Syracuse Symphony Orchestra receives support from Hamilton

By Allison Eck '12
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The work of an orchestral cellist isn’t just a one-man show. Instead, how he handles a passionately undulating vibrato—or even the way he guides his bow across the bridge—is determined by a collective effort on the part of each person in the ensemble. In this way, an orchestra stands for collaboration and community.

That’s why the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra’s declaration of Chapter 7 bankruptcy on April 5 was such a devastating blow to the Central New York region. It’s also what caused Associate Professor of Music Heather Buchman to check her school budget the morning after the orchestra cancelled the remainder of its season.

What started as mere inspiration evolved into a major event: on Sunday, May 8 at 8 p.m. in Wellin Hall, Buchman will conduct the members of the now non-existent Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) in a benefit concert to raise money for the Musicians’ Relief Fund. While the concert is technically free of charge, there will be a suggested minimum donation of $25 ($10 for students). The money will go toward loans for SSO musicians in need and will contribute to future Symphony members’ projects, including summer concerts.

Buchman went through a crisis similar to the SSO’s when she was principal trombone of the San Diego Symphony; in 1996, the orchestra filed for bankruptcy and ceased operations. Although it reorganized in 1998, many of the musicians scattered to pursue alternative paths—that’s partly why Buchman has been at Hamilton since 2001.

She stressed the crucial role a professional orchestra plays in a community. “It’s not just measured in terms of dollars or economic activity or numbers of events,” she said. “There’s something intangible but very real that an orchestra adds to the entire quality of life.”

Nevertheless, the SSO’s Board of Trustees explained in a statement to the Syracuse area that it could no longer support a full 77-person orchestra over a 34- or 40-week season consisting of 200 performances, and that all its assets would be liquidated.  The bright side? If another orchestra were to rise from the rubble, it would not be burdened with the SSO’s $5.5 million debt. For now, though, the musicians are unemployed for an indeterminate length of time.

Although the orchestra had experienced a slow decline (with steady decreases in pay due to poor management), it also celebrated its 50th season this year, making this situation particularly devastating to all those involved. One of the events the SSO was forced to cancel was a special Yo-Yo Ma concert scheduled for April 27.

Whitney Bachow ’13, who plays violin in the Hamilton College Orchestra, recalled first hearing about the Board’s decision: “The little kid inside of me kept insisting that they were going to pull through somehow, so the news definitely floored me. It breaks my heart that these people who are so exceptional as musicians and teachers are now without jobs,” she said. “Not only do they need our support, but they also deserve it. It’s the least we can do to thank them for the hard work they’ve done maintaining some sense of culture in this area of New York, not to mention all the countless hours they’ve invested in helping us develop our musicianship.”

She’s referring to the ten members of the former SSO who also serve as adjunct faculty members at Hamilton. Each week they drive to campus to give lessons in horn, flute, violin, clarinet and more; they use their expertise to enrich students’ artistic sensitivity, increase the quality of the department and even attract prospective students to the College.

“Without the mentorship and dedication of members of the SSO, specifically Pat Sharpe, I would not have continued to grow as an oboe player through college,” said Kate Northway ’11. “Saving the SSO is not just about saving music. Saving the SSO is about maintaining community, something we hold dear at Hamilton.”

Nick Stagliano ’11, too, recognizes what it would mean for both Hamilton and CNY if these men and women had to leave to take auditions elsewhere. He’s volunteered to help take action —as Buchman’s unofficial director of development for the relief fund, Stagliano is responsible for organizing people to take donations and record contact information for a new database of SSO supporters.
“Our hope is that we will generate a network of people who are interested in supporting the musicians now and whatever the next iteration of the Syracuse Symphony will be,” he said.

Buchman noted that students can try to make this into a kind of grassroots event by talking to their friends about how the SSO has made a difference in their education. “It’s not just about how much money we raise; it’s about how many people we get to feel like they’re part of doing something to bring the symphony back,” she said. “That way, we can begin to create a sea change around the whole attitude that we hear locally and nationally about how we feel about our cultural institutions.”

In addition, Buchman hopes that through these efforts, people can begin to appreciate that musicians need full-time jobs, just like anyone else. Without the SSO in existence, many of them may not have sufficient reason to stay in the area. “They’re going to try to get more students and more gigs, but it changes your existence to go from a job that’s more or less secure to something much more tenuous and hand-to-mouth,” Buchman said.

The concert program might help encourage attendees to donate, as each piece represents some aspect of the constant struggle for arts funding in this country. The concert will open with Beethoven’s “Leonore Overture No. 3” from his opera, Fidelio. Beethoven’s music is introverted but intense, and this particular work centers on topics of heroism and rescue.

Following Beethoven will be Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” featuring Hamilton soprano voice teacher and frequent SSO guest performer Janet Brown. “It’s a wonderful piece of Americana, very classy,” said Buchman. “The point of that piece is that the orchestra is an American cultural tradition.”

Last (but certainly not least) is Mahler’s “Symphony No. 1.” It’s not called the “Titan” for nothing – this is a mammoth, tempestuous composition that evokes conflict and turmoil. “The symphonies of Mahler are at the apex of the orchestral repertoire,” said Buchman.  “They’re very dramatic, intense, and call for a lot of brass —heavy artillery, as we say. Ultimately the conflict builds into this swell of sound that finally releases into an incredible fanfare. It’s like all hands on deck —an overcoming of adversity.”
She predicted the effect of the piece will have on the audience: “Rather than people ending on this sense of loss, I think the piece will really galvanize people to work together to bring the orchestra back.”

Stagliano said that their goal is to fill Wellin’s 700 seats. He also underscored the hope that attendees will be inspired by the Mahler symphony to give more money than they had planned: “We already are not the same, and we will never be the same again if our community does not do what needs to be done to revive the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra.”