bootsykowan's Blog

I just saw Slatkin for the first time on TV National Press Club, I was enthralled at every word that came out of his mouth. What a wonderful human being. Economy of words at its best. So I googled to find out more about him. This article told me more of the same kind of observation. It's music as a museum indeed. It's what the real word "capitalism" can mean. One is All and All is One. Communitize using music.

 http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200803
30/ENT04/803300508/1035/RSS04 

For incoming DSO music director Leonard Slatkin, conducting is only part of the job BY MARK STRYKER • FREE PRESS MUSIC WRITER • MARCH 30, 2008 

"If we're going to play music on the home page, we need to say what it is and why it's there," said Slatkin, dressed casually in plaid shirt and slacks. "This morning I got the Beethoven Violin Concerto, and I thought, 'Why is that there? We're not playing it this week.' " 

Slatkin, who conducts his first DSO subscription concerts this week since being appointed music director last fall, doesn't officially begin his tenure until fall. But he is already putting his stamp on the orchestra's daily life. He has visited Detroit six times since October, each trip stuffed to the gills with orchestra business. From new education initiatives and artistic planning to a promising early bump in fund-raising and ticket sales, the Slatkin era is underway. 

Music directors of major orchestras rarely concern themselves with minutiae like an orchestra's Web site. They are artistic CEOs, with broad power over programming, hiring musicians and creating an institutional vision. But the American-born Slatkin, 63, has a reputation for rolling up his sleeves and digging into the nitty-gritty of audience building, education and fund-raising. He is, in other words, a hands-on maestro. American orchestras have been wrestling with redefining the role of their music directors, placing increasing emphasis on community involvement alongside traditional values of musical excellence, star power, touring and recording.

 Slatkin is not unique -- Michael Tilson Thomas at the San Francisco Symphony and Esa-Pekka Salonen at the Los Angeles Philharmonic have similar temperaments, for instance -- but Slatkin has been a model of civic engagement for longer than just about anyone. His hands-on style dates back to his landmark tenure from 1979-96 with the St. Louis Symphony, which he built into a world-class ensemble while famously bonding with the city.

 To Slatkin, tweaking the DSO's Web site, massaging donors and brainstorming with the marketing staff is as much a part of his job as conducting concerts. "I like to be involved on every level," said Slatkin, who completes a 12-year tenure with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., in June. "That's the way I work. People are going to blame me, anyway. The music director becomes the voice of the orchestra. If something goes wrong, people are not going to say, 'Well, it's the manager.' They'll say, 'It's under the music director's watch.' If I'm going to be held responsible, I want to be involved in it."

 The DSO at a crossroads Slatkin arrives in Detroit with the orchestra at a crossroads. It has been three years since former music director Neeme Järvi completed his historic 15-year tenure, and the search that landed Slatkin dragged on for 5 1/2 years. The orchestra misplaced its artistic compass for several seasons until appointing Peter Oundjian artistic adviser in 2006 and launching the 8 Days in June festival in 2007. But it has yet to build on the artistry and growth of the Järvi years, especially the opening of the $60-million Max M. Fisher Music Center in 2003. For all of Järvi's charisma and adventurous repertoire, his laissez-faire temperament was ill-suited to building stronger bridges into the community and establishing a sweeping artistic vision for the orchestra that transcended the brilliance of individual concerts. He was a great conductor, but not always a great music director. Slatkin's charge is to be both. "We need the leadership and the focus of his vision," said DSO president Anne Parsons. "We can't get there without a great music director and a great partner and collaborator." 

Michigan's sputtering economy is putting a premium on the orchestra's ability to run at peak efficiency, from programming to fund-raising, marketing and outreach. The DSO ran a slight deficit in 2007, its first red ink since 2003, but it came within a whisker of a frightening $2-million shortfall. Only some 11th hour largesse from several key donors kept the bleeding to a minimum. Classical ticket sales have also been declining. Four years ago classical attendance was 76% of capacity; last season it was 71% and it has dipped to 59% so far this season. On another front: Last summer's contentious contract negotiations, which raised musician salaries in the long run but also included $1 million in concessions, left a cloud of bitterness in the locker room.

