The Pandemic Has Put Significant Speed Bumps Into Launching a New Music Director, but Orchestras Are Rising to the Challenge
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Roger Kalia makes his debut as music director of the Evansville Philharmonic at the Victory Theatre, before a small audience restricted by COVID regulations. Daniel Knight / Studio B Photography Podium Launches The pandemic has put significant speed bumps into launching a new music director, but orchestras are rising to the challenge. Despite constantly changing health protocols and travel restrictions, orchestras—and their incoming music directors—are staying connected by adopting new technology, experimenting with repertoire, and finding ways to make music while keeping everyone safe. by Nancy Malitz n early March 2020, just six months ate conductor, in an all-Mozart concert The Savannah Philharmonic suddenly before assuming his music directorship that had no in-person audience but was faced its own version of the question fac- Iof the Savannah Philharmonic, conduc- streamed. Their flight back to the United ing a broad assortment of American or- tor Keitaro Harada, who was born in Japan States was supposed to happen the next chestras this season: How do you launch a and has homes in Savannah and Tokyo, un- day. But, says, Harada, “It was the week music director during a pandemic? dertook a quick trip with his wife to Japan that Trump announced he was going Logistical hurdles also confronted the for a concert engagement. The COVID-19 to shut down air travel. Everybody who Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic, pandemic in Asia had already started. The needed to travel went immediately to the which named Mélisse Brunet as its music moment they landed, they learned that airport—tons of people. We decided not director in February 2020 after the orches- America’s outbreak was also underway. to fly. It was just too crowded. And then tra emerged from a budget-driven hiatus, Soon after arriving, Harada conducted we couldn’t fly for six months, because the and the Evansville Philharmonic in Indi- the Tokyo Symphony, where he is associ- U.S. wasn’t open.” ana, where conductor Roger Kalia became 72 symphony WINTER 2021 music director just as the virus began to ongoing: As this article was going to the mounting excitement, he realized he had rage. In Texas and California, the Dallas printer, Fabio Luisi, the music director of gained “an audience of people who had Symphony Orchestra and San Francisco the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, tested never heard of me.” Symphony officially welcomed Fabio Luisi positive for COVID-19 while in Europe Overnight, Harada became a do-it- and Esa-Pekka Salonen as their respective and was quarantining there. Luisi had yourselfer in the how-to of online video music directors with the start of the fall conducted several critically praised con- production: “I decided we are all hit by the 2020 season—with newly redefined roles. certs with the Dallas Symphony earlier same wind, but we’re not in the same boat. In a typical in the fall, but—poignantly—would not It was up to me to do something for my- season, mu- return to the U.S. for a while. self.” After three days of work he put up sic directors his first livestream video of plucky insider are among the Tokyo to Savannah chat on his own YouTube channel. That most jet-set- While stuck in Tokyo, Harada felt himself was “Music Today, Op. 1,” on May 25, and ting of all pro- unlucky at first. April and May engage- he kept up the project almost daily. By the fessional mu- ments on both sides of the Pacific were time he reached “Op. 100” on September sicians, many lost: “Everything was Cancel, Cancel, 15, Harada was engaging composers, solo- bouncing from Cancel. Not just me, but the entire world,” ists, and pop musicians in jargon-free con- state to state he recalls. But then he conducted one of versations as viewers joined in with ques- and country to the first “no-audience” Tokyo Symphony tions. He welcomed the curious. Harada Savannah Philharmonic country to con- himself had started late in music, first tak- Music Director Keitaro A broad assortment of Harada embraced online duct multiple ing up the saxophone and then discovering media to connect with orchestras. This American orchestras are conducting as a teen at Michigan’s Interlo- audiences in the U.S. year, of course, chen Center for the Arts. facing the same challenge this and abroad during the all travel has During those six months, Japan was pandemic. been cut way season: How do you launch rigorous about getting the virus under back. Like Ha- a music director during a control, and Tokyo’s many professional rada, several conductors found themselves orchestras were given the green light to pandemic? stranded in a different country from one begin performing for audiences again in or more of their orchestras, temporar- September. But there was a new problem: ily unable to get back to the