Phoenix Symphony Waterloo

Another preemptive, hiatus post.

UPDATE 6/13/09: a retraction.

A manager involved with non-profit public relations always wants to put the best face on a company, even when the going gets tough. During times of crisis, they know that donors shy away from giving money to an organization that looks like a sinking ship.

But there may a very fine line between crafted PR spin and sleight-of-hand.

Lipstick on a pig

When the news hit that the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra (PSO) was once again in financial dire straights, it came as a big shock to the local community. By all reports things were looking as sunny as ever.

Dimitri Drobatschewsky writes in a 6/5/2009 Musical America article:

The news came as a surprise. Phoenix Symphony executives, in one pre-performance speech after the other, had been reporting only good news: “This is our fifth consecutive balanced-budget season!” “Ticket sales are increasing at a record rate!” or, as in the case of the May 23 program with Joshua Bell as the soloist, “We have another sold-out hall!”

Stephen Lemmons at the Phoenix New Times (6/2/2009) called CEO Maryellen Gleason to task, pointing out that the recent dismissals of veteran players were supposed to help make the organization more stable.

“We only want to have the best artistic product we can get,” Gleason said at the time. “And all of the decisions were made in the spirit of making the orchestra sound better. And we’re getting more donations, and we’re selling more tickets.”

Lemmons adds later:

Gleason won’t cop to mistakes in the way the symphony has treated its musicians, but perhaps she should.

Perhaps Gleason’s avoidance of responsibility is a tactic from the Napoleonic old-school: in politics, never back down and never admit mistakes.

Defeat at Waterloo

In dismissing cellist Richard Bock, the PSO powers-that-be claimed that Mr. Bock had violated a state law regarding the confidentiality of contract meditations. As it turns out that interpretation was incorrect, according the National Labor Relations Board.

…NLRB regional director Cornele Overstreet pointed out that the law in question, A.R.S. 12-2238, is essentially a rule of evidence.

“It is not a rule of criminality,” said Overstreet. “It simply guides how the court looks at evidence.”

The PSO has paid dearly for that mistake. Bock (and one other fired musician, Peter Rosato) have won legal settlements. While the amounts have not been disclosed, one can imagine what retroactive back pay and advance future pay — two, three, or five years in advance — might amount to.

Drobatschewsky wonders if these settlements may have had a direct impact on the orchestra’s operating budget.

The question now making the rounds is whether the symphony was insured for such settlements, or whether the musicians’ pay cuts are subsidizing them.

Eight musicians so far have lodged complaints against Music Director Michael Christie with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

It appears that Gleason’s proposed mission to stabilize the orchestra may have done more harm than good.

Comments across the Net

The public outcry and debate at comment sections throughout the Internet is interesting to say the least.

A few examples:

From the Phoenix New Times 2/06/09, Gary Jones writes:

This music director came here with a very ugly agenda which seems to have had nothing to do with improving the music-making in the orchestra and everything to do with personal power and self-glorification, and he has been enabled every step of the way by Gleason.

From “appalled music lover” at Adaptistration 6/10/09:

This brings up the lack of credibility that Ms Gleason and Mr Christie now have with the orchestra and community. The betrayal of trust relates not to just her claims of 5 years of balanced budgets, which are now seen as smoke and mirrors, but also to their attitude toward the musicians and resulting actions.

The debate at the 3/23/09 New Times post gets particularly impassioned. Perhaps a bit hyperbolic at times, it nevertheless gives a very good impression of how heated this issue is.

Questions

This all leads to some very pressing questions. One cannot help but to wonder:

• Is there indeed a connection between the deftly-named “Landmark Accord” and these legal settlements?
• Does Music Director Michael Christie have designs on firing more musicians?
• Will there be an additional price to pay beyond the severe 17% pay cut?
• Is it an accurate assessment to blame the economy for declining contributions?
• Will any heads roll for this mess?

And as for myself as a member of the Arizona Opera Orchestra where contract negotiations will be resuming soon:

• Might the PSO management, looking for fresh revenue sources, be tempted to undercut the Arizona Opera musicians and engage in a campaign of hostile takeover bids?

Bad press can be a good thing

At Adaptistration Drew McManus interprets the recent press attention as something akin to civic “tough love.”

It indicates that the public cares about more than just the artistic output of their respective orchestra. More to the point, they care about whether or not local arts organizations are governed and managed by standards and practices that meet minimum levels of community approval.

Looking ahead towards a better future

As an occasional extra musician with the PSO, a concert patron and a concerned community member it is very disheartening to see my musician colleagues treated like this.

Over the past 15 years or so the PSO musicians have endured setback upon setback. The tremendous effect on morale has been palpable, something I imagine that is not unlike Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

One can only hope that radical change and improvement will happen sooner rather than later.

See also:

• PSO Gets Serious
• What a Mess in Arizona
• Second Horn Audition in Phoenix
• Phoenix Symphony Blues