill bumps at the mere thought of an Atlanta Symphony performance, so I know that the solution is worth spending the time to discover and the artistic legacy is worth saving.

My greatest hope is that when the news of an answer does arrive, all of us schooled in the Atlanta Symphony tradition will go home and cry tears of gratitude that we will continue to be buoyed by the sea of artistic excellence for which the Atlanta Symphony is known locally, nationally, and across the globe. No more tears of fear that this Monday may be our last.

September 22, 2014

From the singers of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus (ASOC):

An open letter to the management of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Woodruff Arts Center:

We, the members of the ASOC, declare our unwavering support for and solidarity with the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in their effort to continue to provide our city with nationally and internationally recognized first-class performances of the orchestral and choral repertoire.

We are a group of volunteers, and so are not subjects of the recent contract negotiations directly. However, we believe that we know this orchestra as well as anyone, since we have stood behind them for the last 44 years since Robert Shaw established us, and we stand behind them today. It pains us to see what they are experiencing, not only because of the harm to them as individuals, but also because of what we see as the long-lasting harm that can come to our making extraordinary music together.

The musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra can no longer perform as a result of a lockout imposed upon them by the ASO management. This lockout occurred despite the diligent efforts of the musicians to meet face-to-face with management in an attempt to avoid shutting down the ASO season.

Management believes it holds all the cards. During the last negotiations in 2012, the ASO musicians agreed to salary cuts of 14 percent, largely due to a reduction in the ASO schedule from 52 weeks to 42 weeks. As a result, some of the ASOʼs top musicians have left for other orchestras. They did not want to leave Atlanta and a symphony orchestra widely acknowledged to be one of the countryʼs best. They had no choice, as recent negotiations have made clear.

There has been a remarkable lack of good faith in these negotiations. ASO President and CEO Stanley Romanstein, who makes $360,000 annually plus bonuses, refused all requests to meet with the musicians during the final hours before the 2012-2014 collective bargaining agreement expired, forcing them to submit their proposals via email, despite the fact that they had offered to continue working under the previous agreement while negotiations continued.

The Woodruff Arts Center and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra management appear to believe that downsizing and reducing the quality of the orchestra will somehow reduce a deficit that has actually dropped substantially over the last two years, largely due to concessions the musicians have made. The proposed four-year contract would offer the musicians no raise in the first year and minor raises in subsequent years, all of which would be more than offset by increases in the amounts they would have to pay for health care. In addition, and perhaps even more importantly, management has demanded that the size of the full-time complement of the orchestra be left undetermined in the contract, a condition that is completely unacceptable to any self-respecting orchestra. Management has also demanded that they have a final say in the selection of orchestra personnel, an artistic decision that has always been and should always remain solely the province of the Music Director.

The proposed agreement is so egregious that internationally acclaimed Music Director Robert Spano and Principal Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles have taken the unprecedented step of weighing in to ask the board and management “to acknowledge the sacrifice the musicians have already made, and to examine other ways and areas to establish sustainability.” Spanoʼs commitment to the ASO is such that he has donated a substantial amount of his salary to the Symphony and personally has helped fund an appearance at Carnegie Hall last spring that management would not finance.

We are members of the unpaid ASO Chorus, an award-winning group of dedicated singers who donate our time, talents, and energy to ensure that the players of the ASO have a choral organization worthy of their high standards. We have a long shared history with the ASO and we stand solidly behind these professionals in their efforts to ensure that the ASO remains one of the countryʼs most respected musical organizations. Atlanta should be proud of these dedicated men and women. They have given up enough. It is time for the ASO management and the City of Atlanta to reward them, not just for the sacrifices they have made over the last two years but for the amazing professionals they have been and continue to be. The loss of the ASO for even a few months is something no city that claims to be an international destination should countenance.

Signed by 154 Members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus
(Ranging in Years of Service in the ASOC from 5 Charter Members (1970) to 13 New Members)

A Report Card for the WAC I have been struggling to write my feelings about this current lockout situation, but I just couldn’t find the right words to express what is going on in my heart.  And then Monday night, in the midst of a powerful musical experience, it suddenly came into clear focus.  As members of the ASO Chorus performed on the picket line to express our support for the orchestra, the three acappella pieces felt poignant and appropriate to the occasion.   But as we sang the Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, it felt all wrong.  There was no orchestra underneath us driving the triplet motif that adds such energy to the choral part.  And then, when we reached the climax of this section, there was no orchestra to continue on.  There was just silence, and it was deafening.

Think of the long history this work has with the orchestra and chorus -- the life-changing performances behind the Iron Curtain, anniversary celebrations in Symphony Hall, honoring Robert Shaw at the Kennedy Center and on and on. It has marked our shared times of great excitement and great sadness, and it is a piece that requires both an orchestra and a chorus. Is the silence we heard last night what we have to expect for Atlanta’s future? I can’t even comprehend what that would mean.

