HEC - Montréal - Chair of Arts Management

Managing the New York Philharmonic in Today's World

Author(s): Zarin Mehta
Source: International Journal of Arts Management, Vol. 5, No. 3 (SPRING 2003), pp. 4-11
Published by: HEC - Montréal - Chair of Arts Management
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lu Voice
anager's

Managingthe
NewYorkPhilharmonic
inToday'sWorld1
Zarin Mehta

a prominentmusical Crisis?What Crisis?

institutionis a relatively
complex
task,particularly in these times mytravels tovarious partsoftheworld,
of profoundsociologicaland technological I frequently hearobservers ofthemusic
change, therepercussionsofwhichareevident scene bemoaning the stateof crisisfacingmost
notonlyin changing and tastesbut symphonic
lifestyles orchestras today,as evidencedby
also in the buyinghabitsof consumers of declining audiences, sluggish recordsalesand
cultural BoththeUnitedStatesand shrinking budgets. Aside from the publicly
products.
in thethroesofa period funded Europeanensembles, even some of
Europearecurrently
oftransition,as,indeed,areall countrieswith the world's most reputed groupsseemto have
an appreciation of Westernclassicalmusic, fallen upon hard times. Nonetheless, I believe
it be
may premature speakto ofa crisis.
I, for
thoughtheeffects mayvaryfromone region am ofsuch assertions and
to thenext. one, sceptical prefer
to speakofa shiftin mentalities.
One can sumup theissuebystatingthat
Thereis no doubtthat,in the 160 years
theprimary of the director
responsibility of
since the New York Philharmonicwas
a musicalinstitutionis to ensurethesmooth
founded,attitudeshave changed,among
running of the organizationunderhis man-
boththepublicand musicians. In 1842,the
agement. In thecaseofan orchestra, I seethis
yearof our foundingin New York,we put
as a threefold it encompasses on
responsibility: eightconcerts. Today,we perform about
a responsibility towardthe public,toward 200 concerts a year,andthepublicstillcomes
themusicians, and towardtheorganization's out to hearus
play.In the 19thcentury, we Zarin Mehta is Executive

employees volunteers.
and At theNew York
performed only"contemporary" works,such
Directorof the New York

Philharmonic (NYP), thistripleresponsibility as thoseof Beethoven, Philharmonic Orchestra

Wagnerand Berlioz. in New YorkCity,USA.
entailsa numberof important elements that Today,westillplayworksbythosecomposers.
Previously,he served
warrant moredetailedexamination, particu- Although theyno longerqualify as contempo- as Executive Directorof
in
larly lightof thisorchestra's long-standing rary, theyarewhatthepublicwantsto hear. Chicago's Ravinia Festival
traditionof excellence,thecontextin which Fiftyyearsago, orchestras wouldgo on tour (1990-2000) and as

we operate(NewYorkCity)and thepresent in orderto stimulate Managing Directorof the

newideasandmeettheir MontrealSymphonyOrchestra
globalcontext. counterparts in Vienna or elsewhere. They (1981-90).

