Man backs Mirga with £250,000

Man backs Mirga with £250,000

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norman lebrecht

March 17, 2016

A trustee of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is so excited by the new music director, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, that he has given quarter of a million pounds to support her position.

The man’s name is John Osborn.

Mirga will be known henceforth as the Osborn Music Director.

Details here.

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Comments

  • Eddie Mars says:

    Marvellous news! It’s great to see people ready to back excellence with the funds it needs.

  • RW2013 says:

    More $s than sense.
    Will it make her a better conductor?

    • Halldor says:

      It gives her more of a free hand to pursue her artistic vision.

    • Bruce says:

      It helps the orchestra’s budget.

    • Eddie Mars says:

      Providing adequate rehearsal time prevents the “race to the bottom”. Players everywhere (not only Birmingham) are increasingly sick of “top-and-tail” rehearsals – which cover only the potentially shaky moments of a piece – since there isn’t time to do all of it.

      • Halldor says:

        Since the Birmingham players are on contract, it won’t have any bearing on rehearsal time: the music director always gets as much as they ask for, in any case. But this will certainly help subsidise loss-making (ie adventurous) programmes, and offset costs more generally.

        • M2N2K says:

          It’s not that simple. If British orchestras are anything like their US colleagues, having more money to spend in the budget can indeed help with getting additional rehearsal time, precisely *because* of musicians’ contract. Even though MDs are usually treated better than guest conductors, it doesn’t mean that they can always get anywhere near everything they want.

  • John says:

    What an awkward photograph on the given link: the three look like footballers protecting their goal during a free kick. That aside, let us hope the CBSO continue their excellent form.

  • Wally Francis says:

    This is fantastic news for the CBSO, John Osborn is a terrific guy, can spot a winner a
    mile away and in our new MD is certainly supporting yet another amazingly talented
    conductor.

    Having heard both Mirga’s concerts I can say with total confidence that the CBSO have “done it” yet again!!

    Sorry London!

    • Saxon Broken says:

      While there is undoubtedly potential, and two good concerts are an encouraging start, perhaps we should wait a year-or-two before we proclaim the appointment a success.

    • M2N2K says:

      Poor London indeed: they had to settle for that knighted nobody who is currently conducting some barely known band from Berlin.

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