The orchestra has already been decimated and demoralized by the contract enacted two years ago.  I have watched the steady exodus going on over the past few years of fantastic players heading out to other orchestras.  This exodus began even before the 2012 contract dispute because it was already evident that the symphony and arts center leadership didn’t see a lot of value in maintaining the integrity of the orchestra. Not only have treasured players left for other places to perform, but equally treasured performers have just given up and retired because they could see the writing on the wall.  I hate the fact that such brilliant musicians and dear friends have been forced into these decisions.  I really do believe that the WAC wants to get rid of the orchestra, though why they would want to do this is a mystery.

This is not an insignificant issue and I believe that there are some facts that may be unknown to the general public.  Some facts tell the story of mismanagement and questionable decisions while others reveal the quality of the musicians we are fighting to save.  I am certainly not an expert, but I offer the following information in the hopes it will further inform the public about what is happening on the corner of Peachtree and 15th Streets.

The Woodruff Arts Center is registered as a nonprofit entity through a single 501(c)(3).  This means that the ASO, the High Museum and the Alliance Theater all share the same 501(c)(3). The Atlanta College of Art was once a part of that same 501(c)(3), but the WAC decided over strong protest to merge the ACA with the Savannah College of Art and Design, this just months after a major construction project had built new facilities and dorms for the ACA within the WAC.  Now SCAD is located in another midtown complex though they use some of the ACA facilities that were built during that construction project.  I don’t know the status of SCAD’s 501(c)(3), though I suspect they were already incorporated and have maintained their own number.

In addition to dumping the ACA and merging with SCAD over protests, the WAC also went against the advice of the education departments of all their performing divisions and invited Young Audiences to become a part of their umbrella as well.  Now consider this – the ASO, the High and the Alliance all have education departments that offer school programs and other educational activities.  They all depend on resources from these programs to help fund their educational activities.  Young Audiences also provides programs that go out to schools, and with limited arts dollars available for schools to book arts programs, they often have to choose between YA programs and those of the WAC performing divisions.  So why would the WAC in essence ask the competition to come into their house?

The WAC wrings every possible dollar out of its partners and patrons.  If the ASO or the High or the Alliance wants to book a room in the center for a presentation of some sort, they must pay exorbitant rental fees to the WAC.  If they want a table or chairs, they have to rent those from the WAC as well, and even pay rental for tablecloths and skirts because the WAC requires that all tables be skirted.  For many years, members of the ASO Chorus had to pay parking fees to park in the WAC garage, even though all chorus members volunteer their time and pay to make the trip to the center for as many as 280 hours each season.  A WAC corporate patron donated parking space to the chorus, but the walk from the upper levels of the 1180 Peachtree Street parking deck is pretty far.  Several members of the chorus have physical limitations and are unable to make that long walk, but the WAC only allows them discount parking of $5 on some Monday nights.  The rest of the time, they pay $12 a night to park there, even though the chorus is donating time to make money for the ASO and the WAC.  During a performance week with three rehearsal nights and three performance nights, that is $65 that they pay in parking fees alone.  Multiply that times 6 or 7 performance weeks in a season, and it becomes quite expensive to do this volunteer job that we all love.

The Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra is another group of volunteers who actually pay hundreds of dollars in tuition for the privilege of being a part of that orchestra.  They perform amazing concerts that are equal to or better than those of many professional or semi-professional regional orchestras.  They perform on the ASO family concerts season and other concerts that bring in money to the ASO and the WAC.  They just learned today that their upcoming auditions have been cancelled, with management blaming this decision on the ASO musicians, who, being locked out, cannot attend.  The ASYO is one of the leading youth orchestras in the country and students in the Atlanta area plan and prepare for years to be able to perform with them.  Now their plans have hit a wall, and it is possible that they will miss this entire year.  What a waste of educational opportunities in a state that doesn’t even have an arts requirement built into their core curriculum.  And in yet another unbelievable act of bad judgment, the ASO has contacted everyone who has applied to audition asking them if they would like to donate their application fees back to the organization.

The ASO’s Talent Development Program is nationally recognized for its mission to identify and prepare musically gifted African American and Latino students for admission to the country’s top music programs and for careers in classical music.  After 20 years, this program now boasts students in the leading conservatories and music schools, as well as graduates performing in all areas of music and teaching the next generations of musicians.  One graduate of both the ASYO and the TDP, Mason Morton, is competing tonight at Radio City Music Hall as one of 6 finalist acts in America’s Got Talent.  Will we now lose these years of preparation to the indifference of the WAC?