4 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

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would travelin economyclass,stayin modest
hotelsand performeightconcertseveryweek.
Today,an orchestragoes on tourforstrategic
or politicalreasons- to preservetheorchestras
reputationand to serveas an ambassadorfor
theUnitedStatesor forsponsorsin countries
or citieswheretheyarepresent.The musicians
livein deservedlybetterhotelsand thenumber
of rehearsalsand performances aredictatedby
the collectiveagreement.While it is truethat
times have changed, we cannot call this a
crisis.We simplyhaveto learnto adapt.
The Budget:Controland Added
Value
organizationis made up of70 people,
20 of whom are assignedexclusivelyto
fundraising. Roughlyhalfof our $50-million
budget is derived from operating income,
while the other half comes from private
sources.Each year,our $200-millionendow-
mentfundassuresus revenueof $10 million.
Less than 1% of our budgetis derivedfrom
government sources.Apartfromthat,all our
revenuecomes frombox-officesales, diverse
incomesourcesand private-sector donations.
Thus, while our financialsituationis sound,
we must always be on guard, as ever-rising
costs forceus to manage our budgetsmore
efficientlyand to reviewour marketingstrat-
egyregularly.
As faras we are concerned,our strategic
positioningis based on theadded value of the
NYP, which manifestsitselfon severalfronts
simultaneously: in our program,in the orga-
nizationof our tours,in our organizational
structure,in the marketingof our concerts
and products,in our public relations,and in
the prospectiverenovationof our concerthall
thatwill be adaptedto our new needs.
Collaborationand
Programming:
Innovation
a season programis a complex
exercisethatrequirescarefulconsideration
Planning
of a numberof veryconcretefactors,as well
as a less tangiblebut nonethelessessentialcol-
laborationbetweenthemusicdirectorand the
executivedirector.At the outset,thereis the
matterof fillinga 52-weekconcertschedule.
A numberof decisionsmustbe made: Which
of theseweeks will be dedicated to touring?
What soloistswillbe invited,and when?What
conductorsare available?What majorcultural
activitiesare takingplace in New York,and
when?What programsare being presentedat
the same timeat nearbyvenues?How should
theybe takenintoaccount?
It is impossiblefor the music directorto
see to each of theseaspects.At thesame time,
however,the executivedirectormust respect
themusicdirector's pointofview,sinceit is on
his shouldersthat the ultimateresponsibility
fora seasonssuccessrests.Based on myexperi-
ence, I would likenthisrelationshipbetween
the music directorand the executivedirector
to a marriagefoundedon mutual respect.In
thiscase, however,thingsare complicatedby
the fact that the music directorand execu-
tive directorare forcedto live togethereven
thoughtheydid not necessarilychoose each
other.Most of the time,one of the two has

^HHEöjU^3U| ZarinMehtais ExecutiveDirector ofthe NewYorkPhilharmonic Orchestra. In seekingto fulfilhisthree-pronged

^■^^I^H^^^B responsibilitytoward the orchestra's its
public, musicians, and its paid and volunteerstaff,he has deviseda
^^^^^^^H^^H globalstrategy thatis aimednotat resolvingsomeperceivedcrisisin symphonic music(whoseexistencehe in
^^^^^^^fl^H factdenies)butratherat adaptingto majorchangesin the mentality of consumers ofclassicalmusicproducts.
^^^^^^H|HB Hisstrategy takesintoaccountboththeimmediate musicalenvironment of NewYorkCityand theinternational
^^^^^^H^Hl market thatproducesthe majorstarswhoaudienceswantto hear.Assuch,hisstrategy encompasseseverything,
^^^^^^^I^^H fromthe budget,to programming, tours,organizational
structure, marketing, publicrelationsand fundraising
- all aspectsthatMehtaseeksto exploitand managein a coherent, practicaland realisticmanner.
^^^^^^^^^^H

