Arts

Symphony hired the Chicago Sun-Times’ with examples, and these lead the reader But it’s not the same as the experts we veteran arts editor Laura Emerick to to greater understanding of a moment, come to know so well through their es- oversee a digital magazine called CSO a performance, a piece of art, an event. says and reviews, whose likes and dis- Sounds & Stories. With all the online re- And their writing is simply beautiful, likes we learn to anticipate. We end up sources available to arts organizations, standing as its own artful object. having relationships with critics. The Essential Critic what’s clear is that even digital tools are This all sounds more than a little An arts review is not going to save a not enough to reach potential concert- high-minded. It’s a breed apart from life. And yet, a review has the potential The Pacific Symphony adds a different kind of artist to its staff. by Laura Bleiberg goers. Why not? Just what is the special the thumbs-up, thumbs-down style of to have lasting influence. It’s a record of value of arts criticism? reviewing, and even further afield from our culture at a specific juncture, a first- the random comments on crowdsourced hand report that becomes a reference reviewing websites, such as Yelp. point for historians. funny thing happened this spring at the Pacific Symphony. Orange including the ASCAP Deems Taylor It’s not something that’s It’s one reason great criticism is im- easily quantified. Good arts criticism County’s largest orchestra made an unusual hire. It wasn’t a new vio- Award, the equivalent of an Oscar in portant. Written by someone with a is simply one person’s truth, and yet linist, a composer, or an assistant conductor. The 39-year-old ensemble the sphere of classical music criticism. thorough grounding in a subject, it occasionally, you write A the best writers’ conclusions can be provides invaluable context and back- something that inspires people to take named Timothy Mangan as its first writer-in-residence. His reviews are filled with lively and profound and far-reaching. Criticism action, and that is a humbling and pow- This new position was created specifically for Mangan, who from 1998 to 2016 exacting descriptions, and he excels ground. This kind of criticism stands by its very nature is subjective, but the erful experience. When I was dance was a staff writer and classical music reviewer for The Orange County Register. A at writing about the aural qualities of alone atop a mountain of authority. finest writing also weaves in facts, and critic for The Register, I wrote about the well-respected critic with a national reputation, he is a recipient of several honors, music so that a reader can “hear” them. The authoritative voice is hard to du- these buttress and further the critic’s changes in leadership and the eventual He can help you understand the pro- plicate. That’s why arts organizations opinions. My favorite writers—The dissolution of Ballet Pacifica, the beloved gression and logic of a symphony, for can’t fill the critical void themselves, New York Times movie critic Manohla chamber ballet that Lila Zali started in example, and he persuasively explains though they might attempt it with intel- Dargis, Los Angeles Times theater critic 1962 in Laguna Beach. In a commentary, what makes a concerto special. As other ligent marketing copy. All the websites, Charles McNulty, to mention two—put I praised the ballet’s Pacifica Choreo- writers, reporters, artists, and editors at blogs, and advertising create a cacopho- forth well-reasoned proofs, backed up graphic Project, started by Molly Lynch, The Register lost their jobs in the cycle ny of noise trying to get our attention. of financial woes and layoffs, Mangan hung on for years. Then, his luck ran out. His job loss wasn’t just a fretful per- sonal situation for Mangan. It was rotten news, too, for the Pacific Symphony— and the Pacific Chorale, Philharmonic Society, Baroque Festival of Corona del Mar, SOKA Performing Arts Center, and many other theaters and music organi- zations. It might seem a positive move to be rid of the nag who points out all the things you’re doing wrong. If arts groups are being truthful, though, they will tell you a different story. In a press release announcing Mangan’s appointment, symphony president John Forsyte explained it this way: “The decline in traditional media has made it increasingly diffi- cult for arts organizations to get their stories told to wider audiences as well as to reach new audiences. Creating the writer-in-residence position is our personal response to shifts in the media landscape.” The Pacific Symphony’s hiring of Mangan is not unprecedented, though bringing a journalist on board at an arts organization is still rare; the Chicago

68 Orange Coast • August 2017 photograph by Priscilla Iezzi August 2017 • Orange Coast 69 Arts

Zali’s former student and later company YouTube. His first article—which was and because of those qualities he will artistic director. It struck a nerve with unfortunately difficult to find on the -or draw his devoted followers and attract a group of local arts supporters. Anne chestra’s website—was an explanatory new readers to the symphony’s website Nutt, Janet Eggers, Lois Osborne, and piece about Richard Strauss’s symphonic and, perhaps, to its concerts. In the press six other women raised the seed money poem “Don Quixote,” which the orches- announcement, Forsyte acknowledged to turn that workshop into the nonprofit tra played in mid-May. He wove together that some might consider Mangan’s National Choreographers Initiative, and background about the composition with job as “brand journalism” and “content they reached out to Lynch to run it. She musician interviews. Frank Terraglio, the marketing.” Forsyte hopes his writer-in- has effectively raised the level of this an- symphony’s vice president of marketing residence will strike a different balance. nual dance-incubator festival, and it has and public relations, wrote that Mangan These have been tough times for become a significant local and national won’t do the kind of reviews he did at journalists; the profession has come institution. It supports choreographers The Register, but he might do some com- under political attack, in addition to from throughout the U.S. and the cre- mentary. “Just as someone like Robert the stresses of the changing business ation of new dances. Ballet Pacifica is Parker, The Wine Advocate, helps wine climate. The U.S. Department of Labor gone, but this one vestige survives and enthusiasts to develop their palate and estimates that 50 percent of newspaper thrives, its effect rippling nationwide. appreciation for fine wines, Tim will help jobs and 36 percent of magazine jobs in classical music enthusiasts and culture- the U.S. have disappeared since 1990. seekers to develop their palate and ap- Arts criticism suffers from the notion Mangan and the Pacific preciation for fine music.” that it is not essential—an often-heard Symphony are still figuring out the nu- Though Mangan is no longer a full- swipe against the arts as a whole. I think ances of his role at the organization, time critic, the symphony must certain- of our culture as an intricately woven and it’s likely to evolve. He’s writing ly hope that as its writer-in-residence, fabric. If one thread is pulled out, it cre- a blog and perhaps will do interviews he can maintain his critical authority, ates a hole, which before long causes the with musicians that will be posted to honesty, and distinctive writing style, entire beautiful piece to unravel.

Steve Johnson

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