The ASO has won 27 Grammy Awards, many of which are in the categories of best recording (classical, choral, orchestral, opera) of the year.  This is equivalent to song or album of the year in the non-classical Grammy awards.  How does that compare to other well-known musicians? Quincy Jones and Alison Krauss have also won 27.  U2 and Stevie Wonder have 22 each.  Bruce Springsteen has won 20, and Aretha Franklin, 18. And what about some of the superstars of music? The Beatles have 8, and Elvis has only 3.  Clearly, the ASO is world class, Virginia Hepner!

The ASO Chorus and Chamber Chorus are also world class.  They have appeared both with the ASO and with other orchestras in the some of the best-known performance spaces in the world.

The Chorus made its Carnegie Hall debut in 1976 with a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 and has returned to perform there 23 different times.  It performed in the Kennedy Center for President-elect Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Concert in 1977 and again in 1991 for the Kennedy Center Honors given to Robert Shaw. In 1988, it accompanied the Orchestra on its first European tour, performing in New York, East Berlin, Zürich, Ludwigsburg, Paris, Bristol and London. It has appeared with the ASO for televised concerts on several occasions, including the 1995 national broadcast of the orchestra's 50th-anniversary celebration and the statewide telecast honoring the Chorus's own 25th anniversary. With the ASO it appeared in the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Olympic Games, broadcast worldwide. The Choruses have been featured twice at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, in a residency with the ASO and Robert Spano at California's Ojai Festival, and have taken three trips to Germany with conductor Donald Runnicles to be a special guest of the Berlin Philharmonic at their home, the Berlin Philharmonie. No one needs to make a subjective determination about whether the ASO’s performing forces are world class.  The facts speak for themselves.

The city of Atlanta and the state of Georgia woefully underfund the arts.  In yet another tale of being at the bottom of a ranking, Georgia ranks 49th in per capita arts funding, behind the other southeastern states of Virginia – 36th, South Carolina – 34th, Mississippi – 32nd, Louisiana – 30th, Kentucky – 28th, Florida – 26th, Alabama – 25th, North Carolina - 21st, Arkansas – 16th and Tennessee – 11th.  Only Arizona is lower than Georgia, but they have a state tax that supports the arts.  In a 2012 article in Creative Loafing, Flora Maria Garcia, executive director for the Metro Atlanta Arts & Culture Coalition, stated, “Georgia spends 40 cents per capita on the arts while Tennessee spends $1.33 per capita and Alabama spends $1.22 per capita”.  Can’t Georgia do any better than this?

I am sorry to say that I am embarrassed right now to be the center of an international spotlight that is shining brightly on Georgia, on Atlanta, and on the Woodruff Arts Center.  And why is it that the international media are more interested in what is happening here than the local media?  If you think that this is just a bunch of elitist musicians fighting for something that means little to you, consider an Atlanta without the current Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.  It is well documented that major corporations and businesses look for a culturally rich environment when considering locating in a city. How many businesses will look elsewhere when they can’t offer their employees such a cultural environment?  How many current corporations located in Atlanta will think about moving to a location that is more well-rounded than Atlanta?

There are hundreds of lives at stake here – the orchestra musicians, their families, the young people involved in the ASO’s educational programs, the Chorus members, the symphony patrons. When you start spreading out into degrees of separation, the affected lives begin to mount up. The proposed cuts simply cannot happen.  They are totally unacceptable.  The WAC clearly does not want the ASO to succeed. If the ASO needs to get out from under the WAC umbrella, what will it take to make that happen?  Where will they play in the meantime?  How will they get their money out of the convoluted accounting practices at the WAC?

We have big problems here, and we need big ideas and big answers. Otherwise, there is only silence.

Brenda Pruitt
Alto II
25 seasons (since 1990)

What Atlanta Deserves

Two years ago, I wrote a number of posts for this blog. In the name of efficiency, this time around I merged all the possible topics into one very long piece. It’s very long. It’s a call to Atlanta’s movers and shakers to provide leadership and philanthropy on the same level as what the Atlanta arts scene saw in the 1960’s after the Orly disaster, with the first task being to re-organize and resuscitate the ASO.

The executive summary is as follows:

1 – Atlanta has the economic power to support the arts at a world-class level. We also have potential arts leaders who have both business sense and an uncompromising standard of excellence.

2 – The financial stability and growth of the orchestra is inherently limited by the structure of the WAC. The WAC-supported ASO administration has failed at every level to perform its responsibilities in advancing the interests of the orchestra and earning the trust and support of the community.

3 – The solution to the downward spiral requires an independent philanthropic organization to come forward in the near-term and for the WAC to work with them to transition responsibility for the ASO, without any further damage to the artistic integrity of the institution, or deterioration in the ASO’s and WAC’s relationship with this community.

It’s time for the ASO to separate from the WAC. If you agree we have come down this old country lane as far as we can, and that it’s about to turn into a cow path that ends in a cliff, please read on.

