{"id":755,"date":"2019-03-18T03:35:05","date_gmt":"2019-03-18T03:35:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.caseartslaw.com\/CAL\/?p=755"},"modified":"2019-11-28T02:07:33","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T02:07:33","slug":"riccardo-mutis-radical-vision","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.caseartslaw.com\/CAL\/2019\/03\/18\/riccardo-mutis-radical-vision\/","title":{"rendered":"Riccardo Muti’s Radical Vision"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much has been made of Maestro Riccardo Muti\u2019s outspoken support for the striking musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra \u2013 and rightly so. It is a rare thing for a music director to come out publicly on the side of musicians engaged in a contentious dispute with that music director\u2019s own employer. It is not unprecedented \u2013 Osmo Vanska, Robert Spano, and Donald Runnicles are recent examples of conductors siding with their musicians \u2013 but it is still uncommon. I imagine the musicians of several orchestras that were on strike in the past couple of years have been gazing enviously at Maestro Muti, comparing his actions with those of their own music directors who failed to give them similar public support.<\/p>\n

But buried in Maestro Muti\u2019s public comments is something I find even more significant. In a letter<\/a> to the CSO\u2019s board chair on March 6, 2019, he wrote this statement: \u201cI hope that the board will remember that theirs is not a job but a mission, and that tranquility and serenity will be given for the artists to do their work.\u201d <\/p>\n

In that one sentence, Muti presented a striking vision of the role of board members of symphony orchestras and their attitude towards their musicians. In Muti\u2019s vision, a board member above all acts in service to the mission of the organization, which is to present the finest symphonic music to that organization\u2019s community; and to that end, the board member is obligated to make every effort to put the musicians in the best possible position to create that music. That means musicians must be provided with enough salary, health care benefits, and retirement security that they can focus on performing to the best of their ability \u2013 thereby fulfilling the orchestra\u2019s mission. Instead of constantly struggling to make ends meet, nervously checking their 401k accounts or debating whether it is really necessary to spend money for a doctor\u2019s visit, the artists are free to simply \u201cdo their work.\u201d<\/p>\n

I have sat across the bargaining table with enough board members (and managers who must do their bidding) to know that Muti\u2019s vision does not<\/strong> reflect how many board members view their roles or their musicians. Many board members prize financial \u201csustainability\u201d as the ultimate goal; and they see the musicians as employees \u2013 \u201clabor\u201d \u2013 who, along with administrative staff, provide \u201cthe product.\u201d Consistent with common business practice, they want the \u201clabor\u201d to produce that \u201cproduct\u201d at the lowest possible cost. <\/p>\n

That discrepancy, between Muti\u2019s vision and the reality of what many board members believe, lies at the heart of every labor dispute in this industry. It is nearly impossible to find common ground when each side sees the world in such a fundamentally different way. Sometimes I think it is a miracle that we settle contracts at all.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t mean board members are bad people \u2013 far from it. They are volunteers, and they wouldn\u2019t be there if they didn\u2019t believe in the mission of a symphony orchestra. Many are dedicated and tireless in their efforts. Indeed, when I hear speeches about \u201csustainability,\u201d nine times out of ten that board member honestly believes he or she is doing the right thing in preserving the organization for the future. They have been told that is their mission, and they see themselves as fulfilling it.<\/p>\n

Similarly, board members may view musicians as workers who make the product because that\u2019s the paradigm they know (and it\u2019s how capitalism operates). They harbor no ill will towards their musicians (mostly), and may sincerely express respect and admiration for them. Muti\u2019s vision, in which the board sees musicians not as a workforce but as artists to whom they owe an obligation, is simply alien to them.<\/p>\n

That is often manifested in complaints about how much of the budget goes to the musicians\u2019 salary and benefits. To which I always reply, \u201cwhere else should the money be going?\u201d It\u2019s almost laughable \u2013 a person who is willing to commit their time, expertise and money to the operation of an orchestra is miffed because so much money is allocated to . . . the orchestra. And many orchestras (including and perhaps especially the Chicago Symphony) spend their money on a great many things that aren\u2019t the orchestra at all.<\/p>\n

Is Muti\u2019s vision realistic? Not everywhere; many communities simply don\u2019t have the resources. But that doesn\u2019t mean the board members in those communities shouldn\u2019t make the effort. If they believe in the mission of the organization, then providing as comfortable a living as possible for their musicians is inseparable from that mission.<\/p>\n

And in cities like Chicago, it isn\u2019t a problem at all. Orchestras in large cities and mid-size cities with significant wealth have the resources (or the ability to obtain those resources). What is needed is the will on the part of many more board members to see musicians not as a line item on the budget, but as the very reason the organization exists in the first place. Owing an obligation to the mission of the orchestra and owing an obligation to the musicians of that orchestra are not two separate concepts \u2013 they are one and the same.<\/p>\n

– Kevin Case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Much has been made of Maestro Riccardo Muti\u2019s outspoken support for the striking musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra \u2013 and rightly so. 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