^^^^^^^&£fi music,artsmanagement,
Symphonic leadership,
strategy

VOLUME5, NUMBER3 • SPRING2003 5

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been in officelonger than the other. It is
importantthattheybe friends,or,at thevery
least,thattheyrespecteach other'swork.
The music directorhas to understandthe
challenges,in a given city,of selling tick-
ets, raisingfunds,and all the other factors
involvedin planninga season program.He
must be receptiveto the suggestionsof the
executivedirector,who, becausehe livesin the
city fulltime,52 weeks a year,is familiarwith
the culturaland social environment, whereas
themusicdirectorspendsonlya fewweeksin
towneach year.On theotherhand,theexecu-
tivedirectormusthave a clearunderstanding
of the role of the music director:He is the
"publicface"oftheorganization.He is theone
who is ultimatelyresponsibleforthesuccessor
failureof a concert.He is the one who has to
facethe critic'sreviewsin the nextmorning's
papers. He is the one who deals with the
musiciansand sees to musical disciplineand
progress.
In addition to meetingaudience expecta-
tions and fillingas many seats in the house
as possible,a well-structured programmust
be innovative,introducingnew elementsthat
take audiences offthe beaten path and give
them an opportunityto discovercontempo-
raryworks,but withoutdiscouragingthem.
This pursuitof newnessis, in my opinion,
essential,not onlybecause it adds an element
ofsurpriseto a concertand helpstastesevolve,
but also because it stimulatesand motivates
the musiciansthemselves, whichis keyto the
successof a concertand the cohesion of the
orchestra.
Take contemporarymusic, for example.
Inevitably,thereis neverenough of it in the
of
eyes composersor critics,and alwaystoo
much of it in the eyes of the public. It's a
question of balance. We have to be able to
convincethepublicthatit'snormaland pleas-
ant to listento this type of music, and also
thatit is greatmusic.Fortyyearsago, Mahler's
symphonieswererarelyperformed. Then, one
day,Leonard Bernsteindeclaredthatthiswas
greatmusicand people satup and tooknotice,
with the resultthat Mahler is much loved
today.He has god-likestatus.It's all a matter
of educatingthe public and helpingpeople's
tastesevolve.
One strategyfor renewingthe repertoire
could be to ask a famous musician like Yo-
Yo Ma to performa modernwork,knowing
that people will turn out just to hear him
play.Then, littleby little,theydevelopan ear
forthe music and end up likingit. Another
possibilityis to programa popularsymphony
preceded by a contemporarysymphonic
work.Yet anotherstrategy would be to invite
a young soloist known for his or her revo-
lutionarystyleto interpreta piece fromthe
repertoire in hisor herown way.It'simportant
to mix thingsup.
In a different vein, I wouldn'trule out a
returnto what one mightcall "pop music"
as a means of renewingthe repertoire. Why
not propose a seriesfeaturingclassicalworks
thatwereextremely popular40 yearsago but
that nobody plays any more?Why not give
audiences the opportunityto discoverworks
thatthey'veneverheardbeforeand that,while
perhapsmore accessible,stillconstitutegreat
music? I'm thinkingparticularlyabout well-
known overtures,ballet music,operettasand
so forth.
For obviousmarketing-related reasons,it is
important thatthe program takeinto account
thepresenceof othermusicalensemblesat the
variousNew Yorkvenues. Beforechoosinga
work or invitinga particularconductor or
soloist,it'simportantto avoid duplicationand

RESUME Zan-nMehta est directeurexécutif du New York Philharmonie.Pour s'acquitter de sa triple responsabilité, à la fois envers le
public, les musiciens et le personnel rémunéréet bénévole, il a arrêté une stratégie globale dans le but non pas de s'attaquer
à une crise de la musique symphonique, dont il nie d'ailleurs l'existence, mais de s'adapter à un important
changement de
mentalité chez les consommateursde produitsde musique classique. Cette stratégie tient compte de l'environnementmusical
immédiat, soit la ville de New York,et du marché internationaloù évoluent les grandes vedettes que réclame le public. Tant
le budget que la programmation,les tournées, la structureorganisationnelle, la mise en marché, les relations
publiques et la
collecte de fonds sont des éléments qu'il veut exploiter et gérer de façon cohérente, pratique et réaliste.

