Maestro stays: Teddy bears three more years
mainpress release:
Louisville, KY (December 5, 2016) …The Louisville Orchestra is delighted to announce that Teddy Abrams – the “energetic young maestro” (New York Times) who at just 29 is the youngest Music Director of a major American orchestra – has renewed his contract for a further three years. Each season through 2019-20 he will not only conduct the orchestra for a full twelve weeks, but also undertake an additional six weeks of community engagement and administration – more than is offered by any other conductor of a top metropolitan or regional orchestra nationwide.
This is great news. Abrams is great.
This is not great: “[Abrams will] also undertake an additional six weeks of community engagement and administration – more than is offered by any other conductor of a top metropolitan or regional orchestra nationwide.”
So, is the Louisville Orchestra proclaiming itself one of the top regional orchestras? Or is it a “metropolitan” orchestra? What is the definition of a “regional orchestra” and who gets to pick the best ones? Why is it always a necessity to compare or contrast everything you do with whatever rotating cast of peer organizations makes you look good? This is so widespread in the orchestra world and it irritates me a lot. You can hardly read a press release without stumbling over that type of language.
I also love how enthusiastically they trumpet the fact that he will do extra administrative work.