Chamber group faces resignations

Seven of the 16 players in Pasadena’s Southwest Chamber Music Society will not return for the ensemble’s 2003-04 season.

In a letter dated April 15, five core Southwest musicians -- first violinist Mark Menzies, second violinist Johnny Chang, flutist Dorothy Stone, pianist Gayle Blankenburg and cellist Paula Fehrenbach -- along with percussionist John Magnussen and baritone Michael Ingham, who perform occasionally with the ensemble -- informed violist and Southwest executive director Jan Karlin that they would not sign another contract with the group.

The musicians, who returned last month from a tour with the ensemble to Washington, D.C., New York City and Vienna, told The Times that they could not solve long-standing artistic and personnel conflicts with the organization.

They are obligated by current contracts to play in eight more concerts, through the end of the 2002-03 season.

Karlin, who founded Southwest Chamber Music with her husband, horn player-conductor Jeff von der Schmidt, in 1987, said Thursday that she was “very surprised” by reports of conflicts.

“It’s not our policy to discuss personnel issues,” she said. “It certainly didn’t affect the success of the tour, evidenced by the standing ovations at the Library of Congress and at Cooper Union in New York, and a return invitation from Vienna’s Schoenberg Center. We’re very appreciative of all the fine work by all these players, and we wish them the best for the future.”

According to the resigning players, the tour exacerbated problems but also delayed their action because they wanted it to succeed.

“The truth of the matter is, we invested a lot in Southwest and still believe in its mission,” said Menzies, who joined the 16-year-old organization two seasons ago.

He characterized the players’ problems as “regrettable and intractable issues with the executive management.” Menzies and others cite disagreements over programming choices, flexibility in schedules and remuneration during the tour.

“The lines of communication were not open between the players and the management,” Blankenburg said. “There was simply no real opportunity for the players’ input to be considered or respected. A chamber music ensemble is by definition the most democratic of ensembles. I don’t feel that’s the way Southwest Chamber Music is run.”

“There was a lot of unhappiness on the tour,” added flutist Stone, who has been a player with Southwest since its first season. “A lot of niggling details from the management that pushed it over the edge.”

Formed in Orange County in 1987, Southwest shifted operations to Los Angeles County in 1995. It presents contemporary and traditional repertory with a shifting set of players, depending on the requirements of the programming. In addition to Karlin, Von der Schmidt and the five core players who have given notice, other Southwest regulars -- members contracted for a full season on a year-to-year basis -- are clarinetist Jim Foschia and double bassist Tom Peters.

“It really saddens me that some musicians are leaving the group,” said Foschia. “These are people I’ve come to love and respect. But I have a very good rapport with both Jan and Jeff.”

“People have come and gone before,” said Karlin. “We have engaged some new people for the summer and next season. We’re also looking at collaborations with other ensembles nationally and internationally. We’re in mutual agreement about these players moving on.”

The ensemble’s next concerts will be Tuesday at Zipper Concert Hall at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles and Thursday at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.