LA Phil replaces chair with violinist’s husband
NewsThe board of the Los Angeles Philharmonic has elected Jason Subotky in place of Thomas L. Beckmen as its chair from the beginning of October. Beckmen has presided over several management departures in his five-year term and the ship has only just begun to stabilise under new CEO Kim Noltemy.
Subotky, a wealthy asset manager, is a trained musician. He is married to the concert violinist Anne Akiko Meyers.
reliable violinist, lucky to have one of the greatest violins in existence, all to herself.
Reliable.
Dotty Delay should have changed her name to Dorothy Accelerando, because she churned them out like no tomorrow. I can’t help but wonder how accomplished many of them would have they been had they spent a year in Germany or France, studying with great musicians of the olde. Dotty had her tricks and quips, but the hard work was done long before arriving at her crowded doorway.
Our lessons were, delayed.
I remember when her hubby bought the Strad for her. The sale was one of the biggest of all time. Only in America…
Only in America? What of Jan Kubelík’s wealthy wife whose money paid for the “Emperor” Strad in 1910? Even violinists can have well-to-do spouses.
You are complaining the wife of the newly elected board chair is not an interesting enough violinist according to your taste… Why? I would wager how well the spouse can play the violin is not the sole criterion on which the decision is based, though the fact that his wife is a professional classical musician at all is certainly a plus in his favor.
Correct, Frank. How much cash he is coughing up also carries significant weight in these very important board decisions. The whole thing is icky and rife with ulterior motive. I’m sure also that he can pull strings at the LA Phil will also aid her getting favored engagements elsewhere too.
A wealthy person who is married to a prominent musician? They could do worse.
He must be about to give the LA Phil a major gift in return for being given this position over any of the current Vice Chairs on the Board……
I was in school with Anne Meyers, as she was then known.
She was always an excellent violinist but clearly very ambitious and after some early (well-deserved) accolades her career stalled a bit. Until she married this guy.
I’m not suggesting you can buy a career, but the instruments, composer commissions, incessant PR, and bookings suggest a robust financial support base that most musicians on her level do not have,
I would invite SD readers to listen to the overall output of Hadelich, Hilary H, and a few others who somehow seem on a different level in general IMO. Hillary Hahn plays a JB Vuillaume violin, btw.
As has been widely reported, the LA Phil is not exactly in great shape overall, and this is a stunning move optically. We should expect many more LA Phil appearances from Ms. Meyers.
A stunning move optically … because the guy has a violinist wife and he supports her career by buying her nice violins and commissioning new pieces from composers? As a reminder LA Phil’s operating revenue is now $200 million, with ticket sales accounting for 75%. Unless they are giving at least $20 million a year to the orchestra, I don’t think they can force unwanted artistic decisions on the LA Phil.
Yo Frank. It’s still one hell of a GIGANTIC conflict of interest.
Don’t forget $65M+ of their budget comes from the Live Nation events at the Hollywood Bowl – the LA Phil can’t operate their winter season without that money.
Everyone knows Anne is a nepo-wife with rather average violinistic skill. Before she met Jason Subotky her career was pretty much washed up. The husband is also strategically on the board of the Colburn School … and surprise surprise, yes, last year she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate. Same with the husband lining the pockets of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra etc et al etc et al etc … and surprise surprise, yes he’s “the anonymous benefactor” who bought the del Gesu she plays on because of her “rare and exceptional talent”. Okaaay! The whole career, the whole image, the high profile gigs, the LA Phil commission/performance last year with Dudamel … it all … yup, cash-up-front! A sad reflection on the state of the industry, actually.
I remember a comment from a decade or so ago where the writer said AAM dresses like Sharon Stone…and plays the violin like her, too. Mean, but funny.
That said, she played a concerto by Michael Daugherty with the NSO a couple years ago and I thought she did a terrific job.
I only heard her once in a performance of Sibelius. It was a decent performance by a professional violinist but certainly not at a level that would inspire me to buy tickets for another performance. I am not denigrating her artistry but based on that performance I would not compare her Hilary Hahn or other A level soloists
I suspect we will hear more of Anne and the LA Phil in the future, not to mention her hand in choosing next music director. “Money down buys the town!” Well, it could be worse – they could be building a useless spacecraft to escape to Mars! Instead, they are investing in the arts. Only thing is: will mainly be for Anne’s sake.
That explains her ownership of “world’s most expensive violin”.
But her playing is still crap IMO.
The old saying — you can change the book cover but you can’t change the book.
An orchestra appointing a musician as chairman? Brilliant idea – CBSO take note!
“Musician” is a large stretch. Jason is a wealthy finance bro who plays a little piano. He’s there to further the career of his wife.
Aren’t these people in Texas?
They were based in Austin about a decade ago but now live in the Hollywood Hills. Back then, Princess Anne Akiko had an ill-fated guest teaching appointment at Austin’s Butler School of Music that rather catastrophically petered out. Apparently her Royal Highness wasn’t really cut out for serving the needs of others.
They are both super cold, arrogant people who treat those around them like inferior worker-bees. They also ooze nouveau riche so it’s no wonder AAM has no career in Europe or beyond **Hollywood**. I’ve always felt her persona is chintzy and glittery like how she thinks a woman of means must appear — almost Ghislaine Maxwell-esque. Would be interesting to see what other classical music boards in the US Jason Subotky is on?
Now let’s not forget how poor, persecuted Annie felt all discriminated and left out in the cold by the industry back in 2015 because she isn’t black.
https://slippedisc.com/2015/08/soloist-is-forced-to-apologise-for-errant-tweet/
In her defense, at least he’s not old. Most opportunists need hooks into a man twice or thrice their age to reap such fabulous career leg-ups.
Asian opportunist females and old white males with yellow fever. What else is new?
Anne’s career success really began in Japan – where her looks and talent earned her hi-profile media product endorsements. Thus her recordings sold well, so BMG-Japan twisted the arm of BMG-RCA to sign her world-wide. ICM Artist management president Lee Lamont became Anne’s champion, and she vigorously pushed her career in USA and Europe. However, when ICM retired Lamont, the new regime didn’t get behind Anne, and so her career sagged for quite a while.
Mr Subotky has my sympathy. To be stuck on your hands and knees for the duration of (say) Mahler’s Third with a weighty lady cellist plonked on the small of your back must be exhausting, if not downright dangerous. Perhaps he’d be comfier, and certainly better sprung, in the Western-Eastern Divan Orchestra?
I have to say that I’m very glad this is finally being called out. Anyone who is anyone in the US knows it all, but finally it’s actually being said. All we usually get about AAM is the fluffy PR bs.