I hope your summer has included the joys of music as well as time for relaxation. Wanted to report on the Chicago annual meeting, and bring you up to date on some of what was discussed there, including institutes being explored and possible meeting sites for next year.
Among the highlights of the conference were the opening and closing receptions. We stepped off the elevators at the Cliff Dwellers Club to panoramic views of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park, site of MCANA's opening night reception for members (arranged by Robert Leininger with the assistance of MCANA member Andrew Patner, who belongs to the club), and ended the conference with a post-performance party graciously hosted by Nancy Malitz and Larry Johnson on the rooftop of their apartment building.
In between these social events were the core of the conference: memorable, high-caliber performances by the CSO/Muti and a valiant Grant Park Symphony, which soldiered on under a stage shell despite heavy rains until thunderstorms forced it to stop--see CVNA's Chicago roundup for details--lively, informative panels, and informal discussions with Muti, Lyric Opera's Anthony Freud and others.
Three new MCANA members were among the 35 who attended the conference: Elizabeth Bloom, staff music critic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Daniel Hautzinger, a contributor to ClevelandClassical.com and a student at Oberlin, and Paul Robinson, author of biographies on Karajan and Solti and contributor to Musical Toronto and La Scena Musicale. In June, 2012, MCANA had 89 members. As of June, 2014, we had 98. That is now up to 101. Special thanks to Daniel Hathaway, Mike Greenberg and Heidi Waleson for their efforts in bringing us new members or returning members, including former board colleague Diane Windeler, whom we have missed very much, and new MCANA member William Albright. Scott Cantrell has joined the membership committee, chaired by Robert Markow, and membership committee member Jeff Dunn has created a great sample letter you can use to contact prospective members whose writing you admire. Email him at jdunn@musicmemory.com
Among the info reported on at the meeting, which is confidential/for members only:
1. MCANA ended 2013 in the black, thanks to wise financial management by Robert Leininger, donations from members and a small grants from foundations, including Allstate, thanks to Jimmy Paulk. We were able to restore $1,000 of the $3,000 voluntary salary cut taken by Robert several years ago, and pay him a bonus as well.
2. As most of you know, within 3 months of launching CVNA, we were able to secure grants for 2014 from two foundations (through the efforts of member emeritus Robert Commanday, a past president, and yours truly) for a total of $35,000. This would not have happened without the generosity and support of those MCANA members who contributed sufficient funds to CVNA to help us obtain a matching grant from the smaller of the two foundations. (Again, many thanks to each of you!) Using preliminary research from Robert Commanday, Vice President John Fleming presented me with a list of potential foundations to pursue in the future. I am now working to obtain comparable or increased funding for 2015. If anyone has any suggestions of who to approach, please email me.
3. At the meeting, Web Committee chair Nancy Malitz reported that CVNA had published 154 stories by 60 writers, most of whom are MCANA members. Nancy also cited some figures from May – an indication of the site’s ever growing popularity: 3,334 visitors and 5,879 views. The next challenge for CVNA is to double the all-volunteer editorial team of four. It's a challenging but rewarding volunteer opportunity, and you will hear more about it from the Web committee soon.
4. Social Media Chair Paul Hyde reported that he had created a CVNA Twitter page for three purposes: 1) to promote the reviews and articles on CVNA; 2) to promote the work of MCANA members; and 3) to tweet links of interest to classical music listeners. Paul has posted more than 2500 tweets to the CVNA Twitter page and attracted, in its short period of operation, more than 380 followers. The page has provided on-the-spot reports and reviews from MCANA Institutes, such as Sarasota and Dresden, as well as from the Chicago annual meeting. Paul encouraged all members to be actively engaged with social media.
5. Institutes Chair Jean-Jacques Van Vlasselaer told us about the many possible Institutes for small groups of critics that he is exploring for 2014-15: Chamberfest Ottawa in August, 2014 (now rescheduled for August, 2015); a possible institute in connection with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s birthday celebration of Pierre Boulez and his music in November; an ethnic music institute in Mumbai, India for March 2015; Institutes in Bayreuth (which members would have to pay for, but press tickets would be provided); and in Ottawa (National Arts Orchestra).
I've been in discussions with the Handel & Haydn Society in Boston and JJ about the possibility of an institute in March, 2015 centered around historical performance and the Society's 200th anniversary. Once we know how many of these institutes will definitely take place, members will be notified by JJ.
6. Jimmy Paulk volunteered to become the new Site Committee chair; Rick Ginnell, Paul Hyde and James Bash quickly signed on to assist him. (Thanks again!) I will be presenting their recommenda-tions to the board in our next conference call. Of the sites mentioned at the meeting and thereafter, here are the best candidates:
The Spoleto Festival (May 22 to June 7; details unannounced) includes the re-opening of the renovated Gailliard Auditorium, plus the usual lively programming mix, including a world premiere and a less frequently encountered Baroque opera). It also offers inexpensive lodging at the College of Charleston as well as hotel press rates on weekdays, not weekends.
Hotels are pricier in San Francisco, not surprisingly. The best dates for us would be June 10-13. The San Francisco Opera is giving the world premiere of Marco Tutino's Two Women, and a new production of Berlioz’s “Les Troyens” will receive its American premiere. The SFS is presenting a semi-staged version of Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" as part of its Beethoven Festival.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is presenting its "Next on Grand" festival of new music, with premieres by Adams, Glass and Reich, conducted by Dudamel. The likely dates for MCANA are May 28-30, and would include Glass's "Hydrogen Jukebox" at the gutsy Long Beach Opera. There are some logistical issues to work out
The board will make the decision, but it would be helpful to know the following: Of those who either usually attend as well as those who would like to attend but sometimes have scheduling conflicts in May/June, how many of you would NOT be able to attend an annual meeting on June 10-13? Three or four nights somewhere in between May 25-29 or June 1-5? May 28-30?
Thanks to Roy Dicks and Paul Hyde for the meeting minutes. And to each of you for your continued involvement in MCANA.
Best regards,
Barbara
