I recently finished reading Walking in Two Worlds: A Librarian’s Perspective by Karen Schnackenberg, chief librarian for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. The article was published in the Symphony Orchestra Institute’s October, 2003 edition of “Harmony”. If they ever decide to legalize cloning I would suggest they start with Karen, as the orchestra world can certainly use about 50 more people just like her. I’ll hit a few of the highlights here, but you should read the article in its entirety to completely appreciate its value.
I’m glad to see that principle expressed in such a concise, articulate manner. Everyone’s actions have a ripple effect throughout his or her respective organization. When a member of the executive management only shows up to 5% of the orchestra’s performances, the musicians notice (not to mention the staff that does regularly attend concerts). So without really intending to do so, this executive manager has branded themselves as someone that doesn’t really care for the art or the musicians that create it. In turn, this fuels a dangerous sentiment of animosity between players and administration that serves no good purpose. Even the smallest decision or gesture of favoritism on part of an administrator toward an individual musician can have a negative consequence among the other musicians. Eventually the outcome is hard feelings between players, resulting in a degradation of artistic achievement. This small gesture of favoritism toward a preferred colleague ends up costing the entire orchestra time, funds, and artistic excellence.
All excellent questions, which I feel are becoming old-fashioned in the face of the newly emerging “cultural administration class” being churned out by existing Arts Administration programs. Ask any member of the orchestra why they wanted to become a musician. I bet you’ll be hard pressed to find a single one among them that went into it for the money. As a matter of fact, try presenting it as an idea and see what type of responses you get. This is also at the heart of the idea in one of my earlier blogs; The trouble with Arts Administration degrees. Without this underlying commitment and passion for the art of orchestral music, it’s likely that an administrator will end up as part of the problem as opposed to part of the solution.
I have to admit that I was very disappointed by one aspect of the article. Toward the end, Karen suggests a ” program of volunteer exchanges among departments and employees, musicians, and board members throughout the organization.” She believes that this will help eliminate unnecessary differences between individuals, minimize inefficiency, and build a real sense of team spirit. What I’m disappointed with, is that this only a suggestion and not already standard practice throughout orchestras. I have a steadfast belief that managers should have direct experience with every facet of their given department. The higher the manager, the more direct experience they need. I like to see the executive director pulling a stint in the box office, the orchestra manager learning how to send out a hundred press releases, and everyone in an office pitching in to solve a problem of immediate need, even if it’s just stuffing a bunch of envelopes simply because is needs to get done right then and there.
All in all, this article is a great read, regardless if you’re an administrator, musician, or “knowledgeable nonprofessional classical music activist”. It’s a noteworthy look into what an orchestra is and how it functions (or should function).