And More These Days, Ensembles—Particularly String Quartets—Are
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Pacifica: Newly secure in Urbana-Champaign by Katherine Millett Bargaining Power: Artists in Academe More and more these days, ensembles—particularly string quartets—are being invited to join poets and painters, composers and soloists, as faculty at the nation’s colleges and universities. A survey of full-time string quartet residency agreements across the country reveals the pitfalls and possibilities of careers that mix performance with professorships. he stars aligned auspiciously contract—a major policy change for an institution this year for string quartets that had previously relegated its resident artists to the on the faculties of the nation’s uncertainty of one-year contracts. (Under a one- music schools and universi- year contract, an ensemble can be terminated with ties. At least seven full-time, minimal notice.) faculty quartets attained “The Pacifica was getting opportunities elsewhere new levels of job security and that pressured us to move in the right direction,” prestige. This upward mobil- says Ruth Watkins, Illinois-Urbana’s vice provost. ity signals opportunities for small ensembles generally, “We may have pushed through the Pacifica as the Tand has beneficial implications for artists in realms pioneering example.” A year after the quartet signed other than music. Interviews with more than twenty its new contract, the university changed its policy resident quartets and numerous college administrators for all resident artists because, according to a mem- reveal a broad range of successful contract arrange- orandum from the provost’s office posted on the ments, but also that both musicians and institutions university website, “the uncertainty of one-year often fail to protect their interests by specifying in contracts encourages potential appointees to seek writing important features of residency jobs. more stable and certain employment elsewhere.” During the 2006–07 academic year, the Ying Recent advances are exerting the power of precedent. Quartet was awarded tenure at the Eastman School The Arianna Quartet received expedited tenure at the of Music, and the Avalon Quartet began a tenure- University of Missouri-St. Louis after informing its track appointment at Northern Illinois University. administration about the Avalon’s tenure-track Tenure has long been a controversial subject for position. The Lydian’s “professor of the practice” musical ensembles (see “Tenure—Pro and Con,” page designation was pioneered by the Ciompi Quartet at 31), so it is especially remarkable for two quartets to Duke University. And the success of first-ever quartet earn it at a time when American universities are residencies, such as the Chiara Quartet’s at the debating the efficacy of tenure in general. University of Nebraska-Lincoln, may well inspire Tenure track aside, this has been a stellar year. The other universities to seek—and even compete for— Lydian Quartet’s members were promoted from ensembles of their own. “artists-in-residence” to “professors of the practice” This may be the best year for resident quartets by Brandeis University, and the Pacifica Quartet since the 1970s. made a leap in job security when the University of “In the beginning,” says Paul Katz, founding cellist Illinois at Urbana-Champaign signed a multi-year of the Cleveland Quartet and now a member of the 38 december 2007 39 dynamics while also serving the needs of the employing member because “she said it wouldn’t be a problem.” concerts on campus and to attend all student auditions, institution. Universities accustomed to hiring individuals But conversations fade in memory, and administrators the quartet must also prominently acknowledge the may be skeptical about accommodating a group. change jobs. Documenting the fruits of negotiation residency and institution in printed and promotional What if the ensemble breaks up, or what if some preserves them and informs subsequent administra- materials. members deserve tenure more than others? tors about an ensemble’s special requirements. All full-time faculty residencies are defined, somehow, by contracts—agreements between the ensemble and The Cleveland Model the school. Typically, each member of an ensemble Some ensembles form as a new venture for musicians Ying: receives an appointment letter or individual contract. who are already members of the same faculty. In such Tenured at These may be presented as “standard” contracts, but all a situation, the group may simply negotiate to add Eastman contracts are subject to negotiation. An ensemble might ensemble duties to individual job descriptions. The consider drafting its own memorandum to define its administrator who allocates teaching loads—a depart- internal commitments and procedures. Then, during faculty at New England Conservatory, “for the ment chair or a dean—typically retains authority to negotiations with the university, the memorandum Budapest and the Guarneri, and later for groups like adjust those workloads during the contract term. He may be