Double Times-The Decline of Quality
The Decline of Quality in South Florida
There is a lot more that goes into making a quality orchestra than just having quality musicians, and while there is still a (dwindling) pool of quality symphonic musicians in South Florida, the other neglected points are causing a significant decline in overall quality.
The Mass Exodus
The talent pool has declined tremendously over the past several years. Many musicians have left town and few new musicians are moving to south Florida. Of the eighty members of the former Florida Philharmonic, forty-two have left town and another five have left the music business. A number of Boca Pops musicians also have left town since their orchestra filed for bankruptcy. Many left because there was not enough steady work to support themselves in south Florida and they could provide for themselves much better elsewhere. And few musicians are moving to south Florida because of the cost of living and lack of steady work. Musicians are also reluctant to move here because of the lack of job security.
The Sum of the Parts
A good orchestra is much more than the sum of its parts. For an orchestra to play well together, they have to play together often enough to learn each other's idiosyncrasies. If someone has a tendency to play a certain note a little high, you learn to adjust to match them. String players must adjust to blend into their section so the section doesn't sound like a bunch of soloists all doing their own thing. Orchestras also need to get used to how conductors operate. Some conductors expect you to play ahead of their beat, and if not everyone has had time to learn this, the orchestra won't play together. Playing well in an orchestra is as much about critical listening and adjusting as it is about playing with technical proficiency. The "Cleveland Sound", the "Chicago Sound," and so on were created because musicians had frequent contact and a long-term relationship both with each other and with their music director.
Musical Fiefdoms
A number of musicians have left in frustration over the lack of respect and fairness in south Florida. In most places (and locally in organizations such as the former Florida Philharmonic and the Palm Beach Opera), you win a job because of your talent. The most qualified individual is hired through a fair and impartial audition process. Not so in south Florida. Here we have Musical Fiefdoms ruled by Contractor Kings. You may think you work for a particular organization, but the contractor wields much of the power over your working relationship. The musicians who get hired are often the ones that are most complacent and willing to blindly follow the contractor's rules. You must turn down other work if it conflicts with even one day of that contractor's schedule, or risk being fired. You get paid what the contractor says you get paid, and you risk getting fired if you ask for a raise.
Creating a Viable Community
Despite what some people might think, the AFM is not about destroying orchestras. Our goal is to ensure that they are sustainable and viable organizations for the musicians that work in them. Most language in union contracts is about creating fair procedures to take politics out of the equation and make artistic concerns take priority over personal agendas. Language governing fair and equitable hiring and firing procedures includes things such as screened auditions and a committee to review dismissals to make sure they are based on artistic merits. Only when musicians feel we have adequate guarantees of fairness and security will south Florida have an environment conducive to true artistic development to the level our community deserves.
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