Mulrain, Vanessa Bush

English

Syracuse University Research Facility and Collaborative Environment

STATE OF THE ARTS Entertainment and expression Leader of the Band BY VANESSA BUSH MU LRAIN H ENRY FOGEL recalls sitting at a Syracuse Sym-phony Orchestra board meeting in 1968, " listening to the usual cry-ing about money, and I said , 'Gee, Jerry Lewis does this thing on tele-vision. Maybewecandosomething for orchestras."' In June of that year, Syracuse radio station WONO, which Fogel and a friend had purchased five years earlier and converted to a classical music format, broadcast the nation's first radio marathon. It raised $8,000 for the Syracuse Symphony. "We'd only expected to raise $5,000, so that was a success," says Fogel. The next year the marathon raised $11,000, and just like that Fogel had developed the concept of using radio marathons to raise funds for orchestral organizations. The concept caught on with other symphonies, many of which asked Fogel to come and help them or-ganize similar broadcasts. He has traveled to more than 60 cities, throughout the United States and in Cana-da, to act as a consultant on fund-raising radio mara-thons. He reports that radio marathons have raised more than $35 million for or-chestras in the almost 10 years since they were wide-ly adopted. VANESSA BUSH MULRAJN, who earned an SU journalism degree in 1974, is senior editor of Savings Institutions, pub-lished by the US. League ofSav-ings Associations in Chicago. 42 SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE But radio marathons did more than balance prchestra ledgers across the nation. They also launched Henry Fogel, previously WONO's station manager, into an unexpected career in orchestra management. Today he is the chief operating officer of a corporation with a $24-million annual budget, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. T HE NEW YORK PHIL-harmonic asked Fogel to come and assist them with their first radio marathon in 1978. One month later, the Philhar-monic's managing director offered Fogel the number two slot, as or-chestra manager. " I accepted , and that's how I jumped into the orchestra field ," says Fogel, who was a fine arts ma-jor at SU, Class of 1964, before working at WONO. "Music has always been a pas-sion for me," Fogel remarks, add-ing that he once had ambitions to play in an orchestra himself. ' 'I'm not a good enough performer. I play piano, but not on a professional level. And I once played oboe, but even worse." Fogel left the New York Philhar-monic in 1981 and joined the Na-tional Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C. , as executive director. He recalls that the most difficult part of managing the Na-tiona I Symphony was dealing with Washington's " peculiar base," which is comprised of a very tran-sient population that doesn't lend itself to a loyal sy mphony subscriber and contributor base. "There are no major American corporations headquartered in Washington. So you don't get the kinds oflarge corporate support to build an endowment ," Fogel explains. Fogel joined the Chicago Sym-phony in 1985, as both executive vice president of The Orchestral Association and executive director of the symphony. In addition to managing the orchestral musicians, Fogel also manages a staff of 65 people who handle every-thing from fund raising, mar-keting, program scheduling, fmancing, and physical oper-ation of the Orchestra Hall facility where the Chicago Symphony performs. At the time Fogel arrived, The Orchestral Association, which includes the sym-phony and ancillary orches-tral and choral groups, was operating at a defic it. Fogel set three goals for himself: balancing the budget, in-creasing subscription series, and reviving the Allied Arts Association , the arm of the symphony that presents independent concerts not re lated to the Chicago Symphony. Fogel has met all those goals. Since he has taken over the operation of the association, its budget has been balanced and it has shown a modest surplus in each of the last two years, after more than a decade of deficits. Fogel has begun to focus on increasing the sym-phony's endowment. Most 1Mulrain: State of the ArtsPublished by SURFACE, 1988orchestras are partially funded by endowments. Endowments are raised from contributions; the principa l amount is placed in an investment vehicle and the interest used to offset operational costs. The Chicago Sym-phony, despite its impor-tance, has traditionally had one of the smallest endowments among ma-jor orchestras, Fogel says. Under Fogel's guidance, the symphony, in the middl e of a $30-million endowment drive, had raised $22 million by the end of 1987. " When we get the en-dowment level up, we may be able to take some more artistic risks," Fogel says, "perhaps commission more new pieces of music- those things we've had to hold back because funds weren't available. I'd like to see the orchestra more involved in music of our times.'' The workforce that Henry Fogel manages: One hundred musicians of the Chicago Symphony. FOGEL ENJOYS the relationship between ar- Chicago. Even when they're on tour 25 or 30 years ago, when the unions of risk and everybody says, 'That tistic excellence and a sound in a small city, more than half the were not very strong," says Fogel. was the right thing to do.' budget. When he looks at the bot- orchestra is on the concert stage one In the past , orchestral musicians, "It's often asked, Is Chicago real-tom line, he does so with that hour before the concert, warming who often teach or give lessons to ly the best orchestra? I don't know balance in mind . When he ne- up and getting usedtotheacoustics supplement their income, would theanswertothat," Fogelsays. " It's gotiates with labor, he sits down of the hall. . . . have no recourse if rehearsals or not like baseball. Wedon'thavehits, with a union representing not just " I think, sometimes, people in performances went overtime and runs, errors, wins, or losses. What any workers, but 105 orchestral the corporate sector don't under- interferedwithothercommitments. measureswhatweareismuchmore musicians. stand that you're not dealing with Worse yet , " there used to be a subtle and harder to find. But it's Fogel points out that dealing with assembly line workers who can be time when the conductor would fire there if you listen to the orchestra the musicians is a major aspect of replaced like interchangeable you if he didn't like the way you and talk to people who are his job that sets it apart from sim- parts," Fogel says. "Musicians have parted your hair," says Fogel . knowledgeable." ply operating a corporation. He special needs.'' "Those times have changed." Fogel believes that an orchestra notes that it can be difficult to deal For example, he says, the average has to carry out the idea of mar-with artistic people in labor string instrument in an orchestra 0 N THE ARTISTIC LEV- keting music in such a way that it negotiations. However, " I don't costsbetween$50,000and $75,000. el, another balancing act always is doing something that find it overly difficult because I go "Therefore, I'm not very sym- comes into play when mus- pleases the audience, to which the into it, frankly, with a tremendous pathetic to a point of view that says ical selections are made. "On the audience responds. That response, respect for the artistic talent that we pay musicians too much ," he one hand, you're trying to market he admits, is measured in atten-is involved. says. and to please your audience," Fogel dance and contributions. "Orchestras have different per- On the other hand , Fogel notes says. " On the other hand, you have And occasionally, he adds, "you sonalities," he adds. " In Chicago, that the musicians' union contract to lead them. It's not a popularity also do what you feel perhaps, ar-there is a phenomenal community is more than 100 pages long and contest ." tistically, might not have been the pride in the orchestra that shows "only a few pages deal with salary. Taking artistic risks is part of the easy choice. But nonetheless you've in the pride the musicians have in The rest deals with working con- process. " You look at every possi- done it and it's worked with the au-the orchestra. I have never been in- ditions." ble decision you could make and dience. That's a great satisfaction.'' volved with an orchestra where the Musicians are very particular ask w hat is the balance between musicians' commitment to the way about their working conditions. those two factors," he says. " The they play is as strong as it is in "Some of it is a reaction to the time. reward is when you take that kind MARCH 1988 43 2Syracuse University Magazine, Vol. 4, Iss. 2 [1988], Art. 12https://surface.syr.edu/sumagazine/vol4/iss2/12

State of the Arts - Leader of the band

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State of the Arts - Leader of the band

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