oboeinsight

Both players and management have held that talent is the sole criterion for determining who gets into the Philadelphia Orchestra. The process is “squeaky clean,” in the words of one former orchestra leader.

There can be no prejudice or favoritism, they argue, since auditions happen behind screens.

Except when they don’t.

Morales auditioned not only without a screen, but in public, when he played concerts with the New York Philharmonic. Philadelphia Orchestra principal bassoonist Daniel Matsukawa also exposed his identity for all to see when he recently auditioned (unsuccessfully) for the Los Angeles Philharmonic in concert, and the Philadelphia followed the same path in its previous search for a concertmaster.

When orchestral musicians feign perplexity on the question of why orchestras aren’t more diverse – but we use audition screens! – the disingenuousness is insulting.

But the orchestra regularly asks us to accept an equally ludicrous proposition: that when auditions draw hundreds of aspirants, the most qualified musician just happens to be related to someone already in the organization. Morales has two relatives in the orchestra: his wife, second violinist Amy Oshiro-Morales, who joined in 2008, and sister-in-law Dara Morales, who came aboard in 2007.

More than a dozen members of the orchestra are related to each other – not counting several more who were, until recent retirements or resignations, entangled in one way or another.

On balance, has the hiring of spouses, partners, children, and in-laws been justified by first landing their stupendously talented relatives?

Interesting.

RTWT

On Saturday, I went to the Metropolitan Opera National Auditions, San Diego District.

That’s just a fancy way of saying singing contest. Contestants must have a total of 5 opera arias prepared and there must be three different languages.

This isn’t exactly American Idol.

The first singer went on at 10:00am and I got there about 10:20am and didn’t leave ’til about 6:20pm.

Upon paying my $5 I was immediately told not to enter the house while a singer was on stage.

This is a really big deal.

I managed to go in while there was a singer on stage and the looks I received were amazing–a subtle mixture of terror, fury and indignation.

These are the looks I’m used to getting when I don’t have pants on so I doubled checked. My pants were on, so what was the big deal?

He was told not to enter when someone was singing. He entered when someone was singing. And he doesn’t understand why people gave him dirty looks.

I’d say the “big deal” was that he’s not terribly smart. But it’s also that, of course, this was a competition and the singer could have been distracted and thrown off. Geesh. Some people ….

RTWT

And sure, that must be the reason people are turned off by classical music, eh?

Give me a break! He may have had his pants on, but he doesn’t seem to have his brain engaged.

Here’s the subject header of a blog entry:

Exchange rate war is the United States government’s double reed hospital

Man, I really really like the idea of a double reed hospital! And I really really want a double reed doctor, too. Pretty please?

I’m still trying to work out another sentence:

And, again as a government department like the Ministry of Finance has withstood the pressure of both houses of Congress, but also with the Chinese government to back a good cry, in fact, but the U.S. government and Congress to play a double reed, the old so play continues, comedian to be unemployed.