[Dixielandjazz] Change Agents and Resistance to Change

[Steve barbone]

The life of a change agent is not easy. Whether in Classical music, or in
Jazz. Ah, artistic temperament. Hiring Ms. Marin Alsop as music director may
well have been the last straw.

Who, among us change agent jazz band leaders, has not experienced the
pressure of the status quo?

Hopefully the Orchestra will become profitable whether the musicians like it
or not. :-) VBG.

Cheers,
Steve

Baltimore Symphony's President Resigns

NY TIMES By DANIEL J. WAKIN January 20, 2006

Just 18 months into his tenure, the president of the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra has abruptly resigned.

The executive, James Glicker, helped improve the orchestra's financial
picture. But, in a classic clash of musicians and management, he also
angered many of the players over the way the new music director - Marin
Alsop, the first woman to lead a major American orchestra - was chosen last
July. 

Mr. Glicker and the orchestra's chairman, Philip D. English, said the
decision to leave, which the orchestra announced on Wednesday, was purely
Mr. Glicker's own. 

"Some people in the orchestra liked me, and some didn't," said Mr. Glicker,
a marketing expert who had worked for several Internet companies before
joining the orchestra as chief marketing officer in January 2004. "In
orchestras, there's resistance to change, as in all traditional
institutions. I was a lot of change."

In a telephone interview yesterday, Mr. Glicker said he had no immediate new
job, but was interested in consulting or becoming involved in the
downloading of classical music and other media. "I'm itching to do something
else," he said.

He said he would remain as a consultant to smooth the transition to an
interim president and chief executive, W. Gar Richlin, a board member. Both
Mr. Glicker and Mr. English declined to say what the terms of his
consultancy would be, or what the length of his original contract was. The
orchestra's 2004 tax documents list his salary as $269,689.

Mr. Glicker was considered an unusual choice to run an orchestra, and his
appointment was met with skepticism by some musicians and staff members from
the beginning. But Mr. English said he achieved "terrific success" in
increasing ticket sales, starting new concert series and bringing the
orchestra into a residency at the new Music Center at Strathmore, in
suburban Washington.

Mr. English declined to say whether he or the board had tried to persuade
Mr. Glicker to stay on when he made his decision known last week.

The chairwoman of the players' committee, Jane Marvine, took pains not to
discuss Mr. Glicker's performance.

"We've got a lot of great things going here," Ms. Marvine said. "We're
really looking toward the future and we're really looking forward to working
with Gar Richlin. He is a very skilled business professional and he loves
classical music." When Ms. Marvine was asked if Mr. Glicker had been
responsible for those successes, she paused and then declined to comment.

Mr. Glicker's best-known accomplishment was helping to bring in Ms. Alsop as
music director, a move that received international attention. She takes over
in the 2007-8 season. But her selection angered many in the orchestra. The
players said their feelings had been ignored, despite promises that they
would have a say in the appointment, and much of their anger was aimed at
Mr. Glicker. 

Mr. Glicker said he had managed to increase revenues this season and to
lower ticket prices, as well as raising average capacity at concerts to 70
percent from 60. The orchestra said subscriptions increased for the first
time in 15 years. 

"I'm kind of a turnaround guy," Mr. Glicker said. "That's what I've been
doing" since the late 1990's.

The Baltimore Symphony has been losing money; it reported a $4.5 million
operating deficit in 2004. Orchestra officials declined to say what last
year's results were; to provide a projection for this year, as many
orchestras do; or to discuss published reports that its accumulated deficit
had reached $12 million. The Strathmore residency has been rocky, too, with
11 mostly educational concerts canceled because they cost more than
expected, Mr. English said.