Saturday, May 8, 2010

Niagara Symphony has some tough decisions to make

In my last post, I wrote of the Pops! concerts last weekend that wrapped up the Niagara Symphony season, with the final appearance by music director candidate Diane Wittry on the podium. Well, now that the season is done and the Niagara Symphony has to collate all the responses to patron surveys for the entire season, now is as good a time as ever to review not only the concerts last weekend but the season as a whole.

Let's begin with the concerts last weekend, which were by all accounts the best-sounding concerts not only of this season but of many seasons past as well. I don't know what magic Wittry has at rehearsals, but it is clear at the performances, as was the case with her Masters appearance back in January, she knows how to get this orchestra to play at a level previously unheard in this reporter's memory. Sure, there were some ringers in the orchestra this time, to fill out sections needed to perform the jazzy, swing arrangements that dominated the program. The lead trumpeter was new and pretty impressive, as was the lead saxophonist. Actually, when was the last time you heard five saxophones in the Niagara Symphony? We had them last week and it was a treat. In fact, the entire brass and reed sections had the bulk of the 'heavy lifting' in the concerts, and they didn't disappoint. Everyone brought their A-game, although strangely, I found the Saturday evening performance to be slightly sharper than the Sunday afternoon show.

As for Wittry, she not only looked striking in a floor-length skirt, she commanded the orchestra with an ease you don't often see these days. Her conducting was impressive, and her comments to the audience were short, to the point, and not containing too much information. She also nicely avoided the temptation to become too friendly like the neighbour you can't seem to avoid in the summer in the backyard. Her program choices were safe, but with just enough edge to them to keep people interested, and the arrangements were largely top-notch.

The audience was also treated to local jazz talent Juliet Dunn on a number of selections, and she revelled in the opportunity to sing with a full orchestra. Juliet is young, but with enough jazz chops already to her credit she handled the swing tunes with total ease. Watch for more from Juliet in the future.

So, where does this leave the Niagara Symphony at the end of the season? Well, it has to be considered a total success, as all four candidates impressed with their skill, although the weakest performance remains Bradley Thachuk's awkward Pops! performance back in November. That weekend did his chances no favours, to be sure. If nothing else, this season has shown us there is a wealth of young conducting talent out there just waiting for a plum opportunity such as leading the Niagara Symphony into the future.

The choice now has to be made as to who assumes the post next season, and I frankly wouldn't want to be part of the decision-making process within the Symphony, as the choices are all strong and each brings with them their own unique talents that can benefit the orchestra. But from my vantage point, here is how the season played out as far as how the conductors did:

Timothy Hankewich was very impressive in both Masters and Pops! programs, and even sang with the Mantini Sisters at the Pops! concert in December. His arrangements were exemplary, and his rapport with both the orchestra and the audience appeared to be solid. Perhaps he would have been better served to have his two appearances separated by more time, as his two appearances were at the beginning of the season and some might have forgotten about him by now. I do know, however, he was recently asked back for a second interview, so the Orchestra hasn't forgotten about him.

John Morris Russell took himself out of the running after his second appearance, saying he simply didn't have the time to devote to the orchestra next season, only being able to conduct one concert next season if he were chosen. Too bad, as I thought he was the front runner going into this competition, but really, you have to be here full time in order to make your mark on the orchestra, so he is now out of the running entirely.

As mentioned earlier, Bradley Thachuk conducted a weak Pops! performance with an unfortunate guitar solo attempt and an orchestra that just didn't seem to be primed and ready to perform at either performance. He redeemed himself with an impressive Masters concert, conducting a very respectable Sibelius Second Symphony. He hails from Toronto, so that will work in his favour, and he is young, but I still think he needs more 'seasoning' before he arrives at this level, so I would wait on Bradley until the next time there is a conductor's search, whenever that may be. After all, Daniel Swift missed out on his first chance, and the second time he won the podium in the later competition. Bradley has lots of years ahead of him, and although I don't think he has anything to apologize for this time, I feel his time simply hasn't come yet.

So that brings us to Diane Wittry, who conducted a spectacular Pops! finale last weekend, and her Masters concert in January made many sit up and take notice. I mentioned at one point before her first appearance I hoped Diane was not looked upon as the 'token female' in the competition, partly in jest of course. But she turned out to be the real deal, and the timing of her concerts couldn't have been better: she was the last of the candidates to conduct the orchestra, and she conducted the last concert. She knows enough about these things to know, surely, she had to grab the brass ring at the last Pops! concert and grab it she did. The orchestra never sounded better. I like the ideas she brings to the table, and she is clearly more qualified a candidate than we have seen in quite some time. For me, she is the clear choice to lead the Niagara Symphony into the future.

Will she win? It depends on a lot of factors, of course, not the least of which is availability. She already conducts two orchestras in the States as it is, so something will have to give, one would think. But if she gets the posting here, and that is a big if even now, she will have to consider either a move up here for at least part of the year and/or giving up one of her other orchestras. Time will tell how all this plays out, but the coming weeks will be interesting, indeed.

I think all the remaining candidates want the job and are willing to do what it takes to get it, and that looks good on us. We have a wealth of choices here; the important thing now is to make the right choice and start looking towards the future of the Niagara Symphony. Now more than ever, we can't afford a temporary music director; we need someone ready to roll up their sleeves and bring this orchestra to the level we know they are capable of, given what we heard this season.

Let the fun begin!

May 8th, 2010.

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