In the second of a two-part interview with Chad Smith, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Chief Operating Officer, in Monday’s (9/10) San Francisco Classical Voice, Jim Farber writes about the orchestra’s “bold hiring decisions, adventurous programming, the commissioning of new work, inventive marketing, strong administration, a dedication to gender equity, targeted community involvement, a supportive board of directors, and strong civic and governmental interaction…. One of Smith’s favorite LA Phil initiatives is the ‘Green Umbrella’ new-music series…. ‘We program whatever we want to program…. But at the same time, we need to understand how and why people come to concerts…. Our board allows us to take chances.’ … Often the real trick, Smith said, is what you do with the final 10 percent of an event’s budget … ‘to add whatever it is that will make an event special.’ Recently that meant bringing a group of organ grinders … to perform in the Disney Hall lobby during the Music of Mexico Festival…. Smith takes pride in the [fact that] ‘in the 2018–2019 season, 23 of the composers we have commissioned are women…. We have to constantly ask questions like: How would an outsider see that? What questions would they ask?’ ”
Posted September 12, 2018
