By Kenneth Huber

“Culture costs, but a lack of culture—Un-Kultur—costs much, much more.” These were the words of Maria Fekter, Austria’s Minister of Finance—not a cultural minister or artist—at the April 11, 2013, opening of the new Landestheater in Linz.  Perhaps the commonly held assumption that Europe views Art as more important to society than does the United States may still ring true, given the fact that so many of our beloved top tier American orchestras are beleaguered with economic woes.

Why do we not see preserving and nurturing our great arts institutions as essential rather than another agenda item to negotiate? Instead of determining their worth with economic pie-charts or balance sheets, let us consider for a moment some of the so-called intangibles that are often dismissed with a simple, “oh, yes, we all know that.”

The arts hold in crystalline suspension our hopes, our unspoken emotions, our yearning for something better, and our belief that indeed something beyond everyday routine exists. Great art acts as a unique prism allowing us to peer into our souls and spirits. In contrast to the therapist who seldom offers advice but simply plants questions stimulating self-reflection, art actually asks those questions…….AND answers them.

This nurturing and affirming force is fundamentally inherent in every great work of art. Why wouldn’t we simply want to call it quits after reading Shakespeare’s Hamlet or listening to Mahler’s First Symphony? Often times the central message (such as the trajectory from struggle to triumph embodied in Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony) is so clear that these works become almost pop metaphors. It is probable that Beethoven’s famous “fate knocking at the door” theme is more widely recognized than any other musical fragment. Somehow in early childhood we become acquainted with that ta-ta-ta-DAH motto. Adults seize every opportunity to quote it as a sign of musical literacy and cultural discernment! And why not? It is dramatic, memorable, thrilling, and occasionally autobiographical.

Maynard Solomon in his biography of Beethoven stated this most eloquently.

If we lose our awareness of the transcendent realms of play, beauty, and brotherhood which are portrayed in the great affirmative works of our culture, if we lose the dream of the Ninth Symphony, there remains no counterpoise against the engulfing terrors of civilization, nothing to set against Auschwitz and Vietnam as a paradigm of humanity’s potentialities. Masterpieces of art are instilled with a surplus of constantly renewable energy—an energy that provides a motive force for changes in the relations between human beings—because they contain projections of human desires and goals which have not yet been achieved (which indeed may be unrealizable.)

Is there a more powerful experience than listening to a world-class symphony orchestra performing in an acoustically superb concert hall? For decades school children have looked forward to being bused to that concert hall (while escaping the rigors of math and science) to be swept away hearing great music played live. Most any other aural experience pales by comparison, not to mention the intense and immediate interaction between audience and performer. In fact when that iconic Beethoven drama (or any other classic such as Handel’s Messiah) is advertised, we adults flock to experience anew the emotional and aesthetic high we remember from our youth.

A symphony concert is a social happening in which we gather together to share an ephemeral moment of consciousness raising us above mere existence. A kind of communal euphoria can unfold at a concert taking us far beyond the commonplace, elevating our thoughts and feelings to contemplate the aesthetically sublime. It becomes perfectly acceptable to confront our internal emotional life experienced en masse rather than in isolation. We allow ourselves to become vulnerable and to interact in ways that may not be “politically correct”—under other circumstances. We may flirt with the heavenly, inspired to press onward with challenges hitherto abandoned. Sometimes we reconnect with meaning that eluded us or lay dormant while waiting for the Muse to propel us to a higher calling. Concerts have historically brought us together in a way that nothing else can.

Concert going also allows cultures to merge in ways that no amount of shuttle diplomacy can—witness the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra of Daniel Barenboim which brought together young Arab and Israeli musicians as well as representatives of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian religions to make music in Palestine’s Ramallah.  Or Sir Georg Solti’s World Orchestra for Peace in concert all over the world including New York City’s Carnegie Hall. These initiatives did not effect world peace, but they set the stage and led by example how those with vastly differing beliefs and values can come together in harmony to achieve something greater than the simple sum of the parts. The conditions necessary to make live music and to speak with one voice are more powerful than the fractious politics and religious ideologies that divide us.

