Music Director Porat Wins in a Private Power Struggle

Like the Pacific Symphony, the Mozart Camerata has recently undergone an internal power struggle. But unlike the noisy exchanges at the Pacific Symphony, the tussle between the Mozart Camerata’s board president and its founder has been comparatively quiet, and the winner in this case was the music director, Ami Porat.

Porat and board president Leslie S. Cotton had a dispute over Porat’s right to vote as a member of the board of directors and over the renegotiation of Porat’s salary.

“We had a little debate of who was doing what,” Cotton said. “The conductor asked for my resignation, which is not appropriate for a conductor to do. . . . When he asked me to resign, I had no alternative.”

(Cotton resigned in July and has been replaced by George Dashiell, who took over in September.)

Porat rebutted Cotton’s statement.

“I did no such thing,” Porat said. “It is not up to me (to ask for a resignation). It’s up to the board.”

Porat maintained that his “voting rights are spelled out in the bylaws.”

Cotton argued that a conductor is an employee of the organization and therefore not entitled to a vote.

“Unless (a conductor) is going to own and run the orchestra and run the board and run the whole corporation, he is an employee of the corporation,” Cotton said. “That’s the only way that can be. That’s why he draws a salary.

“Apparently, there is a feeling among people like Ami and (Pacific Symphony founder) Keith Clark that they do not feel adequate security as an employee.”

Why is the vote a problem?

“If (a conductor) can block any activity by a minimum of votes, it is difficult to make changes,” Cotton said. “Also, what if someone becomes incapacitated or mentally deficient? What do you do if your hands are tied?”

Porat said he removed himself from potential conflicts of interest: “I have never voted on any issue that had any ethical shadings. I have not only abstained, but usually left the meeting, and I will continue to do so (over issues relating to him). I didn’t vote on my own compensation.”

Another change in the board resulted from Madeline Zuckerman’s resignation in August. Zuckerman, who had donated public relations services to the group in the 1987-88 season, was a member of the executive committee.