A Different Take on New Symphony

* I would like to offer a different perspective on the New West Symphony that was not brought into focus by the April 27 story in Ventura County Life.

No union or musicians representative of either orchestra was included in discussions during the planning stages for the new orchestra. Musicians in both orchestras learned of the dissolution in a surprise news conference and were not given the courtesy of an announcement from their respective employers.

Ventura music director Boris Brott is quoted in the Life article as saying: “We’re not talking about jobs here. Being a part-time musician in an orchestra represents perhaps $3,000 in annual income. That’s not my idea of a job; it’s an avocation. This level of money does not affect standard of living or food on the table.” These remarks indicate a lack of understanding of the working lives of professional free-lance musicians and misrepresents the quality of talent and expertise these musicians have brought to their orchestras and their communities.

As for the “Gang of Eight,” the board of representatives who fashioned the New West Symphony, they may soon be facing a harsh dose of reality if they continue to promote the illusion that a million-dollar budget will somehow provide them with the resources to fund a higher quality orchestra. An orchestra “worthy of performing in England or Japan” is not hard to find in the United States, but funding for such a venture is difficult to obtain. The main motivation for the creation of New West Symphony seems to be cost-cutting, leaving unanswered questions of artistic goals, community support and the fate of 140 to 150 musicians.

MICHAEL J. SMITH

Ventura

Michael Smith is president of Local 581, American Federation of Musicians.