Challenges, challenges,...

In order to summarise a few challenges that I see around us, I will ask a few questions (based on real cases):

• Imagine you have a specialised band of musicians (let's say, baroque music) and you are negotiating a concert-project. A colleague finds out, and offers a similar performance for half the price. Calls a number of players to quickly form an ensemble, who have not always sufficient skills to perform baroque music. The quality offered is below standard, unfinished,... Obviously, with a lesser budget negotiated, a couple of players, who are hoping to earn an extra buck with this gig, will not receive a single penny, with excuses that e.g. the organiser/subsidy has not yet paid (the truth is, it is either paid long time ago and perhaps used up already or paid only the negotiated half... but who will find out anyway?).
  The question is; is this ethical? Perhaps, one would argue, that this is the principle of the free market economy - if you offer a 'competitive' (=lower) price, then you will be ahead of your competitor... provided, you compare apples and apples. A dumping price, for inferior quality is easy to offer. To do so is - in my eyes, to say the least - very very questionable, and is a hazard to quality. Value for money becomes an empty phrase.
  

• Management of a Performing Arts Academy has to make a financial decision. As every organisation, management faces the challenge to maximise the budget. You have to decide what department to keep running, which to close down, whom to hire, and... whom to fire. Perhaps it is very human, to see to it that your closest friend stays on board. So another person should go. When seeing - strangely enough! - qualitatively good teachers having to leave, and believe me; sometimes for very vague reasons, it makes one wonder.
  The question there is: management is, of course, responsible for good governance. Meaning on the one hand, financially an institute should be running smoothly. On the other, the institute has an objective. To define this objective, it needs a strategic vision, and also to understand the value of the objective (to create an environment of keeping alive (to conserve - hence the word "conservatoire"/"conservatory") a valuable given. In this case be it e.g. music. If a choice needs to be made, should not a management be conscientiously responsible for choosing quality as a long term investment, rather than keeping sometimes mediocre friends in place (this, if I am not mistaken, is called 'nepotism'). A case of mismanagement then. A function in management has its repercussions and repsonisbilities. You are accountable.
  

Pursuant to the previous point, I would like to pinpoint at a scary trend in Slovakia: For historic reasons - and one must understand this background a bit - there was a long forced artistic tradition prevailing here. During the years of totalitarianism, young artists - as long as politically approved - were sent to Moscow or Leningrad. The great Soviet master was also artistically dictating what was culturally acceptable. Of course, when having a pool of a few million potential artists, you can work out an impressive result. The music tradition became a circus; acrobatics - faster - higher... In a small satellite country, the choice is a bit more limited, yet creating a circle of a "selected few". The artistic quality was not always the main reason to belong to it (a contraire). If you meet a more talented colleague, either you are eager to learn from him, or you feel threatened and shield him off.

As long as the old school is still in charge, culture is in danger. It is not only a matter of ethics, but also of managerial responsibility, that changes for the better are an imperative.

Just to conclude this article by reporting, that confirmed rumours already circulate, that the Symphony Orchestra of the Slovak Radio (SOSR) will be completely dismantled by January. Imagine; the oldest professional orchestra (even established before teh Slovak Philharmonic) will cease to exist. Why? Because of selfish, self-centered interests of the general manager, and amateurish shadow-boxing of conductors Dohnanyi and Košík. It is sad news. And you pray that an unexpected miracle will happen. Here it becomes apparent, how mismanagement expressly shields off advice (there's enough good advice around) and gradually brings an orchestra to a slow and suffocating end. A sad week it was.

MS