Maestro move: CAMI signs Brit stick
mainCompetition has come alive again on Agents Alley, New York.
CAMI have just signed the young British conductor Courtney Lewis, who is music director in Jacksonville, Florida.
Courtney, 32, is from Belfast, Northern Ireland.
He was previously with Matthew Oberstein at Opus3 Artists. They won’t be pleased.
Please don’t lure him away from Jacksonville.
For all we know Opus3 simply DROPPED Courtney Lewis for his heartless and completely inappropriate “retiring” of 9 veteran players from Jacksonville recently. https://slippedisc.com/2017/03/orchestra-casts-off-356-years-of-experience/
A similar situation with another young conductor in Pittsburgh, Urbanski, provoked an age discrimination lawsuit and international outrage at his apprehensible firing of an older bassoonist. https://slippedisc.com/2017/03/young-maestro-is-accused-in-age-discrimination-suit/
What agent in their right mind would want to represent a conductor like that?
Opus 3 maintains a roster of some of the most interesting & dynamic artists in the business – musicians who are known not only for their great artistry but for the integrity which they bring to the profession. Barenboim, Yo-yo Ma, Lopez-Cobos, Emmanuel Pahud. Here’s Opus 3’s roster: http://www.opus3artists.com/roster/
Courtney Lewis, with his brash inexperience & disregard for older players simply doesn’t belong in that league.
He’s a much better fit at CAMI, alongside artists like Khatia Buniatishvili and the Blind Boys of Alabama. Hoping CAMI has lots of youth orchestra gigs lined up for him. That way he won’t have to work with anyone over 40.