# Question!



## Judith

When an orchestra decides on what the repetoire is for the season, who is it that decides? Is it the conductor, orchestra or anyone else? How do they decide on who is going to be the soloist and what he is going to perform? Thank you!!


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## Genoveva

Judith said:


> When an orchestra decides on what the repetoire is for the season, who is it that decides? Is it the conductor, orchestra or anyone else? How do they decide on who is going to be the soloist and what he is going to perform? Thank you!!


I don't have any special knowledge about these processes and can only hazard a few guesses based on my own experience mainly in South Africa, purely as an audience member.

I assume you are referring to a typical decent sized orchestra with professional musicians and a permanent venue at their disposal. In that case, as far as I'm aware, the concert programming is largely in the hands of the managing director (or whatever title he/she may have). But obviously this is not going to be conducted in a vacuum as there are several other stakeholders who have an interest, including all the paid professionals in the orchestra, and the audiences.

Regarding the professionals, they obviously need to feel capable of achieving good results in whatever programme they might come up. There is likely to be some attempt to balance the programmes with some old "war horses" mixed up with some more modern material. This mixing of old and new is quite common these days, sometimes to the annoyance of the more staid, blue-rinse brigade and Colonel Blimps.

Quite how the audiences make their views known on what they would like see performed probably varies a lot from one orchestra to another, but one mechanism is likely to be via organisations such "Friends of XYX Orchestra". There might also be some occasional responses to less formalised types of customer input.


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## Pugg

Judith said:


> When an orchestra decides on what the repetoire is for the season, who is it that decides? Is it the conductor, orchestra or anyone else? How do they decide on who is going to be the soloist and what he is going to perform? Thank you!!


The principal conductor and the general manager from a orchestra decide the planning, seeing which guest conductors they can get before they make the actual planning. ( info from a member of a orchestra ask juts for you )


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## Vaneyes

MD, guest conductors, soloists all have primary input. Various admins., such as president, general mgr., librarian, marketing, to a lesser degree. Questions--What's affordable? Who's available? What/who's hot? When was the last time the work was played here?

Occasionally, wonder of wonders, even concertgoers are asked to suggest "tunes' for next year.


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## Judith

Another question! A few times when seeing local orchestras, they are tuning their instruments in between movements. Don't see this when seeing professional ones!

Is this practice usual?


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## Pugg

Judith said:


> Another question! A few times when seeing local orchestras, they are tuning their instruments in between movements. Don't see this when seeing professional ones!
> 
> Is this practice usual?


Perhaps depending on the length of the piece or when they are H.I.P instrument, they need a lot of tuning.


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## SixFootScowl

Can I throw out a question or two? 

Why do the French hornists continually sit there and turn their horns between their parts? It is very distracting. But I suspect it is the only way to get saliva out of the horn and we don't notice with normal horns because they are straight and so only have to be held upright instead of continually turned.

The other odd thing was the French hornists at the last concert I attended all were playing their horns with their hand in the business end of the instrument. Wouldn't that muffle it?


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## Judith

Florestan said:


> Can I throw out a question or two?
> 
> Why do the French hornists continually sit there and turn their horns between their parts? It is very distracting. But I suspect it is the only way to get saliva out of the horn and we don't notice with normal horns because they are straight and so only have to be held upright instead of continually turned.
> 
> The other odd thing was the French hornists at the last concert I attended all were playing their horns with their hand in the business end of the instrument. Wouldn't that muffle it?


I have noticed that too!


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

I'm available for consultations for any Orchestras out there that can't decide what to play- I don't charge much but have limited list of options............


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## Triplets

Critics sometimes have input. There was a critic in Chicago named Claudia Cassidy, nicknamed "Acidy Cassidy" who was instrumental in driving both Rafael Kubelik and Jean Martinon out of town. After the Martinon debacle the new incoming CSO President made a point of courting her good favor and let plan a program each season


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## Jacred

Florestan said:


> Can I throw out a question or two?
> 
> Why do the French hornists continually sit there and turn their horns between their parts? It is very distracting. But I suspect it is the only way to get saliva out of the horn and we don't notice with normal horns because they are straight and so only have to be held upright instead of continually turned.
> 
> The other odd thing was the French hornists at the last concert I attended all were playing their horns with their hand in the business end of the instrument. Wouldn't that muffle it?


No, I think sticking the hand in there is actually a playing technique to change the pitch of the sound produced. You're essentially changing the size of the bell.


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## SixFootScowl

Jacred said:


> No, I think sticking the hand in there is actually a playing technique to change the pitch of the sound produced. You're essentially changing the size of the bell.


I thought maybe it was needed to hold the instrument while playing.


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## mtmailey

I think it has to do with who pays to have music performed.Most cases the music directer may choose or they vote on it.


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