MOTS CLES
Musique symphonique,gestion des arts, leadership, stratégie

6 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

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to offerworksthatwillattract as manymusic forexample.My brother Zubin,who is one
loversas possible.The importance of filling of our guestconductors,
wantedto conduct
thehousecannotbe overlooked. Compared I discussedit with
RiteofSpring.
Stravinsky's
to otherorchestras, programming for the ournewmusicdirector, LorinMaazel,buthe
NYP iscomplicated bythefactthatNewYork disagreed,
arguing thatthiswas a workthe
has numerous concerthallsthatplayhostto musicdirectorshouldconduct.I toldhimhe
otherleadingensembles. CarnegieHall is one was right,and we changedZubins program.
venuethatcomesto mind.Buttherearealso a matter
It'ssimply ofrespect.
numerous orchestrasthatcometo perform at
ourhall,LincolnCentersAveryFisherHall,
whichis regularly rentedout. Indeed,many
orchestrasfromothermajorcitiesare par-
in NewYork.These Touring:FromtheEnds ofthe
eagerto perform
ticularly Worldto Our Own Backyard
includetheLondonSymphony Orchestra and
theLos AngelesPhilharmonic, bothofwhich weeksoutofeachregular seasonare
haveclosetiesto LincolnCenter.We haveto Several to
dedicated touring, ofcourse,
including,
makesurewe avoidrepetition ofrepertoire. our majorinternational toursin Europeand
Whenit comesto guestconductors, other
Asia,whichplayan essential roleinpreserving
factorscomeintoplay.I couldcitetheexam- our imageas a world-class orchestra.At the
ple of theconductor Christoph Eschenbach, sametime,thesetoursarean opportunity for
music directorof the RaviniaFestivalin
us to drawattention to our association with
Chicago and music directordesignateof our sponsorsand majordonors.One of my
the PhiladelphiaOrchestra.This orchestra
goals,however, is also to takethe NYP out
traditionally
performs six concertsa yearat
of itshomevenueand intootherNew York
CarnegieHall, and, in the past,Christoph In additionto our summer
Eschenbach wasoftena guestconductor atthe neighbourhoods.
NYP.Ifhe directs thePhiladelphia Orchestra concertsin New YorkCityparks,the NYP
at CarnegieHall six times,its verydifficult cangiveperformances inplaceslikeBrooklyn,
forhimto acceptan invitation fromus,even QueensortheBronx,as a wayofreaching out
ifonlyfora week.Its a questionnotjustof to thelocalpopulation andgivingpeoplewho
butalsoofimage,oftheexclusiv- cannottravelto our concerthallin Manhat-
marketing,
ofthehall,whether itbe CarnegieHall or tanan opportunity to discoverourmusic.I'm
ity
LincolnCenter. Thisconcern is sharedbycer- interestedin a program thathas thecapacity
tainsoloistswho cometo New Yorkon tour to attract
audiencesthatmayhaveneverhad
withotherorchestras andwhowantto know: thechancetohearclassicalmusicbefore. New
Whoisconducting? In whathall?Whatworks Yorkhas numeroushallsin universities and
arebeingpresented? otherestablishments thatwouldmakesuitable
In selectingtheworksthatguestconduc- venuesforthistypeofconcert. We couldalso
torswilldirectat theNYP,it'salsoimportant go evenfurther afield, to Florida or Atlanta,
to takeintoaccountthepointofviewofthe oranywhere fromVancouver to San Diegoon
musicdirector. Take nextseasonsprogram, theWestCoast.

RESUMEN ¿ahn Mehta es el directorejecutivo de la Orquesta Filarmónicade Nueva York.Para mejor cumplirsu tripleresponsabilidadhacia
el público, los músicos,y el personal remuneradoy voluntario,ha puesto en práctica una estrategia global que no busca resolver
una crisisde la música sinfónica cuya existencia misma él pone en duda, sino más bien a adaptarse a un importantecambio de
mentalidad en el consumo de productosde música clásica. Su estrategia tiene en cuenta el medio musical más inmediato,la ciu-
dad de Nueva York,y el mercado internacionalde donde surgenlas grandes estrellasque el público reclama. Así, el presupuesto,la
programación,las giras, la estructurainterna,la comercialización,las relaciones públicas, y la recaudación de fondos constituyen
aspectos que él busca aprovechary administraren forma coherente,prácticay realista.

