The few remaining stragglers from the trip to New York will be arriving back home to Portland today, and the out of town fun has been had (and had, and had…). Slowly, we’ll all come down from the tremendous high that resulted from our triumphant debut in the epicenter of the world’s musical capital. So, one might ask, what’s next?
Well, in literal terms, we have our first rehearsal for our final Classical series concert on Monday morning. Hopefully our instruments will have arrived on the truck from New York shortly before that happens! Fittingly, the concert is a tribute to the orchestra and some of its most valued star musicians. Entitled “Celebrating the Orchestra“, the program features eight musicians from the ranks of the orchestra showcased in a variety of colorful showpieces. The concert then concludes with Béla Bartók’s brilliant Concerto for Orchestra.
But in the longer term, what does this trip mean for the Oregon Symphony?
First, the intangibles. We’re all puffed up with pride from our great showing in New York, and that will last us for a long time. We came, we saw, we conquered. We proved that we were more than ready for the world stage. I think that our performances from now on will be at a level that is a step above from what our usual audiences are used to, and then we will continue to move upward and onward. There might be a bit of a swagger in our step, so to speak, but there is no doubt that Carlos will make sure that our heads don’t get too big for our bonnets. I also think that we won’t be taken for granted in Portland and the state of Oregon any more, to the extent that that was actually occurring before. Pride in the hometown band will only increase, buoyed by the live/archived performance at Carnegie that our local fans were able to hear back here at home.
Next, the more concrete consequences. I think that there may be some invitations to play at some of the better halls and series on our own side of the country. I suspect that it might be slightly less difficult to be invited to play in Seattle’s Benaroya Hall or LA’s Disney Hall, for example. At the very least, we’re on the national radar in a significant way now. And there is the matter of Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Even listening to the radio broadcast or internet streaming audio, it was obvious how much local audiences don’t hear in our own home. Major capital projects take decades to make happen, but there might be the seed of something that has started with this performance that might eventually lead to the construction of a purpose-built symphonic concert hall in Portland, Oregon. It’s all pie in the sky for now, but it’s not too early to dream, and to start having a public conversation about the benefits of such a venue to the orchestra and the city.
So, those are my initial impressions of what’s next.
What do you think lies ahead for the Oregon Symphony?
4 replies on “what’s next?”
“Be inspired by the flame / where everything shines as it disappears…” -RM Rilke xo
what pdx needs is a megabucks-uber daddy like the LA visual art scene has.
does eli broad wanna make an impression in portland?
if so, he could knock off a 100 mill check without missing a forchette full during one of his el lay luncheons.
give him a call . . .
This is a difficult question to answer. Short term, I would suspect that there will be an increase in ticket sales and fund raising should be easier. Long term, I would like to think that some momentum might build toward constructing a proper home for the orchestra. However, the pessimist in me tends to believe that Portland lacks the money and political will to invest in the arts. I hope you are correct that the orchestra might get the opportunity to play in some other venues. Probably my biggest concern is that the orchestra is unable to sufficiently exploit this success. The orchestra is in great shape artistically and significant improvement has been made on the fiscal side. However, the endowment is woefully inadequate and the musicians underpaid. Until those issues are successfully addressed, it may be difficult to maintain the orchestra’s achievements.
Finally, if you will forgive my sports analogy, but the Carnegie trip was in effect the orchestra’s super bowl. As you are aware, some super bowl winners are able to sustain that drive and hunger for continued success. Others, however, experience a substantial drop off in performance. I hope that now that the orchestra has had its success on the big stage, it can maintain that desire for excellence. Standards have risen greatly in recent years. Those of us in the audience will be expecting a great deal. Meeting those lofty expectations may be the orchestra’s greatest challenge.
you raise some interesting points here, curtis, as always.
funny you should mention a sports analogy.
i just returned from a meal with friends where someone mentioned that playing carnegie was a bit like a baseball team going to play the yankees in their own home.
happily, the OSO “won” this round.
PS
i HATE the yankees! :)))