We reported yesterday that Shmuel Katz has been upgraded to Associate Principal Viola.
Today, the Met recruited Tal First as Assistant Principal Viola. Tal studied in Tel Aviv and at Juilliard before joining Daniel Barenboim’s West-Eastern Divan Orchestra.
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“Recruited” is the wrong word. As everyone on SD surely knows as it has been discussed countless times, the MET runs the most by-the-book, transparent (i.e. blind) audition, from first to last. So he came to them; they didn’t go to him.
I would suggest they are no longer coducting blind auditions if he was just selected. He may be very well qualified, but this is diversity “casting”.
Yes, because no Israeli-trained string player has ever shown an ability to play a string instrument competently.
Ha!
These auditions are BLIND. Full stop. Would you say the same if the chosen applicant had been an Asian female? With the abundance of available talent, Mr. First must be an extraordinary musician who bested the competition.
There are plenty other conspiracy theories around. I suggest you find another.
Have you auditioned for the Met before? It’s the fairest audition in the game. All rounds are double-blind, all candidates hand in any electronic devices to avoid communicating with the jury before they go in. They also must choose a winner each audition meaning they can’t call a no-hire and wait for their preferred candidate to achieve the finals. Plenty of orchestras who don’t screen their auditions can be blamed for diversity casting, the Met is not one.
Mazel tov to Tal and the MET
They had auditions.
They hired a violist.
Why put the “Israeli” part in there.
He studied at Juilliard.
He walked across the plaza, auditioned, and got a job.
Good for him.