Is this the future of the fine arts in Atlanta?

http://www.gashakespeare.org/

This beloved Atlanta theater company, which has tried to do everything right, artistically and financially, and to which founder/artistic director Richard Garner has given his talent and energy for thirty years, is on the edge of the abyss. In the very honest letter on their home page, they state: “We frankly believe that support must come from larger gifts.”

It’s not that GA Shakes is in any way trivializing the smaller donations it receives from its loyal audience: those $50 and $500 and $5000 gifts add up, and they are a crucial component in any arts organization’s budget. But many small donors do not always equal a large donor, and that equation becomes increasingly difficult to balance as the size of the organization and the scope of its activities increase. To grow the “product offering”, to improve the artistic level, to expand the reach into the community – all this entails increased costs. And the larger the budget – the more substantial are the gifts that must be obtained.

For financial pragmatists – such as many of the WAC’s board, whose success has come in the world of for-profit business – the idea of a charitable organization being sustained by charity, in denial of market economics, is uncomfortable, if not unacceptable. But the arts have always required support over and above what they are able to charge for any given creative “product”. To grow an arts organization, let alone to sustain it at a certain level, there must be bedrock donors whose contributions ensure the stability of the organization over the long haul. This brings to mind names like Carnegie, Rockefeller, Woodruff. These individuals shared a value system that impelled them to return some part of their monetary success to their communities, often relinquishing personal control over the specifics of how their gifts were used. These individuals and families recognized the importance of community cohesion (Rockefeller Center); education (Goizueta Business School); academic research (Nobel prizes); and most of all, the arts (Carnegie Hall, where the ASO will be noticeably absent this season).

Are there still true philanthropists of this caliber? In the second decade of the 21st-century, we must speak now less of individuals in this role – although there are many here who have generously shared with the ASO, the High Museum, and other area arts organizations. But in 2014, financing performing arts at the highest level requires, more than ever before, corporate and civic philanthropic involvement. But this is Atlanta, not New York. Where could such support come from?

Is there that type of corporate money in Atlanta?

http://www.ajc.com/news/business/metro-atlanta-worlds-44th-biggest-economy/ngPxr/

http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/business/data/fortune-500-1000-hq

What about state and city involvement? This is a necessary element not only because of the resources they can bring to the table, but because for many large donors, commitment of government support legitimizes their own investment. There never seems to be a question of opening the doors to the vaults if a sports team or sports association (e.g. NASCAR) comes knocking. But these guys are not just leveraging high-profile athletes and events in their quest for funding; they aggressively seek out and build productive business relationships with those that can help them. So it’s a no-brainer that the ASO President and the WAC Chairman – whoever they may be at the moment – should be on first-name terms with Gov. Deal and Mayor Reed (or their successors) if they want their organization to flourish. Our elected officials, who are elected to SERVE, need to be sold on the professional arts, just like on professional sports. After all, they are using the Grammy-winning, “world-class” ASO to attract new business investment, and new tax-paying residents, to Atlanta and Georgia:

http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/atlanta/culture

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/atlanta-symphony-orchestra

Atlanta needs to reinvigorate the concept of philanthropy – corporate, civic, and personal – if it truly aspires to be an international city. We are lucky and certainly very grateful for our stalwarts like Delta and Coca-Cola, but their numbers to be increased. We are missing some high-profile corporate names, some of whom are disaffected from events long in the past. We need to bring them, and other bedrock donors, back into the fold. Those who are making money in Atlanta, need to be encouraged to return it to Atlanta in a manner that both benefits the community and provides a larger legacy to the donor.

However, bedrock donors won’t contribute if they don’t have confidence their money will be managed wisely. I’m convinced that there are substantial sums of money up for grabs in this town, but those agencies are not willing to dump it down the black hole of the WAC’s convoluted allocation system – and who can blame them? No one trusts this organization (meaning, the ASO component of the WAC, and by extension, the WAC) to be a responsible fiscal steward. This is not an organization that produces any credible financial data – and, in their defense, they may not know how to do that. If you have a loss, you have a loss – that’s part of business. But you better be able to show that you understand how and why you had the loss, and what your plan is to avoid a re-occurrence.