PALABRASCLAVE Música sinfónica,gestión de las artes, liderazgo, estrategia

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 3 • SPRING 2003 7

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Structure:
The BoardofDirectors me thatit'sbestfordiscussions to be heldin
and InternalManagement smallgroupsof fiveor six Boardmembers.
I also insiston meetingregularly withthe
all public institutions, the NYP's chairmanof the Board of Directorson an
highestgoverning body is its Board of informal basis.I oftencallhimup justto chat
Directors,comprising45 members.The abouthowthingsaregoing.I askhimforhis
members oftheBoardofDirectors siton vari- opinionon thisor thatsituation, or about
ous standingcommittees (marketing, public the of
possibility raising funds for one ofour
relations, fundraising, finance, etc.),each of projects.It'sall veryinformal. The Boardof
whichhas itsownspecific mandate.In some Directors meetsfourtimesa yearforone and
circumstances, ad hoc committees are also a halfhours.I consider myself privileged to be
formed - forexample, whenwe needto hire abletoworkwitha BoardofDirectors thathas
a new executive directoror musicdirector. confidence in me.
But theBoard'smainroleis to act as a link Theinternal management oftheorchestra is
betweenmanagement and our community. assuredbysevendepartments: Programming,
Theprimary roleoftheBoardistoensurethat Production,Marketing,Public Relations,
ourfinances arein orderandthatwe havethe Fundraising, Financesand Administration,
necessary resources to fundouractivities.. and Education.Sincea lotofmytimeis cur-
At theNew YorkPhilharmonic, nearlyall rently takenup bytheplanning oftherenova-
of our fundscome fromthe privatesector. tionofourconcert hall,I've entrusted a lotof
In thisregard, oursituation differs markedly thedailymanagement oftheorchestra to my
fromthatoforchestras bothinCanada,where maincollaborators.
the government oftenmakesup fora lack I recently appointeda chiefadministrative
of private-sector donations,and in Europe, officer whooversees theadministrative aspects
wherethe executive and musicdirectors of oftheorchestra andwithwhomI meetevery
nationalorchestras havea freereinwithinthe dayforhalfan hourforan updateon what's
budgets that are systematically granted them. goingon. I also havea generalmanager who
Here, the Board of Directors plays an essential is in charge of the technical side of things,
rolein fundraising. The Boardmembers act including production,recordings,tours,
as spokespersons fortheorchestra withinthe orchestra staff and archives. I see himseveral
community. In turn, theykeep us informed of times a day,depending on the circumstances.
whatsponsors and donorsexpectfromman- The generalmanagerreportsdirectly to me
agement. and is for
responsible managingthe orches-
Since the Board membersare volunteers traand all its activities: planningrehearsals,
and,forthemostpart,influential figures in and
reserving preparing the hall, managing
New Yorksociety, we do not convenelong humanresources, organizing tours,and man-
andfrequent meetings unlessthereareserious agingthebudgetsforthevariousaccounting
problems to be dealtwithor important deci- items.I also have an artisticadministrator
sionstobe made.Ifonemanages theorchestra who, in additionto providing liaisonwith
effectively - that is, if do
you yourjob prop- the is for
agents, responsible scoutingout
erly,ifall is well at the artisticlevel and ifyou promising youngconductors and soloistsin
respectyourbudget- thereis no reasonto theUnitedStatesor Europe.He also handles
convenetheBoardof Directors morethana manydetailsin collaboration withthemusic
fewtimesa year.Management provides itwith director.
regular reports on aspectssuchas marketing, In my dealingswiththesekeycollabora-
salesandfundraising. tors,I prefer face-to-face communication to
On the otherhand,regularmeetings are written reports, especiallyin the case of the
heldwiththecommittees in chargeofspecific generalmanagerand the head of fundrais-
aspectsof theNYP. The budgetcommittee, ing.This latterdepartment is madeup of20
themarketing committee, thepublicrelations peoplewho are assignedto fundraising on a
committee and thefundraising committee all full-time basis.Theirjob is to maintainrela-
meetas oftenas necessary. The samegoesfor tionships withourregular donorsand to plan
theexecutive committee. My experience tells and organizespecialevents, including notonly