modified and incorporated by reference into the Vermeer and Cleveland quartets, residencies were or she would, therefore, also have the power to terminate the individual contracts. well paid, and some of them included tenure. Then or change the ensemble. Inevitably, oral agreements crop up to address the system caught on to the idea, and all kinds of part-time But a group that forms before applying for a residency unforeseen details once the school year begins. There is solutions appeared. There were artist-in-residence approaches its new job nothing illegal, or less-than-legal, about oral contracts. solutions and, unfortunately, indentured servitude differently. The ensemble They are binding, in theory, and they allow flexibility solutions. Everybody’s glad to have a job, but sometimes comprises people who have in the working relationship. But when it comes to St. Lawrence: Equality at Stanford these arrangements are riddled with problems.” made commitments to each fundamental features of the job, all parties are best The overview of contract issues that follows shows other, mastered repertoire, protected by written agreements. An ensemble may that the basic provisions of the Katz-Freeman model developed a unique sound, The Written Contract believe, for example, that its rehearsal time is guaran- have been adopted, adapted—or even rejected—with and built a collective repu- The central contractual challenge for a resident ensemble teed because “we talked about that in his office,” or success. String quartets are the only configuration dis- tation. Such ensembles may is to draft an agreement that respects the group’s internal that the quartet has sole discretion to choose a new cussed here because they hold the most residencies, benefit from considering but details of their contractual arrangements are rele- provisions of the contract vant to ensembles of all types. drafted 31 years ago by Paul Katz for the Cleveland Quartet and modified during negotiations with Salaries: Equality or Disparity Ying Avalon Miró Ciompi St. Lawrence Robert Freeman, then pres- Salary arrangements differ from quartet to quartet, and EASTMAN NIU UT-AUSTIN DUKE STANFORD ident of Eastman. It served from school to school. Paul Katz advocates equality: the Cleveland Quartet for “If somebody thinks they’re a have, and somebody else Equal Rank/Salary Yes No Yes No Yes 20 years and now governs thinks they’re a have-not, it’s hard to sit down and the Ying Quartet’s rela- rehearse. Equality is a chamber music principle, so a raise Tenure track Yes Yes No; 5-year rolling No; 5-year No; 5-year tionship with the same for one has to be a raise for all. I think it’s extremely Contingent Yes Yes Yes No Yes institution. important that everybody in the group has the same The Katz-Freeman con- rank and salary, no matter when they join.” Concerts 2 campus 4 campus/4 city 4 campus/6 other 8 campus 3 campus tract grants equal rank and When violinist Donald Weilerstein left the Cleveland 50 away 30-50 away 40-60 away 50 away 100 away salaries to quartet members, Quartet in 1989, for instance, the quartet chose William Teaching Half load Half load Half load Half load One-third load Katz: Cleveland pioneer and tenure for the quartet Preucil, only 31 years old at the time, and Eastman as a whole. The ensemble hired him as a full professor with tenure. “Eastman Replacement Quartet decides 1 Not specified Quartet decides 1 Quartet +2 on Quartet decides carries half-time teaching gave him the salary Don had built over many years,” procedure School decides 2 in contract School decides 2 committee; loads. Faculty positions are contingent on quartet says Katz. “It was very generous of the institution, but subject to approval membership. The quartet chooses a replacement if one how else could we have gotten the concertmaster of member leaves, and the institution decides whether to the Atlanta Symphony? He still took a pay cut.” Associate Professor Assistant Professor Senior Lecturer Professor of Practice Lecturer Title replace if two leave at the same time. The quartet The St. Lawrence Quartet’s agreement with Stanford Present for Auditions Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes retains the right to have a significant schedule of off- is similar in this respect. The quartet insists on “equality campus concerts under private management and to across the board,” says Geoffrey Nuttall. “Anything else Publicize Institution Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes keep the fees earned from them. Required to play 2–8 would be unacceptable.” This extends even to the quartet’s 40 december 2007 41 Ciompi: Professors enure has never been a tradition at its board of regents to offer a five-year, rolling of the Practice at Duke conservatories, where quartets such contract—substantially longer than contracts n as the Juilliard (at its namesake granted to other non-tenure faculty. “The institution) and the American (at quartet wanted more security than a three-year o Tthe Manhattan School of Music) have taught contract would provide,” says Glenn Chandler, which Eastman is a part.