The ASO administration loses money, without explanation. They rob the endowment because fund-raising and expanding the donor base is hard work (and how can the advertised amount siphoned from the endowment have reduced it by an equal amount in a period of stock market growth? When indeed my own meager investment in stock over the same period quadrupled (thank you, Delta!)? Does somebody have time to run the numbers based on what’s been reported? The numbers are either wrong or the financial management of the endowment is extremely poor). Oh, and that annoying little embezzlement imbroglio has been addressed elsewhere, but if you think it’s gone away:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4401#.VBEdomd0xaQ

But regardless of the warnings posted by the Charity Navigator (intended primarily for individual giving), the ASO is not an organization that confidently reaches out to the business community for support. For starters, in order to do that you have to know and believe in your product at least as well as your prospective patrons know and believe in theirs. These people don’t know the product, and they don’t know their potential donors’ positions. The administrative wing of the ASO consists of many younger, inexperienced personnel, with inexperienced managers providing inadequate guidance. They are well-intentioned, and some perhaps care about the arts, but they flounder in an attempt to learn on the job, and they are certainly not compensated at a level that would induce them to care very much whether the organization succeeds. You could replace them with knowledgeable, proficient personnel at a ratio of 1:3. The salary expense would be the same, but the results would be so, so different.

We must accept this reality: currently, the WAC/ASO is a manufacturer with a product they do not believe in, have little knowledge of, and do not know how to market. Ticket sales are poor, and the solution is to reduce the quality of the product, which now will have even less marketability (the “downward spiral”). The marketing “strategy” (AKA “Sex in the Symphony Hall)”), has failed to galvanize a younger, less affluent audience – they can find similar images in a lot of other venues without paying for a night out at the Arts Center – and confused and diluted the brand.

But most critically, for a non-profit that must constantly be presenting its case for viability to the larger audience of the metro Atlanta area, what is absolutely clear is that within the administrative organization itself, there is no passion. There is no vision. And most fatally, there is no leadership.
That this nadir has been reached during the tenure of Romanstein, Ph.D is not entirely Stanley’s fault. He accepted a job he thought he could do. He overpromised and underperformed: this happens when, through inexperience, you do not correctly assess the scope of the task; the available resources, and the engagement of the community itself. At the time he interviewed, Ph.D may have been promised support that did not subsequently appear, and he may have been given to understand the financial situation and prospects of the orchestra as something other than what they actually were. But it wasn’t his first time around the block either. He knew at some level what he was stepping into. And his employers hired someone who had no demonstrable experience, successful or otherwise, as head of an organization the size and stature of the ASO. But whatever the terms of his hire, or the consequences of his on-the-job training, his job performance – so often denigrated in the blogosphere – has met the expectations of his most important critics – his management.

If Ph.D was not accomplishing his annual job objectives, he wouldn’t have been re-hired for another 3-year tour. If comparable to his sign-on pay, his recent 3-year extension totals around $1M. That’s not out of line for a person in an executive position, but it’s certainly at a compensation level that begs analysis of the ROI.

From the public perspective – well-articulated across the Web – the consensus is that Ph.D has accomplished only Shermanesque devastation of the Atlanta professional classical music scene. From the regrettably consistent typos in the concert programs, to the inept handling of public communications, to the dwindling concert attendance, all inexorably leading to the insanity of the lockouts – it’s been a debacle. All the experienced hands at the higher levels of the ASO administration left within a year of Ph.D’s arrival. To fill the voids, he promoted from within those who were not ready to be promoted, and hired cheap labor for the rest of the vacancies, in the process, growing a staff that did not need to be expanded and at one time threatened to have as many administrators as there were orchestra members. Additionally, without experienced mentors and any clear leadership vision, the work ethic and the strategic course of the organization began to falter. This was apparent to anyone in front of or on the stage of Symphony Hall over the last several years.

And so we staggered to the present day, where an inexperienced, uncertain CEO is supported by an inexperienced, uncertain staff, and the ship they are supposed to steer is headed into the rocks. But the imminent shipwreck apparently serves the purposes of those who offered that contract extension to Ph.D. Someone is getting their money’s worth.

But it ain’t Atlanta, at least not the Atlanta where I came to start a new life a decade ago, which deserves better than this – whether Atlanta knows it or not. That Atlanta deserves “world-class” – in the aspirational sense that enabled the wild success of the 1996 Olympics and its heady aftermath. And yes, Virginia, “world-class”, when you advertise it to the world, had better be backed up by the objective assessments of those who are trained and experienced in the relevant subject. Succeeding in your own sphere does not automatically confer the knowledge or ability to determine what is “world-class” in another. All it does is give you a forum from which to euphemistically declare the status quo “good-enough”.

“World-class” is objectively defined by people who are paid to know what is excellent, because they are at the top of their profession, and in a position to make that judgment. People like NYT music critic Anthony Tommasini; our music directors, Robert Spano and Donald Runnicles; our own Atlanta-based composer/critic Mark Gresham; and the guest artists who come here to perform. Yo-Yo Ma, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Garrick Ohlssohn, etc., do not need our concert fees. They don’t need to go on stage with a second-rate back-up band in order to tick the box on another performance. Their on-going presence on our concert schedule indicates they believe in the artistic merit of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as well as this city’s cultural identity. If those values disappear, so will they, along with all the fruits of decades of arts patronage, arts education, and painstaking development of the orchestra from a part-time regional symphony to an acknowledged contender for the top tier of U.S. orchestras.