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our traditionalbenefitconcerts,but also new everything surrounding our concerts- thatwe
and originaleventscapable of attracting new mustseekout new possibilities.
fundingsources. We have to consideradding new elements
For example,we recentlyorganizeda lun- in thelead-upto our concerts.For example,if
cheonwithall the subscribers who have been we arepresenting Beethoven's NinthSymphony
with us for40 yearsor more,simplyto pay on a Saturday evening, on the preceding
tributeto theirloyaltyand to show themour Tuesday and Thursdaywe could offercon-
appreciation.We regularly organizesoiréesat ferenceson the composer,the work or the
whichour majordonorshave an opportunity musicians. On the Saturday afternoonwe
to meet the music directorand some of the could organizerecitalsby reputablequartets
musiciansaftera concert. Donors are also of chamber music composed by Beethoven
invitedto accompanyus on tour,givingthem aroundthe same timeas his NinthSymphony.
an opportunityto participateactivelyin the Or a week priorto a concertwe could post
lifeoftheorchestra. Thanksto suchinitiatives, interviewswith our music directoror the
these people become enthusiasticsupporters chorusmasteron our Web site,in whichthey
of the NYP foryearsto come. Considereda would talk about theirwork,theirapproach
and so on. Anotherpossibility forourWeb site
partofour family, theyareinvitedto all ofour
activities. would be to presentvideos of our musicians
special
I recentlyrecruiteda young technology duringrehearsal.The idea here is to createa
build-up to the concert.Simultaneously, we
expertto our team,appointinghim informa-
could promotethe on-line sales of our CDs
tion technologydirector.I considerinforma-
and createhyperlinks betweenthevariousele-
tion technologyto be an essentialelementof
ments.We have to take fulladvantageof the
ourmarketing strategy,and althoughwe could
count on the servicesof a memberof possibilitiesofferedby theInternet.
already
the Board of Directorswhose companyoper- Beginningthis season, surtitlesare being
atesin thissector,I absolutelywantedto have projectedabove the stage as the singersper-
formso thataudienceswill be able to under-
someoneon siteto overseetheIT aspect.
standthewordstheyare hearing.In short,it's
importantto offerour patronsadded value in
orderto make theireveningat the concerta
more enrichingexperiencethat - for those
Marketing:Recordings and Concerts who are interestedand who have the time to
partake- could conceivablyspan severaldays.
regardto the recordingmarket,we These days, people want a biggerbang for
are all aware of a significantdecline
theirbuck.At theNYP, we'relookingforways
in sales since the adventof the Internetand to giveaudiencesa feastfortheireyesand ears
the downloadingof music and, conversely, as well as theirminds.
the overloadingof the CD market. This I'm also consideringimplementingseveral
practicehas had major repercussions on our thematicformulasaimed at moreknowledge-
entiremarketingstrategy. The prestigethat able audiencesand an extendedexpe-
offering
orchestras once derivedfromtheirrecordings rience,such as, for
example,a contemporary
mustnow be foundelsewhere.Our image of musicseriesspanningseveraleveningsor once
qualityhas to be developedand nurturedby a week over the period of a month- a kind
othermeans. In the case of the NYP, which of mini-festival
during the regular season.
has unique advantageslinked to its history, I'm veryfortunatein that here in New York
influenceand long traditionof excellence,our we have the supportof verygenerousdonors
mostrecentstudiestell us thatthe futurelies who understandour situation.For example,
in the notion of added value. While sales of afterthe tragiceventsof 11 September2001,
ourrecordings bothin storesand online(nota- instead of reducing their annual contribu-
blyon the NYP s Web site) will undoubtedly tions, they actuallygave us more, knowing
continueto generatesome revenue,and while that we had been forced to interruptour
therewill alwaysbe recordcollectors,in my season and thatattendancehad droppeddra-
opinionit is in theconcerthall itself- and in maticallybecause people wereeitherafraidto

