Sunday, May 28, 2006
Tryout concerts with the three finalists begin this week.
By GUY D'ASTOLFO
VINDICATOR ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
The Youngstown Symphony Society has narrowed its search for a music director to three candidates.
Each will lead the YSO in a shortened concert at Ford Family Recital Hall, which will be preceded by a conversation with the audience. The conversations will begin at 7 p.m., and the concert at 8 p.m. The dates for the tryout concerts are: Jonathan McPhee, Wednesday; Daniel Meyer, June 6; and Randall Craig Fleischer, June 9.
The Vindicator spoke with each of the candidates for this story.
JONATHAN MCPHEE
A resident of Boston, Jonathan McPhee has a wealth of cross-organizational experience in that city and a track record of growth.
In addition to being the music director of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra and the Symphony by the Sea, he is also the music director of the Boston Ballet.
McPhee is also principal conductor of the Lexington (Ky.) Symphony. He has earned degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School.
The 51-year-old Philadelphia native has served as conductor for several distinguished dance companies, including the New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet (England), Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada, the Australian Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. He has also conducted grand opera with Opera Boston, the American Opera Center in New York and Boston University Opera.
McPhee is proud of his accomplishments with the Boston Ballet. "It started as a pit ensemble, and I built it up to an orchestra that has made five recordings," he said.
The diversity of the organizations he has managed has given him insight into the universal keys to success. "All of the orchestras I've directed have very different profiles, audiences and needs, and require different programming," he said. "It's a wide range of musical acts, and I've had to find a way to communicate the musical message of the group."
He noted that each of the orchestras he runs has grown by at least 35 percent each year in terms of budget, subscribers and size.
One advantage
One thing about the Youngstown position that caught McPhee's attention is the fact that it owns its own venue.
"That's a tremendous advantage," he said. "It's a terrific element for growth. It allows you to control your own destiny."
Also, having a large university next door "adds an exciting dynamic" and more ways to access the community and grow the arts, he said.
McPhee is a board member of the Massachusetts chapter of Young Audiences, a symphonic organization that conducts school programs, and also heads the youth orchestra of the Symphony by the Sea.
"I stay close to younger music," he said, noting that he has two daughters enrolled in the New England Conservatory's prep division.
If given the YSO post, McPhee said he would first get to know the board and the musicians -- who they are and what else they do -- and gauge community support. Then he would assess the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, and align them properly. "The measure of success of a music director lies in the orchestra reaching its potential," he said.
DANIEL MEYER
Daniel Meyer is the resident conductor of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Youth Orchestra. The 34-year-old is also music director of the Asheville (North Carolina) Symphony.
A Cleveland native, he is a graduate of Denison University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
Meyer has spearheaded some creative attempts to attract new audiences in Pittsburgh, such as Symphony With a Splash.
Targeting new audiences
"We're always looking to identify audiences that we haven't tapped into yet," said Meyer. "Maybe they haven't had the right experience yet. Symphony With a Splash is aimed at 30- and 40-somethings who like to network after work. Each one has a theme. It starts with a happy hour, then we do an hour or hour-and-15-minute concert. We also talk about the musical program and show slides and clips."
Meyer has also lead the PSO's Sunday matinee series for families, and developed the Tiny Tots concerts, which are based on books such as "Curious George" and "Where the Wild Things Are," to promote music and reading.
Last year, Meyer led the PSYO on a tour to Vienna, Prague, Leipzig and Budapest.
Turning more segments of the public on to classical music is Meyer's top priority. "The survival of any symphony is tied to youth and children's orchestras, and in educating adults about this wonderful art form," he said. "As with any higher art form, it requires more preparation and industriousness, but your experience becomes richer each time you go back."
Meyer said his helm positions at other orchestras would complement his service to the YSO. "Most music directors today are expected to hold jobs with three or even four symphonies," he said. "It's a way of invigorating each orchestra, inspiring them with fresh ideas from the other symphonies."
Although he's a Cleveland native who now lives in Pittsburgh, Meyer said he is not very familiar with Youngstown, but knows that the quality of available musicians is high.
RANDALL CRAIG FLEISCHER
Whether he gets the music director post or not, Randall Craig Fleischer will lead the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra in February. He has already on the schedule as a guest conductor in the YSO's 2006-07 season.
The 47-year-old also led the orchestra in a Pops program in October at Stambaugh Auditorium. It was an experience that left him impressed. "[The YSO] is a good orchestra," he said. "And it has vast potential. There is a large pool of freelance musicians in Pittsburgh and Cleveland and several schools of music nearby."
A Canton native, Fleischer holds degrees from Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and Indiana School of Music. Though he makes his home in Los Angeles, his parents still live in Canton, and his wife's parents live in Cleveland.
Fleischer holds three symphony orchestra music directorships: Hudson Valley (New York), Anchorage (Alaska), and Flagstaff (Arizona). If he winds up with the Youngstown post, he'll have to pare down his obligations.
"My life is crazy enough right now," said Fleischer. "If I'm so blessed as to become the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra's music director, I will have to drop one or two of the other positions."
Earning recognition, respect
Fleischer has earned respect and recognition for his work with children's orchestras. He won Newsweek Magazine's Parent Choice Award for his CD-ROM of "Peter and the Wolf." He is the only American conductor to win the prestigious prize.
He has co-authored several instructional pieces for children in collaboration with his wife, Heidi Joyce, that were premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra. The "Cool Concerts for Kids" have been performed by symphony orchestras around the country.
In 1991, Fleischer and Joyce co-authored and premiered "Martin Luther King Jr.: A Spiritual Journey" with the National Symphony Orchestra. The piece for narrator and orchestra explains the history of the civil-rights movement with excerpts of King's speeches. It was broadcast on PBS in 1995.
Fleischer studied with Leonard Bernstein as a conducting fellow at Tanglewood in 1989 and served as assistant conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra from 1986-89.
If he is hired for the YSO post, Fleischer said he would work to build the sound of the orchestra, and improve education programs.
He also isn't afraid to try something new.
"I would incorporate world music and rock fusion to excite the Youngstown community in an innovative way," he said.