U.S. James concerts and became excited as he watched “None of the foreign conductors were Lowe got in half a season at the podium the streaming video. To his amazement, being allowed to come in,” says Harada, of the Spokane Symphony, where he be- hundreds of people seemed to be watch- who had remained in Japan all that time. came music director in fall 2019, before ing—and chatting with each other—in “I was the closest thing to a foreign con- the pandemic hit; he has been stationed real time online. ductor around, because I’m Japanese by at his home in Scotland, and with Wash- Harada decided to type a casual “The nationality, but mentally I’m not very ington State hard-hit, the orchestra has conductor’s here, too!” into the chat and Japanese at all. My upbringing was in- postponed its mainstage 2020-21 season to 2021-22. In April 2020, the League of American Orchestras’ long-running Bruno Walter National Conductor Preview was postponed. The Preview’s emerging con- ductors, as well as orchestra executives and artist representatives, travel from around the country for two days of rehearsals, cul- minating in a free public concert by the the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra at the Orpheum Theater. But despite postponements and can- cellations, orchestras and their newly launched music directors are adapting and staying connected by learning new Keitaro Harada participates in the Savannah Philharmonic’s online trivia night, one of the ways he and the orchestra have stayed connected with audiences during the pandemic. technology, changing repertoire, and finding a way to make music while ob- serving stringent safety protocols. They began interacting while he monitored ternational and I had made my career are doing this while reconfiguring their his own performance. By the end of the abroad.” By September, when halls were seasons and coping with the financial concert, he was stunned to see streams of allowed 50 percent capacity, Harada, who realities of significantly curtailed income 8888888888888888s flowing across the is in his mid-30s, found himself in rapid due to loss of ticket sales. Adaptability is screen—video lingo for applause. With ascent. He was booked nearly every week americanorchestras.org 73 to Savannah from Santa Zurich to Dallas Barbara’s Camerata Pacifi- On September 10, the Dallas Symphony ca in the fall, observed con- Orchestra officially launched Fabio Luisi nections with many new as music director, with an all-Beethoven audience members that concert streamed as a free video. It was could be credited to the performed with no intermission and a re- ensemble’s increased digi- duced orchestra of socially distanced musi- tal activities: “The orchestra cians, for an in-house audience of only 75 normally reaches 30,000 at Meyerson Symphony Center. Musicians members of the Savannah have taken COVID tests on a regular basis. community each season,” Shuttling Luisi back and forth to Dallas she said in November. “But wasn’t going to be easy. He lives in Zurich, with the current season where he is general director of the Zurich barely underway we are Opera. “Because of COVID we had to ap- already at 82 percent of ply for a special international waiver to get Keitaro Harada was in Japan when the pandemic lockdowns began. During a stream of a pre-recorded Tokyo Symphony that.” The orchestra tried him into the country, among the kinds of concert, he typed in “The conductor’s here, too!” into the chat charging $10 to watch on- complications you never dream of,” says and began interacting with viewers. He was stunned to see line productions at first, but President and CEO Kim Noltemy. Her streams of 8888888888888888s flowing across the screen— determined they gained far professional experience prior to her ar- video lingo for applause. better exposure by making rival in Dallas included several years at them free. the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where by a top-flight orchestra through the end of the year—Tokyo Symphony, Yo- The Dallas miuri Nippon, Kyushu Symphony, Japan Symphony Century Orchestra, Japan Philharmonic, Orchestra Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa, NHK and Music Symphony, New Japan Philharmonic, and Director Fabio Luisi perform Executive Director Amy at Meyerson Symphony Williams says the Savannah Center for a small Philharmonic has connected audience—and cameras—in fall with new audiences via 2020. increased digital activities, including interactive video chats, quizzes, and other online segments by Keitaro Harada, who became music director in fall 2020. Sylvia Elzafon Nagoya Philharmonic—conducting ev- The Dallas Symphony Orchestra and Music erything from Ennio Morricone hits and Director Fabio Luisi New Year’s concerts to heavy-duty block- performed a scaled-back busters. Harada’s first time to lead the 80-minute Verdi concert orchestra in person in that capacity will at Meyerson Symphony be in February, for an hour-long concert Center in October 2020.