The ASO does not deserve to be throttled back into a decent regional orchestra, and Atlanta does not deserve to be returned to the status of a second-rate, “good-enough” city. But it will take the will to be “world class” along with the acknowledgment that this is not a subjective valuation, but a descriptor bestowed on deserving institutions by the international community they exist in.
And it will take, undeniably, and inevitably, money. Lots of money. But if there’s enough money in Atlanta to move the Braves to the suburbs; if there’s enough money to build the Falcons a new stadium; there’s enough money to underwrite an independent, restructured Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Because the largest obstacle to the future of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and its role in this community, is its status as a component of the Woodruff Arts Center. No other major symphony orchestra operates under the kind of constraint the ASO now experiences as a ward of the WAC. This was not always the case, of course. In the wake of the Orly tragedy, the magnificent vision of the Memorial Art Center’s founders created within a few years a seminal arts campus. That vision brought the fine arts in Atlanta to maturity through a coordinated strategy to house and promote music, theater, and visual arts. It was a powerful and successful tribute to those who were lost in Paris.

But that is a half-century ago, and the organizational model which served very well at the time of the M/WAC’s founding never evolved as the component organizations evolved. It ceased to work entirely at the point the ASO became not just a very good regional orchestra, but achieved an artistic level where it was recognized internationally. With multiple Grammys, an ever-expanding body of recordings under Maestri Shaw, Levi, Spano and Runnicles, the ASO was headed to the top tier of American orchestras (i.e., among the best in the world – and how I hate to use the past tense).

At that point – to get to that next level – an orchestra requires a substantial investment (to promote touring, to provide or appropriate performance venues, to endow chairs, etc.); an efficient and effective fund-raising mechanism; a constructive and productive rapport with government at the local and state level; and a passionate, competent support organization that can set financial goals and achieve them, while providing the artistic directors the freedom to create and execute a plan to raise the very fine, “good-enough” music-making to artistry that is acknowledged and applauded around the U.S. and the world. There has to be passion. And vision. And leadership.

So, finally, there is really only one solution to the latest phase of this organizational debacle, and that is for the ASO – the orchestra and its necessary administrative structure – to be liberated from the WAC. Theirs has become a dysfunctional relationship in the last several years, independent of the cast of characters that has cycled through the WAC and ASO managements. Liberation can happen in several ways: (1) the ASO can simply shut down and escape this vale of tears through an ignominious death – although, if you have read this far, you probably don’t want to witness that outcome; (2) the ASO splits off from the WAC in an acrimonious melt-and-repour operation (for recent precedent, please see: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/01/arts/music/san-diego-opera-downsizes-to-survive.html?_r=0); or, (3) in conjunction with a philanthropic entity or entities, the ASO and the WAC proactively work to transfer financial and organizational responsibility of the ASO in an orderly manner to an independent group (for precedent, see every other major symphony in America). The adversarial environment which is corroding and threatening to destroy the classical music community in this town needs to be eliminated through mutual admission that the WAC-ASO relationship has run its course.

This path, if it can be mapped out through the leadership of business and civic leaders, allows a win-win solution: the ASO is given a fresh start with the opportunity to charter its own destiny, and the WAC partisans that are hard over on fiscal responsibility can gracefully withdraw to the sidelines without losing face. Assuming all parties can behave like adults and work toward a mutually beneficial resolution, Symphony Hall could still be used, at least in the near-term, thus preserving the benefit that the ASO brings by attracting audiences to the surrounding restaurants and to the Alliance and High. The endowment could be transferred into financial management that is free of any motives except the growth of the funds to benefit the ASO in perpetuity. And the bedrock donors would have the transparency they should rightly enjoy regarding the allocation of their financial support.

The WAC’s own statements say the ASO is a liability to the umbrella organization; consequently, the WAC can’t lambast the costs of the ASO for hitting their bottom line, and then complain if they will lose income if the ASO departs. They have to conclude (and I believe they would) that the best chance for both the WAC and the Orchestra to prosper is to amicably part ways. The High will continue to prosper: people, including myself, will die off and leave their art to swell the collection. The Alliance will always be the first stop for theater in this great theater-town. It is the ASO – simply because of what it is – a large performing arts organization with huge recurring expenses and a constantly evolving product offering – that doesn’t fit the mold any longer. We can remain neighbors and friends, but not relatives.

The dissolution has to happen quickly – the fruit is dying on the vine. I don’t intend to minimize the effort and resources involved in this type of transition – it’s a massive undertaking. But if Atlanta really wants a world-class orchestra, with all its ramifications for the Atlanta arts community, the metro area, the region, and the state – this is the only way to get there.
Nothing guarantees success. There has to be money. There has to be will. There has to be vision. There has to be, most of all, leadership. And even with all those elements, there may still not be success.

