Monday Morning Violin Gossip, Op. 2, No. 13

By Darcy Lewis

Another errant Strad has been returned to its rightful owner.

Last Wednesday (3/22) BBCNews.com reported that “A rare Stradivarius violin, worth an estimated £570,000($989,636), is to be returned to a U.S. orchestra 21 years after it went missing, presumed stolen. The instrument, which dates from 1725, had disappeared from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in 1985. The violin resurfaced when it was put up for sale at auctioneers Bonhams, which struck a deal with the vendor to see it returned to the orchestra ... The orchestra had not expected to see the violin again and had made an insurance claim, which was settled. A specialist from auctioneers Bonhams had come across the violin during a US trip and realized it was an important instrument ... The vendor, who had been given the violin in lieu of a debt, agreed to return it to the orchestra. Philip Scott, director of Bonhams' musical instruments department, said everyone involved in the deal had been 'winners.' "

Read the story here

Musician News

3/30-4/8/06 - Violinist Robin Scott will compete in the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. In preparation, Scott and pianist Ayako Toba performed a virtually identical program in Indianapolis yesterday. On March 6, Scott won fourth prize in the Hellam Young Artists Competition in Springfield, Mo.

4/2/06 - The Brentano String Quartet, with violist Hsin-Yun Huang as guest, will play three of Mozart's string quintets on at UC Berkeley.

3/23/06 –All seemed well when Philadelphia Orchestra concertmaster David Kim was poised to solo with California's El Camino Youth Symphony. However, back in Philly, not all went according to plan. Of his three assistants, one was on leave, one went into labor and one was in a minor car accident. Realizing that he couldn’t leave the orchestra unattended, Kim arranged a suitable replacement soloist: his good friend Robert Chen, concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony and a former colleague, reports the San Jose Mercury News. Kim comments: "Basically, it's a miracle that Robert could step in ... I owe him a really good bottle of wine."

3/22/06 - The Azmari String Quartet was informed in February that its contract as the resident ensemble at Northern Kentucky University would be terminated in June due to a lack of funding, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. “But when the news was made public, donors began to come forward, and this week, the Azmari, made up of musicians from the Cincinnati Symphony, was told that enough money had been raised to save the residency for the foreseeable future.”

3/21/06 – The Philadelphia Inquirer ran a rather breathless profile of firebrand Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg: "Did the world have her wrong? Or, at age 45, has Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg cooled down? In the 25th year since her debut, the latter scenario isn't true. Last week, before sciatica forced her to cancel her Lincoln Center Brahms recital, she was still trying to rehearse while loaded up on Vicodin, and her recital partner, pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, barely noticed a difference." Read the story here

3/20/06 – The unscheduled conducting appearance by Pittsburgh Symphony Concertmaster Andrés Cárdenes, who substituted for an ailing Robert Spano, earned a good review from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Cárdenes "led without a baton and didn't iron his tails. But the program of Debussy, Dvorak and Mozart succeeded because he is an artist… Due to the last-minute program change, ensemble was an issue at times, and the first piece, Debussy's 'Petite Suite,' had tentative moments. However, by the time Dvorak's Symphony No. 7 began, Cárdenes had relaxed and was digging into the work like any maestro ... The orchestra responded with a passionate performance, one that made you forget the rough-and-tumble circumstances."

3/17/06 – The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that Peter Kaman, a member of the first violin section of the Seattle Symphony for 25 years, has filed a personal injury lawsuit against the symphony. “The complaint alleges 'intentional emotional distress arising out of the hostile environment and harassment ... over a long and extended period of time.' The violinist, who has an anxiety disorder that developed in his late teens, said in his suit that he has suffered 'persistent and severe discrimination' ... Rather than seek legal assistance from the Seattle Symphony and Opera Players' Organization, the collective bargaining unit that represents the musicians, Kaman proceeded on his own in King County Superior Court." The paper notes: "The complaint says that 'several union officials' will testify at trial that [Music Director Gerard] Schwarz, 'a stern taskmaster,' has repeatedly treated Kaman more harshly than other orchestra members" and quotes a joint statement by Schwarz and SSO Executive Director Paul Meecham: "We are aware of the disability discrimination lawsuit filed against the Seattle Symphony by one of our musicians, Peter Kaman. We believe the claim is without merit and we shall vigorously defend it." Kaman seeks both compensatory and punitive damages, the amounts of which are unspecified, as well as legal fees ... “He refused comment Thursday, citing the advice of counsel."

Orchestra News

Seattle's Northwest Chamber Orchestra is going into bankruptcy, canceling the remaining concerts of the current season and planned tours to festivals in Michigan and Finland, reports the Seattle Times. “The NCO inhabits a difficult middle ground: not big enough to get the attention of a major symphony orchestra, but not small enough to be run by unpaid amateurs…The orchestra's demise means financial hardship for the musicians, who work part time for the NWCO and are not well paid to begin with. They earn $127 per service in about 50 services annually, or less than $6,500 per year. About two-thirds of the musicians also play in the Pacific Northwest Ballet Orchestra and are covered by health insurance there; the others will lose their coverage with the NWCO's bankruptcy. Most of the musicians also teach private lessons."

3/28/06 - The National Symphony Orchestra will launche a 75th anniversary tour with a Nebraska residency. The orchestra will then travel to Chicago, New Brunswick, NJ, and Philadelphia before concluding the tour with two concerts at Carnegie Hall.

3/23/06 – The Akron Symphony Orchestra has appointed Christopher Wilkins as its next music director. He is also music director of the Orlando Symphony and formerly of the San Antonio Symphony.

3/23/06 - The Kansas City Symphony recently performed a benefit concert at the Blue Valley Northwest High School, reports the Kansas City Star: "The symphony travels to area high schools a few times a year to perform benefit concerts to raise money for the school music programs," quoting Executive Director Frank Byrne: "As I tell our audiences, virtually every member of our organization is a product of a public school music program ... Without public school programs, we wouldn't have players." The article continues: "School districts provide the performance space and promote the event to parents and patrons. The symphony opens the rehearsal for students to observe, then presents the concert at no charge with proceeds from ticket sales going to music departments. Blue Valley Northwest music teachers are hoping their share of the fund-raiser will put them over the top in efforts to raise $14,000 for a harp."

3/21/06 - The Louisville Orchestra's management and musicians approved a five-year contract yesterday that will keep the orchestra from filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy early next month, reports the Louisville Courier-Journal. "The musicians voted yesterday morning to ratify the contract, which maintains an orchestra of 71 full-time players. Shortly afterward the orchestra's board approved the agreement unanimously. The contract will take effect Sept. 1 and is expected to save the orchestra $1.9 million over its five-year span, said the orchestra's executive director, Scott Provancher." According to the paper, "the agreement reduces the number of paid weeks in the season to 31 from 39 in the first year," gradually increasing to 37 weeks in the final year. "Base minimum salaries -- which now stand at $875 a week for a 39-week season -- would fall to $825 in the first year and increase to $850, $875, $900 and $925 in the succeeding years ... In terms of benefits, players will now pay 20 percent of their insurance premiums; they pay 1 percent now ... Musicians will also have their annual paid vacation cut to two weeks, from four." Orchestra board president Joseph Pusateri tells Adler that through the cuts in salary and benefits, the musicians "become the second-largest donor to the orchestra behind the Fund for the Arts ... It sure shows their loyalty to the 71 [full-time players] ... They were basically willing to put their money where their loyalty was." Clarinetist and players' committee representative Tim Zavadil comments: "The most important thing we fought for was keeping 71 full-time jobs ... Not only for the jobs, but more importantly, for the artistic integrity of the orchestra."

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