Why is Michigan Packed Solid With Symphony Orchestras?

 

A version of this article appeared in the Lansing State Journal 

MORE ORCHESTRAS THAN YOU THINK

When Michigan State University flute professor Richard Sherman first came to East Lansing 30 years ago, he said to himself, “Boy there sure are a lot of orchestras around here”.  And he was right.

Take a 90-minute drive from Lansing and you will find professional symphony orchestras in Jackson, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Adrian, Flint, Grand Rapids, Saginaw, Bay City, Midland, Ann Arbor, Detroit, Dearborn, Rochester, Warren and Plymouth – an amazing 15 orchestras.

And that doesn’t count several more in other parts of Michigan.

The question is: why are there so many orchestras in mid-Michigan? 

Many of these orchestras use the same musicians. They share a talented cadre of free-lance instrumentalists who drive Michigan freeways from one orchestra to another to beef up their local talent

Also, most of the orchestras play similar music on their concerts – the beloved works of Brahms, Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and other perennial crowd pleasers.

Given all of these similarities between the orchestras, would it not be easier and cheaper just to have a couple of regional orchestras that travel from town to town, giving the same concert on different days?

Certainly, the Lansing Symphony could easily travel to Jackson, Flint or Battle Creek to give concerts there. At first blush, that would seem a logical and economic alternative to what we have today; multiple conductors, boards of directors, executive directors, and other administrators.  

David Hyslop, consultant to symphony orchestras all over the US says, “Intellectually it makes sense to have orchestras service other communities to give concerts, But it’s all about local pride.

“Local musicians have a great impact on the community and the citizens want to hear them play and support them.  Here in Minneapolis, we have two symphony orchestras (St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra) and they’re both busy.”

According to The League for American Orchestras, The United States is a land rich with symphony orchestras – about 1650 from coast to coast.  

“It is true that Michigan has a lot of orchestras”, says Rachelle Schlosser, Director of Communications for the League, “but it is that way across the country, and each one is different.  They don‘t play the same repertoire, each organization is unique to its own community.  And they are made up of musicians that are embedded in the community who give music lessons, serve on boards and go out into the community. The musicians make an impact.”

JACKSON AND LANSING

One orchestra that shares many musicians with the Lansing Symphony is the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, a mere 45 minutes south of Lansing.

Jackson’s conductor, Matthew Aubin, says that the beginnings of the Jackson ensemble was as a community (amateur, unpaid) orchestra. Slowly it became a professional paid orchestra. 

Aubin says that there is a tremendous amount of community pride in their local, non-union orchestra. Jackson has musicians that travel from Kalamazoo, South Bend, Lansing and even Chicago to play in the group. Jackson pays their musicians $75 per service (a rehearsal or concert) and the section leaders receive $100.

And they are financially strong. Jackson’s $1.1 million budget, is very close to Lansing’s $1.3 million budget and they have no debt.

 “Southern Michigan is fertile ground for musicians,” Aubin says. “There are lots of music schools and strong church cultures. There are many musicians here who also make strong audience members.”

Hyslop agreed.  He pointed out that there are music performance and education degrees offered at Western Michigan, MSU, Grand Valley, Hope College, U of M, Eastern Michigan, Albion, Central Michigan among others. “It builds a real interest in classical music throughout Michigan.”

Aubin says that bringing in an orchestra for concerts is not the same as having a local orchestra. “We have different initiatives to create an audience.  We go out to schools and give out tickets, for one thing. A traveling orchestra would not do that.  Also, our audience has developed a relationship with our musicians.  They want the majority of the musicians to live here.”

Stephen Osmond, Conductor Laureate of the JSO, was their conductor for over 40 years.  He says, “The orchestra began by people just wanting to get together and play, and over time they built up an audience. 

“The proliferation of music schools here was a big reason. People enjoyed seeing their own people on stage.  As the orchestra grew, we had to pay ringers (free-lance musicians) who came from out of town, but the major part of the orchestra was local people. Jackson has always had a lot of local talent, and some people moved to Jackson just to play in the orchestra.”

