Fleischmann Delays Date of Retirement

Monday was to be Ernest Fleischmann’s retirement day, after nearly 30 years as managing director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. But notification went out over the weekend to the board of directors, members of the L.A. Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and the heads of volunteer support groups, making official that Fleischmann, 72, will continue in the job full time until Sept. 30, at which time he will move to “80%” part-time status.

In a conversation last week, L.A. Philharmonic board President Robert Attiyeh and board Chairman Joseph LaBonte said that extending Fleischmann’s tenure as L.A. Philharmonic executive vice president and managing director does not signal that the orchestra is flagging in its search for a successor to the $300,000-a-year post.

According to Attiyeh and LaBonte, Fleischmann was asked to stay on full time this summer to fill an administrative gap left by the planned maternity leave of Hollywood Bowl general manager Anne H. Parsons. The upcoming cutback to part-time status reflects a “transition” period.

Fleischmann, who could not be reached for comment, had announced his June 30 retirement date in January 1996, although at that time it was also announced that he would remain as a consultant to the L.A. Philharmonic even after his retirement. Over the weekend, Fleischmann made a rare appearance on the Hollywood Bowl stage to welcome the audience to the Bowl’s opening gala fund-raiser, a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald.

“Even though it has been challenging to find the right type of successor to Ernest, we are moving ahead,” Attiyeh said. “We are very fortunate that [Fleischmann] is helping us through this transition.” Attiyeh and LaBonte would not reveal details of the search so far. They would say only that the nine-member search committee (four board members, four orchestra members and music director Esa-Pekka Salonen) began work more than a year ago and had turned up several candidates who for family or health reasons were unable to accept the position. The search has been so secretive that even board members outside the committee have not been informed of who has been interviewed.

Attiyeh and LaBonte now call the pool of qualified and available candidates limited, and estimate that the job will not be filled until 1998 at the earliest and possibly not until 1999. “It takes [a candidate] a year to disengage from current responsibilities,” Attiyeh said.

They added that they’ve established 1999 as a deadline in order to have a leader on board to help steer the L.A. Philharmonic through the opening of Walt Disney Concert Hall, currently slated for 2001.

LaBonte acknowledged that Fleischmann’s formidable and long-standing presence as manager of the orchestra--as well as plans for him to remain on board as a consultant even after his part-time status ends--has led some to questions as to whether Fleischmann will ever leave.

“Our board hears [that reaction] all the time: ‘Ernest will never leave; they’ll carry him out in a box,’ ” LaBonte joked. “It’s not true.”

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Attiyeh said that a new manager may possess a different set of strengths than Fleischmann, whose tenure has been notable for his musical acumen and his strong hand in programming.

“We are fortunate with Esa-Pekka Salonen to have such a strong musical director, who is not just a conductor, but a composer, with deep thoughts about programming,” Attiyeh said. “Therefore we don’t necessarily have to have someone who has the same depth of musical strength that Ernest has.”

Attiyeh and LaBonte said the ideal candidate will be someone who can “engage with the community” in furthering awareness of the L.A. Philharmonic and its programs.

Attiyeh said that the nature of Fleischmann’s continued presence as a consultant after a successor is hired will be largely determined by that new managing director.

“Whatever role Ernest plays, it will be a decision in which the new director has a heavy voice,” Attiyeh said. “It has to be that way, and Ernest understands that.”

The L.A. Philharmonic letter also announced expanded roles for two other L.A. Philharmonic executives: Eugene Pasquarelli, currently chief financial and administrative officer, will become acting deputy managing director--able to fill in for Fleischmann during absences due to travel and other commitments--and orchestra manager Gail M. Samuel becomes general manager, artistic affairs.