Immigration Difficulties Retard Philharmonic Leader’s Debut

Willem Wijnbergen’s replacement of Ernest Fleischmann as managing director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has been tied up in red tape.

Wijnbergen, former manager of Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, had been set to make his initial public appearance today at a Philharmonic press conference at which the program for the 1998-99 season will be released.

But the 39-year-old Dutchman said that because his immigration papers are still not formalized, he is holed up in his new Hancock Park home, unable to go to work.

“Before I came over here in mid-February, I was informed that there was a snag in the process,” Wijnbergen said. “The paperwork never showed up at the American Consulate. I told the [Philharmonic] staff to enjoy their freedom, while it lasts--and [conductor and musical director] Esa-Pekka Salonen to enjoy the ride while he can.”

Wijnbergen is not familiar with specifics of the immigration case, which is being handled by an Atlanta lawyer specializing in immigration. But Wijnbergen thinks his application is for an H-1B--a non-immigrant visa typically issued for three years and renewable for three more. During that time, it is possible to adjust the applicant’s status to that of permanent resident.

“If he’s going for an H-1B--a visa for a non-American filling a position for which there’s no American available--there’s an annual cap of 65,000 [visas] which hasn’t yet been reached,” said Immigration and Naturalization Service spokesman Bill Strassberger, who declined to discuss details of Wijnbergen’s situation because of privacy regulations.

“As a person of extraordinary ability, however, I think it’s more likely that he’s going for an employment-based immigrant visa--issued to people whose work will benefit the U.S.,” Strassberger said. “There’s generally no backlog, so it’s just a matter of paperwork. In either case, the process can take two, three, four months.”

Wijnbergen is abiding by legalities, refusing to plunge in without a formal OK. When it comes to next year’s Philharmonic offerings, he said, he’s in the dark.

“I haven’t even seen the announcement,” he said. “I’m just using this time to read background material--it’s stupid to come in and act on hunches. The challenge of working here is to bond the Philharmonic deeper with the community--just the opposite of the task I faced at the Concertgebouw, in which I had to revitalize its international image. I’m excited by the open-minded nature of this orchestra. . . . I’m very restless to get started. But red tape, I understand, can be sticky.”