Seeking harmony

It is a time of discord, but as
the new concert season begins,
the Honolulu Symphony makes
plans to liven up its image and
attract new patrons

Money and occasional administrative upheavals have been chronic issues for the Honolulu Symphony and its 85 musicians, to the point where the community often views the problems in a ho-hum manner.

This year, however, the situation seems to have reached critical mass.

The symphony, which begins its 2005-06 season on Friday, has no permanent top administrator, no musical director for its classical series, and a budget deficit of about $270,000. A new chairwoman presides over a board that she hopes will nearly double in size, to help with community outreach and fund raising.

But the symphony is "not in a critical situation to the point that it might not exist," says its temporary CEO, Gideon Toeplitz. "In comparison to many orchestras, we are relatively alive and well."

In other words, the patient is intensive care but not beyond survival. And if the community has learned anything about this program, it's that this symphony is a survivor.

To recap the year:

Symphony President Steve Bloom resigned suddenly earlier this year, saying he wanted a career change. It's more than coincidental that he resigned after newly appointed CEO Vicky Cayetano questioned his administrative skills.

Then Cayetano quit after butting heads with board Chairwoman Carolyn Berry, the symphony's largest individual financial contributor. Prominent board members -- former Bank of Hawaii CEO Mike O'Neill and Honolulu Advertiser Publisher Mike Fisch -- bailed. Finally, under pressure, Berry stepped down, replaced by retired businesswoman Judy Perry.

This all came after the symphony announced last year that music director and classical music conductor Samuel Wong was leaving.

The symphony's overriding problem always has been lack of revenue. Toeplitz calls the symphony's consistent annual shortfall "a structural deficit," meaning it will occur every year unless the organization makes "significant changes ... and finds additional financial resources."

The symphony's annual budget is about $6 million.

The problem for symphonies is endemic. Eight American orchestras have gone bankrupt in the last 15 years. Fourteen of the top 24 orchestras in North America are running deficits.

All are battling the image that the symphony is stuffy, a domain of the privileged. An American Symphony Orchestra League report in 1992 concluded that unless changes are made in the way orchestras do business, the future health of the industry is in serious jeopardy.

"We must counter the traditional symphony image," Toeplitz said. "We need to be relevant, visual and fun."

That could mean that extreme times call for extreme measures.

At an Oregon Symphony opening-night concert a decade ago, a "corpse" lay in the Music Hall lobby with police tape sealing it off from concertgoers. The cadaver was actually a dummy of Mozart, the Austrian composer who died mysteriously in 1791.

Intrigued concertgoers sent e-mails from home after the concert to the orchestra conductor with theories about the death. It was all to attract audiences.

"My philosophy in finding more sources of revenue, and in particular new ones, is to show a different face to the community," Toeplitz said. "We're in the process of identifying that face. It won't be long before we tell the community, 'Here is the new Honolulu Symphony.'"

That will include surprise pieces; special encores; onstage interviews with conductors, artists and musicians; and even short films about featured pieces or composers.

The Honolulu Symphony can no longer depend on the limited number of people who attend classical music concerts, or "I don't know what our fate will be," Toeplitz said.

According to the American Symphony Orchestra League, total attendance at 1,200 orchestras has dropped from 30.7 million to 27.7 million since the 1993-94 season, while the number of concerts rose to 37,000 from 27,000.

That means orchestras are earning less and spending more.

An recent New York Times article cited a 10-year study in 15 cities that said only 2 to 4 percent of adults regularly attended their orchestras' concerts, out of a potential nationwide market of about 27 percent. The $12 million research and financing project, the "Magic of Music Initiative," was funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

Toeplitz and new board Chairwoman Perry said the "new" symphony will have more education and outreach programs, taking music not only to rural Oahu, but also to the neighbor islands.

"To maintain the same black-tie traditional symphony performance just isn't working anymore," Perry said.

Perry, appointed just six weeks ago, cited strategies by other symphonies to attract newbies and the un-gray.

The St. Louis Symphony organized a concert series to lure young professionals with pre-concert drinks and post-concert socializing with young orchestra members. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra's "Classical Connections" series allows the under-40 crowd to speed-date, take salsa lessons or exchange résumés before performances.

Under-30s attending a Spokane Symphony Beethoven concert receive free "Beethoven Bash" T-shirts. Each concert in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's "Beyond the Score" series offers a "live documentary" on a major piece -- film clips, an actor reading letters, comments from the conductor and musical examples from the orchestra.

But reactions to the nonmusical methods have been mixed.

"Possibly true," Toeplitz said, "but we definitely know what isn't working."

Changes will occur in the symphony's classical concerts through December. Audiences will be able to voice their opinions through questionnaires and post-concert town meetings.

"After four concerts we'll know what's working," Toeplitz said.

Ticket sales this year are slightly ahead of last year, but fewer people are subscribing to the entire classical season and are instead buying "Make Your Own" packages that are more flexible.

Sales for the symphony's Pops concerts exceed the classical series, which also follows the national trend. Exact sales numbers are unavailable.

Before Toeplitz arrived, ticket prices were increased by $3 in a few prime sections of the Concert Hall, the first increase in two years. But the least expensive prices also dropped to $20 from about $23.

Toeplitz doesn't like raising prices. "I don't know what the public in Honolulu can absorb. We need to start pushing for volume and not higher ticket prices. I think relevancy will influence volume."

For the short-term debt, Toeplitz has initiated steps that could save tens of thousands of dollars.

He has eliminated some concert pieces that require special instruments and musicians unavailable in Hawaii. He's also asked some guest artists to reduce their fees by about 10 percent.

Meanwhile, Perry is restructuring the symphony board in hopes of increasing membership to 35 from 16, selecting people who will talk about the symphony in the community, raise money or contribute. She hopes the new board can raise at least $250,000 to help meet her goal of a balanced budget.

