Maestro and concertmaster announce their engagement
mainCongratulations to Minnesota Orchestra music director Osmo Vänskä and concertmaster Erin Keefe, who have announced their engagement on social media.
Vänskä had been questioned about their relationship earlier this year by a prurient New York Times reporter, at a time when Keefe was auditioning for the front-seat vacancy at the Philharmonic.
Both have been previously married.
“Vänskä had been questioned about their relationship earlier this year by a prurient New York Times reporter.”
There is nothing “prurient” about demanding what the employment policy and the code of conduct are for a workplace for romantic/sexual/married relationship between 2 employees of an organization, one of whom is in a hierarchically superior position than the other, and the other of whom is in a hierarchically superior position than all the other orhestra members. Every workplace has such policies and guidelines, from Wall Street, to Main Street, to universities, to museums, etc.
And oh, OF COURSE I am sure the audition was COMPLETELY blind and neutral and fair. I have NO DOUBTS about that. And I am sure in any labor negotiation or employment dispute or artistic differences that involve his wife, the esteemed conductor will be UTTERLY disinterested.
That is why the “prurient” NYT reporter asked.
What does Maestro Vanska have to do with an audition for the New York Philharmonic?
Erin Keefe was recently appointed concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra where Vanska is music director, not the New York Philharmonic.
Not only does Vanska have nothing to do with the NY Phil audition, Keefe is also probably not part of any labor disputes between union players and management in Minnesota… nor is Vanska, which is why he resigned in the first place. Often, in major orchestras, the concertmaster’s contract is negotiated separately and is not included in the collective bargaining agreement.
Maybe he knows Pinchas Zukerman…
+10 points for this comment.
She has been MN Orchestra concertmaster since 2011.