But there is no possibility of success in the current environment.

I’m writing this on September 11th. Yes, our little labor dispute dwindles in significance to the problems in the world that began engulfing us on that terrible day. We can’t solve those problems. But we can bind the fraying ties of civilization a bit tighter if we work to maintain the societal values that were attacked on 9/11. We can make the preservation and sustenance of our cultural heritage, at this particular moment manifested in the destiny of our great orchestra, a priority. We can make this part of our world, world-class.

OK, I’m just one of the multitude of $50 donors (maybe hitting $100 on an optimistic day). I can’t do a damn thing to save the ASO except argue as eloquently as I can to convince those who do have the resources; who do believe that great institutions make a great society; and who do value the standard of excellence to which professional artists aspire; to come forward and lead – now, in this critical hour.

Where are Atlanta’s philanthropists of the 21st-century? Where are those that have the passion, the vision, and the desire to lead this city beyond its decades-long inferiority complex to take center stage on an international platform? Where are those dedicated – like the Atlanta Arts Alliance in the 1960’s - to be a part of a legacy that, yes, it will bear your names, but it will also be something larger, something that will be here long after you depart, enriching your children’s children, and their children? Step up, Atlanta, shake hands with Ph.D, Virginia, and their fellows, and let them gracefully exit the stage while you take the wheel to steer us into a new direction where there are calm seas, and a prosperous voyage.

Step up to the plate, and give Atlanta what you, the ASO, the arts, and all of us – deserve.

Laurie Cronin
ASOC Alto I #361

A letter from our dearest friends, Ken and Carolyn Meltzer. There aren't enough thank-you's for these two ATL Symphony Musician supporters.Our letter to Virginia Hepner, sent yesterday:

Dear Virginia:

Carolyn and I are writing to you as long-time contributors to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Over the past several years, we have contributed at the Appassionato level. Over the past three years, we have contributed approximately half of Ken’s ASO salary back to the Orchestra.

We were distressed to hear of the inability of the parties to reach a new Collective Bargaining Agreement by the midnight September 6 deadline. We were even more distressed to learn that this failure has resulted in a lockout of the ASO Musicians—the second lockout in two years.

A lockout is a drastic step, resulting in the suspension of employee compensation and, potentially, health care coverage. It is a step that should be taken only when the previous Agreement is unsustainable, and could put the Orchestra and the WAC in severe financial peril. That was the argument made two years ago when the Musicians were locked out for the first time.

Following that lockout, a new Agreement was reached, in which the Musicians made unprecedented concessions. After the Agreement was signed, Board Chair Jim Abrahamson issued the following statement: “These are difficult and unfortunate economic realities we face, however, with this new agreement I am confident we can have the strong future we all desire.” You added the following: “I am proud of all the people involved to reach a conclusion. I know it was a challenge, but it was critically important for survival and our ability to thrive. You never want to put anyone through that type of stress without reason.”

Over the past two years, the Musicians have fulfilled all of their obligations under the Agreement. During that same period, the economy steadily improved. Nevertheless, the WAC now takes the position that the previous Agreement (the same one that was heralded as bringing financial stability to the Orchestra) is so unsustainable that the Musicians must again be locked out.

The WAC assures us that, while the previous Agreement was unsustainable, the new one, requiring more concessions from the Musicians, will bring economic stability. We are at a loss to see how this position will have any credibility with the public at large, and donors in particular, given the events of the past two years. Further, a second lockout in two years of the same Musicians who have fulfilled the terms of Agreements the WAC approved, suggests a complete lack of respect for them, and for members of the public who treasure their music-making.

We urge the WAC to reconsider the decision to impose this second lockout. We believe that the long-term consequences of such a severe, insensitive action will have devastating effects upon the future of the Atlanta Symphony as a world-class Orchestra.

Respectfully,

Ken and Carolyn Meltzer

Atlanta’s Outliers

Imagine for a moment an individual who is known around the world for undisputed excellence in what he does. He routinely wins major awards, and his colleagues, fans, and even his critics recognize his signature style. His achievements have been documented and recorded and are relived regularly by fans and aficionados in his field. The finest talent in the world, both young and old, wants to work with him. He is, to quote Malcolm Gladwell, an “outlier.”

Before Gladwell, we might well have described such a person as “world-class” talent or a “world-class” achiever. Despite general overuse of the term (commonly misused to describe the merely good), it nevertheless retains its validity when used to describe the highest echelons of talent and achievement. Think Warren Buffett, Stephen Hawking, LeBron James…

And it is absolutely accurate to describe the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus as world-class.