"A symphony lives and dies by the strength of its board," Toeplitz said.

Recruiting is under way for two vacant positions. Notices for the music director's job, which pays about $132,000 a year, were published last spring. This season's guest conductors are all candidates for the job, Toeplitz said.

The selection committee, led by Berry, will decide in February whether they've found someone or need to continue the search.

The CEO search is being conducted by a company associated with Toeplitz. Peter Shaindlin, a board member and general manager of the Halekulani hotel (title sponsor of the classical Masterworks series) heads the committee. The CEO position pays about $165,000 a year.

"The big challenge," Toeplitz says, "is to achieve harmony between music-making and the moneymaking necessary to keep the music playing."

Wielding the Baton

This season's nine guest conductors are all potential candidates to replace maestro Samuel Wong as artistic director of the Honolulu Symphony.

Rosen Milanov
Sept. 9 and 10
Associate conductor, Philadelphia Orchestra; chief conductor, Bulgarian National Radio Orchestra; music director, New Symphony Orchestra in Bulgaria and Haddonfield Symphony, N.J.

Alexander Micklewate
Sept. 16 and 18
Recently named assistant conductor, Los Angeles Philharmonic; former assistant conductor, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra

Toshiyuki Shimada
Sept. 23 and 25
Music director, Portland Symphony; principal conductor, Vienna Modern Masters recording company, Czech Republic; former assistant conductor, Honolulu Symphony

JoAnn Falletta
Oct. 21 and 23, April 14 and 16, May 26 and 28
Music director, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Virginia Symphony Orchestra; artistic advisor, Honolulu Symphony

Heiichiro Ohyama
Oct. 28 and 30
Principal chief conductor, Kyushu Symphony Orchestra; music director, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra; professor of music, University of California-Santa Barbara

Norichiki Iimori
Nov. 11 and 13
Resident conductor, Tokyo Symphony; conductor, Yamagata Symphony, Osaka Opera House Orchestra, Hiroshima Symphony and Wurttemberg Philharmony, Germany.

Jacques Lacombe
Nov. 18 and 20
Principal guest conductor, Montreal Symphony

Alasdair Neale
Dec. 29
Music director, Marin Symphony; music director, Sun Valley Summer Symphony; principal guest conductor, New World Symphony; music director, San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra

Naoto Otomo
Jan. 6 and 8
Principal conductor, Kyoto Symphony; resident conductor, Tokyo Symphony; co-founder, Japan Virtuosi Orchestra

The Season

Full subscriptions for the classical Halekulani Masterworks series are $266 to $756; for the Pops series, $154 to $427. Single tickets, half-subscriptions and "Make Your Own" series packages are also available. To order call 792-2000 or visit www.honolulusymphony.com.

Masterwork

Sept. 9 and 11: "Depth and Passion" with Christopher Parkening, guitar, performing Ravel, Rodrigo and Mussorgsky. Rossen Milanov conducts.

Sept. 16 and 18: "Joyful Moments," with the symphony's principal cellist, Mark Votapek, performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major. Alexander Mickelthwate conducts.

Sept. 23 and 25: "Musical Revolution," with organist Anthony Newman in the Hawaii premiere of the CDS Concert Organ and Jongen's "Symphonie Concertante." Toshiyuki Newman conducts.

Oct. 14 and 16: "Journey Through Imagination," with the Ahn Trio in Kenji Bunch's "Hardware Concerto." Samuel Wong conducts.

Oct. 21 and 23: "Fantastic Intensity," with violinist Jennifer Koh performing Chen Yi's "Ge Xu (Antiphony)." JoAnn Falletta conducts.

Oct. 28 and 30: "Rhythmic Mysteries," with pianist Fabio Bidini performing Dohnanyi's "Variations on a Nursery Theme." Heiichiro Ohyama conducts.

Nov. 11 and 13: "Power and Exhilaration," with mezzo-soprano Margaret Lattimore of the Metropolitan Opera and the Honolulu Symphony Chorus. Norichika Iimori conducts.

Nov. 18 and 20: "Exotic and Impulsive," with violinist Karen Gomyo performing Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole." Jacques Lacombe conducts.

Jan. 6 and 8: "Tribute and Remembrance" honors the memory of victims of the Ehime Maru with the world premiere of Donald Reid Womack's work for shakuhachi, koto and orchestra. Naoto Otomo conducts.

March 24 and 26: Soprano Renee Fleming performs. Samuel Wong conducts.

April 7 and 9: "An Homage to Mozart," with the Honolulu Symphony Chorus presenting "Requiem." Joan Landry conducts.

April 14 and 16: "Sublime Escape," with violinist Chee-Yun in Saint-Saens' Violin Concerto No. 3 in B minor. JoAnn Falletta conducts.

April 21 and 23: "Agony and Ecstasy," with concertmaster Ignace "Iggy" Jang performing Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2. Samuel Wong conducts.

May 26 and 28: "Festival of Sounds," with pianist Stewart Goodyear in Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini." JoAnn Falletta conducts.

Honolulu Symphony Pops

Sept. 2, 3: Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers (see above).

Sept. 30, Oct. 1: Vocalist Monica Mancini, daughter of film composer Henry Mancini.

Nov. 4, 5: Tribute to Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, featuring several local performers.

Nov. 25, 26: Trumpeter Chris Botti, former accompanist to Sting, performs a program of contemporary jazz.

Dec. 9, 10: Annual Christmas concert with the Brothers Cazimero. (Bring a canned-food item as a donation.)

March 31, April 1: Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Famer Elvis Costello

April 28, 29: Season finale with singer Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom

Special Event

Dec. 29: Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with the Honolulu Symphony Chorus. Alasdair Neale conducts.