“The ailing Brooklyn Philharmonic is hanging in there,” writes Daniel J. Wakin Wednesday (1/19) on the New York Times blog ArtsBeat. “Having halted most of its orchestra concerts over the last two seasons and cut staff because of money problems, it said on Wednesday that it had hired a new artistic director, Alan Pierson, and promised a ‘new era.’ Mr. Pierson is the artistic director and conductor of the contemporary-music ensemble Alarm Will Sound. The orchestra is emphasizing community work, increasing its education programs and working with other cultural groups. It said it would perform in different configurations and ‘in a variety of genres’ in Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. It also has a new chairman, Jack W. Rainey, a senior vice president at TD Bank, and a board trimmed to 15 from about two dozen. … Mr. Pierson replaces Michael Christie, whose contract expired in June. Mr. Christie is music director of the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra. In an interview he said that his departure had been a mutual decision, and that he and the board had agreed that the artistic director ‘for the purposes of what the Brooklyn Philharmonic needs to do, needs to be a resident.’ ”
Posted January 20, 2011