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 3 • SPRING 2003 9

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go outorhadleftthecity.As a matter offact, imageofprestige and qualitythathas always
ourfundraising teamwasableto collecteven beena hallmark oftheNYP.Whilethereare
moremoneyfromour donorsthanin the significant costsassociatedwiththiscompo-
past. And ours wasn't the onlyorganization nent of our marketing and publicrelations
in New Yorkwherethiswas thecase.Many strategy, we are once again confidentthat
ofthecity'sothermajorcultural institutions, our donorsand sponsorswillcome through
including museumssuchas theMet and the forus,thanksto an intensive and - we hope
Guggenheim, had a similar experience. That's - convincing fundraising campaign.
justtypicalofNew York.However, sincethe There'san elementof self-marketing in
middleof2002 theeconomicsituation in this fundraising. Indeed,youhavetosellwhatyou
country hasaffected not-for-profitsmaterially love- almostas ifyouweresellingyourself. If
duetothedeclineinendowment valuesresult- youbelievein a product, whether culturalor
ingfromdeclinesin thestockmarket. otherwise, and ifyouknowit well,thenyou
can talkaboutitwithwarmth and conviction
and youcan raisethefundsyouneed.Ifyou
wereto askme to raisemoneyfora museum,
PublicRelations:Media Relations I would say no, not becausethe cause isn't
and Branding worthy - on thecontrary - butbecauseI don't
knowtheproductwellenough.Withmusic,
public relations are handled by an it'sa differentstory. I evenfinditeasyandfun
eight-member teamin chargeof main- to raisemoneyformusic.So I'm confident
taining the NYP s prestigious imageand nur- thatourupcoming fundraising campaigns will
turing the affection that New Yorkers have for be successful.
theirorchestra. This department's priorities
includepressconferences and relations with
journalists,particularly the criticswriting for
themajornewspapers. Each week,I hold a A Dual Imperative: Communication
meetingwith the public relationsdirector, and CreativeMotivation
whoestablishes a weeklyand monthly sched-
ule. He has fullresponsibility foreverything implementing ouradded-value strategyfor
frompressreleasesto photosto mediabrief- theNYP,ourfocusison theessential skillof
ings.Unlesshe wantsto proposea newidea communication and thekeygoal of motiva-
thatdiverges fromthe plan,we sometimes tion.In thisregard, respect fortheorchestra's
meetlessfrequently. In timesofmediacrises, musiciansis imperative, as is mutualrespect
thisis thedepartment we relyon to exercise betweenthemusicdirector and theexecutive
"damage control." However, since my arrival director. In an orchestra such as theNYP,this
at theNYP,I havechosento placea greater attitude mustbe displayed withequalconvic-
emphasis on the NYP's of
image prestige and tion and attention to the entire orchestra, to
quality,which is reflected in our soon-to-be- our staff,to all our volunteers and to all our
released newlogo. donors,whether individuals orcorporations.
Our new logo is partof our efforts to The primary role of the directorof any
develop a new branding for the NYP. The cultural organization mustalwaysbe to take
staffandthechairman oftheBoardhavegiven careofhisorherpublic.Ifyouletthings slide,
theirapproval, and thenextstepis to present sooneror lateryou will lose youraudience,
thelogoto a groupofsevenoreightmembers and thenyou will have to startoverfrom
of theBoardof Directors. We'replanningto scratch.It is important to directwithconfi-
conducta mini-survey - notof all 45 direc- denceand pride.It is important to motivate
but
tors, just a few people who are known for musicians and to
publicalike, explainthings
theirexpertise in thefieldof design.If they and to showfaithin all thoseworking forthe
likeit,weplantogo aheadwithit. organization. The manner in which a new
Our re-branding effortswillextendto the seasonis announcedor a newmusicdirector
NYP's Web site,programs, advertising and introduced, thewaythereceptionist answers
merchandise, the aim beingto updatethe thephoneor thevolunteer greetsguests,the

10 INTERNATIONALJOURNAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
attitudeof the usher who shows spectators
to theirseats- all of thesethingsare equally
important and all mustreflectour goal,which
is not only to entertain,but to educate,not
onlyto nurturepeople'slove of music,but to
fostertheirknowledgeof music. In short,we
arein theserviceof symphonicmusicin New
Yorkand we make everyeffortto ensurethat
theNYP maintainstheleadingpositionit has
heldforthepast 160 years.

Note
1. This articlewas written
in collaboration
withJacqueline
a researcher
Cardinal, at HEC Montréal,andProfessor
Laurent
holderofthePierrePéladeauChairofLeadership
Lapierre, at
HEC Montréal.

VOLUME 5, NUMBER 3 • SPRING 2003 11

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