 Auto show and baseball games Slatkin's visits to Detroit have been as long as two days and as short as four hours. He has met with programming, fund-raising, marketing, musician, education and strategic planning committees. He has taped radio promotions, greeted patrons in the Green Room and dropped in on DSO rehearsals to hear what the orchestra sounds like from a seat in Orchestra Hall rather than the podium. On Saturday, he's scheduled to throw out the first pitch at the Tigers game at Comerica Park, a special thrill since he's such a rabid baseball fan. In January he and his 13-year-old son Daniel, a car nut, spent an afternoon touring the auto show. This was private time with his son, but he still dropped by the Honda exhibit to personally thank a company executive for Honda's recent $1-million gift for student outreach. Slatkin hit the ground running in terms of fund-raising. He has met a parade of major donors at one private dinner after another. His unpretentious air, sharp mind and varied interests -- from music to the world of ideas and baseball -- has had a charming effect, and his passion is contagious, said board chair Jim Nicholson. When Slatkin headlined a fund-raising brunch at the MGM Grand Detroit casino for donors who have given $6,000 or more, he helped spark $1.7 million in early commitments to the annual fund, including $200,000 in new gifts. The buzz surrounding a new music director typically leads to increased ticket sales. One good early sign for the DSO is that classical subscription sales are coming in at double last year's pace. DSO patrons who have heard Slatkin's stump speech are excited. At the MGM Grand, Betty Blazok of Grosse Ile was taken by his plans to move his family to Detroit next year -- a sign he won't treat the DSO simply as a port-of-call. "He was so positive about the symphony and Detroit," she said. "He'll certainly help raise more money and draw attention to the DSO because of his personality and desire to be here." Getting the audience back Most of the 2008-09 season was settled before Slatkin's appointment, but the details, announced in February, preview several of his priorities.


 The five weeks that Slatkin will conduct -- he'll lead 13 weeks in 2009-10 -- survey a wide variety of styles, with a careful balance of old and new music, plenty of American fare and three world premieres by accessible composers. Slatkin is moving on parallel tracks, trying to quickly build a rapport with the players in a diverse repertoire and rebuilding the audience by making sure each concert has a hook -- whether it's repertoire, a guest artist or a theme. "I'm trying to get a lot of the audience back," said Slatkin. "We're thinking very much about how we can market ourselves to the total population. The audience is going to have to learn to trust me, so I need to bring them along slowly." One area in which Slatkin was able to move swiftly was education and family programming, a priority during his tenures in both Washington and St. Louis. He'll conduct three Young People's Concerts, two of them free, and he has talked several big-name artists into appearing with him. Behind the scenes, Slatkin and DSO management have begun talking about touring as early as 2010-11. There have been casual conversations with the Naxos label about recording. (Slatkin won two Grammy Awards in February for a CD on Naxos of music by Joan Tower.) Slatkin has also hired an artistic lieutenant, Jim Berdahl, a former colleague from the Aspen (Colo.) Music Festival. He'll serve as the DSO's vice president for artistic planning. Slatkin has spent time outlining ideas with the principal players in the orchestra too. To create a richer, darker sound in the hall, he may reseat the strings by having the cellos and violas switch places, placing the cellos inside the ensemble and the violas outside. He also wants to feature more DSO players, not just principals, in solo roles, said Stephen Molina, acting principal bass and the orchestra's personnel manager. Slatkin's arrival has been a shot in the arm for morale among the players, helping heal the post-contract bruises. "One of the best things to happen to us was to get a music director like him who knows what we need to do to get where we want to go," said Molina. "It's the best thing to wash away some of the clouds and wipe away some question marks." 

After nearly six months of work off the podium, however, Slatkin is anxious to get back to music-making with his new band. After all, chemistry with the musicians remains the soul of the relationship between an orchestra and its music director -- the artistry that gives meaning to outreach, fund-raising and even the Web site. Slatkin likes his chances. In a letter to the musicians dated Feb. 7 and currently pinned to the bulletin board backstage, Slatkin wrote about eavesdropping on a rehearsal. "For about 25 minutes I was able to sit in awe and listen to all of you," he wrote. "What a glorious sound you make. ... As I sat there I realized how fortunate I am to be able to work with you for many seasons to come." Contact MARK STRYKER at 313-222-6459 or mstryker@freepress.com. I