Cleveland concertmaster heads to Nashville
NewsThe Nashville Symphony has appointed Peter Otto as its new concertmaster, starting in January.
Peter Otto, German born, has been Acting Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra from 2018 until 2022.
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Wow times have changed when a Nashville can poach a titled player from the CO.
We in the US are indeed in a new era!
Cleveland to Nashville…regardless of the actual orchestras, I’d call that a nice upgrade. 🙂 Congrats!
Wonder how many times that sort of move has occurred from a Big 5 to a regional (albeit tremendously good) orchestra.
Check out David Schifrin:
Started as principal clarinet in Cleveland Orch.
Went to principal in Toledo
Went to principal in East Lansing
Ended up as principal in New Haven (CT) Sym.
There was also LA Chamber Orchestra somewhere in there, but don’t remember the chronology.
RMK, re: David Shifrin, you’re leaving a lot of stuff out there! LOL!
Schifrin actually wanted to become a recognized chamber music player with a small orchestra job on the side. He’s been a rostered CMS/Lincoln Cehnter musician for many years.
I don’t blame him. They jerked him around as the acting concertmaster in Cleveland for 4 years and then didn’t give him the permanent job.
That sounds kind of weird….
He is a simply wonderful player, musician and human. Bravo to him and Nashville!
Isn’t this a huge demotion in terms of everything?: money, prestige, work scope. 4 years of acting pit boss, so definitely not going to get permanent gig, I assume. But still, quite a comedown.
It really depends on what you mean by comedown.
This could offer a better quality of life and lifestyle. More interesting music making and in general a really nice gig. So why not take it?
FYI… The viola section likes listening to Tanya Tucker…..
To being with, Nashville’s homicide rate is 1/3 of Cleveland’s, so, you know, not being shot is probably worth as much as being in a Big Five orchestra.
Not to mention the food is better in Nashville.
Peter Otto did a fantastic job for four years after William Preucil´s dismissal….And just listen to his Walton concerto on the CO´s Adella website…..I don´t understand why he didn´t get the permanent position.
The same thing happened after Preucil was hired and Martin Chalifoux went back to Associate Concertmaster. He left for the LA Phil top concertmaster position. Other ACs in Cleveland have gone on to the top spots in Atlanta, Montreal, and San Francisco. Peter served with great distinction for a long time, but a change was expected.
Gotta be more to this story.
That depends on your values and perspective.
And Jun Iwasaki moves on to be concertmaster in Kansas City.
Five thumbs down for my post which simply pointed out where the prior Nashville concertmaster went to? I was not dissing Iwasaki, a splendid violinist, or either orchestra. Just trying to tie up an obvious loose end.
Good for him. Of course, he’ll need a pair of boots.
Cleveland is a dying city while Nashville is a fast-growing metropolis. Also, the weather is milder in Nashville.
Folks’ view of Nashville are just not accurate. The orchestra may not be on the same level as Cleveland, but they’re a great ensemble, have a terrific concert hall, regularly record, and do a lot of smart programs.
And if your desire is to be a concertmaster, it’s not like this is a job that regularly has openings, especially if you want to stay in the United States.
are you aware of the James Zimmermann principal clarinet-Nashville fiasco/debacle? Nashville is a complete joke.
How does this affect Lebron’s legacy?
Good for him. Members of Nashville Sym are nicer human beings compared to what I’ve experienced in Cleveland.
Now a question, does anyone know why the lady who exposed Bill Preucil’s misconduct ended up leaving the Nashville and moved to Italy?
Was she forced to quit by the Union? Musicians deserve to know more.
Without knowing the specifics, I can state that Local 257 Nashville does not engage in this behavior.
Preucil was concertmaster of the Nashville Symphony for a couple of years.
Otto arrived in Cleveland in ’07 under a cloud of animus, only months after Cleveland Scene first blew the lid off Bill Preucil’s bad behavior. (See their SOUR NOTES article from 2/14/07.). In he came and out went Ellen De Pasquale, an eminently more qualified (and polished) player.
Once Preucil finally got the chop in ’18 for being a letch and a nepotism freak, Otto became de facto… If TCO had wanted him to become Concertmaster, they would have hired him as such. Clearly, they didn’t think he was the right fit if he wasn’t elevated in four years.
Funny that Nashville once more picks up Cleveland’s cast-offs… especially now that Guerrero (*and his mountains of bad behavior at Schermerhorn*) is on the way out. Now to see how long this arrangement lasts.
Guerrero is a fine conductor, and I can’t find ANY evidence of bad behaviour online. Our own orchestra, the Frankfurt/Main Opera Orchestra, have had him as guest conductor for two of their symphonic concerts over the pat few years, and they *loved* him.
Even George Szell went to Atlanta. That’s where he’s buried.
I heard that all of the Cleveland concertmasters (associates and assistants) auditioned for the top job. Cleveland continued to look and COVID delayed the search longer than expected. I don’t know who was ultimately in the running other than David Radzynski or if he had to do a trial run as guest concertmaster. Cleveland tends to be tight lipped about these matters. Ellen DePasquale was reportedly unhappy when Otto was hired and the newly created “First” Associate Concertmaster. These things happen and often appear arbitrary. While it’s a bit sad to see such talented musicians leave, there will be a lot of other talented musicians auditioning for the opening. It’s happened many times before, and Cleveland has been able to find high caliber replacements.