Furthermore, the level of sophisticated talent needed to perform magnificent orchestral music beckons us to aim higher and aspire to seemingly impossible achievement. How many of us have returned from an inspiring concert by professional musicians, resolved to pick up an instrument that hasn’t been dusted off in months? It gives hope to anyone taking music lessons that we can indeed be “that good.”

There is no substitute for the live concert performance. Nothing can replace the glorious sonic experience of ninety-plus musicians all intent on delivering a heart-rending account of a Tchaikovsky symphony. We learn to listen inwardly and respond actively with our hearts. We must not allow the anticipation, excitement, and desire to hear live, acoustic music making be supplanted by the ease of clicking on an icon on our electronic listening device. If it does, then we lose part of our essential humanity and the capacity to soar and evolve as a civilized society.

Truths revealed in the great works of musical art bring us face to face with our core values—our fundamental human dignity that we naïvely glimpsed as children. Truth keeps us from straying too far from a higher calling and inspires us to keep faith with a Divine spark that lies buried deep in our psyche. As Victor Hugo reminded us, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” Ultimately, when any great arts institution is threatened, our collective humanity is at stake.

—Kenneth Huber, ©2013
Lecturer in Piano, Carleton College

The orchestra lockout has now gone on for almost six months with concerts recently cancelled until April 27 and no signs of progress in negotiations. Meanwhile, losses for the community are mounting day by day. Lost income for the Convention Center, downtown restaurants, parking garages and music stores now totals millions of dollars.  School children are missing educational programs and ticket holders, almost a whole season of concerts. Talented musicians are leaving to take positions with other orchestras and donors are becoming disillusioned. Like most of us, you are probably upset about the situation — incredulous that this is happening here in Minnesota, a place where problems usually get solved and people find ways to work together.

What can be done?
Blame has been assigned and anger expressed in numerous blog posts and in commentaries and letters to the editor. Legislators have sent letters. And the situation hasn’t changed. The two sides — musicians and management — seem to have dug in even deeper, simply reiterating the positions they took in the first place.  The musicians, who had attained such a high level of artistic accomplishment, feel denigrated and disrespected by the salary proposals put forth by the Board. Meanwhile, Board members who have given generously of both time and money but think community support for the orchestra is declining, feel unappreciated and vilified.

Obviously what is happening now isn’t working. Both sides are feeling ever more pressure and distrust is increasing. A new approach is needed. There is a process that has proved successful in all kinds of negotiations from trade agreements to hostage crises; the underlying theory and methods are taught in the Harvard Negotiation Project and outlined in a book called Getting to Yes.

What Orchestrate Excellence is doing
In recent weeks, using this process, we have been trying to gain a deeper understanding of the needs and interests, perceptions and feelings underlying the public positions of both sides.

We have met with the members of the musicians’ negotiating team and have been carrying on conversations with them. At the same time, we have been talking with several Board members who have enabled us to better appreciate their fundraising challenges and correct some misperceptions on the hall reconstruction.  We do not intend to insert ourselves in the negotiation process, but are hoping simply to jump start the kind of dialogue that seems a necessary precondition for the win-win solution we are still hoping for.

Some may be tempted to dismiss this approach as naive or simplistic. What could be more important, however, than developing a deep and accurate understanding of the needs, interests, and intentions of the “other side?”  This mutual understanding is the foundation upon which trust (now sorely lacking) can begin to be cultivated — and trust is the crucial prerequisite to any productive negotiation.

How you can help
Write to the MOA and to the musicians.  Tell them how the lack of progress is damaging the community and ask them to listen to the other side with open minds.

Contact the MOA at info@mnorch.org or on Facebook.
Contact the musicians at contact@minnesotaorchestramusians.org or on Facebook.

Also, please comment on our Facebook page or write to us at orchestrateexcellence@gmail.com

A hopeful note
With so much bad news at home and many orchestras around the country going through painful labor negotiations (the latest in San Francisco where musicians have recently gone on strike) our Best Practices committee has chosen to focus on one community, Cleveland, which is successfully supporting its orchestra and might furnish ideas for us going forward. Click here to read about what they are doing. It is helpful to remind ourselves that a positive outcome is possible if we can find a way for all of us — Board, musicians and community — to work together.

MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO NEWS
Effects of Minnesota Orchestra lockout ripple through the community
February 5, 2013

By Laurie Greeno and Paula DeCosse

Laurie Greeno has a background in strategic and general management, having just just concluded 20 years as an officer at General Mills. Paula DeCosse has a background in writing and teaching and is a 40-year season subscriber and donor to the Minnesota Orchestra. Greeno and DeCosse are cochairs of Orchestrate Excellence: A Coalition to Support Our Minnesota Orchestra, which describes itself as “concerned citizens who have come together to find ways to assure the high quality of the music that we love.”

As the orchestra lockout drags on into its fifth month, the musicians aren’t the only ones who are suffering. Junior and senior high school musicians who have been preparing for this year’s Young People’s competition have lost a chance to earn a scholarship; the competition has been canceled. Some of the schoolchildren looking forward to a concert may miss the only opportunity they will ever have to hear what critics have called “the greatest orchestra in the world.”

The ripple effects of the lockout extend beyond schools and beyond the Twin Cities. Of the 350,000 audience members who attend Minnesota Orchestra concerts annually, many had already bought tickets to concerts that have been canceled. Some of these music lovers have held season tickets for more than 50 years. Letters to the editor decrying the lockout come from the four corners of the state — including Bemidji, host city for a scheduled Minnesota Orchestra residency in April, now threatened.

The lockout has been difficult for downtown Minneapolis. The Convention Center was supposed to be the orchestra’s performance venue during the renovation of Orchestra Hall. It lost out on $274,000 in revenue last year. If the lockout extends until summer, the city will lose more than $500,000. But the total bill for downtown will be higher. It’s estimated that a total of almost $1.25 million for meals and parking has been lost to downtown merchants since the lockout began. According to Meet Minneapolis estimates, visitors who attend classical music concerts spend almost $30 million annually; because of the lockout, this year’s revenue will be much less.

The orchestra crisis points to a possible erosion in our state’s famed quality of life. Minnesota is regularly named “Most Livable State in the Nation,” due in no small part to its strong support for the arts. An excellent orchestra is a key part of making this a livable city, and diminishing it will also make it more difficult for companies to attract top talent. Research has found that for tech workers, after salary, “community quality of life” was the most important factor associated with taking a new job. Without the orchestra, more people may choose to move elsewhere.

In response to the crisis, concerned citizens have come together to form Orchestrate Excellence. More than 1,000 of us now stand together as “a coalition to support our Minnesota Orchestra.” We are donors, season subscribers and occasional concertgoers. We are from the Twin Cities and from greater Minnesota. We are members of community orchestras, radio listeners and citizens who understand the importance of the state’s largest arts institution. We are 80-year-olds who have lived in Minnesota all our lives, and we are young professionals who could have lived anywhere but have come to the Twin Cities because of its thriving arts community.

All these people are worried about losing a priceless treasure: an orchestra that was founded 110 years ago and has represented the highest artistic standards of our community and our state ever since. We believe that the Minnesota Orchestra is an essential community resource that educates and inspires us by its brilliant performances of great music. We believe that the citizens of our state can and will sustain an artistically excellent orchestra.

Orchestrate Excellence respects the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, who bring their deep experience and selfless quest for perfection to every performance. We respect the Minnesota Orchestra’s Board, whose members are all volunteers and give generously of their time and personal resources. However, we are independent of both the musicians and the board. We represent the community. We want to provide a positive voice that encourages both the musicians and the board to find a solution to the current impasse — one that assures the future of the world-renowned orchestra Osmo Vanska and the musicians have built.

Working together, we hope to forge a new path forward. All of us, through our taxes, our ticket purchases and our personal gifts, have contributed to the Minnesota Orchestra. This crisis presents a unique opportunity to build a new collaborative model for the way the orchestra operates and the way it engages the community.

We want this orchestra — our artistically excellent orchestra — to continue to represent Minnesota to the nation and to the world, now and for another hundred years.