Sunday, January 31, 1999
What are qualities of top music directors
Putting together a job profile is a difficult task for the search committee, says Joseph Silverstein, conductor laureate of the Utah Symphony who has advised orchestras on searches for music directors.
As the former concertmaster of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he has a perspective from both sides of the podium.
He lists four important points for committees to consider:
• Rehearsal technique: “The orchestra needs a stimulating conductor who will make rehearsals exciting for them. A good rehearsal is one where I come out of the hall and say (the playing) is better than when we started.”
• Secondly, a good music director must be able to create challenging and interesting programs.
“Sure, there are people who are going to say, "I don't want an education — I want to be entertained.' But that's not your real audience. The real audience are the people who want to be provoked, and they want to hear a variety of repertoire,” he says.
“People who want to hear Tchaikovsky every week are not the people who are going to support orchestras in the future.”
• Leadership means not only programming the repertoire, but being able to sell it.
It means, Mr. Silverstein says, “someone who is willing to say to the public — folks, you've got to believe in me, because I love this music, and I'm performing music that I think is great stuff.”
• A music director must also be committed to programs he or she may not lead, such as children's concerts, he says.
“To be successful, an orchestra has to have a very clear educational mission,” he says. “Music directors from Europe generally have not had to deal with that, so it's hard for them to relate to that responsibility.”
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