Despite the fact that many Atlantans are unaware of the golden reputation of our resident orchestra and its stunning chorus, there is no lack of respect for the ASO among music fans throughout America and around the world. The Orchestra and Chorus are heard on classical radio around the world (and the internet) as much or more than just about anyone not named Yo-Yo. The ASO’s albums have won no fewer than 27 Grammy awards, including several which are numbered among the finest performances ever recorded of famous works for orchestra and chorus. Who recorded the world’s first commercial digital CD? That’s right, the ASO (Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, released in 1983).

And speaking of Yo-Yo Ma, where will you find him and other world-famous artists such as Joshua Bell, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax and Garrick Ohlsson? Working on stage with the ASO, year after year, both in Atlanta Symphony Hall and at venues such as Carnegie Hall, where the ASO is one of the few groups invited back to perform repeatedly. Others must pay for that privilege.

Why do the finest artists in the world want to work with the best orchestras in the world? The individual skills of the virtuoso musicians on stage are certainly a factor, but even more important is the unparalleled collaborative ability of great orchestras: the finely-honed, almost telepathic skill of thinking, hearing, breathing and moving as one. To stick with one of the great ensembles, a musician must bring to work a combination of individual instrumental achievement and incredible ensemble consciousness, every single day. This is not something that can be accomplished on a part-time basis. If it could, every town would have a fabulous orchestra.

The head of the renowned Aspen Music Festival, Alan Fletcher, comments, “A world-class orchestra has real character. It doesn’t sound like any other. If knowledgeable people listened to recordings and then were asked to name the orchestra that was playing, they would most often get it right. That kind of distinctive sound comes from musicians who trust and understand the conductor and each other. There is no great orchestra without a feeling of community on stage. It takes time for orchestras to develop a distinctive character and sound. An orchestra is more than a collection of superbly trained musicians; it develops cohesion over time.” (http://www.orchestrateexcellence.org/world-class-orchestra/)

Over the past 40+ years, Robert Shaw, Yoel Levi and Robert Spano, with the help of those in the community who believed, built a world-class orchestra like that right here in Atlanta. The significance of this achievement cannot be understated. This is every bit as impressive as it would be for the Falcons or the Braves to have won 20 championships during that time. As monumental as the accomplishment of bringing the Olympics to Atlanta in 1996 was, bringing the incredible musicians of the ASO here to live, thrive, and artistically enrich this community for many years has had a far more important impact on the area over a much longer time.

Why is this story all but unknown to many in the Atlanta area? It often seems as though our local stewards of the arts are happy to take the self-defeating approach of hiding possibly the brightest light in Atlanta under a bushel, when they should instead be treating the ASO as a crown gem of the Woodruff Arts Center and the City of Atlanta, and a benefit to the community at large far beyond the Orchestra’s ardent fans. Outliers attract and inspire other outliers, creating a positive feedback loop with benefits for everyone.

There is no need to imagine “world-class” in Atlanta. It is already here, and has been for around 40 years. The name it goes by: The Musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus.

What the Atlanta Symphony means to me

I’m not a musician in the Atlanta Symphony. I don’t live in Atlanta, although I have visited frequently. I am not a subscriber, but I have bought about 20 ASO recordings. I do have friends who are ASO musicians and I care that they have no income and, very shortly, will have no health
insurance because of the totally unnecessary lockout by the ASO management and the corrupt and morally bankrupt Woodruff Arts Center.

So, aside from my very real concern for my friends, why is this orchestra special? It’s a highly personal story. Today, I flew home because my father is in the end stages of Multiple Sclerosis. Hospice care has been called in and the family is gathering together. Being a musician, I always turn to music and now is no exception. I’ve had the Brahms Ein Deutsches Requiem going through my head, but not just any version. It is the 1984 recording with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, with soloists Arleen Augér and Richard Stillwell, conducted by Robert Shaw. I had a very vivid flashback to 1989 when my grandmother passed away and I listened to the same recording, over and over.

The work itself is a masterpiece and there are many fine recordings out there. However, I was then and am now, drawn to this particular recording. I love the sound of the orchestra. I love the stunning chorus. I love that Ms. Augér is profoundly comforting - as one comforted by their mother. I love Richard Stillwell’s stentorian baritone pleading for mercy, and later announcing the last trumpet. I shouldn’t be, but I’m surprised at how my mind’s ear just wants to hear it right now. Today, as it did in 1989, it moves me. It helps and heals me. So I listen, over and over.

Many of the musicians on that recording have since retired or died. Mr. Shaw himself has passed away, as has Ms. Augér. However, today’s Atlanta Symphony still has that distinctive sound that drew me in 25 years ago, as evidenced by their recent recording of Vaughn Williams’s music. David Coucheron’s glorious playing in The Lark Ascending, as well as the always stunning chorus in Dona Nobis Pacem helps and heals me. Today, I must listen to it.

That is what makes a world-class orchestra.