 Lansing Symphony conductor and music director, Timothy Muffitt, says, “All of the fine orchestras here is one reason why Michigan is a great place to live.  If you listen to “Community Concerts” on WKAR, you will notice how good these medium size orchestras are throughout Michigan.  (Good orchestras) really improve the quality of life in this state.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I got here.”

Why are local orchestra so good? Muffitt says, “There is a pool of free-lance talent across the state which is off the charts.

“The profile of Lansing’s players is highly diverse.  We have many (music school) faculty members who play with us, public school music teachers, private music teachers and other free lancers. It’s an indication of a very healthy music environment.”

The LSO pays its musicians approximately $100 for each service and $120 if they are section leaders.  

Michigan is not the only region in the US where many orchestras are in close proximity and share musicians.  The Bay Area of San Francisco has several orchestras supported by a highly skilled musician pool.  There is an excellent PBS documentary that explores the life of those musicians, called “Philharmonic Freeway.”

OTHER OPTIONS

Although many areas in America use the “Michigan model”, some do not. The New Jersey Symphony Orchestra not only plays concerts at its home/Newark location, they also bring their music to four other venues; New Brunswick, Princeton, Red Bank and Morristown. Gabriel van Aalst, President and CEO of the orchestra, says that the orchestra has had this arrangement for many decades, but it’s not without its problems.

Van Aalst says that playing in five venues is an organizational nightmare. “Planning it is like playing a three-dimensional game of chess. We have busses and trucks that pick up the musicians in New York, where many live, and Newark. On more than one occasion, I have had to stand on the stage at one of our venues and announce that the concert will not begin on time because a bus has broken down or is stuck in traffic. It’s all very stressful.”

But even though the New Jersey Symphony plays concerts in smaller cities, some of those cities still want their own ensemble.  For instance, Princeton has created their own chamber orchestra in addition to the NJS concerts. They want their own orchestra.

LSO’s Muffitt is not surprised.  “An orchestra is a source of civic pride.  It should be totally devoted to the musical needs of that community.  Yes, the LSO plays Brahms symphonies, but we also feature artists who grew up in East Lansing  and we have our own resident composer.  Part of a music director’s job is to know the community well.”

In addition, the orchestra or chamber ensembles now play concerts at Molly Grove Chapel, Robin Theater and recently did a program at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Muffitt says, “We played the St. Paul concert because we had boots on the ground; local people who wanted us there and worked to make it happen.

“If there was a state orchestra going from town to town, it wouldn’t make it.  It wouldn’t get into education, outreach, cultural advocacy, and interconnectedness of the individual communities.”

Courtney Millbrook, LSO’s Executive Director says, “Each orchestra has its own vibe and feel. About 50% of our musicians play in other orchestras.”

Pop and rock groups fly into a city, play their concert, and fly out. Symphony orchestras live in the community and serve it on a regular basis.

THE MUSICIANS ARE THE KEY

Many local orchestras exist, because of the availability of those free-lance musicians who make it happen. One of the musicians is Stefan Koch, a cellist who lives in Ann Arbor and plays in Lansing and Jackson, as well as a dozen or so other orchestras around the country.

 Koch feels that civic pride is the key reason why smaller cities have their own orchestras. “Every community and every orchestra and every audience has its own personality. Cities are proud of their orchestras, and that’s why they keep supporting them.” In addition to playing, Koch was also Personnel Manager for the LSO for several years.

Since Koch plays such a large and unwieldy instrument, he stashes the cello in his van and drives wherever he is performing.  He spoke to me from New Orleans where he was performing chamber music.  During the summer he goes out to a music festival in Utah and also performs in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and several orchestras in Michigan.

“I have chosen this life.  I enjoy it very much. I had a full-time job with benefits that I quit in 2001 to become a musician. Despite the hassles and uncertainty, I have absolutely no regrets.  I enjoy the variety of different conductors and different musicians to play with. I probably play in more orchestras than anyone else in the LSO.”  

Koch is proud to say that he has never missed a performance or rehearsal because of travel issues. “I’ve learned to rely on my GPS and I check the weather a couple of hours before I leave for a gig.”

Muffitt says, “Each community in Michigan that is supporting an orchestra is a better place to live because of it.”