NYC wrap up
The Newark International Airport is not fond of Jeff Tsai. On my way in to NYC from Chicago two weeks ago, my luggage was lost and now, on the return trip, UA flight 655 has been delayed by two hours. It could be worse however. Kevin’s flight to Chicago was completely cancelled. Hopefully he can piggyback on my delayed flight but from what I hear, it is already overbooked.
Fortunately, this run of bad luck has not spilled into my experience in New York these past two weeks. The second half of my NYC meetings was much like the first.
During the days, we met with a sundry mix of personalities connected to the orchestra management field in one way or another. Some of the more notable meetings include Jim Oestreich at the NY Times; Greg Sandow music critic extraordinaire (check out his artsjournal blog); Len Leibowitz, seasoned musician negotiator; VPs at both ASCAP and BMI; Mary Lou Falcone, classical music Public Relations veteran; Michael Fine, record producer; a host of VPs at the League; the list goes on and on. In all, over these two weeks, us Fellows met with representatives from over 40 organizations associated with this business.
During the nights, we continued to bask in the concert glory of the Big Apple. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, performed Mahler’s 9th Symphony at Carnegie Hall and on Wednesday, the NY Phil was led by both Lorin Maazel and Xian Zhang at their Lincoln Center home.
Before coming to NYC, I had not realized what a tradition we were walking into. These New York meetings go way back to the very first class of Fellows so as you can imagine, many of these managers are used to meeting the Fellows like clockwork each and every year. They know what our predecessors have accomplished and have high hopes for our futures. This cultivates a sense of both pride and humility as the torch of responsibility and change gets handed down to the next generation.
It is funny because these past twelve days seem to have been rolled into just one single whirlwind event. Without my schedule lying in front of me, I doubt I would remember half of what we did. Thank goodness I took notes nonstop. That notebook is pure gold and will be so helpful when I look back from time to time.
In just about an hour (hopefully), I will board a plane, head back to Chicago, and make my way to Memphis to continue on the second half of this unforgettable year. Next stop, Graceland!
Fortunately, this run of bad luck has not spilled into my experience in New York these past two weeks. The second half of my NYC meetings was much like the first.
During the days, we met with a sundry mix of personalities connected to the orchestra management field in one way or another. Some of the more notable meetings include Jim Oestreich at the NY Times; Greg Sandow music critic extraordinaire (check out his artsjournal blog); Len Leibowitz, seasoned musician negotiator; VPs at both ASCAP and BMI; Mary Lou Falcone, classical music Public Relations veteran; Michael Fine, record producer; a host of VPs at the League; the list goes on and on. In all, over these two weeks, us Fellows met with representatives from over 40 organizations associated with this business.
During the nights, we continued to bask in the concert glory of the Big Apple. On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Orchestra, led by Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, performed Mahler’s 9th Symphony at Carnegie Hall and on Wednesday, the NY Phil was led by both Lorin Maazel and Xian Zhang at their Lincoln Center home.
Before coming to NYC, I had not realized what a tradition we were walking into. These New York meetings go way back to the very first class of Fellows so as you can imagine, many of these managers are used to meeting the Fellows like clockwork each and every year. They know what our predecessors have accomplished and have high hopes for our futures. This cultivates a sense of both pride and humility as the torch of responsibility and change gets handed down to the next generation.
It is funny because these past twelve days seem to have been rolled into just one single whirlwind event. Without my schedule lying in front of me, I doubt I would remember half of what we did. Thank goodness I took notes nonstop. That notebook is pure gold and will be so helpful when I look back from time to time.
In just about an hour (hopefully), I will board a plane, head back to Chicago, and make my way to Memphis to continue on the second half of this unforgettable year. Next stop, Graceland!
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