Thinking different about Pops

In the wake of the well-publicized downsizing of its guest artist roster for the 2009-10 season, the Minnesota Orchestra is going local to replace its principal pops conductor as well:

The Minnesota Orchestra has named Sarah Hicks as principal conductor of pops and presentations, filling a vacancy left when Doc Severinsen retired two years ago. Hicks, whose appointment takes effect immediately and lasts four years, became the first female staff conductor when she joined the orchestra as assistant conductor in 2006. She and violist Sam Bergman conduct the popular Inside the Classics series, and she has been active with the orchestra’s Crescendo Project, aimed at developing younger audiences.

Doc Severinsen left a large hole in this business when he retired a couple of years ago. My orchestra replaced him with Marvin Hamlisch, which was definitely thinking inside the box. What Minnesota has done is essentially to eliminate the position of principal pops conductor in the form it’s existed there and most other places.

That’s not to say it’s a bad move. Hicks appears to have a gift for this kind of work. But, given that she will be conducting four weeks of Pops concerts in her new role, and was likely conducting some of those weeks in her previous incarnation as assistant conductor, it’s hard to believe that this is not essentially the elimination of a fairly expensive position on the conducting staff. That would be consistent with the earlier move towards cheaper guest artists as well.

The larger significance of both decisions is that the Minnesota Orchestra appears to believe that guest artists, whether for classical or pops programs, have begun to lose their marketing mojo. If the orchestra industry is ever to move away from the headliner model and stop trying to imitate a commercial music business that appears not to work anymore, that would be an important insight – especially if it’s correct.